#then they follow them back to yokoya

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

New Kirima Headcanon

Sometime after SoK, Rangi mentions that she and Kyoshi should vaycay on her clan's island (cause they deserve it!). Jinpa obvie has to tag along, but Kirima and Wong are like "wait we should totes come too!" and Rangi's like "the fuck you will" and then K/W "lol we're coming" and Rangi's like "you know there's going to be a lot of 'honors' being flung around" and Kirima is like "a free vaycay on a beach is a free vaycay on a beach" and Rangi still says "no" but K/W are like "we broke our legs for you" and like Rangi can't argue with that. Fine, they're coming it's whatever. Nothing can ruin her mood, she's going to show her gf her family home all is well!

So they get to the island, and everyone gets settled. Kirima is like "I'm going to explore, maybe I'll head to the main island!" and Rangi's like yeah whatever idc, the farther you are from me the better tbh.

So like Kirima is gone for like days (Jinpa says he's seen her it's fine), outta sight outta mind. Kyoshi and Rangi are having the time of their lives. Everything's going great. Then apparently the Sei'naka's are having a big family get together for some reason. Turns out, her cousin had a big shotgun wedding! Well gotta welcome the new family I guess, weird but whatever he's always been a bit weird. Anyway he comes out and introduces his new wife and it's fucking Kirima.

Kirima looks Rangi dead in the eye and is like "kin!" and Rangi just combusts. And that's how Kirima and Rangi became family./end headcanon

[swiftsaltsweet]

Yokoya Days Ch 6: Kyoshi is a Bother

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (RoK characters tbh)

Pairing: Rangshi (Mostly Rangi crushing and Kyo showing signs of attraction) and also showing Kyoshi's crush on Yun (as little as I can cause I'm biased~!)

Rating: T

Summary:

Ever wonder what Kyoshi, Rangi, and Yun were like before the whole Iceberg incident? How they first met? And so on? Aka, little episodic adventures of 14/15/16 year old Yokoyan Trio.

Canon compliant, end game pairings in the actual novel u_u

Other Sites: AO3 

A/N:  Me: *pointing at chapter* Hey I remember you! You were supposed to be chapter 3! What happened? :’D

Return of my goober drawings. Sorry if the perspective is butt, I’m used to edits not full blown drawings (let alone backgrounds and such). u_u;; My main focus was Kyoshi’s pose, I don’t think I achieved the goopy gremlin-ness of it all that I intended but I got close. uwu (may redo one day who knows)

_____

“Kyoshiiiii!” Yun called out as he walked the halls. “Kyoshiiiii! Come out and plaaaaaay!”Kyoshi remained motionless, holding her breath, pressed up against the wall, hiding like she was in some sort of horror story.

She had dove into a hidden corridor that the maids and other servants memorized around the mansion. They were to hide from guests if they heard them coming, but it also worked when it came to hiding from the Avatar.

When she couldn’t hear Yun’s voice or footsteps anymore, she breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of stepping back out into the open the way she came, she decided to go the other way. It was a shortcut anyway. She’d go down this corridor, through the newly constructed drying room, and would find herself at the also newly constructed washing area. 

She backed up slowly, keeping an eye on the entrance she’d come through, making sure Yun didn’t follow her. She was on her fifth step when her back hit something. No, not something… Someone!

A scream threatened to escape, but she threw her hands over her mouth just in time for only a muffled squeal to escape. She quickly turned around to see who she ran into, only to see a familiar little red terror.

“Where do you think you're going?” Rangi growled in a low voice. Her brief expression of shock quickly melded into anger. She was definitely mad that Kyoshi barreled into her.

“The washing room?” Kyoshi squeaked out through her fingers. 

Rangi opened her mouth to continue her interrogation–

“Kyoshiiiiiiiiiiii!” Both Kyoshi and Rangi jumped at the sound of Yun’s voice. It came from the hallway, and they could hear him running down the way. Kyoshi supposed she made the right choice to not leave her hiding spot. Supposed. Because now she was trapped with Rangi. Stuck between a literal rock and a hard place. 

She could feel her skin prickle like static electricity, hiding from the Avatar, being so close to Rangi and in a dark room at that. Her senses felt heightened as well, she could smell an enticing floral scene coming from somewhere. It set her on edge and made her heart pound for some strange reason.

What new form of fear have I unlocked within myself? She cried in her head. Mistaking what her body was experiencing for fear.

As they listened to his footsteps passing them by and receding out of earshot, Kyoshi kept an eye on Rangi. Who’s eyes followed where she thought Yun’s footsteps were located. After it sounded like he’d left the vicinity for good, she turned her hot ire back onto Kyoshi.

“Didn’t you pay attention in this morning’s meeting?” Rangi chastised in a hush whisper. “This way is off limits!”

Kyoshi had been paying attention to the morning meeting, like she did every day. And she was pretty sure there was no reason for this area to be closed off. But Rangi was scary, and Kyoshi didn’t want to stick around the other girl longer than she had to. 

“Are you sure about–”

“Of course I’m sure!” Rangi hissed. Kyoshi noticed Rangi was keeping her voice quiet, and she wondered if it was because she was hiding from Yun too.

No, that doesn’t make sense… 

She was his bodyguard! Or did they not get along? She didn’t get that from the few times she ended up interacting with them at the same time. Not that she stuck around long enough whenever either crossed her path… 

Oh, whatever, I don’t really care. That’s for them to sort out. 

“So go the long way to the washing room, don’t cut through the drying room. You got that?” 

Kyoshi nodded, finally removing her hands from her mouth. This sucked. If the drying room was off limits… Well…there went all of Kyoshi’s short cuts for now..(until construction was done at least). The walk to and fro was going to be a pain today.

“Good, now we’re even,” Rangi coughed into her fist, looking away from Kyoshi.

Even? Kyoshi stared at the smaller girl completely confused. What were they even about? She meant it as if Kyoshi did her a favor? Kyoshi wracked her brain but she was pretty sure all their interactions had resulted in cardio. Specifically Kyoshi running away from the firebender. When the hell did she have an opportunity to help or do a favor for Rangi? She could’ve sworn she’d done the exact opposite over the past few days. 

“Well? What are you waiting for? Get moving!” Rangi snapped at her, and Kyoshi snapped out of it in turn. It was a bizarre turn of events, usually Kyoshi was a block away and Rangi was yelling at her to come back. 

Bossy, bossy… Whatever, she and that boy are weird. There was no hope for her, why bother attempting to understand the strange. 

She was about to get moving before she forgot her manners. She felt like she’d been slipping recently when it was just the staff around. She couldn’t slip up, what if she did that in front of someone really important? She could get fired if she got sloppy. Plus, Auntie Mui taught her better.

Kyoshi turned back to Rangi and bowed. “Thank you for informing me, Miss Rangi. I’ll try to pay better attention during the morning meetings.”

Kyoshi’s only response was Rangi clicking her tongue at her, and she took it as her cue to go.

_________

“Kyoshi!” A friendly voice came from around the corner.

Kyoshi looked up from the table she was polishing to see Lee. “Yes, Lee?”

“They need you back in the washroom. Something about more water?”

Kyoshi groaned. She’d spent all day running up and down various hills to fetch water from the well (she knew she was going to hate this future and she was right!). She was sick of it. On top of that, she couldn’t use the shortcut between the drying room and washing room! The day just couldn’t get any worse. 

Lee laughed. “What’s up with you? It’s not like you to complain!”

Kyoshi stood up, and massaged one of her shoulders. “I’ve just been doing it all day…”

“Yeah I can see how that could be bothersome.”

“Plus it doesn’t help that the drying room area is closed, so it cuts off all the shortcuts,” Kyoshi bemoaned. “The extra time and distance really begin to add up when it’s your eighth run…”

Lee looked at her confused. “What’re ya talking about? The drying room is open.”

“Huh?” Did it open up later today? If it did, why didn’t Rangi let her know? Why didn’t anyone let her know?!

“Yeah, I’ve been cutting through there all day. It’s not off limits.”

All…day? …ALL day?! It’s been open ALL DAY?!

Kyoshi smiled at Lee, but her eyes were far away. Her smile slowly started to fall apart as her cheek twitched uncontrollably.

Why that no good little– Kyoshi suddenly had a lot of unpleasant things she had to think about a certain firebender in the estate. Specific words she heard the local sailors used that made Kelsang blushed whenever she used them. He begged her not to speak like them again, but, oh boy, was she ever tempted now! 

Well, it’s not like anyone here can read minds. Kyoshi determined. At least her thoughts were safe.

“Good, now we’re even,” Rangi’s voice echoed in her head. 

That little shit… She was trying to get back at me all along! She was just waiting for the right opportunity! Kyoshi realized. She wanted to throttle the firebender until fire was coming out her ears! She wasn’t really a violent girl. Even when she got into scuffles with the other local children she chose the route of neutral and negative jing, because smacking children around that were half her size would be disproportionate retaliation… But Rangi was military trained, she could probably handle a wallop from Kyoshi or two! Hell, Kyoshi may be the one at the disadvantage, but at least she could go all out!

When I get my hands on her– Ohhh! She’s going to wish her ass never landed in Yokoya!

“Why’d you think it was off limits?” Lee asked, curious.

“Oh nothing, just that little– I mean, Miss Rangi told me it was,” Kyoshi fumed. 

Lee scratched his head, equally as confused as Kyoshi. “Really? Now why the hell would she tell you that?”

How the hell am I supposed to know? No… Kyoshi knew… Rangi hated her. Like all of the other kids (and most adults) who stepped foot on this peninsula apparently. It was the only possible explanation. Kyoshi was just a bother. To both the locals and foreigners alike. It was fine, she was used to this…

“I mean, she usually looks out for the staff–”

That’s one way to describe an anal busy body. Always in everyone’s business…

“–and she’s too much of a perfectionist to make a small mistake like that,” Lee continued on his ramble. 

“Guess I’m not included in that group…” Kyoshi muttered, picking up her cleaning supplies, not bothering to listen to Lee’s analysis. It was best she got a move on.

____________________________

Kyoshi moved through the mansion quickly, she’d arrive at the washing station a lot faster than she had earlier that day. She should’ve realized Rangi was lying much sooner, the fact she hadn’t seen an increase of the staff using the long way should’ve been her biggest indicator. She blamed how heavy the water was and how tired she was on her lack of awareness.

I’ll get back at her somehow… Kyoshi thought, trying to formulate a plan of retaliation in her mind. Maybe she’d let loose a bull frog in her room? Most of the village girls she knew didn’t like them, but then again…maybe Rangi was different? Well, even if she liked the creatures, it’d be a pain to get them out at least.

Kyoshi made her way through the hidden passage that she had used earlier that day when she ran into Rangi, but this time the firebender was nowhere in sight. She continued on, and opened the door to the drying room. 

An annoyed smile graced her lips as she disobeyed Rangi’s ‘orders.’ It opened fine, and there was no sign saying not to use it. Rangi really had lied. 

Maybe I’ll use two bull frogs… Maybe even throw in a prickle snake for good measure. She thought, already formulating a plan where she opened Rangi’s bedroom window from the outside and tossed the animals into the firebender’s room.

She closed the door quietly and looked around. She was just outside the drying room. The drying room was surrounded with multiple shoji doors and pillars. Some doors were open and some were closed. When Kyoshi peered into the room, she saw it was completely filled with multiple linens and clothes that were hung up to dry. She could just make out shadows past the hanging sheets and closed doors, it appeared to be a group of laundry maids. 

They didn’t seem to be working, it looked like their workload was done for the day. They were taking their time to lounge around now. 

Kyoshi considered cutting through the middle, to save time, but anxiety took over. She wasn’t very close with a lot of the other staff, and walking in front of them as they were relaxing felt a tad too invasive. She could imagine them staring at her like she just ruined a moment of theirs as she walked by, something that happened often growing up when she walked past the other children in the village when they played. It made her uncomfortable.

She opted to just go around the outer walls instead. It didn’t add that much to her walk, so no skin off her nose. She could just see the washing room door and–

“Kyoshi…” a high pitched voice drawled. Hearing her name caused Kyoshi to stop in her tracks, heart nearly leaping out of her chest. “The one you were talking about before, when I walked in. She’s that tall one, right?”

Huh? Kyoshi should move. She knew nothing good ever came from hearing her name spoken about from the shadows. She knew it would only hurt more if she didn’t move. But…she felt as if she was cemented to the floor. Too afraid she’d accidentally make a noise and then a different kind of consequence may be brought upon her.

“The one who’s always hanging around the Avatar and that fire brat?” a haughty voice replied. 

“Yes! Her! The tall one who’s always running around,” the high pitch voice groaned.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” another nasally voice complained. “Talk about favoritism.”

But I don’t! Kyoshi gritted her teeth in frustration. Yes, this was just another reason why she knew being near them was a bad idea. This kind of thing would happen. 

“Oh, don’t get me started on the favoritism!” the haughty voice groaned. “First, she gets this coveted job because of nepotism! It’s only because she had connections with Master Kelsang, I tell you! 

“Because of his past companionship with Avatar Kuruk,?”

“Yes!”

Kyoshi felt dread dropping into her stomach like the adult size rock that Aoma dropped on her not three months ago. They’d heard about that? How Kelsang begged Jianzhu to give her a job here. That was supposed to be a secret! 

Oh no, Kelsang stuck his neck out for me and– This is my fault. I must’ve done something that led to them finding out.

“Not just that, but have you seen Mui and the rest of the kitchen staff? They keep giving her special treats and extra portions! It’s not fair!” the nasally one growled. “I’d like some extra side dishes!”

The extra side dishes were because of Lee’s bribe, but they didn’t know that. She should probably tell him the deal was off, so that they wouldn’t get into trouble. As for Auntie Mui… 

I knew it. I knew I shouldn’t have taken those treats. Kyoshi cried in her head. She was just causing all kinds of problems for the people she owed. She’d need to pay them back, even the scale. Forget about just earning her keep, she needed to exceed that!

“Well we can’t be too harsh,” the high pitched one crooned. “I heard she’s an orphan!”

The pit that was in Kyoshi’s stomach now multiplied, stacking its way up her being. Right into her throat. Swallowing was becoming impossible. Her mind was going blank.

“An orphan?!” the other two gasped.

“Yes, and an unwanted one from the village at that! They told me she’s been causing problems since she was young!”

“Does Master Jianzhu know about this?!” 

“I can’t believe he would, Master Kelsang must’ve lied and kept it hidden from him! I doubt he’d like a street urchin near all his valuables! Muddying up the corridors.”

“I heard she was abandoned. That, or their parents sold her.” 

“Must’ve been a piss poor worker then, because I heard she ate out of the trash for years. They must’ve let her go, knowing they got a bum deal when they bought her.”

“Surprised she does any work around here if that’s the case.”

“Must not want to be abandoned like the last time, poor thing. But it doesn’t give her a right to be treated special. We all work hard, so why should she get anything extra?”

“Exactly! I’m going to bring this to Master Jianzhu’s attention, we can’t have filth muddying up our–”

“Interesting, you all were so hard at work earlier, but it seems like you’ve finished?” a familiar raspy voice appeared from the other end of the way, there was a bite to it. Rangi had circled back to this room at some point.

Kyoshi could feel the tension in the air as the gossiping maids went silent. Unable to talk back to someone of higher status.

“I’m sorry, but if you’re done here, I believe there’s other work to do around this mansion.” Rangi’s raspy voice never sounded more threatening. “And no need to speak to Master Jianzhu, if you have any complaints, please bring them to me first. I’m in charge of filtering such requests for him after all.”

“Y–yes, Miss Rangi.”

“Of course, Miss Rangi.”

“Right away, Miss Rangi.”

With a few more scuffles, Kyoshi could hear the other maids quickly leaving the premises. Kyoshi didn’t move. She was too…was too… It was best if she just waited for Rangi to leave as well.

“I told you this place was off limits, didn’t I? So why didn’t you listen?” she heard Rangi sigh from around the corner, sounding disappointed. Of course she knew Kyoshi was there, Rangi always knew where Kyoshi was. She slid a shoji door open and peeked around the pillar where Kyoshi was hiding. “Now look what ha–”

Rangi stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide and brow furrowed in consternation. Then she started to blur in Kyoshi’s vision.

“Wha–at?” Kyoshi glared at the blurry figure, trying to keep her bravado up in front of the firebender, her voice cracking mid-word. The back of Kyoshi’s hand flew to her mouth, embarrassed that her own voice was giving away her real emotions. Of all the people Kyoshi didn’t want to cry in front of, Rangi was pretty much at the top of the list. 

She turned her glare back to Rangi, blinking away tears so she could see again. Shock laid on the firebender’s face, like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. No…not just shock, pity was very much mixed into it. Kyoshi turned her head and eyes away, gritting her teeth. Embarrassment hitting her even harder. What little pride she had crumbling before her. 

“Happy? Yeah, I didn’t listen, looks like I got what I deserve…” she said through her teeth, it would’ve been better if Rangi was smug about all of this. She could handle that, but not pity. She took another shuddering breath, tears were distorting her vision again.

“N-no–I…” Rangi seemed to be at a loss for words. 

Kyoshi couldn’t bear to be in the same room any longer. She was sure if Rangi could come up with anything, it wouldn’t be anything Kyoshi wanted to hear. It would probably just be salt in her now freshly open wound.

“I need to get back to work. If you’ll excuse m–e–” her voice came out hollow and stilted, breaking on the last word again. 

Kyoshi ran in the direction from where she came, barely aware that Rangi wasn’t following her or calling out to her. That was fine, she’d be fine never running into the firebender ever again in fact! 

She sprinted down various secret passages so she could get to her room. She needed to fix her face before she made her way to the washroom.

_____

A/N: Kyoshi I’m gonna sit you down when I tell you this, that static electricity feeling isn’t fear. No I won’t elaborate, you’ll figure it out eventually.

Anyway, Potty Mouth!Kyoshi! My beloved! \u0u/ Swears like a sailor because she was raised near them! uwuI know I use minor cursing already but jfklsajfk seeing itty bitty teeny teen Kyo swearing makes me giggle. 

It’s a lot of fun to write “People Illiterate”!Kyoshi who just completely misreads Rangi (and Yun’s) intent… While Rangi is also a masterclass of bombing her attempts to fix things, or just outright fails to explain herself (either she sucks at it or she doesn’t realize she should, or BOTH). Absolute disasters. I love them. I wanna put them in a jar and shake them. Can’t wait to get to Rangi’s side of this era, as well as their actual friend era. >:3c

[etrosgate]

Liar Game. it's a psychological thriller manga, with each arc dedicated to a different Game that tests the participants abilities to outwit each other, in contests of trust and betrayal, with the stakes of a lifetime of debt on the line. highly recommended for anyone who loves mind games and clever deduction, and it's got a lack of violence that's very atypical for the death/debt game genre, so it's a great pick even for the squeamish.

but one of my biggest obstacles in recommending liar game is how most of the english fan translations routinely misgender fukunaga, one of the main characters who is a trans woman.

(for the record, her writing does start out pretty transphobic at the beginning (a classic trap+reveal twist, kinda cartoon villainy), but it soon rounds out and she ends up easily one of the best characters in the manga)

essentially. i have decided to at least attempt going through the entire manga and fixing her pronouns (and swapping out the r slurs that inevitably end up in every manga fan translation for some reason lol).

completed arcs are in separate zip files, for size considerations on your end And so i can post some before i finish all 201 chapters. (also i really don't care about redistribution or credit, spread them wherever you like lol)

please give the series a shot and tell me if you enjoy it! it'll do wonders for my motivation haha.

i'll probably move stuff to a different site at some point but. for now. you can download them here. [ACT 7 "MUSICAL CHAIRS" IS AVAILABLE NOW!!]

want to be notified when the next act is out? you can click the three dots at the top right of this post and follow it!

just a few additional warning for the series:

some of these are vague cause i haven't revisited them yet so it's just in my memory lol

the recurring antagonist yokoya explicitly admires hitler, and his rushed... idk if i'd go so far as to call it redemption? but it brings it back in a way i remembered being weird

in chapter 59 of the contraband game, yokoya squeezes some mice in with his hand and throws them do the ground, but it's not really graphic beyond squeals and it lasts like 2 panels

in chapter 18 of the downsizing game, you see the body of someone who has committed suicide, but it's no more graphic than an intact body with a blood splatter

in chapter 134+135 of musical chairs, you see the physical and emotional abuse of a child.

backstories discuss stuff like cults, suicide, and abuse

stuff that isn't content warnings but i want to inform you of anyway

its ending is infamously unsatisfying, from a really rushed/boring final game, to leaving off on a major cliffhanger. speaking for myself, just knowing that reputation helped me enjoy that section for what it is instead of being bitter about what it isn't.

THAT BEING SAID. the volume release of the ending is actually different enough to be notable (and imo improves it significantly), so for this project i intend on using it instead of the magazine release (and at some point going back through and replacing all the crusty magazine scans w/cleaner tankoban scans. but that's a long ways off)

please trust me when i say that kanzaki nao has gradual but significant character development (without losing any of her fundamental attributes). like don't worry, this isn't the case of a female protag who exists solely to get saved by a guy who is always the smartest cool guy. it's way more interesting than that. just give her time (act 4 is where she really starts to shine, imo).

if i've forgotten something major please tell me lmao

[dartalias]

Pirate Kyoshi/flying opera AU

I wanted to draw this for i while and i still think i will but in case i cant (no time, but i think i can make it) i just gonna drop my idea here:

Pirate Kyoshi and Flying Opera Company

(This will be SUPER long im thinking about it for a while now)

basically: "what if Kyoshi had accepted Tagata's offer" it would be like "i will go with you if you let everyone go."

I kinda mix a little bit with airbender Kyoshi too, but different, so follow me here:

for this AU specific i thoght in make Kyoshi enter the fitht nation and pretend to be a non-bender to Tagata at the beginning since canonically she dont earthbend in front of her intil the seafloor (dosent happend in this scenario)

Why?? do you remember when Tagata say she dosent have use to earthbenders in a ship? But she look to Kyoshi and see "potential"

[Important detail in this AU: Tagata recognise Jesa's fetures in Kyoshi just like that other pirate did (see this in a coment somewhere and love it), i didnt make a backstory for them but i think it would be cool, the point is: she knows Kyoshi is Jesa and Hark daugther]

Because of that Tagata is divide trying to figure out if Kyoshi is an earthbender or an airbender, and Kyoshi's plan is just pretend she can't bend anything to make Tagata "lose time" intil she finds a way to ether escape or defeat her

But when Tagata try make Kyoshi airbend Kyoshi thinks "this will never work, im obvious not the avatar" what make her relax (which is what was missed in the firebend test in canon btw) and dont think about it much

And then she airbend

And BOOM, suddenly she's the avatar, literally only her knows it, and she is surrounded by a bunch of daufei, while being untrained, scared and lost in a completely unfamiliar territory

So, since she cant go back to Yokoya (Tagata and the deal she made etc etc.) She goes to her cannon next impulsive plan B

The Flying Opera Company

Somehow she convince Tagata to bring them in the ship as her "team" or "guests" bc she needs more training (its true) and they would be the only daufeis who would have some idea of how to help her

So she goes to the tea shop and convince them to joing her (in almost the same way of cannon: "you're our lider's daugther and its offering transportation") and agrees to teach her if she joins they, making their vows instead of Tagata's, this way they would be a gang working for pirates instead of part of tagatas krew, which make its possible to Kyoshi be/go openly againt her (not that something would really stop her, but still..)

And thats would be kinda it, they would be runing with the pirates, making caos. With a airbender in there ship they would be easily the "best"/bigest pirates ever (she can literally control the wind, in a ship) besides, fighting with a airbender is something you wouldn't expected or be prepared to do in the daufey line of work

And Kyoshi would be pretending to be just an airbender (probably making up a history of "i couldnt try it or they would figure out", or "it didnt work before" or "i knew it but couldnt train it" something like that) both for Tagata and the Flying Opera (exept Lao Ge who figure it out, maybe he teach her how to kill people here too)

So besides Kyoshi being almost openly agains Takaga and planing for her dawnfall, (she is BAD at pretend to like someone) and seemed to be more of a willing prisioner then a real part of her crew, having a daufei airbender is a super advantage and Tagata is smart enogth to use Kyoshi in her benefit even when Kyoshis is trying so sabotage her or going agains orders, thats a dangerous dinamic, especially with Kyoshi involved, but i think would be great to see it

I dont know how this would end tho (maybe a postponed seafloor rise?)

Some still untied points:

-Jianzhu would still be a big villan, i have some plans for him (and maybe Hei-Ran) but nothing concret

-Rangshi is obviously the endgame, i just dont know yet when she would join Kyoshi (she would never let Kyoshi go with Tagata, so they would have left before Rangi arrives) but since she would definitely go after her and i think this would be it, at some point she finds her and tags along

-Kelsang dies protecting Yun from Jianzhu

Is killed by Jianzhu when he discoveres Kyoshi to be the avatar

Dies trying to go after Kyoshi

Lives and help Kyoshi with airbender later on♡

-Lek lives

-i have NO IDEA how to make Kyoshi get her things (fans, makeup, diary etc.) but she does

And thats it

Write this make the drawing ispiration grow back stronger so maybe i will do somethings of this later

[coleyoly]

Rangshi fanfic ideas

That won't leave me the hell alone. Might as well write them down so I don't forget, in case I want to chew on them later (maybe).

The Rangshi and AU brainrot will kill me, I swear.

Modern-day AU, nonbending. Rangi works for the Sei'Naka Security company during the day, and runs two free self-defense courses for women during the week. Kyoshi signs up after her long-term (now ex) boyfriend and baby-daddy finally takes his abuse too far and their young daughter is caught in the crossfire. A story that would follow Kyoshi's and Rangi's relationship as Rangi falls for the hard-working, single-mom and Kyoshi struggles to allow herself to have A Good Thing.

Arranged marriage AU. Kyoshi - one of King Hark's many bastard children - is one of the few survivors of a lengthy, bloody, and cutthroat succession battle after his unexpected demise. With the aid of his trusted advisor, Jianzhu, Yun has secured the throne and taken the reins to ruling the Zeizhou Province. While content to allow his favorite half-sister live her life in peace, Jianzhu proposes arranging a political marriage to further fortify Yun's leadership. An ideal plan, were any of the Earth Kingdom nobles to accept the incredibly tall, battle-worn Kyoshi, whose reputation speaks of violence and an illicit coupling with a former maid. A rare opportunity presents itself as Hei-Ran, friend of Jianzhu and head of the noble Sei'Naka clan within the Fire Nation, is seeking a worthy woman to match with her young daughter. Finding a noble hotwoman for the ferocious, capable Rangi has proven difficult, but everything that is different about Kyoshi might be what makes her a perfect fit.

Superhero AU, enemies to lovers. Kyoshi dangles at the very end of a cursed bloodline, the final Mask Bearer. The artifact holds immense power for the wearer, but comes at a price: The mask cannot be donned or removed by the Bearer, and inflicts the will of whomever places it. When the legend (and the mask) falls into the hands of __, he is able to trace the most recent Bearer to Jesa, and the daughter she had before she died. Kyoshi is plucked from the simple life she made for herself as a server at Auntie Mui's restaurant and ensnared as an unwilling soldier in an world-changing plot for a new order. Rangi has a superhero lineage that dates back as far as written record. She and her mother have the trust and backing of the government in the battle waged between good and evil, and are damn good at what they do. A Sei'Naka never loses, after all. With the presence of a new, powerful entity, Rangi is called in to contest the rising destruction. Believing the Bearer(name keep?) to be an entity of villainy, Rangi is willing to go to any lengths to get the job done. That is, until she catches a glimpse of the girl behind the mask. Rangi seeks out the aid of The Flying Opera Company, the last known companions of the Bearer, and comes to understand the insidious nature of the curse and what's at risk for the person underneath. Together, they seek to remove Kyoshi from __ and the Mask she's forced to wear.

Modern day AU, nonbending. Sei'Naka Security and Future Industries heirs Rangi and Asami are sent to Yokoya to work on a collaborative project between companies. Their residence is a recently acquired, older mansion which is in sore need of renovations and repairs to bring it up to code. One wing is finished before they arrive, giving them a place to stay. Hiroshi, concerned about giving unfamiliar men full access to his daughter and his niece, hires the Avatar Construction Company - which offers a female-only team - to finish the second half. Korra thinks Kyoshi is an idiot, at least in the ways of relationships. Her friend has a heart of gold, but has consistently picked some of the worst people to date. Her current relationship with Koulin Saowon is no exception. Sure she's hot (and domineering in the way Korra knows Kyoshi likes) but Korra's sure the bruises, constant texts, and criticism are not worth it, especially as things are getting slowly worse. When she notices Rangi - feisty, but also virtuous and wouldn't freaking hit her friend! - watching Kyoshi in interest, she approaches Asami one day. "Hey, is your cousin, you know?"

Canon-compliant, continuation, spicy. Includes lore/prompts from the Avatar Legends TTRPG. Between the chaos in Ba Sing Se and regrouping daofei sects in the southern province, Kyoshi and Rangi have had to take a divided front to tackle both problems at once. While Kyoshi has managed to quell much of the violence to the south, Rangi has run into problems in the capital that require The Avatar's authority. The night of their arrival, they have a room to themselves with a door that locks. After months away, all Kyoshi wants is to feel her golden girl and show her how much she missed her. However, feeling and touching with her hands - which have dulled sensation from her injury - aren't enough to satisfy. It's a good thing her mouth and tongue are fine.

Scifi AU, sort of vague idea. Still cooking. - Avatars are rare and advanced humans with psychokinesis, telepathy, and ESP. It is through their existence that intergalactic travel is possible, working in conjunction with technology and crew. Each fleet may have up to several Avatars, with each one responsible for a single ship. As one might expect, the powerful nature of Avatars can be a double-edged blade. Emotional turmoil or violence can mean a quick end for an entire crew. Each Avatar is assigned a handler to sooth them and keep their best interests at heart. While traveling in one of the more quiet sectors, the Avatars of the fleet are alerted to the immense distress of one of their own on an outlaw planet known as Chameleon Bay. They extract Kyoshi from the Autumn Bloom, who were using her psionic abilities to power their drilling and weapons manufacturing plant. Kyoshi is Fried, meaning that the overuse of her abilities has rebounded and made them weak. It is a temporary condition, but fortuitous in a young, traumatized Avatar. Can Lieutenant Rangi, who is assigned as Kyoshi's handler, help the girl find her center? Or will the Fleet have to face a difficult decision: What to do with a volatile psionic who could kill them all?

Canon divergence, Korra era. Still cooking. After the dark Avatar rips away Korra's connection with her past lives, Raava expels them in a last-ditch effort to preserve them in some way. Pseudo-reincarnation story, where Kyoshi and Rangi's souls rejoin in Republic City.

[topknotsstuff]

Fire (Rangshi)

“Fire, loveliest of the four elements of the world, and yet an element too in Hell. While it burned adoringly in the core of the Temple, it had also scorched the life from a city, this night, and spewed its venom over the land. How strange of God to speak from a burning bush, and of Man to make a symbol of Heaven into a symbol of Hell.” ― Walter M. Miller 

Chapter 1

Ever since Kyoshi was young, she grew up being told stories of fire, how destructive it was and how it brought pain. Her Aunt would always scold her if she got close to an open flame, her voice was gentle and calm, but her reprimands always hurt the small girl. She would say, "Kyoshi I told you it's dangerous to be near the fire you, could get hurt."

The woman would always follow up with a light smack to her hand with a wooden spoon chiding, "If you continue this, I'll be forced to punish you. You won't get to play with the Avatar after clean up if you don't stop this nonsense." 

It was a well-known fact in the Mansion that Auntie Mui hated fire and wasn't a fan of Fire nation nationals. The young girl wondered if she disliked her freckles more or fire? The plump woman would tell her stories of firebenders. She called them "Barbarians" and "Fools," Kyoshi thought Auntie Mui was a little Bigotted but, she would never voice her thoughts aloud to said woman.

Even with how much she got scolded, she couldn't bring herself to hate the warm glowing object that brought her warmth. She loved the very existence of the flame. It brought her joy when it was close and filled her heart with a burning desire, she wished she could get closer but, the stinging pain kept her away. She was jealous of the ones who could touch the bright oranges, yellows, and reds that burned passionately. She craved the heat that came with the ability to bend fire. 

Her hurt burned for the forbidden flames so much she thought it would set her aflame. She only wished she could press her lips to the flame of a small fire but, that was only a longing desire that she couldn't act a pon. 

One day Everything changed. it was a normal day like any other, the sun was shining in the sky casting, warmth a pon her sweaty tanned skin. Her smooth, brown hair was tied, into a tight ponytail sitting on top of her head so tight it caused her head to pound. Her sleeves were rolled up, showing off her dark skin and toned muscles. Sweat trickled from her brow and down her cheek dripping, off her chin, and to the earth. The salty taste of her sweat on her tongue and the merciless heat caused her to smile in satisfaction.

The Mansion was getting two guests to teach her ward Yun Firebending and, she was eager to meet them. When Auntie Mui found out she was none too thrilled about it. She told her, "Don't get too comfortable around them they will burn you," she had said it so eerily she, thought she was being told a ghost story. The other comments were all the same "don't play with fire or, you'll get burned."

The old woman repeated it like a mantra. She wouldn't say it to anyone else but her, not even Yun. That was the reason Kyoshi preferred Being with Kelsang her, surrogate kind father who found her in the streets of Yokoya as a young girl. The tall man was more understanding of her desires and love for fire. He would tell her, "Not to get too close," but never scolded her for wanting to see it. He told her how fire brought life but, it could also bring destruction. It can burn but, it could warm. He said that loving a Firebender was the same way as loving fire. You would feel warm but, you can also get burned, but she was familiar with the stinging sensation and burn she, knew what it meant to get Burned.

As the Mansion grew in the distance, she quickened her pace, shifting the large box filled with food in her arms. She was late and it was because of Aoma and her friends. They had tripped her when she was walking and caused her to twist her ankle. She hadn't been surprised when a small pebble came hurdling at her and hit her in the face probably, leaving a bruise on her freckled cheek. She couldn't worry about that right now.

She ran through the gates as fast as her injured leg could go. She ignored the stares she got as she entered and the comments of "That girl is late again. How did she even get in?" She had become accustomed to the stares and the whispers behind her back. As she passed, her eyes met Bronze ones. The girl staring back at her held her jet black hair up in a Topknot. She wore her soldier uniform in pride but, what made Kyoshi's heart flutter was the fire in her eyes. She knew she had to be friends with this girl.

She reluctantly tore her eyes away from the Bronze eyes and hurried into the servents door to drop off the food in the kitchen. She dreaded the talk she would be getting from Auntie Mui about the two Firenation among them. She wondered why Auntie Mui hates Fire so much to collectively hate a whole Nation. For spirit's sake, the woman was a cook and dealt with fire all the time!

She entered the large kitchen and set down the crate of food pulling back up into a standing position she whipped the sweat from her brow with a deep inhale through her nose and a exhale through her mouth.

"Kyoshi have you met Yun's fire bending teachers? I swear that boy doesn't need to learn how to bend fire. Earth is good enough," A kind annoyed voice came from the doorway.

Kyoshi spun on her heels with a deep smile on her freckled face. She didn't want to tell the old woman that, but before she could stop herself, the words were all spilling out.

"Yes, I did! I saw them at the gates. They should be meeting Yun in a moment." She couldn't control the excitement that was thick in her deep voice.

Auntie Mui opened her mouth to tell the girl that she should stay away from the Fire nation but right as the words were about to leave her mouth, a boy with brown hair and green robes strolled in without a care unbeknownst of the conversation that would have unfolded if he hadn't been there.

Kyoshi wondered why the grinning boy was here in the kitchen and not at the gates meeting the two women from the fire Nation along with Master Jianzhu. Sometimes her best friend confused her in his random appearances throughout the day.

"Yun, what are you doing here? shouldn't you be meeting you Firebender Sifu?" Confusion and slight worry laced her voice at the thought of holding up Yun from doing his Avatar Training.

The male's grin never left his face as he stood in pride before her with almost a smug grin and a wink. He knew of the other female's love for fire and had never judged her for it, even when others called her weird. 

"I thought you would like to come with me? I told Master Jianzhu it would be good for you to come with me because my Firebending Sifu has a daughter our age," he wiggled his brows elbowing her in the side the grin on his handsome face growing wider with each passing second.

She wanted to groan knowing what Yun was getting at but she held it in knowing it would make him even smugger than he already was at his accomplishment, but for now, she only wanted to meet the girl who could bring her even closer to her dream. The dream of finally holding fire.

[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

*Disclaimer: this entire fic is a massive spoiler for Shadow of Kyoshi so if you haven’t read it I would recommend doing so before reading this

The great rain that had poured over the Fire Nation’s crops seemed to have traveled all the way to Yokoya. Luckily the strength of the storm had died down since then, as it could have brought caution for flooding the town’s harbor. The patter of water droplets against the wooden boards of the Avatar estate was a calming ambiance, a perfect sound to continue sleeping if it hadn’t leaked through the ceiling. One leak, in particular, was right above Rangi, becoming a nuisance as she slowly woke up.

Her eyes squinted, rubbing them to clear her vision. Once she came to her senses, she noticed something was off. A different air to the room. She glanced at the other side of the bed to find Kyoshi wasn’t there. The lack of an impression on the cushion signaled that she had been up for a while. At the same time, while Rangi noticed the change in the room, it wasn’t an unusual occurrence either. Kyoshi had been up earlier than practically everyone since they agreed to reside in the estate. But she also noticed that Kyoshi would stay up later than everyone else, a new concern added on for Rangi to worry about. She sighed deeply, hoping today would have been a change of pace.

Rangi stood up firmly from the bed. She didn’t require her walking cane anymore, as the progress on her health was faster than anyone would have expected considering how serious the injury was. She solemnly dressed in the usual Fire Nation military attire and arranged her hair into a topknot. She made her way through the hallways of the estate, some still battered after their fight with Yun. They were painful reminders of the events that conspired many days ago, but also for a time where they were blissfully unaware of the deception Jianzhu had enacted.

Rangi came to an open space in the estates, a space without a roof that would have been used as a garden one day, but for now, was just a big patch of grass for visitors to enjoy the outside air. This was where she usually found Kyoshi, trying to converse with her past lives or prepping the negotiations for Fire Lord Zoryu to admonish the Saowan clan of their charges. But she didn’t find her here. All that was left was a tea set, with a cup filling with rain that poured out onto the grass, and a half-peeled orange.

Skipping meals again? She thought to herself in disappointment. She stared out through the wall of rain that separated the creaky wooden coverings from the soft dirt of the grassy patch. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the door to a room that was slightly open with light peering out of the crack. Rangi straightened her eyes and made her way to the room, ignoring the tea set for now.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rangi slid the door open with hesitation, mostly due to how jittery the frames became over numerous months without being replaced. She found Kyoshi, hunched over a table with an ink canister to her left, a lit candle to her right, and a letter containing Lao Ge’s updates on the Fire Nation in her hands. She broke her attention from the letter to see Rangi standing at the doorway.

“Hey,” Rangi wore a slight but sincere smile on her face. Kyoshi returned it back. She made her way to Kyoshi’s side, focusing her attention on the towering woman while she brought her attention back to the letter. “What's new today?”

“Not much, it seems that Zoryu’s keeping his end of the bargain, but we’re still keeping an eye on him just in case he decides to throw out the plan. So far he's been talking with a few of his chancellors to remove some of the Saowan clan from house arrest, but there's still those that were put in prison. Lao Ge will let me know if he gets out of line. And if he does, well…..you know.”

The warmth that Kyoshi radiated when Rangi first walked into the room quickly faded away. She knew that disposing of Zoryu was always going to be a possibility, but the thought of having to kill again to keep some perceived form of “peace” was continuing to strain her mind. This feeling transformed her face to a mask, one that was stoic and devoid of emotion.

Rangi’s concerns came back in full force. She would be lying if she said that she was truly behind this plan. It went against her own code of honor that she has been following since childhood. In fact, it went against her own basic morals. But she knew that the situation was dire, many people's lives might be on the line. She also knew that it wasn’t the easy solution, Kyoshi knows the ripple effect this would have across the Fire Nation. It was a last resort and nothing else. With time, Rangi started to understand why Kyoshi worked in the ways that she did. But it still felt wrong to her.

Rangi turned her head to the side, trying to hide her face. Kyoshi’s lips parted as she was about to say something to her, but decided against it. Then a different thought came into her head.

“Also….your mother will be here later today. Along with Sifu Atut.”

Rangi huffed, reverting back to a familiar expression, that of annoyance. “Great,” she said sarcastically. “I can’t wait.”

“I’m not excited to see your mother either, but it means you’ll get the proper healing for your wound.” Kyoshi then took a curious look at Rangi, examining her more sturdy posture. “But come to think of it, you’ve bounced back a lot more than I thought you would. I said you might catch a fever but I haven’t seen any signs.”

This relaxed Rangi from the previous topic as her annoyance quickly subsided into playfulness. “Maybe my strong will has been keeping me alive.” She gave her a cheeky glance as Kyoshi rolled her eyes at the firebender’s comment.

Then Rangi slipped her hand into Kyoshi’s, softly entwining their fingers. “Or maybe its that I have a great healer.”

Kyoshi tried to hide her slight embarrassment before Rangi gave her a kiss on her temple. For this point in their relationship, a gesture like that might have appeared childish, but it broke the tension with a bit of sweetness. They both laughed, enjoying each other's company as they let their current responsibilities be set aside for just a brief moment.

But it didn’t take long for reality to set back in for Kyoshi. Something else was on her mind, something that wasn’t the future of the Fire Nation. She thought about what might become of the woman she loved. Her recovery has been steady, but there was still the pressing question of permanent internal damage. The thought began to fester deeper into the back of her mind. She began to grapple with the thought that maybe she didn’t really save her. Her mind began to drift to those she tried to save, but couldn’t. She felt like she let her guard down again, allowing fate to take another jab.

Rangi was still smiling, she was caught up in the moment. But her face changed as she remembered why she came to her in the first place. “Well, I’ve actually got something I need to ask you. Have you been skipping meals again?”

Kyoshi stayed silent for a good while, eventually bowing her head down.

“Kyoshi, we’ve been through this! You can’t keep doing that, it's not healthy. Especially for someone under as much stress as you are. You need to eat.”

Kyoshi sighed, but tried to conceal it. She wished stress was all there was, but it was much more than that. Her sigh quickly became a chuckle. “It’s okay. You don’t have to worry so much about me.”

“But I do! You’ve been like this ever since we met back at the palace. I’ve been trying to help you get back on a normal eating schedule, but now I think it's only gotten worse.”

Kyoshi slowly turned to face Rangi. She looked like she was struggling to keep the mask on, pretending that everything is okay. “Its fine. I don’t want you to worry about my health, not when you haven’t gotten proper treatment for your wound.”

Something about the way Kyoshi said those last few words unsettled her. Before she might have said that in a somewhat combative tone, but now she sounded soft and withered. It wasn’t just her voice either, she looked tired. Not the kind of tired that could be cured with a good night’s sleep, something more than that.

“Besides, I don’t mind being hungry.”

Rangi didn’t know much about Kyoshi’s childhood in the streets but hearing this gave her a different perspective on everything. She knew what it was like to live off of rations from her time in the Academy, but she never knew what it was like to not know if you could even find a morsel for the next day. This was a feeling she never had the displeasure of knowing.

And it filled her with anger. The same kind of anger she had back at the lake in Hujiang. Part of it was anger at Kyoshi, for feeling like she might deserve any of this. That she deserved any of the horrible turns that have taken outside of her own control. But another part of it was at the world, for making her believe she deserved this pain. To say she got a real deal on life was a gross understatement. She didn’t deserve to punish herself for what the world had done to her.

But Rangi had to conceal that anger. Expressing her outrage wouldn’t help anybody. It was a feeling she would have to tackle someday soon, but today wasn’t that day. What Kyoshi needed was food. “Well, who's taking care of who now? Like it or not you need something to eat-”

Right as Rangi was getting up, she felt a tug at her wrist. Kyoshi was holding on to her tightly.

“B-Before you do that, could you stay here. Just for a little bit. I’m almost done with the letter, then you can make me eat whatever you want.”

Rangi looked down into her eyes, comforted by the sincerity of her words. She wasn’t putting on a mask right now. Without hesitation, she sat back down next to Kyoshi and laid her head against her shoulder. Kyoshi let out a long, breezy sigh as she returned to the letter.

Kyoshi was once again enveloped in a warmth that she missed for some time. Even after they reunited, they didn’t always get the chance to be alone. It felt like something she dearly needed right now. But moments of peace caused suspicion and worry in Kyoshi. Her life had always taken a turn into tragedy right in the middle of peaceful moments. A sinking feeling crept up on her, a sinking feeling about nothing she could identify. Her mind went to Rangi’s injuries again. She thought about the news she might get from Atut once she heals her. What would it mean for the rest of their lives? She wished she could silence these thoughts. That they could all just fade away.

As she finished the letter, Kyoshi attempted to calm her senses by focusing on Rangi’s breathing and the sound of rain coming from the open doorway.

[mightbeaspoiler]

The Rise of Kyoshi: A Review and brief Analysis

Rise of Kyoshi is the newest installment in the Avatar universe, and is the first of a two part book series written by F.C Yee in collaboration with the creator of The Last Airbender, Michael Dante DiMartino. The book is set apart to other additions of the Avatar universe because unlike the graphic novels that followed The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, Rise of Kyoshi is a prequel, that gives us insight to an Avatar who was once only known to us as a foreboding, powerful and mysterious past life of Aang.

The prequel begins with the old companions of the recently deceased Avatar Kuruk searching for their old friends reincarnation in a small Earth Kingdom village known as Yokoya, the characters Jianzhu, an Earth Kingdom noble, and Kelsang, an air nomad have exhausted the means and methods of Earth Kingdom tradition in their search for the Avatar and attempt the Air Nations method, which consists of placing a plethora of toys before prospective children in the hopes that the Avatar child will select four toys hidden among the hundred or so that belonged to them in a past life. In this opening scene there is foreshadowing to a young Kyoshi but ultimately, Kelsang and Jianzhu believe that their search for the Avatar in Yokoya is a dead one.

Following that, the reader becomes acquainted with an adolescent Kyoshi, not yet aware of her identity and living as an orphaned servant in what can be described as a prepatory home for the boy the world believes to be the Avatar, Yun. The home is owned and ran by Jianzhu and houses many staff as well as Yun's firebending trainer Hei Ran (another old friend of Kuruk) and her daughter, a firebending prodigy and the personal guard of Yun, Rangi.

Once the reader is acquainted with the main characters of the book, the scene that is set is one of rising tensions; the huge and untamable Earth Kingdom is under threat by smugglers, criminals and pirates calling themselves 'The Fifth Nation' and it seems that the only thing holding them back is Jianzhus political power and the worlds belief that Yun is the Avatar.

With all these factors in play, Kyoshi believes herself to be nothing more than what she does in her day to day life, a servant with untrained earth bending powers living under the grace of Jianzhu and with the friendship of Kelsang who saved her from destitution after placing her in Jianzhus household. The turning point of the book comes about when a seemingly harmless game of bounce poetry in the kitchen between the household staff (influenced by Kelsang) has Kyoshi spurting the words of a secret poem written by Kuruk in his life that only Kelsang was aware of, this effortless flow for Kyoshi shakes Kelsang and plants a seed of doubt in the both of them as to Yun's identity.

Now that the plotline of RoK has been established, it would be prudent to tackle theories as to why Kyoshi is discovered to be the Avatar so late in her life when it's typical that most children are realized to be the Avatar by the time they're 12 or 14, or even as young as 4 in the case of Korra, however Kyoshi is only suspected to be the Avatar and then confirmed by the age of 16, and although the importance of this late stage realization is not addressed by the creators of A:TLA, theories on this anomaly are still interesting.

Firstly, Kyoshis childhood is filled with strife such as abandonment and neglect: she was orphaned in a small farming village with inhabitants that treated her like an eyesore and a burden, moreover she was often mercilessly bullied by the village children because of her notable height and status as an outcast. From such circumstances we can deduce that trauma of this kind might have been responsible for her subdued nature that in turn made her response to her bending powers subdued as well. In TLA and TLOK characters who experience great emotional change or strife are likely to have their bending abilities affected, when Zuko joins Aang and friends in season 3 the power in his firebending takes a dramatic hit because of an internal struggle that raged on in him for many years. Similarly Korras power in season 4 is subdued after the trauma of her battle with Zaheer, of course the factor of her still having the poison in her body plays into this but the show emphasizes her mental state being linked to her bending proficiency.

Alternatively, the factor of the previous Avatar's early death can be considered. When Avatar Kuruk is introduced in The Last Airbender he tells Aang that in his lifetime he was a reckless and hedonistic person and his friends in RoK do note the same things about his personality, he dies at 33 which is relatively young for an Avatar (or for any person), while Kyoshi herself has been revealed to live until age 230 by the shows creators. Every human is different however and it could be theorized that the Spirit known as Raava -which embodies humans to make them the Avatar- was displaced by Kuruks early death that was uncharacteristic to most Avatars life cycles. It could be that this sudden, early passing of Kuruk triggered Raava into a sort of dormancy that prevented the signs of Kyoshis identity from being known. 

However, as well as these theories could be true it is just as plausible that the blunder of Jianzhu and Kelsang in their rush to discover and name Yun the new Avatar is reason enough as to why Kyoshi was not recognized as the Avatar.

Finally, RoK in itself is a very well written book with everything from fleshed out world building - such as snippets of a world in which the original Air Nation is present and thriving and even subtle foreshadowing to the structure of the world we meet in the Last Airbender that actually becomes the history of that same world. For older fans that can simply not get enough of all the details in this fantasy world that we were introduced to as children, the book offers a tinge of nostalgia and the perspective of a previously mysterious but intriguing past life of Aang.

References:

 Yee, F. C., and Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels Book 1). Abrams, 2019.

DiMartino, D. Michael, Konietzko, Brian. (July 2008) Avatar: The Last Airbender. United States of America. Nickelodeon Studios.

DiMartino, D. Michael, Konietzko, Brian. (December 2014) The Legend of Korra. United States of America. Nickelodeon Studios.

[blue-rose-89]

Avatar: The Shadow of Kyoshi spoilers (chapters 23-25)....

We are now at the finals chapters of the book. How will this story end for Kyoshi and Yun?

Chapter 23

-Kyoshi returns to Yokoya a month after her adventure in the Fire Nation. She finds Yun at the estate casually eating Aunty Mui’s cooking. After sending her away she gives Yun one chance to turn himself in but it doesn’t work. Yun, who is just done with everything since the day he was discarded by Jianzhu, is ready to fight Kyoshi. 

-Yun is so strong as an Earthbender that he can create earthquakes, dig tunnels  and “waterbend” with liquified earth to immobilize his opponents (it’s not lava bending because there’s no heat involved). 

 -It turns out Yun, at least from his warped mind, doesn’t really want to hurt Kyoshi, he just wants her to stop being the Avatar because it “changed her” and he wants her to be go back to being the friend she once was to him a year ago. Technically he’s not wrong about Avatarhood changing Kyoshi but in Kyoshi’s case it changed her for the better because unlike Yun she has let go of her past and the anger she felt from it. 

-Kyoshi’s Team Avatar (Wong, Kirima, and Rangi) returns to help them fight off Yun. Kyoshi sent Jinpa to pay them to come because it’s daofei way. Unfortunately Yun overwhelms the team with his power and ends up stabbing Rangi near the end of it. 

Rangi being mortally wounded causes Kyoshi stop the fight and apologize to Yun for being the Avatar and robbing him of everything. However, when Yun is close enough to her, she uses the advance water bending technique that she learned from Atuat and freezes his heart and lungs, killing Yun instantly.  After that she uses the Avatar state to summon enough water from the ground to heal Rangi. 

And with that It’s all over.

Chapter 24

-After Yun’s funeral Kyoshi is guided by a fox spirit to the Avatar that Kyoshi idolizes, Avatar Yangchen

-Kyoshi has been told twice about how she shouldn’t seek Yangchen’s advice when comes to dark spirits because as it turns out Yangchen is to blame for the dark sprits in Kuruk’s time. 

Yangchen explains to Kyoshi that her greatest mistake as Avatar is that she trusted humans too much when it came to respecting spirits. The constant favouritism towards humans and having some of them not holding up their end of the deal angered the spirits into turning dark, leading Kuruk into hunting them in order to uphold her legacy.

Before departing Yangchen gives Kyoshi the advice to let go of her need to let go of expecting  an easy or right answer (in this case killing Yun because she couldn’t save him) to a problem her past lives and just do what she feels is the right thing to do because in the end you can’t control the future.  She also tells Kyoshi to replace to turtle relic she destroyed in the first book so that it can be used to identify next Air Avatar (Gee, I wonder who she’s referring to).

And with that concludes the early years of Avatar Kyoshi.

But wait, there’s more!

Chapter 25 (Epilogue)

-The final chapter feature Zoryu and the aftermath of his victory over the Saowon, which history will now call the Camellia-Peony war.

-The Camellia-Peony war pushes Zoryu into making a long term plan in which all clans in the Fire Nation will be abolished so they and all the other citizens will be united and loyal to only the Fire Lord. He expects his descendants to follow through on this plan until the Royal family rules the nation autocratically. Little does he know that he ends up starting a line of dictators that will end up starting the 100 year war centuries later.

-I didn’t mention this in chapter 19 but before leaving Kyoshi warns Zoryu that she ever hears word of the Yun-decoy or any Saowon (Huazo and his brother are under house arrest) being executed she will bring her wrath to him. When Zoryu is considering on going against her word because executing the Saowon would be easier Lao-Ge appears. 

-Instead of killing the Fire Lord like you would expect from him, Lao Ge gives a message to him from Kyoshi stating that while she regrets ever dealing with politics, she’s still going to make sure that he’s scared enough into never angering her because Avatar Kyoshi is always watching you.

THE END

And that is all. It was a lot to take in and write it out but it was worth it. 

Overall I really enjoyed the book.

[gt-fluffy-vore]

New SandersSides Fanfic and this one’s an AU!

Hello all! This is a little preview I am posting of a new SandersSides crossover fanfiction that takes place in the Avatar: The last Airbender universe sometime BG (BeforeGenocide).  This is the first bit of chapter one, so let me know in the comments if you’d like more of it! Also I don’t know yet what it’ll be named so if you have any grand ideas I would love to hear them!

There couldn’t have been a worse day to be moving into their new school than today. It was the anniversary of the day they lost Patton’s mother and were left alone. There could not have been a worse day.  “Do not worry, Patton. I will do the talking. I cannot promise it will be terribly formal or polite, but you won’t need to talk. Once we get there just find your room and you can stay in there the whole day, alright?”

He nodded and uttered a barely audible reply, slipping off one of the bracelets he was wearing and shoving it into a pocket. “Thanks, Jannie.”

Janus smiled at him and grabbed his hand before stepping up to the entrance of the school, where a man was sitting on the steps scribbling on a piece of paper. He looked up as they stepped onto the stairs and after a moment of looking at them and glancing at the paper he had, he shot to his feet. “Excuse me!” They both stopped and turned. “Um, are you Patton and Janus?”

“Yes. And who might you be? I suppose you have a reason for asking about such personal information?” His voice was practically dripping with harsh sarcasm.

The man hung his head slightly. “Um, my name is Thomas. I’m the R.A. for the dorm we exchange students will be in. You two are from the community school in one of the wandering tribes, right?” Janus nodded silently. “I’m from Yokoya, the port near Qinchao. Welcome to Omashu by the way. The others are already in the dorm. Should we go?” Janus nodded once and followed him through the halls. Once they got there Thomas stopped in front of the door. “I’m not sure what you knew from the scrolls they sent you, but there are four others that are part of the foreign exchange program. The first two that got here are brothers from the western air temple and the next two are brothers from Hira’a.” Then he pushed back the thick bamboo curtain that served as their door and let them through ahead of him. They stepped into a fairly large living-room-dining-room combo with an empty doorway to the left and a door to the right. There were four doors along the back wall, with names carved into boards stuck onto the top of the wooden doorframes. That must be telling who goes into what room. “Oh. Everyone must be in their rooms. Hold on a sec and I’ll get everyone.” Smiling, Thomas stepped up to the first door on the left and knocked, calling out through it. “Our last roommates are here. Could you guys come out for a moment so I can introduce everyone?” He then moved to the second door on the right and repeated the process. In a few moments, four people joined them. “Alright, everyone! These are Janus and Patton. They’re from the wandering tribes near the south pole.”

Almost immediately Janus was raising an eyebrow at the two wearing air nomad garb. Didn’t the nomads shave their heads? The two from the western temple stepped forward. “Roman.” One of them held his hand out, quickly followed by the other.

“And Remus.”

“Grand to meet you both.”

Janus nodded and shook both of their hands. Then Thomas spoke up again. "These two are Logan and Virgil. They're from Hira'a."

They looked over at the firebenders. The first was standing straight with both hands clasped in front of him and the other was half behind him, glaring behind a chunk of hair hanging in his face. Janus stepped up and offered a hand to the first man.  "Janus.  And this is Patton."

The first man nodded once and took his hand. "Logan."

Janus unceremoniously turned back to the two airbenders and raised an eyebrow. "Are the two of you not nomads,  or…? It was to my understanding that the nomads shaved their heads."

The man who'd introduced himself as Roman shook his head. "I did, and I regretted it. He never did, I'm wearing wigs until it grows back out."

He nodded slowly.  So they had some rebels on their hands. He felt Patton's grip tighten around his hand and glanced at the doors. The second from the left had their names. "If that is all we will be in our room." Without another word they left. The second the door was closed he brought Patton over to the nearest bed. “Are you okay?” He didn’t answer. “We did get the same room, though. I told you you had nothing to worry about.” He cracked a smile this time and gently leaned against Janus’s shoulder as he finally let himself cry. “Yeah, go ahead. Get it all out, Buddy. Whatever you need…”

There was a long silence after the two left. Everyone stood around awkwardly and Thomas started at their door. Finally, one of the brothers from Hira’a mumbled something incomprehensible and retreated to his room, immediately followed by his brother, who nodded respectfully before stepping out behind him. Thomas shook his head at them. This was going to be a lot harder than he expected.

[swiftsaltsweet]

The Hunt for Kyoshi: Chapter 1: Rangi- The Ruse

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (plus whoever appears in Rok)

Pairing: Rangshi

Summary:  

“What are we going to do?” She asked steely, still not looking up from the ground. She was ready to uphold her duty, or at least, what remained of it. “We need you to capture Kyoshi,” Jianzhu instructed. “Capture?” “Yes, we need to set an example of an Avatar murderer,” Jianzhu responded, oh so matter of factly again.

(Canon Divergent AU- "What if Rangi wasn't there when Kyoshi ran away, and Rangi had to hunt her down?)

Other Sites: AO3 and Fanfic.net

Rangi paced and paced and paced and paced. A groove was forming in the guest room floorboards.

She’d been pacing for an hour. It'd been exactly one hour since she and her mother, Hei-Ran, had landed back in Yokoya; after shadowing her mother at a Fire Navy delegation meeting. Exactly one hour since her mother and Master Jianzhu had shoved her into this guest room, so that they could speak amongst themselves in private.

Exactly one hour since the pit in her stomach was formed.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Rangi stopped pacing right in front of the window, unable to take her eyes off a persistent drip that hung off a stray bamboo shoot. Something about it just felt louder than the rest of the storm outside.

It had been over a day since she had last seen Avatar Yu-.... since she had last seen Yun….or Kyoshi. They’d gone on some trip with Master Jianzhu, but despite Jianzhu being here, she'd yet to see her two best friends.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Her anxiety started to overflood, and she began pacing again. 

I should’ve-I knew I should’ve stayed. She gnawed at the inside of her cheek to the point it started secreting a metallic taste.

Her gut had screamed at her to stay and not go with her mother. But she didn’t listen. She thought the delegation would give her a chance to clear her mind. She didn’t want a repeat of what happened in the infirmary. 

She stopped pacing, focusing all her energy in clenching her fists. Stabbing her own palms with her fingernails, hoping to draw blood. She deserved it, she deserved it and worse for what she did back then.

In a fit of fury, she’d lost control. While she was jabbing her finger at Kyoshi, trying to extract answers, she had ended up burning her. She had assaulted the possible Avatar. Her friend. Her…..her Kyoshi. 

Rangi started taking sharp breaths, repressing her sobs, trying to keep herself from crumbling on the floor into a weeping mess. Or setting the room on fire. Or both. 

She hadn’t been able to control herself then, but she needed to now. 

She needed to gather herself, so when she could finally leave this accursed room she could be there for them. For Yun, for Kyoshi. She could get on her hands and knees and apologize for what she did. Hopefully she’d be forgiven. 

The door behind her opened.

“Finally, can I leave, I need to talk to Kyo-” Rangi finally finished turning and saw the state of Jianzhu and her mother.

Jianzhu looked like he had battled a mountain, and her mother…. Well, her mother’s eyes looked heavy with regret, a look Rangi knew all too well. She’d seen it many times, in regards to certain familial relations. “Rangi…..”

Rangi instinctively took a step back, trying to brace herself for the bad news that was about to follow. No, she would go on the offensive, even if the offensive meant just running right past the problem. She needed to talk to Kyoshi and Yun before her will faltered anymore. 

She attempted to move past her Hei-Ran and Jianzhu.

“Mother, please, let me go talk to Kyoshi and Yun, then you can-”

A strong, motherly hand clasped around Rangi’s bicep. “I’m afraid that will not be possible.”

There was a weight in her voice, as if there was a meteor hammer in her throat. It wrapped around Rangi, and started pulling her down into her own ocean of despair.

Hei-Ran’s face contorted into a pain that Rangi had only seen once before, when she had to break the news to Rangi about her father. Hei-Ran just looked at Rangi, unable to speak. She couldn’t. She didn’t need to. Rangi understood.

“Kelsang is dead,” Jianzhu stated with softness in his voice, breaking the delicate silence the mother and daughter were sharing. 

Rangi looked at him, shaking. Her thoughts flitted to Kyoshi, wondering if she was alright, if she’d be able to handle this loss. She’d known how much Kelsang meant to her. 

“Avatar Yun is dead.” Jianzhu continued as if reading off the world’s most ghastly checklist, but his voice was more hardened this time. This blow hit Rangi square in the stomach. She fought with gravity to stay up right, every part of her felt like lead. The air thinned, and her vision began to blur.

Jianzhu inhaled, as if preparing to deliver the final blow. “Kyoshi….” Rangi shut her eyes, wishing she could do the same with her ears, bracing for what she knew he’d say. “Killed him.”

Those weren’t the words Rangi expected to hear, but it tore through like an animal all the same. Rangi lost her battle, and fell to the ground. 

Rangi was vaguely aware of her mother trying to keep her upright, but it wasn’t long until her forehead collided with the floorboards. She pushed her forehead harder and deeper into the floor, trying to ground herself even though she still felt like she was falling.

Kyoshi….murdered Yun? Rangi reeled. Kyoshi? Her Kyoshi? A murderer? An assassin? No, it didn’t make sense. Kyoshi couldn’t even stand up for herself in the village, let alone kill anyone. 

Her vision blurred, and she began to see things that weren’t there. Oh. Right, a mirage. Her breath must be overheating and out of control. 

She took sharp breaths and then lifted her head up, ignoring the water dripping from her eyes.

“Him?” She gasped. “Not them?”

Jianzhu’s jaw flexed, “Yes. Kyoshi only killed Yun.”

“Bu-....but what about Master Kelsang?” 

Jianzhu looked away, pained. “He…was in cahoots with Kyoshi. He died by my hand in the crossfire, while I was trying to save Yun.” 

Rangi ran a shaky hand through her hair, hyperventilating. “Th-this doesn’t make any sense. I mean, it’s Kyoshi. She can’t even protect herself from her bullies! She can’t even bend a pebble! She-”

“Rangi!” Hei-Ran yelled, grabbing her daughter’s shoulders, shaking her. “Rangi! It was a ruse! A ruse!”

Rangi’s eyes were swimming, she couldn’t look at her mother despite her being right in front of her face.

A ruse? But- Rangi put her face in her hands, drawing shaky breaths. Memories of all the time they spent together flooded her mind. And then slowly distorted, mangled beyond repair. Their laughter, their tender moments, were now all ravaged and desecrated. All that was a lie?!

In her despair, Rangi saw a light. One last bastion of hope, and she greedily grabbed it. 

“Bu-but Master Kelsang, he was a monk!” She yelled at the adults. “How could he plan something like this? To murder the Avatar. To…. To….” None of it made sense. It went against everything that the Air Nation stood for.

“Rangi,” Jianzhu’s voice was very even and matter of fact. “He’s been disgraced by his own people.”

Rangi tensed up, she’d remembered what Takaga said back on the iceberg. She was more concerned with how…..Kyoshi would react to hearing about her mother’s own sordid past. But she remembered the accusations of devastation and death that Kelsang also brought about. And how much he lost favor with his own people. 

It didn’t paint him in a credible image.

“To be honest,” Jianzhu continued, “this isn’t the first time I’ve heard an Air Nomad has gone rogue, or committed acts unbefitting of the Air Nation. I mean, it’s not often this happens. But there’s precedent. Some people just aren’t very good monks.” 

Rangi didn’t want to let that last bit of light go, she was going to fight her reality to the bitter end. “But why?! What was their reason?!”

“Chaos!” Jianzhu yelled, causing Rangi to flinch. “They wanted to descend the world into chaos! To stall the Avatar from being able to perform their duties! Is that not reason enough for these madmen?!” 

Jianzhu put his hand out, more like a metaphorical life line than to actually help Rangi stand up. “Rangi, they’ve attacked our honor! Everyone’s honor! Their livelihood! They care only about their own personal gain! Nothing about the long term nor benefit for the greater good!”

Rangi felt the weight of Jianzhu’s words crushing her resolve piece by piece, and trying to coax her honor out for strength.

Rangi looked at her mother for confirmation, a childish hope in her eyes. “Is it true?”

Hei-Ran closed her eyes and looked away, but the pain was evident on her face. “I’m sorry, Rangi. I’m so sorry.”

Rangi looked at the floor, defeated. So what they had been saying was true. Everything she knew was a lie. Everything she and Avatar Yun had known was a lie. An assassin had snuck into the house, under her own nose, and destroyed her purpose. Everything she’d known and held dear. 

She curled her fists, this time hard enough droplets of blood spilled from the cracks, and stood up.

“What are we going to do?” She asked steely, still not looking up from the ground. She was ready to uphold her duty, or at least, what remained of it.

“We need you to capture Kyoshi,” Jianzhu instructed.

“Capture?” 

“Yes, we need to set an example of an Avatar murder,” Jianzhu responded, oh so matter of factly again.

I suppose that makes sense. Rangi thought. It also eased a big burden off her mind. Even she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to kill someone she once called a friend.

“You’re mother mentioned you’re an expert in escape and evasion,” Jianzhu began to pace around Rangi, sizing her up. “I’m hoping that’ll come in handy, when you track Kyoshi down.”

He clasped his hand on her shoulder, “She has Kelsang’s bison, it’d be best if you move out soon. We’ll send shirshus to aid you if this takes too long.” And then he left, leaving the mother and daughter to their own devices.

“Rangi….” Hei-Ran reached out to her daughter, to comfort her. Rangi backed away before she could, and finally picked her head up.

Hei-Ran flinched away when she saw Rangi’s face. Rangi wasn’t sure what expression she was making, the only thing she could feel was the tears drying on her face. There were no more tears left to cry.

“I need to get ready, I’m late for my mission.” Rangi turned and stormed out of the room, not wasting time to see her mother’s reaction.

Rangi took off like a spirit in flight to her room and grabbed a rucksack. She put two change of clothes, and money inside. The whole process took less than a minute. Her next order of business was Kyoshi’s room.

As she trudged through the once familiar hallways she could hear the staff's whispers. Rangi took her time, hoping to get whatever information she needed. She heard things like “rampaging axe-wielding teenager” and “deranged.” Bile rose in Rangi’s mouth as the picture of this new Kyoshi became more clear. She finally found the small crevice that Kyoshi would call a room, and walked through it. 

It looked like it had been picked clean, the only thing left behind was a stray shoe, a gold-dye tassel, a few beads, and a coin. Rangi picked up the shoe and threw it into her rucksack. Then after a small deliberation, she grabbed the tassel. 

She rolled it in her hand, looking at it from every angle, and then curled her fingers around it. She closed her eyes, focusing on not burning the item, but also trying to stave off the once sweet memory it conjured up for her. She threw it into the rut sack along with the shoe. 

Her next order of business was following the rumors the servants were spinning, the chest. She’d noticed that Kyoshi’s chest was no longer in her room, and made her way to where it may have been moved to. But when she arrived, she realized two things. One, the rain had stopped, and two, the chest was empty and promptly left.

The last order of business, before gathering the prepackaged supplies and an ostrich horse, was to see if she could find something of Kelsang’s flying bison, Pengpeng. If she was going to have shirshus help her, having Pengpeng’s scent along with Kyoshi’s would be helpful. The more options the better.

She found a mass where it had rested, the animal’s giant footprints stamped into the ground, along with stray tufts of wet hair. Rangi picked up the mass and was about to head to the stables, when her foot hit something.

On the ground was a leather bound book and recognition dawned inside Rangi, she’d seen this book in Kyoshi’s possession in the past. It was something she’d usually hide away and would not let anyone see.

Rangi bent down and picked up the tomb, and unfurled it with shaking hands.

As she read the contents, her nails carved at the leather bindings, trying and failing to stop the feral scream that broke from her lips.

_____

Map (source/explanation):

______________________

A/N: Gonna be honest, enemies to lovers? Not really my wheelhouse so we’re gonna see how this goes. TT0TT I just really wanted to explore the “what if Rangi actually had to chase Kyoshi down.” 

[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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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?

[patrickstargang]

Forgotten Past, Hidden Future (Legend of Korra fic)

Chapter 1: Looking In The Wrong Places

Chapter 2: Lucky To Have You

Chapter 3: A Lot To Learn

Chapter 4: Kya’s Story

Chapter 5: A Tale of Miazu

Chapter 6: The Avatar’s Love

Final Chapter: The Mural

spoilers for Rise of Kyoshi in this chapter

“When I was a young girl, I worked as a servant for an estate up in what used to be Yokoya Port. Before then, I was just an orphan living on the streets. I had crossed paths with a bender who taught the Avatar before me, an Air Nomad named Kelsang. He took me in and cared for me while I was growing up. He didn’t know I was the Avatar then, but he still looked after me and I grew to see him as my father. When I was old enough, he helped me to find work and a place to stay. That place was the Avatar mansion.

“At the time, many thought that a boy named Yun was the Earth Avatar. Most of this was due to the Earth Kingdom’s somewhat archaic system for finding the Avatar, which led to desperate decision making. After I showed dedication in my work, I became a personal servant of Yun. I got to know him well and we became good friends. There were even times where I thought we would be more than that.

“I also met someone else. Someone who would be incredibly important in my life. A girl named Rangi. She came from the Fire Nation and was the Avatar’s bodyguard. She always said that she was ‘honor-bound to follow and protect the Avatar.’”

It was a brand new sight to see Kyoshi chuckle, Korra couldn’t believe it but she didn’t let it distract her.

“She was great at barking out orders, always bossing me around the mansion. But I could always sense a facade behind it all. Like the cold shoulder, she would give me now and then meant something else. But I grew to be close with the two. It seemed odd, being a mostly novice bender and having two friends who were masters of their craft. Sometimes it felt alienating. More than that, it was hard to come to terms with the fact that I had feelings for both of them. Being at a young age my mind was going in a million different directions.”

This reminded Korra of her own relationships, and the million different directions her mind went back when she was younger, going from Mako to Asami. “I definitely know what that feels like.”

“But, things started to change. The position of Avatar was being put into question as people began to slowly realize that Yun wasn’t the Avatar. Some thought I knew... that I was hiding this secret away. Rangi resented me at first, she thought it was some kind of sick joke. But it wasn’t, I’d never try to hurt her or Yun like that.”

There was a long pause after that last sentence, a long painful pause. There was a great deal of regret hanging on to those final words.

“That wasn’t the end. Someone I thought I could trust betrayed me, killed not just the only person I saw as a father but Yun as well. Or so I thought. But at that point, I felt alone. I was being hunted by one of the most powerful people in the Earth Kingdom. It felt like going back to the streets, I felt truly alone. But it didn’t last long. Rangi was there to help get out of Yokoya Port and find safety. She was by my side all the way through. At first, I just thought she was doing this because she knew I was the Avatar.

“Back when I was still a maid, there was a group of kids who would always try to pick on me. Some of them said that I was still just a poor girl just like them, which to an extent was true. But there were other things that they said about me, much more hurtful things. I’m not sure how they knew what those words meant, or if their parents told them, but every once in a while I would catch an insult from them. And Rangi, she would always scare them away. They knew they could pick on me, but they didn’t dare pick on Rangi. But she tried convincing me to stand up for myself, she was so adamant about it. It was hard for me to understand, mostly because it felt like she was mocking me. But later, I figured it out.

“While we were staying in a new city to get away from trouble, Rangi got into a fight that almost ended in her death. I felt completely helpless to stop it but she made it out before any permanent damage was done. I confronted her about the fight, I was so confused why someone would put themselves through all that suffering so recklessly. And that's when it hit me. She wanted me to know what it felt like, to see someone you love take a hit and not stand up for themselves. To just accept that suffering. She said that pained her to watch, to see me put myself through that suffering. Whether it was being picked on by some local kids or letting personal vendettas eat away at my humanity, she had enough of it. She told me that she cared about me, not as the Avatar but who I really was. She said that I deserved happiness.”

The grin on Kyoshi’s face from before returned, but it morphed into a truly affectionate smile.

“She said that she wanted to make me feel loved.

“I knew what I had to do after that. I opened myself up to her, let her know I truly felt. Ever since then, I knew that she truly meant what she said. Later on, she would become my firebending teacher. She was tough as nails but she always knew how to keep me motivated. Though I wasn’t a fan of all the horse stance practice.

“But something happened, a kidnapping took place. She was taken and a good friend was killed. I felt like I was back right where I started. But with some help, she returned and the man who killed Kelsang and Yun was gone for good. But something happened to Rangi, something that.... damaged her honor.”

Korra could tell the severity behind that statement. She wasn’t completely knowledgeable about Fire Nation culture but she knew that an attack on someone’s honor was a bigger deal than it sounded.

“Not only that, but her mother had gone fatally ill and she needed to take her to the Northern Water Tribe for proper healing. So at that point, we both had to go our separate ways for some time. I spent those days in the Southern Air Temple learning to airbend while I was on the opposite side of the world from where Rangi was. It felt like such a long time, even though it was only a few months.”

Korra recognized something familiar in what she said. She remembered Asami saying that the time she was away healing from the mercury poison felt like the longest two years of her life. She felt a knot in her stomach, realizing that despite their difference of eras that they shared many struggles outside of being the Avatar. There was a feeling of mutual sympathy.

“But eventually we found our way back to each other. From then on, we were practically inseparable. We were always out there for each other, even during the craziest missions. There was always a fear that something would happen, that this might be the last time I would ever see her. I had lost so many friends, so many people I cared about. I couldn’t bear to lose her but I had to grapple with the reality of it. But she always stayed, every step of the way.

“After we brought some semblance of momentary world peace, we decided to celebrate by finally getting married. We both wanted to do it in the Earth Kingdom, we spent so much of our lives there and it meant so much more to us. But because of the prejudice of the time, we did it in secret with only a few friends down in Maizu. Despite the secrecy, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I still had that creeping suspicion in the back of my mind that this would all fall apart without a moment's warning, but it never did.

“That being said, we did eventually move to the Fire Nation. I didn’t want to keep my love in hiding for the rest of our lives and the Fire Nation was more accepting of us in that regard. We still got funny glances from others, but it wasn’t likely they weren’t going to say anything to the Avatar and her elite firebending bodyguard.

“After settling in the Fire Nation for some time, we both agreed that we wanted a child. We went to a local orphanage, it felt like writing the wrongs of when my parents left me as a kid. It was strangely cathartic, even healing. We found a girl named Koko. It didn’t take long before we knew she was the one. She had a lot of the same intensity that I saw in Rangi, it felt like I was seeing it again for the first time. We had our struggles raising her, as we both had our own responsibilities trying to help the world. But also, I feel we raised a really brilliant woman, and I couldn’t have done it without Rangi’s support, not just for me but for Koko.

Korra seemed fixated on this, she has considered a future with her and Asami but having a kid?! She thought it was out of the question, but this conversation gave her hope for a scenario she only considered just now. If Kyoshi could make it work hundreds of years ago, maybe she can too.

“But time went on. Everyone started getting older. Before I knew it my daughter was grown up and Rangi was reaching her final years. Having to see her go was painful, it really was, but at the same time I was content. For the longest time, we were having to suffer to help each other. Trying to help save the world. Always putting ourselves in constant danger. We went through so much, our only wish was to just grow old together. And we did. I always thought that Rangi would die in battle or be taken from me too soon. It was the greatest relief to know that she lived a good, long life and went peacefully among her friends and family.

“But I still remained.”

The coldness in her voice came back, it was as palpable as ever.

“The world was beginning to shift back into chaos and I still had to do my duty as the Avatar. To me, its what she would have wanted. In that time I took down Chin the Conqueror, created Kyoshi Island with Koko’s help and established peace in the Four Nations, for the time being.”

There was a question that was on Korra’s mind, but she didn’t know if she should touch on the subject. It felt wrong but part of her needed to know. “Did you ever find someone else?”

Kyoshi seemed confused by the vagueness of the question.

“I mean....did you ever remarry?”

Kyoshi slowly shook her head. “I couldn’t. I still felt so loyal to Rangi, even after all those years. But also because I knew that I would see her again.”

Now Korra was the one who was confused, but she continued to listen regardless.

“I kept growing older, seeing all my loved ones come and go with the ages was taxing but I still had that sense of duty that I had to uphold. Then, at the ripe old age of two hundred and thirty, I decided it was time for someone else to take over. Rangi wanted me to be honorable as an Avatar, but more than anything she didn’t want me to give up my own happiness for the sake of being the Avatar. Those last few years I started to remember that. I started hanging on to some of my biggest regrets, knowing it was pointless to do so. That was when I knew it was time for a new Avatar.

“I spent my last few days in Maizu. It felt therapeutic, with all the regret that I was holding onto, to see people that I was able to truly help. I saw how much it's changed since its inception, how happy everyone has been. It felt like a symbol to the spirit of these people, to see the village still standing even after hundreds of years. After a celebration was made by the villagers, I quietly passed on, leading Roku to fill my place as Avatar. And now, many many years later, two Avatars later…..here you are, Avatar Korra.”

It was hard to hide it any longer. Korra was overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down her face. She felt great sorrow for Kyoshi, having to live on without the love of her life, but still finding the courage to continue on. It felt unbearable. She also felt something else, a feeling of smallness in the face of the long legacy of the Avatar. Kyoshi’s journey defined a generation while Korra was still trying to make sense of her own. But most of all, she was confused. Confused at why Kyoshi was smiling.

The blue energy acting out the scene slowly faded away into the darkness. Korra had a burning question, a question that felt even more inappropriate than the last. But she needed to ask. “Why,” she spoke softly through sobs. “Why did you hold on to Rangi, even after all those years. Why did you say that you would see her again?! I-It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Her confusion had given back to her sadness. It was hard for her to comprehend that level of unconditional love, a love that lasted through the eras. It was hard to see through the tears, but Korra could hear Kyoshi chuckling.

“Korra, Avatars aren’t the only ones that reside in the Spirit World.”

Before Korra could comprehend the statement, the blue aura appeared again. Taking shape, it seemed to resemble a person, somewhat shorter than Kyoshi. Then it began to fill in the details, a woman with black hair, probably in her 30s, and Fire Nation armor standing by Kyoshi’s side. It was Rangi. Korra, with watery eyes, stared in absolute amazement, beginning to smile again.

Rangi bowed slightly in her presence. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you Avatar Korra.”

Korra, trying to hold herself together, bowed back. “It's a pleasure to meet you too.”

Korra stayed in that position for longer than she needed. Once she rose back up, she was still overcome with emotion but was still smiling. “Thank you….. for everything.”

“Korra, always remember what I said to you. You're still young but you’ve done so much already.” Kyoshi let her words simmer in the moment. “Already you’ve done a great service to the world, take the time that you have to let yourself be happy. You’ve spent so much of it becoming a good Avatar, now's the time to appreciate those that truly love you.”

Kyoshi gave a cheeky smirk. “But I think you’ve already got part of that taken care of with your girlfriend.” Rangi rolled her eyes at Kyoshi.

Korra blushed profusely. “Wait, how did you know about that?”

Kyoshi stared at Korra ominously. “I see everything.” She paused for dramatic effect before Rangi gave her an elbow to the side. “I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding!”

Seeing these little interactions, the mannerisms between the two were healing to Korra. Knowing that even after years of separation and many more years of being back together, they still had playful banter with one another. It was obvious that they still loved each other. It didn’t help her already tear-filled attempt at staying collected.

“But do take her words seriously,” said Rangi. “You won’t always know when your time with the ones you love might come to an end. Take advantage of the time you have now. I may not know this girl, but I can tell from that look in your eyes that she truly loves you.”

The certainty in her tone was shocking but comforting at the same time.

“That's special, not everyone can find a love that special. Never take it for granted Korra.”

Korra rubbed her eyes, continuing to smile in admiration. She felt relieved, not just about her search coming to end, but for everything. It was starting to dawn on her that maybe she has found happiness, maybe she hasn’t fully accepted it yet. After everything, after the world continuously falling into chaos, after what was her lowest point, she really was finding true happiness. And they could tell, just from a look on her face.

“Thank you both,” Korra said over light sniffles. “I’ll never forget this, I promise.”

“We know,” Kyoshi interjected. She gave Korra one last approving face, a true sign of admiration. “Until we meet again…….”

Both Kyoshi and Rangi bowed before they dissipated into the blue aura, which itself vanished. Korra bowed back to the empty ethereal plains. The white lights around the dark began to burn brighter, becoming an all-consuming pure white. The sound of chimes started to ring in Korra’s ears.

--------------------------------------------

Korra’s eyes sprung open. She was still pouring with tears, but her breathing was slow. She glanced to see Asami and Kya, still by her side. They also opened their eyes when they heard her breathing change. Asami noticed the tears coming down her face, she looked at Korra with concern. She put a hand to her cheek just like she did at the dining hall, with the same amount of tenderness. Korra realized that this might be the first Asami has seen her cry.

“Korra,” Asami spoke softly.

“I did it, I finally did it.” Korra’s smile was massive, an affectionate look back at Asami which she also gave to Kya. She didn’t try to hide the tears, she just let them flow out like a river.

Asami returned the smile and hugged Korra. They both held on tight to one another with Kya joining in. Feeling the love around her at that present moment, it felt good, like a genuine release for what seemed like the first time in a while.

Korra chuckled, “I haven’t cried this much in months.”

They all chuckled with her, as Korra felt the collective warmth of being with those she loved. She didn’t want to ever let go of this feeling. As they all sat there together, Asami leaned into her ear and whispered...

“I knew you could do it. I’m so proud of you.”

[patrickstargang]

The Firelord’s Promise (Kyoshi fic)

Chapter 1: Nomad’s Land

Chapter 2: A Bureaucrat’s Word

Chapter 3: Throw Away Your Honor, Rally In The Streets

Chapter 4: Unfortunate Truths

Chapter 5: A Change For The Better

Chapter 6: The Roles We’re Given

Chapter 7: To Save A Life

Final Chapter: I’ll Always Be With You

Jiran charged towards the two, throwing heaps of flame left and right. Kyoshi and Rangi slid to the side, narrowly missing the blasts of fire hitting the ground. As more fireballs came their way, Rangi made a circular motion with her hands, creating a shield of fire that captured Jiran’s hits. She held onto it for a moment before throwing the flames back at Jiran. He almost caught the projectile before quickly leaning back, only having part of his armor singed.

Kyoshi tried to blow out the blaze left from Jiran’s previous attacks. But before she could, Jiran kicked his heel and let out a wall of fire that was headed in her direction. She used one of her fans and her airbending to try to redirect it, but it didn’t budge. The impact made her skid across the floor and burnt part of her kimono, revealing some of the chainmail underneath. Kyoshi thought the young commander was all bark and no bite, but she was beginning to see that he had some strength.

Rangi looked back to Kyoshi worried. Her worry quickly turned to determination to get back at Jiran. She quickly moved from side to side, dodging the blaze coming from Jiran’s feet in rapid succession. As she got closer, she turned to the offensive by jumping up and delivering a fiery kick towards the commander. He dodged once again, not letting up as the fight got closer and closer.

Kyoshi watched as the brawl went on. She didn’t know how to intervene since Rangi and Jiran were close enough that if she were to attack, she might injure Rangi by accident. She waited for a moment to break in, but she knew that this fight was personal.

The two were surrounded by fire, creating a ring around them as they continued the duel. They were both covered in sweat and ash. Rangi was still calm and collected while Jiran looked like a pale imitation of the authority that he commanded only moments ago. The fight was like a dance of dragons, with dodging and movements that should not have been possible happening by the second. The evaded each other's attacks and tried to return them at the same time. It was a complete stalemate.

But it was only a matter of time before something broke the streak. Rangi found herself with Jiran’s fist heading straight for her, ready to blast and with no time for her to move out of the way. It was a split-second decision, she had to think quick otherwise she’d be done for. In reality, she knew she would have to take the hit, but she was still able to improvise.

She grabbed his fist in the middle of producing a flame, stopping to fire from hitting her but burning her palm in the process. She grimaced in pain, trying to hold in the blast. Kyoshi froze up in fear. A quick tinge of the panic she felt during the fight at the estate came back. But it only took a second for her to realize what she was doing.

While Jiran had one fist in front of him, he let his other hand stay behind. He left himself completely open. Rangi didn’t hesitate after holding on to the pain of her burnt palm to use her other hand, landing a fire first right into Jiran’s chest. The force of the blow flung him out of the ring and back onto the ground, leaving a massive ashy mark.

Rangi was breathing fast, gripping onto the burns to lessen the pain. Kyoshi let out a sigh of relief, she knew Rangi could protect herself but it still wasn’t easy to see her get hurt. Rangi walked over to Jiran who was slowly trying to get off of the ground. She crossed her arms looking down at him.

“Are you done making a fool of yourself?”

Jiran scowled at first before changing to a smug grin. He didn’t respond.

Out of the corner of Kyoshi’s eye, she noticed Jiran’s foot shift slightly. It didn’t seem like Rangi noticed it. The panic kicked in again.

In a flash, Jiran raised his leg up, aiming a stream of fire towards Rangi’s head. Kyoshi acted fast, stomping her foot to lift up a chunk of stone and launching it towards Jiran. She didn’t consider the angle so she hoped her split-second decision would work. Jiran’s foot came closer and closer. Rangi felt as if she were in slow motion, watching her fate happen right in front of her as the heat came closer to her face.

That is until the flame stopped prematurely. A large stone struck Jiran’s leg so hard it made him whirl around in his stance like a poorly made spinning top. Rangi saw another opportunity was given to her thanks to Kyoshi. As the once-proud commander was twirling in place, Rangi reeled her leg back and kicked a ball of fire that, once again, sent Jiran flying backwards with his face on the ground. It seemed to be his favorite spot that day.

Kyoshi returned to Rangi’s side as the commander slowly got back up. He didn’t have the same fury in his eyes as he saw the two of them still as sturdy as they were at the start of the battle. Rangi’s eyes even held the same level of contempt that they had at the beginning.

“I’m going to ask you again, are you done making a fool of yourself?”

Jiran was able to stand but could feel his honor was crippled. He realized if any of the other commanders heard of this, he would be demoted, or worse. He knew the Avatar would probably talk to Zoryu at some point, so the chance of that happening was likely. He lowered his hands, still clenching a fist even after he knew what the outcome of the fight was.

He returned the contempt. “I’ll leave you two with a warning, I better not see you on these streets again.”

Rangi sneered at the commander who was suddenly trying to act dignified after everything that had happened. “Trust me, you better hope you don’t see me again.”

Anger built up in Jiran’s cheeks, huffing away as he tried to find his scattered troops.

Kyoshi and Rangi both looked at each other, smirking as the commander lamely tried to wake up soldiers who were rendered unconscious. Kyoshi broke the tension of the moment with a joke. “I didn't realize being a big baby was a requirement for a commander's position.”

They both laughed, it was another moment of relief after the continuously building panic they both went through. Kyoshi noticed Rangi staring at her again as her laughter subsided.

“Hey,” Rangi glanced at the somewhat charred kimono. “Are you okay?”

Kyoshi nodded while brushing off some of the ash. “I’m good,” she said with confidence. Her eyes glanced over to Rangi’s hand. “How about you?”

Kyoshi held Rangi’s hand, turning it over to see the burn that was left. It wasn’t a light burn, it was a deep, bright red and almost covered the edges of her fingertips She was studying it with great concern, so much so that it was starting to show. Rangi gave her a reassuring look.

“I’m fine.”

Though it was only partially reassuring, it seemed like she was lost in thought. But Kyoshi didn’t blame her, a lot had happened over the past few minutes.

Rangi motioned her head over to the side. “We should..probably pull that wall down.”

Kyoshi almost forgot about the wall. She walked over to the stone barrier and with a slight movement of her hands slowly brought it down. She saw the awestruck gaze of the protestors and some varied looks from her team, Kirima was smiling with delight at seeing the topknot wearing firebender denounce the authorities while Hei-ran was uncertain how to feel.

Kyoshi called out to the crowd. “Is everyone okay?”

Their faces were still frozen in awe but they all quickly nodded. From the crowd, the man who previously addressed Commander Jiran brought himself to the front to speak with Kyoshi.

“Avatar Kyoshi…...how can we ever repay you.”

This was new for Kyoshi, gaining appreciation for her actions. Back in Ba Sing Se all her actions ever did was spark fear and ridicule but now she was seeing the flipside. She raised a hand, trying not to appear flustered. “There's no need, really.”

“Well then, you have our greatest gratitude and respect.” The man bowed along with the other demonstrators.

Kyoshi didn’t know how to react. Respect was something that she was rarely given and to see a whole group of people express it openly was something that was hard for her to process. It dawned on her how far away her days as a maid in Yokoya were. It felt wrong not to return the gesture, so Kyoshi bowed as well.

“And you all have my respect for standing up to Commander Jiran.”

The leader of the group smiled fondly at the statement while he was still bowed.

Meanwhile, Rangi felt a tingle of guilt grow in the back of her mind. Seeing this group, she noticed some of them had bandages and bruises all over. They were a bitter reminder to the fact that she was still part of the Fire Nation military. It was still hard to come to terms with the brutality that those soldiers were willing to enforce against their own people. These demonstrators were more honorable than an official Fire Nation commander, maybe even more than the Firelord himself. The pain in realizing the hypocrisy in a system she followed for years would only occasionally be blocked out by the physical pain of her burn.

Kirima walked up to Kyoshi and the demonstrators. “It's great that we have your respect and all, but we should probably find a place to stay before more soldiers arrive.”

Jinpa joined in. “It's only a matter of time before Jiran comes back and he might be coming with other commanders.”

Kyoshi realized they hadn’t made any plans for where to stay. They could go back to their campsite, but it was a long journey that wouldn’t be worth the travel. Then the group leader interjected.

“You could all stay at the Ember Lily Inn, that's where we’ve been hiding out for the past few days. There should be space for a few more rooms.”

Kyoshi bowed again. “We would greatly appreciate that, thank you!”

Rangi noticed that Kyoshi was acting more formally here than she did at the Firelord’s gathering. Part of her thought it was due to the fact that she had more experience with Fire Nation customs. But more than that, it was who she was speaking to.

Kirima nudged Kyoshi on the side. “Well if that's where we’re staying we should probably head out, now.”

Kyoshi nodded, still keeping the sense of comradery and authority she was trying to build with the demonstrators. Everyone started to follow the group, but Kyoshi stayed behind for a moment. Rangi was still lost in thought. But she saw Kyoshi waiting for her.

The young Avatar was looking at her with warmth, a kind of warmth she hadn’t seen before. It helped to push the worrying thoughts out of her head and focus on what she had now. She walked with Kyoshi, who tried to hold her hand. Rangi grimaced from the pain of the burn she still felt on her palm. Kyoshi quickly jolted her hand away, remembering her injury. The Avatar’s warmth subsided, as she was worried about everything that happened to the firebender today.

Rangi had worried about Kyoshi before, now it was her turn to worry about Rangi.

[blue-rose-89]

Avatar: The Shadow of Kyoshi spoilers (chapters 12-15).....

 Kyoshi fails to talk to Kuruk and Yun appears once again.

Chapter 12

-Kyoshi gets a glimpse of Kuruk’s memories such as how he was identified as the Avatar and how he met his friends. Seeing her predecessor happy with his friends and having an easy life makes Kyoshi resent Kuruk even more for taking what he had for granted.

-Kyoshi’s problem when comes to her spiritual side isn’t that she lacks the ability, it’s because she refuses to let go of any resentment she holds from her past (her parents, the villagers of Yokoya, Jianzhu, etc). In this case she refuses to accept Kuruk as her guide.

-Kyoshi discovers the following morning that someone poisoned the fields with a message left behind: “Hail Fire Lord Chaejin.”

Interlude 

*We have reached the half way mark of the book*

-We jump back to where we left off with Yun back in the prologue. After a long fight in the spirit world, Glowworm offers Yun a deal: He’ll give Yun his power and let him return to the human world in exchange for letting Glowworm merge/possess. Yun tricks Glowworm and steals his power by literally eating the spirit’s eye, giving him new powers. 

Gross.

Chapter 13

-The message is seen as a declaration of war for the Saowons and Keoshos, leading to an all out fight. Kyoshi and Rangi team up and fight them off.

-Kyoshi quickly learns that the fight has been on big distraction for her to leave Hei-Ran unprotected by Yun and she rushes back to her room. Yun is already there and he stabs Hei-Ran’s throat.

Chapter 14

-Hei-Ran survives and manages to wound Yun with her Firebending but Kyoshi fails to capture him when she priotizes Hei-Ran’s well-being, thus ruining the plan Hei-Ran had a few chapters earlier. When Rangi learns about it she renounces her relationship to Kyoshi and storms out. Hei-Ran, who can only write what she wants to say, assures her that Rangi will come around in a week if not much sooner to show that she still cares for her (Rangi comes back to give Kyoshi food 5 minutes later, proving Hei-Ran right).

-Given the Saowons desire to put Chaejin on the throne and Yun wanting revenge and being a good negotiator, during his “Avatar days”, Kyoshi comes to the conclusion that the Saowons hired Yun so that they both get what they want.  

Chapter 15

-Kyoshi returns to the destroyed fields to confirm her suspicions on Huazo. She is proven right because the field was poisoned with salt and Huazo was supplying the town with such materials.

-Kyoshi plans to confront Huazo. Hei-Ran is skeptical because of the little evidence but goes along with it anyway without bringing her daughter into the plan. Jinpa and Atuat come along.

-The group confronts Kyoshi and Huazo claims that she has nothing do with  the incident nor has she ever met Yun. Kyoshi doesn’t buy it and decides to take Huazo hostage and bring her back to the capital, to which Huazo accepts knowing that if Kyoshi is wrong and that she’s falsely imprisoned, the Avatar will humiliated and that Saowon’s victory is guaranteed. 

-Rangi catches Kyoshi in the act of kidnapping the leader of the Saowon clan but Kyoshi is quick enough to trap her with earth and run off to the capital.

To be continued......