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Shadows

Chapter 4 The Demon meets the Spirit

Kumori woke up again this time he was on the ground. He looked up and over to see Aang and Katara practicing Waterbending in a lake. Sokka was trying but failing to light a fire. Kumori got to his feet, he was a little stiff but was in perfect health. He walked over to Sokka.

"You mind if I try?" asked Kumori, Sokka jumped up scared.

"Jeez can't you make noise when you walk like a normal person?" screamed Sokka, this got the attention of Katara and Aang.

"Sorry but I was trained in stealth since I could walk, and I can not turn it off."

"Hey Kumori!" called Aang air scooting over to him. "You're up."

"A simply astounding observation I would have never realized it." Aang just looked confused. "I guess sarcasm is lost on you." Kumori turned to face the fire. "Okay I am just lighting a fire a simple task." He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He raised a palm toward the fire pit.

"What are you doing?" Kumori's concentration broken he let out an errant blast of blue flame. But upon contact with the ground the flame became blue crystal.

"Whoa!" gasped Katara as she stooped down to pick up the crystal. "It's beautiful."

"Wait be careful!" said Kumori

"Ow." Katara brought her hand back. "It cut me." She held her finger. "It burns."

"Such is the mystery of crystal fire." He held his hand over it and it turned back into flame and he formed it into a ball and made a perfectly smooth sphere. "Here it will not hurt you." he held out the sphere, Katara took it.

"It's cool."

"Yes crystal fire is also known as frozen flame it does not burn except when it cuts. Do not ask me why it just does."

"So you can bend the crystal flame?" asked Sokka

"Yes and no. Once it is in its crystal state the most I can do is revert it back to normal fire." And with that he changed the remaining crystal fire except for the sphere in Katara's hand back to fire and lit the campfire. "You can keep that Katara it might be useful. But try to keep it away from fire."

"Why?" she asked.

"I can show you." Kumori made a small ball of crystal. "Kuro." The crow-bat took the crystal and flew into the air. "Release." Kuro dropped the crystal and flew away. Kumori sent a small spark of flame, when the flame came in contact with the crystal it exploded with a blast of fire about a foot in diameter. "Imagine if I used a bigger crystal."

"That was amazing!" shouted Aang. "So that's how you got the name the Crystal Blaze. Wait if you're the Crystal Blaze that makes Kurai your brother." A loud smack was heard as Sokka hit his forehead.

"Gee Aang and all that "it's good to see you little brother." Stuff Kurai said didn't mean anything." Said Sokka sarcastically.

"Oh yeah." Laughed Aang. "But anyway Kumori when are you going to teach me Firebending?"

"I do not remember agreeing to that, besides I have to train myself. This is the first I have willingly used Firebending in two years and I am rusty."

"Rusty? But all that was really good."

"Please that is all second nature to me, Firebending has been drilled into me since I was two. I was as strictly trained if not more so than Azula. The only reason I beat her was because I caught her by surprise. As of right now my only true advantage is my Crystal Fire. Well that and the fact I know the four bending martial arts."

"Even Airbending?"

"Yeah Ba Gua was one my favorites." (A/N To those who haven't seen the creating the legend commercial. That is the martial art that Airbending is based off of.) "I know them all Northern Shaolin (Fire), Tai Chi (Water), Hung Gar (Earth) and many other variations. We thought if we knew every style we would better be able to fight any opponent."

"If you know the Airbender style then are there any Airbenders in the Order?"

"No, but it is my belief Airbending never died out. I believe there have many people born over the years with the capacity to Airbend there just has not been a master to teach them. So with your return the Air Nomads should return as well."

"So you're saying I should start taking on students."

"Perhaps after you defeat Ozai but in order to do that you have to learn Firebending. So let us get started."

"With what?" Kumori sighed

"With teaching you Firebending." He led Aang a little bit a ways from the group. "There this should be enough space. If our contacts were correct you learned some of the basics from Jeong Jeong. So I will not have to go through breathing exercises too much."

"How did you know about him?"

"The Order is all over, we have had our eye on you since the beginning. Now do you want to Firebend or not?"

"Yes teach me please."

"Alright now this exercise is familiar to you but it is essential in learning control." Kumori picked a leaf off a flower and set the center on fire. "Keep the leaf from burning." And he handed it to Aang the leaf. Aang looked disappointed but took the leaf and started concentrating. Kumori sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

"Kumori can I…"

"Here." Said Kumori holding up another leaf. "Try to last longer than five seconds."

"How did you know?" asked Aang curiously. Kumori put out the burning leaf.

"My father once told me that if anyone was born to bend it was Kurai and I. Kurai can bend earth with little movement. I am the same with fire. I can sense all fire in a mile radius if I concentrate hard enough I can even sense other Firebenders if I desire. Now keep trying."

"Why do I need to focus so much, most Firebenders just blast out fire that doesn't require focus?"

"Which is why they are weak." Kumori stood. "True strength comes from absolute focus and a calm mind. Stand back please." Kumori stood up and took a deep breath and focused his energy. He extended his index and middle finger on each hand. "This is the peak of Firebending and you must have perfect focus to pull it off." White lightning cackled at his fingertips, he brought them together and combined the energy and with his right hand sent a blast of lightning at a tree which splintered from the strike."

"Whoa I didn't know you could bend lightning."

"I do not bend the lightning I simply guide it, you must separate the positive and negative energy in your body into one hand each then combine and release it."

"Oh teach me please." Asked Aang

"First you must learn focus, so let us just practice meditation and breath control for now because at the rate you are going will be out of leaves soon. So sit down and breathe." Aang was about to protest. "Do you wish to not learn?" Aang sighed and sat down and began to meditate. Kumori fell into meditation as well he began to sense the fire around him. The trace potential of Firebending within Aang, the fire back at the camp, the crystal fire in Katara's bag; he extended his range outward feeling any heat source. About a half mile away he felt another campfire he sensed the people around it which meant they were Firebenders.

Firebenders. Thought Kumori. Two of them. Kumori focused on their presence and saw them in his minds eye. It can not be they are here; I have always wanted to meet him.

"Aang stay here and keep meditating, after an hour head back to camp I shall see you later. I have some business to take care of, do not wait up if I do not come back tonight I will meet up with you eventually."

"Where are you going?"

"To meet with a legend." Kumori whistled and Kuro flew down on his shoulder. "Goodbye." And Kumori raced off into the woods.

Camp a half mile away

Two people were sitting around the campfire. One was an older man the other was a boy with a large burn scar on his face.

"Zuko is the tea almost ready?" asked the old man

"No it isn't and how can you only care about tea? We're in the middle of nowhere and we haven't had a sign of the Avatar in days." Screamed Zuko

"Calm down Zuko even if you could capture the Avatar your father will not accept you." The older man was silent for a moment. "Zuko put on some more tea we do not want our guest to go thirsty." Kumori paled in his hiding spot.

There is no way he could notice me; I guess the Dragon of the West is more perceptive than I thought. Thought Kumori

"Uncle what are you talking about?" asked Zuko

"When the light of hope shines a shadow will be cast, and when the light goes out the shadows will fade, and when the shadows fade darkness has consumed." Said Iroh

He knows our creed but Kurai could have easily told him it but even if he knew I was here how would he know I am a member of the Order.

"It is all right you must know we are no longer with the Fire Nation and I knew that creed long before Kurai joined our ranks."

"Uncle who are you talking to?" asked Zuko

"Our guest." Said Iroh pointing into the trees. "You better come out before the tea is ready or you will not have any."

"There's someone there, come out before I burn you out!" shouted Zuko fire wreathing his hands. A chuckle was heard as Kumori dropped from a hiding spot in a tree.

"Such rage there is no place for that in Firebending." Said Kumori hiding his face under the hood of his cloak.

"Who are you? Quit hiding behind your cloak."

"Did your uncle not say I was a guest? It is rude to demand things of a guest and as for hiding in my cloak I have heard you have a penchant for hiding behind a mask or so the contacts say." Zuko just glared at him.

"Zuko calm yourself there is no need for a fight." Said Iroh

"Besides you could not touch me." Laughed Kumori. Zuko couldn't take it any more and he drew his broadswords and ran at Kumori. Kumori sighed and drew his kukris. He parried Zuko's swords and pushed him to the side and then did the most ingenious battle tactic the world has ever seen; he tripped Zuko who promptly fell into a tree.

"You'll pay for that." Zuko turned around only to have the blade of a kukri at his throat.

"I am not here to fight or I could have attacked a long time ago." Zuko growled but relented, Kumori pulled the blade back and sat down by the fire.

"So what brings a member of the Order of Shadows out here?" asked Iroh handing Kumori a cup of tea.

"I was meditating and I felt the auras of Firebenders when I focused on you I saw you in my minds eye I recognized you and I have always wanted to meet the Dragon of the West." Said Kumori sipping the tea. "But I must know, it is one thing to sense my presence but how did you know I was member of the Order?"

"Only those in the Order are that stealthy but you do not need to keep your face covered."

"Sorry force of habit." Kumori pulled back his hood.

"Karasu!" said Iroh

"You knew my father?"

"Kumori? Well I'll be I haven't seen you since you were knee high to a grasshopper-rat."

"You know this kid?" asked Zuko

"You know me?"

"Zuko I am surprised you do not remember Kumori after all he beat Azula."

"Not this again, first Azula says I beat her now you I do not remember any of this."

"When did you meet Azula?" asked Zuko

"In Omashu, if I had not surprised her I would not have won."

"You always used surprise to beat her, but it is understandable that neither of you would not remember it you were so young only about five which would have made Azula around four." Said Iroh

"Then why does she remember when I do not?"

"Because Ozai never let her forget, the fact that she lost an Agni Kai to you upset him greatly."

"But why was I fighting her?"

"To prove your worth to Ozai and Azulon." Iroh looked to see Kumori confused. "Tell me do you know about the Kage family before Kurai betrayed you.

"We were an important Fire Nation family."

"No you were more than important the Kages were one of the noble families of the Fire Nation and a you know alliances within noble families are prepared years in advanced had Kurai not betrayed you as of right now you and Azula would be married. You were fighting to prove you were worthy to be Azula's betrothed." Iroh laughed. "I guess you got lucky eh Kumori. Kumori?" Iroh looked to see Kumori staring blankly forward. "Are you all right?" Kumori's eyes rolled back as he passed out. "Looks like it was too much for him Zuko. Zuko?" he looked to see Zuko passed out as well. Iroh shrugged. "Oh well I could use a nap as well." And he leaned against the tree and fell asleep.

Well that ends it this time; this seemed like a good spot to end it. Next time while Kumori is passed out he remembers the events Azula and Iroh told him about. So it's flashback time.