Well this is chapter two of my story. It is a flash back, which will always be in italics. Sorry that it took such a long time, but at least it is now posted.

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Ch. 2

Child of the Fire

The fire surrounded the small boy in the center of the platform. Each flame had a mind of it's own moving in it's own fashion around the child. The child remained in the center, calm with out fear, his eyes filled with concentration. Each flame was only an element that was out of its place, but could easily be tamed under the motion of one simple move. The young child smirked slightly, positioned his hands in front of his chest in a punching sort of position. In order to tame the fire the child understood he had to be placed in the correct stance, if not one error could cause a fatal flaw if surrounded by flames.

The child eyed each of the flames moving in a distinct pattern. All he had to do was one simple move to tame this wild element. Slowly he inhaled the smoke enriched air, and gently slid his left foot backwards, and drew back his right hand, his fist opening and closing as he preformed this stunt. In response to this movement, the flames with drew themselves, and were eliminated from existence.

The child raised his face, and smiled at the walls that were now visible. The only proof that the fire had once existed was the vague scorch marks on the floor, and the slight smoke evaporating into the air. Against the wall stood a tall, strong man, scars of the war crossing his face. He nodded at the boy, a slight smile crossing his stern face. Although his appearance was scared, his voice was smooth as the words crossed his lips. "Well done my young pupil."

The boy looked up and smiled. "Thank you Master Ching." The boys voice was soft, with a hint of nervousness. His voice didn't contain as much buoyancy as some of the other five year olds that inhabited the small island he lived on.

"Your abilities as a fire bender are spectacular. None of my students have advanced as fast as you have." Master Ching smiled at the child, the boy smiled back shyly. "You may go now, our lesson has concluded for the day." He walked over to the boy and tussled his hair fatherly like. The boy smiled once more and scurried out of the small building, still shaking slightly.

The door out of the house led to a beach, filled with pearl white sand. The child's bare feat gracefully stepped onto the white sand, cool beneath his warm feat. The boy approached a woman; her long black hair weaved into a braid behind her. She had a smooth, kind face that was welcoming to the young child after a hard day of training, her golden eyes joyful, even after long years of pain. Within her arms she held twin baby girls, each giggling at the sight of their older brother approaching them. The little boy stepped up to the woman, and the two babies and smiled widely.

"Hello Mom!" he exclaimed with glee. After a day like today, he wished to be held in her warm welcoming arms.

"How was your day?" her warm, gentle voice questioned him kindly.

"It was good, I suppose. I really wanted to go play with Kirin though." The boy muttered softly.

"Well you still have a few hours till sunset, go see if you can find her." The boy's mother smiled down at him, her golden eyes filled with joy, stress, and sorrow all with in the same moment.

"Are you sure Mom?" the boy recognized when his mother was having a hard day. "Are you sure you don't want help with Kiki and Kiko?"

The mother looked at her child, with large, pale eyes. She lowered herself to the height of the little boy, and gave a painful smile. It was a smile that would only pass upon a mother's kind face, of love and compassions. "Honey, you need to enjoy yourself. I'll be fine, I am just going to place the twins down for their nap, and make dinner. Now run along, go play with Kirin." The woman smiled at her child once more, and stood up gazing upon her only son.

"Alright Mom, I'll go and find Kirin." The boy smiled up at his mother, and stepped past her onto the wooden boardwalk, leading from the beach to the center of the island. If the child had turned back to his mother, he would've seen her sad, mourning face. This look still would've been incomprehensible to the young boy, at that time of his young life.

The child skipped across the bored walk, still trying to make sense of his mother's reaction. Usually she was so happy to see her son, but today she had this dreary face. He realized his mother had dark shadows under her eyes, which tended never to disappear. Lately a smile never appeared on the woman's face, only a glum look of despair. The boy stopped, and turned his attention to the water that crawled slowly beneath the boardwalk. He lay his head down on the railing, and began to close his eyes.

Even at the age of five, the child had a strange way of thinking. He always considered the many possibilities of an event. He tended to think things over, while the other children just went around playing without a care in the world. That was how his mind worked, whether fire bending, or playing with his friends he always thought in that pattern.

The child lifted his head up to the sound of footsteps behind him. He quickly spun around to meet the face of a young girl. She had golden eyes just like his mother, and her long black hair was pulled back in a braid. She had a welcoming face, which made her eyes glisten in the sunlight.

"Kirin!" The boy shouted out in astonishment. He didn't expect to see his friend behind him.

"What's up?" she asked quietly.

The boy stared at his friend for a moment, and shrugged. "I don't know. Mom seems sort of down. I think she's been over worked or something."

Kirin stared at her friend for a moment. "Hey isn't that your mom talking to Master?" She pointed back to the beach in which her friend had arrived from.

"What?" The boy looked down toward the end of the boardwalk. There stood his lovely mother, holding the twins in her arms, appearing to be annoyed at Master. "Well what do know, they re talking."

"What to you think they are talking about?" Kirin asked her friend, while looking down upon the river below the bridge.

The boy shrugged, and slowly walked back towards the training hut. His mother had followed Master Ching into the confines of the house, where the boy could no longer hear their conversation. Still he moved forward, the dull wood of the walk walkway pricking his bare feet, which were already scared with burns. From the place he stood upon the board walk he could easily pick out the fact that his mother was sitting in the main room, possibly enjoying a steaming hot up of tea.

"Oh, come on. I don't want to go and listen to adults talk. Lets go play on the beach instead." Kirin whined from behind the boy, who was already at the edge of the walkway. She was never one to be adventurous, for on an everyday basis her mind would wander away from the main task. The boy was fairly different from Kirin, he was patient, could focus on one main task, and was somewhat more wiser then the average five year old. Even so, the boy was glad to be friends with her, for she for one thing was closest in age to him, and on the other hand was a fire bender, like him.

"Kirin, please can we go and hear what they are saying. It can be like when we play "spy", except we really have a mission." The boy's eyes grew wide, as he begged for this one chance. All he wished was to hear what his mother and master were discussing, for at this age curiousity always overwhelmed him.

His dear friend, Kirin scurried up to his side at the edge of the walk, where the wood met the sand. Together they trekked onto the sand, across towards the little wooden hut. The hut was the same one that the boy had left earlier that day, when the sun was just peaking over the treetops. Now with the sun high above the two children, beads of sweat cascading from their foreheads, the boy was outside the window in the exact opposite position then earlier that morning. Earlier he was the one to be taught; now he was the one to be hidden. It was a strange feeling for him, considering the kind of child he was, the helpful one that always followed the rules. With disobeying rules that were set down for him, the boy felt a new side of himself arising, one he never even knew he had.

He and his friend agilely rounded the corner of the house, in order not to be sighted by any of the strict adults on the small island. They rounded the corner, until they landed themselves under the large window to the main room, which was to their good fortune, open. The sand was warm against their bare feet, and the house produce a slightly cool temperature from inside. The young children found themselves getting into a comfortable position against the old shack, to listen in upon the adults.

Inside, the boy heard a cup being placed on the low tea table, and his two sisters mumble some words in their own young baby language. Although tempted, his head did not move to look over the railing at the scurrying happening within the house. He looked over at his friend quickly, seeing that she was playing with her hair, in order to stop himself from peering over the windowsill. He was about to get up and leave, beginning to become impatient, until his mother's voice caught his breath, as a conversation began between the two adults.

"Ching, why did you call me here today. You know I am short handed with my husband off fighting to serve the Fire Nation. I have three young children and no one to watch them. So why did you call me today? Is it to ask in my hand in marriage, again just as you did a few years ago? Or is it on a completely different account? Although this tea is fairly enjoyable, can you please tell me so I can move on my way." The boy's mother's voice was strong, proud, and ready for a fight. Already, for eavesdropping on one sentence the boy had discovered some secrets about his mother, and how strong she truly was. This fascinated him, thus he continued to listen in upon the conversation.

"Now then Sapphire, no need to become paranoid. I am in fact your son's teacher, thus it was in sometime I would confront you about his trainings." With that both children stirred slightly, the boy to keep track of what his master was to say about him, Kirin for hearing something that might be slightly interesting.

There was a slight pause of silence, followed by Sapphire's voice. "What happened? Was he hurt? Oh dear I knew I should have never have enrolled him in this training at such an early age. Oh dear." The woman's voice was quick, soft, and shaky. It was no longer the strong voice the boy had heard a moment ago. Now it was a scared, helpless voice that appeared to be coming from a weak woman.

"You are becoming paranoid again. But know, the worst that has happen are that he has gotten slight burn marks, just like most fire benders. Yet, that is not what I have come to discuss, I have come to discuss to progress your son is making."

"Is he doing alright? Is he failing?" The boy concurred that his mother had interrupted Master Ching, for the master did not seem to be too pleased with Sapphire for speaking.

Ching breathed in deeply before speaking about the facts again. "No, he is doing very well. In fact he is doing better than many of my older pupils, and some of the men I saw in the army. He is very advanced for his age. I put the emphasis on 'very' for it is true. He has nearly completed all the basic fire bending training, and is nearly ready for combat and technique training. This training can be more tedious, which is why I have called upon you for parental consent." His voice was stern, yet at the same time strangely welcoming.

"Who says he is ready for this? I approve, just how can you tell he is almost complete with his training?" The boy's mother was more relaxed, but still somewhat jumpy.

"I know when I have discovered a talented fire bender, and the fact is your son is one of them. He may be one of the most successful fire benders in fire nation history. Possibly the most brilliant of the flame, for he has talent none other may be able to accomplish. He may be the child of the fire." Master Ching excitement picked up as he talked, absolutely delighted in what he was telling Sapphire.

"Child of the fire?" The boy could picture his mother raising one eyebrow at that moment.

"Indeed, the child of the fire. There is a prophecy, you see, that there will be a child born on an island. He has abilities that no other fire bender has that might be able to restore peace to the world. Not directly, but more from the back. He will almost save the world in secret. You see and this child would have to be born on the day that is to be approximately fifteen to sixteen years before the next full solar eclipse, on a day of a partial solar eclipse. This is in fact when your son was born, on a day of the partial eclipse. Plus rumor has it that in fifteen to sixteen years or that day, for it is now about ten to eleven years, on that day a full eclipse will take place. You see, it all adds up." Master Ching was now extremely excited, more then probably anyone on the island had ever heard. He was talking similarly to a young boy, excited about warships and battle. Not like a grown adult who was a master of the fire.

"How can you be certain that it is my child? There may be many young boys who were born on islands on the day of a partial solar eclipse." The boy's mother was unconvinced. She as always considered the many possibilities of something being proved false.

"Well, I can see the view you are aiming at, but you see I am almost positive your son is the one. He has amazing fire bending abilities; he was born during a solar eclipse, about sixteen years before a full one is to take place. He fits th characteristics necessary."

"I suppose you are right." The boy's mother sighed. The child was tempted to peek over the side, yet halted himself from doing so. As a second option he felt the heat go through his body towards his right index finger. Upon his finger appeared a small flame, which so easily he could control. Never had he considered that it might be a more advanced ability then his friends.

He gazed at the simple flame, controlling its blunt movement with his eyes. Easily able to control the flame's path and objectives, nothing blocking what he wished it to complete. A smile crossed his face, starting from each of the corners of his mouth. His face was illuminated by the glow of the fire; joy surging through his body. For a brief moment he watched the gentle flame, then put it out in a swift movement.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT," yelped Kirin. She expected that her friend would accomplish great things, yet never expected him to be an amazing fire bender.

"Shush!" whispered the boy under his breath. Yet his feedback was a few seconds to late. Already he could hear his mother and Master Ching scurrying about above him.

"What was that?" Sapphire quickly whispered, yet load enough for the two children to hear. The Master didn't even hesitate; he was up upon his feet in a fighting stance.

"Who's there? Show yourselves!" Whenever someone spied upon his conversations he became paranoid. Anyone could secretly be someone of higher power planning to take the boy away.

The two children remained quiet, and slowly began to sneak away. The boy would have to discuss this later with Kirin, but currently their goal was to escape. Above they still hear the master pacing, nervous about who was outside.

"That's it, you will now feel the power of what I can accomplish!" Ching shouted from above. A thunderous fire explosion was heard from above, and caused the boy to quickly pivot around to face the window. What he saw caused Kirin to scream, and him to stand in a position to protect his dear friend.

A long strip of fire was heading directly towards them, moving at an extremely fast pace. The fire resembled a large, serpent that was prepared to attach its prey. The boy shifted his right foot backwards, and placed his hands in front of his chest. His left hand was just a few inches in front of his right, in order to give a perfect balance on the fire. The jaws of the fire came right up to him, and as the flames nearly touched his flesh he shifted his arms above his head. With that he gently titled backwards, in a limbo-like position. Above him he guided the fire, away from his terrified friend and himself. The path that he directed it upon led to the warm sea, in which it would be extinguished.

Beads of sweat covered his face, and his friend. Tears were streaming from Kirin's face as the boy helped his friend up from where she was sitting. Yet even through that danger, together they began to laugh. Their laughter sent them back onto the ground, where they laughed for approximately a minute.

"Well, that was fun." Snickered Kirin as she whipped away her tears. "He missed you by a long shot!" Kirin began to laugh again. The boy's laughter ceased, and looked back at the hut that they had run away from. Master Ching had not looked out to see who had spied upon them. Perhaps it was really a test, yet the boy would never be certain. He gazed over at his friend who was still laughing, yet he didn't exactly concur why.

"Kirin why are you laughing?" the boy asked with uncertainty.

"When I said "long shot". It just sounded weird. Actually I think I will start to call you that, Long Shot." She smiled at her friend. The boy, now taking the name of Long Shot, smiled back.

Little did he know that his newly found name could be the source of his survival later on in life.

TBC

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