I am so sorry about the long delay in posting! Life really got in the way, and then writers block cropped up. Anyway, here is the next installment! Enjoy!

"I thought you said he'd let us borrow them?" Huo whispered, his voice harsh with secrecy.

"My dad is very protective over his books. Especially those scrolls. Some of them could be hundreds of years old!" Maia returned.

Maia and Huo sat beneath an open window which led straight into Maia's father's study. They were remaining as quiet as they could, although both of them knew her father was elsewhere. They had seen him only an hour ago walking towards the town hall off for one of the various meetings that both their fathers participated in from time to time.

"All we have to do is sneak in and grab a few. He won't even know they're gone."

Huo shifted uneasily and glanced at Maia. She rolled her eyes at him and he stiffened.

"Don't tell me you're chickening out!"

"I"m not a chicken!" Huo protested, and he was about to spring through the window, but Maia beat him.

She stood up to her full height and hoisted herself into the window, making several clunking sounds as her body hit the frame. Huo followed her, not daring to question their use of the window instead of the front door, and soon they were both sitting on the window seat. Huo had only been in Maia's father's library once before and was amazed at how many books the man owned. Had he really read them all? He let his eyes wander to scan all the shelves. He began counting.

"Over here!"

Huo stopped at thirty-six and noticed that Maia had left his side. She was standing at the far end of the library, pointing to a shelf occupied by a great stack of scrolls. Pushing off of his seat, he was soon at her side. "How are we going to take all of those?" he asked, his voice thick with wonder. He was about to start counting, but Maia interrupted him.

"A few at a time, silly. My dad will notice if we take more than four. Now, give me a boost."

Before Huo had a chance to give his consent, Maia had placed both her hands on his shoulders and was climbing up him like a tree. A few muffled groans, soon to come bruises, and a minute later, Maia was perched on his shoulders.

The small girl, who was surprisingly heavy, quickly flipped through several scrolls. "Here," she handed one scroll down to Huo. He took it from her warily. Tightening his grip lest it fall, he felt the brittle paper crinkle beneath his grasp and he quickly made certain to keep his hands on it soft. Just one small wrinkle on the scroll and Maia's father would know.

As Maia rummaged through the rest of the scrolls, Huo began to imagine the scenario where her father would notice them stealing. He'd find a bent edge, or a small smudge of food next to one of the pictures and would come storming over to Huo's parents, demanding to know why their son was taking firebending scrolls. Then his parents would come to him and demand the truth. He was good at keeping secrets, but he wasn't certain he could keep this one for very long if someone came asking. But if his parents knew, they would probably send him off to prison where they kept all the other captive firebenders. At least, maybe there he would find a proper teacher.

As he had these vivid daydreams, Maia had selected three other scrolls which she handed down to her partner in crime who was hard pressed to keep them balanced in his arms without damaging any of them. Huo tried very hard not to cry out in pain as his friend began to descend. Her hands grasped his hair to the point of pulling it out, and her feet dug into his waist as she sought for purchase to keep herself from falling. But he did not make a sound. One cry and he could set the entire town upon himself and he would never be safe again. Those thoughts would have set more daydreams into motion, but Maia was intent on keeping active.

She dashed towards the window, her bare feet soft and soundless on the polished wooden floor. Huo followed at a slower pace, the delicate scrolls cradled in his arms.

"Don't take all day," Maia huffed after sliding through the window, her exit more graceful than her entrance, and Huo passed her the scrolls through the open window before climbing out himself. After an unplanned tumble in the grass after catching his foot on the windowsill he jumped up, thankful that he had not been holding the scrolls at the time.

"Ready?" Maia beckoned. Huo gave her a big smile. he was apprehensive about learning how to use his bending, but he was excited to try.

He and Maia raced from the edge of the woods back to their haunt by the waterfall. The gentle spray of water cooled the hot summer air, but the two friends stayed as far away as they possibly could from the water. Maia set all four of the scrolls down upon a dry rock underneath the shade of a large tree as carefully as she could, then began to unroll one. "I only found two fire bending scrolls in the whole collection."

"Then what are the other two?" He asked. He peered over her shoulder at the fire bending scroll she had on display and saw the small, almost childish, depictions of a bender going through the motions to complete a simple maneuver for fire bending.

Maia shrugged. "Maybe you can try to bend fire with earth or water bending techniques. I would say air as well, but I looked and my dad doesn't have any of those."

Huo stared nervously at the instructions.

"Come on," Maia urged. They exchanged gazes, Huo's nervous and Maia's expectant. "What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," he lied. He really was waiting for his bending to go away, or to have the world's opinions change suddenly. "I'm ready." He took in a deep breath and loosened his muscles.

Maia picked up a few stones and, after making sure they had no dirt on the bottom, she placed them at the corners of the scroll.

Carefully, Huo studied the pictures. The writing on the side of the paper labelled the first as a simple fire bending move. He inhaled slowly. He could do this.

Putting his back to the river, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He had gone through some forms when being tested for potential earth bending so he knew the basics. Slowly, he copied the forward natural stance he had been taught, with his left leg bent in front of him and his right behind him. Clenching his left hand in a fist, he put it out before him and mentally rehearsed the steps he needed to go through. He exhaled sharply, bringing both arms in close to his chest, hands in a fist, then took a step, pushing his right hand out from his chest. He felt heat tingling in his knuckles and a flame burst from his hand, shooting into the trees.

"Yes!" he shouted, breaking stance and jumping up into the air. "I did it!"

Maia gave an indistinct squeal and rushed over to give him a congratulatory hug, but his eyes had wandered to the trees where he had sent his flame. There was a horrid gash in the trunk of a tree, stained black from the fire.

"On no," Huo gasped as he rushed to the tree. "Maia...I-I can't...Someone's going to get hurt and it's going to be my fault and all because I'm a stupid fire bender!"

"No. Huo. We talked about this. You're going to use this bending for good! It's just a tree. You can shoot the fire into the river instead of the woods. Then you won't hurt anything."

Huo touched the tree in apology. He wanted to give up, to forget he had bending in the first place, but he turned and looked at Maia. Her eyes were pleading and he knew it was impossible to say no to her. "Alright. Lets try again."