"Woah woah woah..." Shen swallowed nervously, "A Combustionbender? Look, I don't know if..."

"If what, Mud Boy?" Kohaku, raised one eyebrow, as she tied her hair back in a short ponytail, off the tattoo. "If you want one of Those Firebenders teaching you? Tough shit. I am your tutor, deal with it."

"What, no I... You see it's just... I, er..." Shen sighed, "Sorry, it's just... You know the stories."

Kohaku nodded sadly. "Yeah. I know. The Combustionbenders are still rare enough that people learn about us from legends and fairy-tales. The Firebenders so powerful they can detonate the air itself. We're seen as loose cannons at best, monsters at worst. I get it..."

"Sorry, Kohaku." Shen bowed, fist pressed to his palm. "I am ready to learn if you will teach me."

"I get it... But I also know that if people are going to change their minds about me, I need to be better than that. So, if you're able to put your fear aside... I'll show you that you can trust me." She smiled and bowed too. "Let's get started."

"While Earthbenders are either immovable or unstoppable, Firebenders are in constant motion. But Firebending also requires patience." She held out a leaf. "One thing you must have, above all else, is control. Without restraint, we risk letting the flames consume us and everything we love. Take the leaf." As Shen took the leaf between finger and thumb, Kohaku tapped the center which began to smolder. "Now, keep the fire from consuming the leaf. I will be back to check on you in half an hour." a flicker of a smile graced her lips, "Good luck, Mud Boy."

"I thought you said Airbenders were the leafy ones. What is this?"

"Basic Firebending exercise. And it's not the leaf You should be focusing on."

Shen glared at the tiny ring of embers burrowing through the leaf. "So... You've done this before, right? Any pointers?"

"Well, heh... Actually..."

"Ugh... this too?"

"Calm down, I was just pulling your leg. Of course I've done this. I could Firebend, but I lacked the control this is meant to teach." She smiled sheepishly "I'm lucky the White Lotus found me and started training me before I got too cocky and burnt my village down. Fire is different to the others in that it comes from you. Your Chi is what governs your fire. More specifically, your emotions. Rage, Hatred, Love, Joy... They feed the flames." Korra's smile widened a fraction, "So, to control the fire... keep a Cool Head."

"... That was awful."

"Yes. Yes, it was." Korra smiled and pointed to the leaf. "Took your eye off the ball too..."

Shen looked, the ring had gone from the thickness of a cigar to a gaping hole that seemed to take up most of the leaf. "Damnit!"

"You lack focus." Kohaku mused. "You find yourself easily distracted and you let your mind wander." She pulled out another leaf. "Try again."

Shen groaned and took the leaf. Stupid spirit mentor distracting him.

"Seven. Seven of those damn leaves before she was satisfied."

"That's how long it took you to get it right."

"I got it under control by number three!"

"Then lost it again on four."

"No thanks to you!"

"You need to maintain control in the face of distraction." She was grinning. "Besides, She doesn't seem to mind helping. She likes you."

"No, she puts up with me because I'm the Avatar. And she's getting a good laugh out of my repeated failure." Shen groaned. "Just don't do that again, please."

"Fine," Korra smiled softly and sat down next to him. "But she does like you, Shen. Don't forget that, even if it's only friendship. She cares. It never hurts to have people like that."

"The style of Firebending was first taught to Humans by the Dragons. In fact, the first true Firebending form was developed by Avatar Wan..." Kohaku went through the motions without her fire. Korra grinned, recognizing the motions instantly.

"The Dancing Dragon." She supplied in his head. "He trained with a Dragon in the Spirit Wilds after being cast out by his village."

Repeating the motion with flames in hand, she unleashed torrents of flame with each step. Shen stared in awe as each blast struck home, igniting the target dummies. She smiled and extinguished them with a wave. "Your turn."

"What? No, I can't possibly..."

"Do that? No. But you can at least create a flame. That tends to be a good place to start."

Shen stared at his hands. "But... How."

"Fire comes from your Chi, right? So you basically need to will it into existence. If it helps, try to think of an emotion that made you burn up inside. Firebenders in the Hundred Year War ran on rage for its devastating power, but I'd recommend using hope. It's not as hot, but it is easier to maintain. What do you hope for? How strong is that hope?"

Shen thought hard. "I... I hope I can be the Avatar everyone needs me to be. I need to be strong enough to protect them."

"Well... I'd say that is a pretty strong hope." Korra grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. Looking down, Shen saw his hands, wreathed in flames. They didn't burn, but the warmth radiated off them. He experimentally tried to marshal the flames into a coherent form, eventualy gathering them into a single fireball in the palm of one hand.

"Well, That should do it, Shen." Kohaku grinned. "Let's see what you can do."

"No, no, no." The young Combustionbender frowned as another fireball veered off course before it reached its target. "What are you doing?"

"How do I steer this damn thing?"

She sighed. "You don't, Idiot. It's not like your dumb pebbles." This comment earned an insulted huff from Bolin who was sat at the table in the corner. "What I mean is... Ugh, how do I explain..." She sighed, "You try and push a flame away and all you'll get for your trouble is burnt hands."

"So what do I do? How do I redirect something I can't even touch?" Shen groaned in frustration.

"Let your Chi flow. You can guide that, and the flames will follow it..." Her eyes widened in realization. "Maybe I've been approaching this all wrong..."