Disclaimer – all original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in this fanfic (excluding my OCs) are the property of Bryana Konietzko and Michaela Dante DiMartino.

Chapter 23. Challenging The Fire Keeper.

Spirit World, Realm of Keepers.

The three phoenixes raised their eyebrows and stared at Huo silently after what he had just said. "If I kill the Avatar, Yuan'Shi won't be able to absorb his chi and therefore, become whole," the boy explained his plan. "Nou'Rai said that even one Keeper at his strongest can defeat the Avatar with the knowledge you possess so if you teach me, I'll be able to do it."

Wei'Rai took a quick glance at his sister and sighed. "What Nou'Rai said was true and while your idea in general isn't stupid, it has too many flaws."

"Huh? What flaws?" Huo asked, squinting his orange-colored eyes.

"The Avatar disappeared long time ago and no one knows where he is," Wei'Rai explained. "We know for sure that he's alive since the Air Keepers still have some power left. We thought about looking for him ourselves, but we'd have serious trouble doing that. Not only we'd draw too much attention, but the humans from the Fire Nation would surely bother us."

"And since Yuan'Shi has a human body, no matter how disfigured, she still can blend in and talk with the humans," added Vin'Rai. "So she has the advantage in that field."

"But I'm a real human," Huo pointed out. "I should have the advantage."

"Yes, but you're also a child, which puts you at disadvantage," Wei'Rai said bluntly. "First of all, no one will take you seriously and no one will listen to you while Yuan'Shi will be manipulating humans left and right. Second, it took many years for Min Yan to master firebending. You're to inexperienced and weak, so before you'd become skillfull enough to kill the Avatar, it would be already too late."

"You don't know that!" Huo claimed with a frown. "Min Yan didn't even have firebending at my age! I have the basics covered and I even know a few advanced skills!"

"Oh, in that case we're saved," Wei'Rai replied sarcastically, which annoyed Huo. "Firebending basics that your father taught you and the ones you read about mean nothing. I told you a few days ago that everything Shen'Rai did and sacrificed would mean nothing if you'd die and that's exactly what would happen if we let you search for the Avatar."

"That's not true!" Huo argued.

"Prove it then," Wei'Rai stood up and moved away from his siblings. He faced Huo and sat down again. "Attack me and force me to move from this spot. If you manage to do that, I'll agree and teach you firebending so you can go and hunt for the Avatar."

Huo's eyes widened for a moment, and he immediately tried to throw a fire jab. However, only a tiny blue fire came out from the boy's fist, which didn't even reach the phoenix. Annoyed, Huo began to perform kicks and jabs, but each ended with the same result. "Ghhh! Why?!" he exclaimed angrily. "Why are my flames so small?!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Wei'Rai, looking at the pitiful and sad display with evident dissatisfaction. When Huo shot another tiny fire jab, Wei'Rai sharply widened his eyes. The flame suddenly exploded in front of Huo and knocked him on his back. The phoenix didn't injure him, but it was clear that the boy had no chance of even touching the Fire Keeper.

"Uggh," Huo groaned and shook his head.

"You lost your drive and your firebending became drastically weaker," Wei'Rai said after a moment of silence. "Not to mention you have a much bigger problem, which is the real issue. Have you forgotten that Yuan'Shi can defect our negative emotions? She'd learn that you returned to the physical world and that's just another flaw in your plan."

Nou'Rai stood up and approached Huo, moving behind him. "You need find a better source to fuel your fire, Huo," she suggested and helped the boy to his feet. "Preferably something that doesn't involve hatred and rage. Something motivating and lasting. Something that cannot be taken away."

"Like what?" Huo asked, turning his head towards Nou'Rai.

"That's something you have to figure out on your own," Wei'Rai answered and returned to sit down in his previous spot. "No one can tell you what your drive should be. Only you truly know what motivates you. This is your decision and your problem to solve. Once you deal with it, we can try again, but the outcome will remain the same."

The boy looked at Wei'Rai, and his hands formed fists. His lips began to curl into a sinister smile, and he wanted to lunge at the phoenix again, but he heard Nou'Rai's words. "Calm down, Huo," she said gently. "You know you can't let your anger control you."

Huo loosened his fists and shook his head. "Come on, I'll give you a ride back," Nou'Rai said and sat down. Huo turned around, and without a word, he slowly got on her back.

Wei'Rai only watched speechlessly as his sister flew off with the boy, and his brother was the one who broke the silence. "I wonder if he'll realize that his drive is not the main problem," Vin'Rai said.

"If he doesn't, he'll remain weak," Wei'Rai stated.

When Nou'Rai landed near the entrance to Huo's cave, the boy got off her with a gloomy expression. "He hates me," he commented.

"No, he doesn't," Nou'Rai disagreed. "Wei'Rai can be very strict, direct, and difficult but he protects the ones he cares about. He'd never admit it, but you really began to grow on him. Sending you to the physical world without proper training would mean your end and he knows that. That's why he's so hard on you. Your father would surely agree with him."

"I guess," Huo replied.

"Get some rest and then try to focus on fixing your problem," Nou'Rai suggested. "When I find your father, I'll take you to him. Maybe he can give you some advise."

Huo thought for a moment. "No," he replied decisively. "I don't want to ask him for help. Wei'Rai is right, I need to solve this problem on my own. My dad would surely want to help me, but I need to start doing this alone since he won't be with me when I leave the Spirit World. I can expect to get help with everything."

"Are you sure?" Nou'Rai asked, and Huo only nodded.

"Very well," the phoenix said. "Good luck then."

Huo spent all day thinking about his drive and motivation, but he soon realized it was much harder than he imagined. He had many ideas, but his flames remained small no matter how he tried. After he ate his supper, he went deeper into the cave to wash his face and cool off.

Huo sat down and leaned towards the spring. "How am I suppose to figure this out?" he asked as he splashed the cool water on his face. Getting advice from his dad, who surely experienced the same issue, was very tempting. Leaning back, he lay down and stared at the ceiling with a sigh. "What to do?"

"Fear is the issue" Huo suddenly heard a voice in his head he thought he'd never hear again. He immediately sat up and rose to his feet, looking around. He heard it correctly. It was Shen'Rai's voice.

"Shen'Rai? Is that you?!" Huo asked.

"Down here," Shen'Rai's voice came from the spring.

Huo leaned towards the spring, looking at the water sheet. Instead of his own reflection, though, he spotted a phoenix. The boy immediately recognized the purple-colored crest. "Shen'Rai," he said, albeit cautiously since he had already heard and seen his own mother before. He expected the phoenix to be another figment of his imagination. "How? Are you... real?"

"Our spirits are merged so I'm part of you now," the phoenix explained. "I'm glad I was able to help you."

"And I never had the chance to thank you, wait... you said fear is the issue," Huo noted and sat down, crossing his legs in front of the spring. "What do you mean?"

"You're afraid of your flames," Shen'Rai answered. "After what Yuan'Shi did with your bending, you're subconsciously afraid to let loose and give your flames the freedom. You're traumatized of what happened to you and that affected your bending just like losing your drive."

Huo was silent for a moment. "My flames wanted to devour everything," he finally replied.

"That's their nature, but caging them is also a bad idea," Shen'Rai replied. "They protects us from harm, but we need to guide them and take care of them since they are our life. With our spirits combined, you have enough willpower to control them."

"I don't know..." Huo wasn't too eager to try, remembering how his flames had acted.

"Your fear and anger also dictate how they react without your command," Shen'Rai added. "It's not a bad thing to feel such emotions, but letting them control us is."

Huo looked at his hands while Shen'Rai continued. "In this realm, your flames won't hurt anyone. You can see for yourself." With those words, Shen'Rai's image began to distort.

"Hey, wait!" Huo called out, wanting to talk more, but Shen'Rai's image turned back into his reflection. The boy sighed and stood up. With a lot on his mind, he returned to the upper part of the cave and then went outside. Shen'Rai's words were tempting and had sense, but Huo was nervous nonetheless.

After a few minutes, he extended his arm, thinking about creating one of 'the' flames, but after a few seconds, he withdrew it. "Ughh... okay," Huo said and hopped in place a few times. He stopped, closed his orange-colored eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes, raised his right hand palm up, and with an exhale, he firebent.

A small blue flame appeared above his palm and immediately took the shape of a small lizard. No bigger than his middle finger, the lizard-shaped flame turned to look a Huo, who stared at it carefully. "Alright," he said calmly and sat down, keeping his hand steady. "Let's start slowly."

Huo allowed the blue-colored lizard to get down on the ground and watched it closely. Like a real animal, it began to walk around on all fours while the boy watched it closely. Deciding to feed it, he grabbed a few leaves that were lying on the grass. "Here," Huo said, extending his hand to the lizard. The flame creature immediately jumped on Huo's hand and began to 'eat' the leaves. The boy noticed that as the lizard ate, it slowly grew bigger until it became as big as his hand.

"Eat," the flame spoke after eating all the leaves Huo gave him. The lizard began to look around, searching for other things to burn and eat.

"That's enough for now," Huo replied, squinting his orange-colored eyes as he gave the flame a stern glare. The lizard looked back at Huo and lay down on his hand, listening to the boy. Huo's expression softened, and he sighed a smile, relieved that the flame complied.

"Maybe Shen'Rai was right after all," Huo mattered to himself and raised his head to look at the sky. He needed to be confident but careful with his flames. Still, there was an issue with his drive and motivation, but he was confident he could solve this problem and challenge Wei'Rai once again.

Huo got up and returned to his cave, not planning to fight Wei'Rai or even tell the phoenixes about Shen'Rai until he could properly firebend again. He only hoped he'd manage to do it before Yuan'Shi would find the Avatar.

The next day – Spirit World, Xai Bau's Grove.

Nou'Rai visited Huo the next day and told him that she had found his father. The boy didn't want to ask him for advice regarding his bending, but he did want to talk with him about something else. The phoenix took Huo, and they left the realm, heading towards Xai Bau's Grove.

It was a woodland area located deep in a canyon densely populated by trees. Grass covered the entirety of the grove, and numerous rocks were scattered throughout the area. A single stream with red water ran through the hilly woodland, and the sky had a yellow-orange hue.

Huo spotted his father sitting and planting something near the stream. "Hi, dad!" the boy called out from the sky and waved to Yan Zu, who looked up and waved back with a smile. The man stood up, happy to see his son.

Nou'Rai landed near Yan Zu, and Huo jumped down from her back. The boy ran up and hugged his father, who responded in kind. "I'll return after a few hours so you two can talk in peace," Nou'Rai said and flew off, leaving Huo and Yan Zu alone.

When Huo pulled away from his father, he looked at the spot where the man had recently planted something. "What where you doing?" he asked.

"After you left with the Fire Keepers, I've returned to the place where Yuan'Shi created that big explosion," the man explained. "I did some digging and found a healthy root that survived. I decided to plant it with the hope that something would grow. I never had a green thumb, but hey, spirits are immortal, so maybe we'll see Ek'Noshi once again."

"I would like that," Huo smiled, remembering the spirit that helped him heal his wound and gave his dad a place to stay. She didn't deserve to end like that.

"So, how are you feeling, Huo?" Yan Zu asked with a smile.

Huo looked back at his father, and his smile faded. "I need to tell you something important," he said with a serious expression.

Yan Zu squinted his brown-colored eyes and gestured for his son to follow him. The two approached and sat down under a large tree with orange-yellow leaves. "I'm listening," said the man.

Huo told his father what he planned to do in order to stop Yuan'Shi and explained his reasoning behind it. He also mentioned his conversation with Shen'Rai and told Yan Zu that he could control his flames. When the boy finished, he looked at his father and asked, watching him closely. "So what do you think?"

Yan Zu had a hunch Huo would get such an idea. The man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. He then looked at his son and nodded. "Okay," he replied simply, surprising Huo.

"Huh? Just like that?" Huo asked, dumbfounded. "You're not going to tell me it's a stupid and dangerous idea?"

"It is dangerous but not stupid," Yan Zu replied. "In fact, it's better than doing nothing and waiting for Yuan'Shi to become whole. If that happens, the humans will die anyway, and Yuan'Shi will surely return here to kill you. I would try to do the same thing in your place. Still, it doesn't mean I'm happy that my son is the one who wants to do it. I don't want you to be the one trying to kill the Avatar."

"I'll manage to do it!" Huo said confidently. "When the Fire Keepers will finish training me, I'll be strong enough to handle him! You said yourself I can do anything if I put my heart into it!"

"Huo, it is not about having the skill or power to do it," Yan Zu began. "While the Fire Nation will not stop you from doing it and will even encourage you, the rest of the world will see you as someone who took away their last hope for peace. The people who are close to the Avatar will hate you forever and it won't matter to them why did you do it. You won't be a hero, just the opposite."

"I don't care," Huo shrugged. "As long as my friends and family are safe, it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks of me."

"Just don't become like me during my younger days," Yan Zu asked. "The path you want to follow could darken your heart, and I could not bear it. Promise me that."

"I promise," Huo assured with a nod. "You'll be proud of me, dad."

"Oh, Huo," Yan Zu moved closer and placed his hand on Huo's head, ruffling his black hair. "I was always proud of you. You're the best son a father could wish for."

Huo smiled, and the two continued to talk for some time until Nou'Rai returned. Yan Zu said that if Huo ever needed help, he'd be more than willing to help. The boy was glad his father wasn't angry at his idea and supported him. Saying goodbye, Huo left the grove with Nou'Rai.

One week later – Spirit World, Realm of Keepers.

"I mean, the Avatar went missing and no one even heard of him for over one hundred years," pointed out Vin'Rai, looking at the other two phoenixes, who were sitting on the grass like him. "He won't be easy to find, even for Yuan'Shi."

"But he 'is' somewhere," replied Wei'Rai. "Even if he lives underground like a rodent, he exists in the real world. So unless he vanished out of existence, Yuan'Shi will find him. It is not a matter of if, only when."

"How much time do you think we have?" Nou'Rai asked.

Wei'Rai shook his head. "I have no idea," he answered truthfully. "Maybe a few weeks, maybe a few years. It all depends on how good the Avatar is at hiding."

"Or how good Yuan'Shi is at looking for him," added Vin'Rai. "One thing is certain, she won't give up no matter what."

"That goes without saying," replied Wei'Rai.

As the three phoenixes continued to talk, Nou'Rai spotted Huo in the corner of her eye and turned her head towards him. The boy walked calmly towards them with a determined look.

"I think you have a guest, Wei'Rai," she said, looking at her brother. Wei'Rai and Vin'Rai turned their heads towards the boy, who rolled his shoulders and began stretching his limbs.

"Hmpf," Wei'Rai stood up and moved away from his siblings, sitting down not far from Huo. "Let's get this over with," said the phoenix. "Force me to move from this spot, if you can."

Huo suddenly smiled widely, causing Wei'Rai to arch his eyebrows. The boy took a step forward and punched with his fist, creating a large blue-colored flame. His firebending was no longer weakened since he managed to find his motivation and drive.

Wei'Rai swung his wing and extinguished the flame without any effort. "You have your bending back, good for you," he said dismissively. "But like I said, it won't change a thing."

Huo quickly continued, circling around the phoenix and attacking him from all angles with flaming arcs and fire jabs. However, like before, the Fire Keeper casually extinguished the attacks with his wings.

Nou'Rai noticed that Huo was smiling the whole time. Unlike the first time, he was having fun. The boy stooped and thought for a moment. Regular attacks would not cut it, so he needed something else.

Huo lit the ground before him on fire and let the flames turn orange as they cooled down. As the fire began to spread and grow, Huo leaned back and started to inhale, turning the flames blue. The fire began to head towards the boy and spiral in front of his mouth. When the entire fire was gone, Huo started to make a circular motion with his arm.

Wei'Rai stood up and unfolded his wings when he noticed lightning sparks dancing around Huo's fingers. The boy extended his arm towards the phoenix and fired a lightning bolt from his index and middle finger. Wei'Rai extended his right wing towards the lightning and touched it with the tip. Just as the Fire Keeper began to guide the lightning through his wing, a small bird made from blue flames started to fly towards the phoenix from behind.

Nou'Rai and Vin'Rai spotted the bird-shaped flame and realized it belonged to Huo. The boy wanted to use it to disrupt Wei'Rai's lightning redirection. The bird was about to reach Wei'Rai's head from behind and attack his eyes, but the phoenix's blue-colored crest burst into flames, which took the shape of a four-armed monkey-like creature.

The creature smacked the bird away, not allowing it to attack Wei'Rai, who finished redirecting the lightning and shot it at the sky.

"Aaah, so close," Huo snapped his fingers. "Come back to me!"

The bird quickly flew over to Huo and landed on his shoulder. "Good attempt," the boy said and gently petted the bird's head with his finger. All three phoenixes arched their eyebrows. "He controls his flames," Nou'Rai noted. "And he actually treats them... like Shen'Rai did."

Huo opened his palm, and the bird landed on it, turning into a normal flame. The boy closed his palm and looked at Wei'Rai, who also absorbed his flame. "Are we done?" asked the phoenix. "Or do you have any more silly ideas?"

"Just one," Huo answered with a smirk. "Something that I never tried before, but I remember that Shen'Rai did it when he possessed my body."

Huo took a deep breath and began to move his right foot in a circular motion as if trying to draw a circle on the ground. Wei'Rai's eyes widened, realizing what the boy wanted to do. "Don't! That's too advanced for you!" he exclaimed, but Huo continued.

Wei'Rai lunged toward the boy and touched his belly with the tip of his wing. A large blue-colored flame burst from Huo's back, causing the boy to gasp. Just like before, the phoenix depleted a significant portion of Huo's chi. The boy felt cold and began to lose consciousness, but before the darkness took him, he looked at Wei'Rai and smiled widely. "Ha... I forced... you... to move..."

When Huo finally opened his orange-colored eyes, he found himself on the ground with Nou'Rai and Vin'Rai looking at him. "Ugh," the boy grunted and slowly sat up.

"That was really reckless," Nou'Rai commented. "Generating lightning from your feet is not the same as generating it from your arms. You could've ended with burned legs or worse."

"Luckily, Wei'Rai decided to stop you in time," added Vin'Rai.

"Where is he?" Huo asked, looking around, but Wei'Rai landed right next to them before the phoenixes could answer. He noticed that Huo woke up and squinted his eyes. "I told the other Keepers that you'll be trained by me," he announced. "They also agreed to teach you a thing or two about their elements so you can handle yourself against them."

Huo smiled widely, but Wei'Rai suddenly leaned forward and pecked him on the head. "Ouch!" the boy cried out and grabbed his head, massaging the spot. "What was that for?!"

"For being reckless," Wei'Rai replied. "If you do something like that again, Yuan'Shi will be the least of your worries. Do you understand?"

"I do," Huo answered. "I'm sorry."

"Good, now go back to the cave and rest," Wei'Rai instructed. "I want to see you here first thing in the morning."

"Okay!" Huo nodded.

Please R&R ;)