#me: I love Rangi/Yun buddy moments

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

You got it! In Immortal!Rangi headcanon Kyoshi dies at 230 (and those damn romantics don't think it's enough time together! TT0TT). Rangi learned immortality sometime between late 20s and early 40s (hard to tell what Age Kyoshi looks like with all that makeup, but tbh Rangi has Sei'naka genes she probs still looks like she's in her teens even in her 50s, just like her mother jfkldsjaf so it probs doesn't matter the actual age) Whenever they started implementing the immortality is the age they present as.

Rangi and Kyoshi develop a firebending version of water's spiritbending. "Purifying fire" if you will. It's derived from the Bhanti's way of "firehealing" (not like that is exactly expanded on, which mean it's a little sandbox for me to play in! :Dc) which is similar to waterbending's healing (and how spiritbending is a offshoot of waterbending healing?). Purifying Fire can be spouted out a lot faster than spiritbending, but it you have to slowly purify the spirit in small spurts/areas at a time (basically the pros and cons for spiritbending are flipped). It's more suited for high octane combat that involves dodging and picking at the enemy, but purifying the spirit will take more time than if you can root them and knock a spiritbending off (but that's a slower process that requires some rooting). So that's how they are able to deal with spirits without kicking the bucket like Kuruk. (iirc, spiritbending isn't invented until Roku's era according to the RPG thingy, but it's not till Korra it becomes a bit more well known).

Now with the preface out of the way. The reason Kyoshi died first? Uhhhhh for now I guess maybe they were fighting a spirit (maybe Wun/Yorm/WormYun?GlowYun? I'll just call him Yun) and Kyoshi took the fatal hit instead of Rangi. Which multiplies the angst~! .｡ﾟ+..｡(❁´◡`❁)｡.｡:+*

Nothing gets the angst going like survivors guilt! ‿︵‿︵(ಥ﹏ಥ)‿︵‿︵

Anyway Rangi doesn't want anyone else to have to deal with Yun's bullshittery, plus she wants revenge, so she stays alive. The issue? Yun's a hard bastard to kill! :'D That's ok! Apparently she is too! Anyway, many years in the spirit world later she find Kyoshi's spirit! Everything is a-ok again! She can beat Yun up and hang with Kyoshi in the downtime! <3 Until Kyoshi has to disappear because of Avatar State BS. 🤬🤬🤬 (because the Avatar Spirits will hang in the Spirit world, but fuck off when the Avatar State happens, and the get booped back to the Spirit World when done).

That's ok! Everything is a-ok! Kyoshi comes back after a few minutes and it doesn't happen too often. :D Haha it's not like there will be a 100 year gap like that right?

(Being able to see Kyoshi's spirit isn't all fun and games tho, Kyoshi's stagnant now, stuck from when she died. Unable to change like Rangi can. Plus they can't always be near each other for reasons. It's better than Kyoshi being gone-gone but it has it's own baggage. Also, I wanna say the spirits can touch the physical person, iirc it's shown in LoK, but man can you imagine the angst if it was all look but no touch? :'D)

But back to Roku. During one of the trips to the Physical World (she's gotta check on it every so often, it's just a bit hard to jump between worlds so it takes time). She learns about Roku. Tries to help him out behind the scenes. Everything seems A-OK! UNTIL IT'S NOT! "What do you MEAN he died from a volcano?! Kyoshi ate volcanos for BREAKFAST!" *promptly runs to the nearest portal to hunt Roku's spirit down and beat the shit out of him* *Kyoshi has to hold her back*

It's ok! It's fine! Rangi can just help the new Air Avatar. Now where is the air Avatar? *Aang Avatar States it for 100 years in an iceberg* Now where is Kyoshi's spirit? Oh....oh no. Oh Rangi's not doing well. That was def a low point for Rangi yes it was!

*100 years pass* Oh would you look at that, Kyoshi's back! Yay! Rangi: *kicks the "Kyoshi kuai ball" away like she wasn't just talking to it* Hey babe what's up? Have you ever heard of Castaway or Wilson? No? Me neither. Hey what have you been up to? I've witnessed my country basically commit many atrocities so like...dealing with that. :'D

(my rendition of "totally not Kyoshi version of Castaway's Wilson but with a Kuai Ball")

It is dawning on Rangi that immortality may make her a bit loopy, esp if she doesn't have her anchor around TT0TT (aka, the way Lao Ge acts might not be a 100% an act, probs not that far gone, but def a little loopy)

Anyway, Bodyguard Rangi and Assassin Lao Ge team up during the 100 year war. Trying to sabotage and help where they can. Tho sadly their top priority is stopping Yun from fucking with reality (plus it's hard to get around without a sky bison ;w; traveling is gonna be rough until Lok era!). Shit got REALLY dicey during the Day of Black Sun. :'D

Rangi: Those 8 minutes felt like 80 years orz Yun almost got out. ( 👁️ ͜ʖ 👁️) Everything is fine. No one died. ( 👁️ ͜ʖ 👁️)

Lao Ge: Holy shit that's what you've been fighting this whole time????

Anyway, I kinda started headcanoning that Dock/Xu/Bushi is actually from the Painted Lady ep is actually just Lao Ge fucking with people jdksaljf

Meanwhile, Rangi is out trying to free the Painted Lady (or some spiritual issue nearby, lol it'd be funny if the Painted Lady we saw actually WAS her but that might be stretching it, so to the background Rangi goes!) and comes back and finds out the Avatar was there and she's like ???!!!

Rangi: You met the Avatar????? Lao Ge: Yup. Funny kid. Rangi: He's an Air Nomad right???? Lao Ge: That's how the cycle works, my dear. Rangi: Did you ask about the turtle toy???? Lao Ge: Wait, what? No? Why- Rangi, death grip on Lao Ge's shoulders: I told you if you ever ran into him, to ask him how he liked that fucking turtle toy! Lao Ge: Ohhh right, uh, why was that again???? Rangi: BECAUSE KYOSHI SPENT 3 YEARS MAKING IT AND I WANT TO KNOW THAT HE LIKED IT!

(Rangi had many sleepless nights as she listened to Kyoshi carving a new turtle toy, they have 1000 failed attempts still littered around their house. She's stepped on more of them than any parent has with a LEGO, rip Rangi's feet u_u)

Now we get to Korra's era and like GREAT NEWS! Rangi can get in and out of the Spirit World a lot easier, AND traveling is a lot faster now that there's planes! Also Kyoshi's not tied to the Avatar State anymore! :'D The issue? She can't find Kyoshi! (now is it because Kyoshi is really gone? Or if the fan theory of "reconnecting to the past lives" thing is true....does Rangi have to go find her now? You decide! Which angst is better? :'D)

But if Kyoshi really is gone, well Rangi can quit right? Nay nay! Yun is still out there! And if Korra lost her connection to her past selves, that means she lost her connection to Kuruk. WHICH MEANS, the Avatar lost their side of the Glowworm connection! D: "Does Rangi have a Yun/Glowworm connection then?" I would assume so if they've been fighting for like......over 400 years? They must've left their mark on each other at least once. TT0TT

So uhhh yeah. Why I like the AU: Angst (diff flavor), Loopy!Rangi, Rangi vs Yun fights, Rangi/Lao Ge teammup buddy cop style (water and oil these two~!). Tbh considering how much the narrative puts stress on her iron character, I feel like this type of scenario would be a great way of testing and stressing that character of hers.

My general headcanon is Rangi died early in life, aka in her 30s (which is why she's not mentioned in the other media, plus the angst is too good).

But the idea that Rangi WAS taught immortality by Kyoshi, and stayed alive because Yun/Father Glowworm were still alive in spirit form and are still fucking up the place. And Rangi (and Lao Ge) are the only people who know/can stop YunWorm from messing with reality and it's just been brainrotting in my head for the past few days and I wanted to share. (Rangi's also able to visit her GF in the spirit world. :3c cause it seems the Avatars just....hang out there? TT0TT)

[patrickstargang]

To Heal (Shadow of Kyoshi fic)

Chapter 1: The Other Side of Peace

Chapter 2: Master and Student

Chapter 3: A Cause for Celebration

Chapter 4: Taking Off The Mask

Chapter 5: Call to Action

Epilogue

Rangi’s eyes opened slowly. She knew she was in the infirmary, but she still tried to get a bearing on her surroundings. The only thing she could tell at first was that there was something warm under her right hand, but she wasn’t sure what it was. She blinked, glancing to her side to find Kyoshi sitting by the bed, holding onto her as she continued looking through notes about Fire Lord Zoryu.

The warm feeling on her hand now resided somewhere near her chest, a sense of relief to know she was the first thing she saw as she woke up. Rangi tightened her grip to get Kyoshi’s attention. Her focus quickly broke from the work as she turned to face the bed. They were both smiling at each other.

Kyoshi put her other hand on top of Rangi’s hand, then slightly raised it up. “How do you feel?”

“Great, that was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.”

Kyoshi brushed her fingers against Rangi’s palm, still in disbelief of how lucky she was to be in good health.

“So…...was there any permanent damage?”

Kyoshi slowly shook her head, still keeping her gaze on Rangi. Rangi’s smile widened right before she lunged at Kyoshi, embracing her while knocking the blanket off the bed. This caught her off guard since she thought Rangi would still be a bit drowsy from sleep. But it didn’t take long for her to get used to it as she leaned into Rangi’s embrace, the familiar feeling of her hair brushing up against her lips.

Hei-ran was standing in the corner of the room. It was a rare sight for her to see her daughter this happy, so she tried to enjoy it while she could. She held out her chalk piece, keeping her stoic frown as she realized it was down to a spec of dust.

Rangi looked over to the side and suddenly realized her mother saw the whole cuddling session that took place. She and Kyoshi looked at each other awkwardly. Hei-ran opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She turned to the side, coughing. Then she tried again, straining her voice.

“Its..good….to see you're recovering smoothly.”

The infirmary doors opened suddenly and Kirima walked in. She glanced around the room, not realizing Rangi had just woken up. “Kyoshi, we found those stupid mushrooms you were talking about. Just thought I’d let you know they’ll be in ki-”

Kirima stopped mid-sentence, realizing she showed up during a somewhat private moment. But it didn’t stop her from letting go of a smug smirk. “Didn’t take long for you two lovebirds to get all snugly with each other.”

Everyone gave Kirima a piercing stare. She was used to the looks Kyoshi and Rangi gave her when she teased them, but Hei-ran was a different story. For once, Kirima decided not to take the risk of teasing any further.

She awkwardly began to inch out of the room. “You know what, I think I’m just gonna go. The mushrooms are ready in the kitchen by the way.” She quickly closed the door. Hei-ran decided to leave as well, to give the two some private time.

Rangi turned back to Kyoshi. “Wait, did she say mushrooms?”

Kyoshi scratched the back of her head. “Well, since your check-up went well….I thought I’d treat you to something nice. We found some stalknose mushrooms out by the forest a while back and I thought about making something with it.”

Now Rangi got her chance to be smug. “Treating me to fancy dinner are you?”

“Well, part of its to celebrate your recovery...but mostly its to say ‘thank you for dealing with me these past few weeks.’”

Kyoshi meant to sound playful, but Rangi could sense a hint of self disdain at the end. Kyoshi began to look off to the side, only for Rangi’s index finger to push her cheek to face her again.

“That sounds lovely. Thank you.”

She gave Kyoshi a quick and playful peck on the lips, trying to get her thoughts out of the gutters.

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The dining hall had a different energy to it that night. While the room was still ragged and rundown like the rest of the estate, it became a spot for a celebration. It was dark outside, and it still pouring rain, so for visibility, the room was lit with numerous candles. The members of the Flying Opera Company were passing around a bottle of sorghum liquor, which Atuat quickly joined in on. Hei-ran sat with Atuat, making sure that she doesn’t overdo it with her new drinking buddies. Jinpa was off to the side, playing songs on a dramyin that he picked up from a couple of nomads in the Earth Kingdom. Rangi sat near the end of the table, with an empty spot next to her, waiting for someone.

Kyoshi was off making preparing the dishes with Aunt Mui. Rangi was surprised, considering how much work Kyoshi had lately, and she still had time to make a celebratory dinner. It worried her, even after everything had died down with Yun she was still busy with the responsibilities of being the Avatar. Though part of Rangi had to remember that it was a full-time responsibility, there was rarely any time to just relax. But she could sense that it was weighing down on her, or maybe its something more than that.

Before the thought could stay any longer, Kyoshi and Aunt Mui came into the dining hall with three enclosed metal pans. The room erupted into applause as they opened the pans, showing three different delicious meals. One of them was especially notable, pan-seared noodles in broth with beef, onions, and slices of stalknose mushrooms. Kyoshi brought a bowl of vegetable dumplings over to Jinpa, which was made as a special request. He bowed his head in approval before chowing down. Next, everyone was given a cup of tea, though some decided to stick to the liquor. After that, Kyoshi finally took her seat next to Rangi.

Rangi noticed something about the choice of food to cook with the stalknose. She looked back at Kyoshi, playfully raising an eyebrow. “Noodles? Is this your way of getting back at me for being angry at you? That one time I was angry with you?”

Kyoshi wholeheartedly smiled, shaking her head. “No, think of it more as an apology.”

It took her a moment to realize what she was saying. That night, Rangi swore that she was through with Kyoshi. She betrayed her trust in a way that was hard to forgive. And yet Rangi still forgave her. But Kyoshi never had the chance to truly apologize for what she did. It meant more than words could tell.

But it also didn’t seem like a fair apology to Rangi, since these were much fancier than the noodles she angrily whipped up in a spur of the moment.

Rangi began making her bowl while Kyoshi watched with anticipation. She took her first taste, her eyes widened with astonishment.

Kyoshi leaned in. “So, how does it taste?”

“Like the best thing I’ve ever tasted! I didn’t realize you were such a good cook.”

“Well, it seems that you forgot I was a maid before I was the Avatar.”

They both laughed at the remark, though Rangi did partly forget about that time of her life. It made her dwell on the past, back when Kyoshi couldn’t even stand up for herself against some small-town bullies. It felt like it was years ago. Kyoshi was also dwelling on the past, but on something much more recent. She remembered something Rangi said when she first came to the Fire Nation. She said that after everything was over, they’d return to Yokoya for the biggest dinner they’ve ever had. And they did, they were having the biggest dinner they’ve ever had at the exact moment. But something was missing, or more specifically someone .

A simple lingering thought began to fester her mind, in the middle of a moment of comfort among friends and loved ones. I could have done more.

The change in Kyoshi’s expression must have shown because she could feel Rangi’s concerned gaze directed at her. “Hey,” she put her hand on Kyoshi’s hand, squeezing it slightly. “Is everything alright?”

Kyoshi turned to Rangi with a disheartened smile, trying to put a mask over her feelings again. “Everything’s alright.”

Many things annoyed Rangi, but on the lists of things that annoyed her the most, Kyoshi lying through her teeth would have to be at the top. Especially when it came to how she felt. It was obvious that something was on her mind, she could have easily said what it was instead of “everything’s alright”. She did the same thing that morning and right now she was doing it again. This lack of communication, keeping secrets from each other was what got them in so many sticky situations in the past. And now, Rangi wasn’t going to let it happen again. She said to herself that she would let this be an issue for another day, but now she realized it can’t wait any longer.

She needed to talk to her, she needed to find out what Kyoshi's hiding.

It seems that Jinpa also noticed the change in Kyoshi’s mood from across the room as he started playing another song. It was hard to decipher at first, with the loud chatter that was going on between Kirima, Wong, and Atuat, but then the lyrics became a bit clearer. It told a story about two lovers that were once separated finding each other again, followed by a brief musical break about a tunnel in the mountains. Then Jinpa went into the next movement.

“Even if your lost you can’t,

Lose the love because its in your heart.

Ooh ooh wah……”

Hei-ran and Atuat didn’t really know what to make of Jinpa’s songs, Kirima rolled her eyes at the lyrics and was surprised (and a little concerned) to find Wong on the verge of tears. But as the song continued on, Rangi laid her head against Kyoshi’s shoulder in the same way she did that morning. She was looking up at Kyoshi, while they were both listening.

“I didn’t know Jinpa was a musician.”

Kyoshi narrowed at the Air Nomad, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t think he is.”

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Most everyone went back to their quarters. Kyoshi helped clean the dishes along with Wong and Kirima. Since the two had spent most of the dinner starting a drinking game, they thought helping with cleaning would make up for it.

Staying in the ragged remnants of the kitchen left a feeling of familiarity and guilt. Kyoshi remembered the many hours she spent here during her early years as a maid. But she also remembered her last moment here, singing that poem. That was the day she began to realize who she was, that she was the Avatar. But it was also one of her last memories with Kelsang. Or it was one of the last happy memories with him.

I could have done more.

The feeling became tiring after a while. Turning around every corner, finding a new regret left unresolved or an old memory scraping at even older wounds. Staying in the estate felt like sleeping in a graveyard, it was unbearable at times. She began to think about where else they would go, now that Rangi was back to good health.

Wong slightly nudged Kyoshi, getting her back to her senses. She stopped in the middle of cleaning and didn’t even realize it. Kyoshi solemnly continued the chore. It felt weird to be doing this again after a year. Something about it felt wrong.

“Kyoshi,” she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned her back to see Rangi standing in the kitchen, looking at her with warmth in her eyes.

“When you're done, could I talk to you about something,” she motioned her eyes to the hallway. “In private.”

Kyoshi nodded slightly “Sure thing, I’ll be there soon.”

Rangi kept her gaze on her for a moment before she strolled out of the hallway. Kyoshi went back to cleaning, with more focus on the task at hand. It was only a few minutes later she could sense Kirima’s smug stare. When Kyoshi glanced at her, she raised her eyebrows up and down with sarcastic flair.

“We better finish these dishes, so you can have your close, private ‘talk’ with her.”

It didn’t take long for her to realize what she meant. Kyoshi was awash in embarrassment, trying to hide it with a stern face as she frantically cleaned dishes. Kirima was back in her comfort zone, teasing Kyoshi about her love life.

She glanced over at Wong, who gave her a reassuring thumbs up with a weak smile. But it didn’t help her nervousness. She dried the dishes even faster.

Now her mind moved to a new concern, a concern born from a simple question.

What does she want to “talk” about?