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Kyoshi was a star. One that shined bright, but not bright enough to attract any planets. She was a star that was dying. She was a failed star. Yun, he shined the brightest. Too bright. Until someone snuffed him out.
Kyoshi was a plant. One that everyone plucked from their garden and tossed aside. She was a plant that was dying. She didn’t attract any bees, she had no colors or pollen to offer. She was a weed. Yun was a monocarpic. He only bloomed once.
Kyoshi was a bird. One that was thrown out of the nest because she was the weakest link. She was a bird that was dying. She didn’t attract any help with her desperate chirps, there was no point in saving a broken baby bird. Yun was a hawk. One that was shot down.
Kyoshi was the Avatar. One that should’ve never been. She was an Avatar that was dying. An Avatar that was currently bleeding out and too tired to keep going.
But she was also a girlfriend. One that would be in big trouble if she let herself lay here and bleed out. So, reluctantly she pushed herself up with a groan. One hand clutched to the arrow buried in her gut.
“Any chance we could call it a draw?” The group of Daofei in front of her stared for a long moment, half from the shock of her getting back up, and half from her request. Then, they burst out laughing.
She sighed, making a small motion with her hand, the earth under one of her fans on the ground lifted quickly, launching the heavy metal in the air and into her hand. “Didn’t think so. Well. Let's get this over with.”
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The walk back to the inn wasn’t pleasant. Every step sent shooting pain into her gut where the arrow was still buried, she had no clue how she hadn’t passed out yet.
The Daofei were handled, buried somewhere deep in the mountains of Goaling. She dreaded arriving back at the inn where Atuat, Hei-ran, and Rangi waited. Part of her wanted to bury herself in the mountainside with the Doafei just to avoid her girlfriend’s wrath.
Rangi was impossible to reason with without the added fact of her being furious and sick. It took Kyoshi and Atuat two hours to convince Rangi to stay home and rest while Kyoshi handled the Doafei alone. By the end of it Atuat had to lock her in the bathroom while Kyoshi snuck out to deal with the problem.
If Rangi was upset before, she didn’t know how she would react when Kyoshi came home with an arrow protruding from her gut and her robes blood-soaked to the skin around it. She would probably just incinerate her on the spot. That was what Kyoshi prayed for. Just a quick and painless death by the hands of her furious, sick, lover.
The walk through the city wasn’t too bad since it was close to midnight, almost no one roamed the streets except for a few stragglers who quickly turned their heads away at the sight of her. She didn’t remember most of the walk to the inn until she was standing right in front of the door.
She stood there for what felt like hours, but was really only a minute. She prayed to any spirit that would listen that Rangi was asleep and she would just be able to slip past her room, get treated by Atuat, and pretend like nothing happened the next morning.
Finally, she quietly pushed the door open and winced at the creek it made in the silent inn. She stepped inside and took extra care in toeing off her boots at the door, trying to limit her movements so as to not jostle the wound.
She shut the door behind her and took careful steps into the inn, she was thankful now for her time as a servant. Her silent feet were much needed right now. She walked past the kitchen, past the mainroom, into the hallway. She was almost to Atuat’s room when-
“Kyoshi.”
She almost jumped out of her skin, she turned so quick it might've been world breaking. Through the dimness of the hallway she saw a silhouette standing where she had just been. Her heart dropped for a dizzying second before she registered the figure with jet black hair and painfully perfect posture wasn’t Rangi.
“Hei-ran,” She breathed out with a sigh. “I thought you were-” She was cut off by a hand.
“Save it. Kyoshi, why in spirits forsaken name is there an arrow protruding from your gut?” Her voice was a sharp, demanding whisper.
“Well, the Daofei had better aim than I had anticipated and-” She was cut off once again.
“You can heal. Kyoshi, you're a waterbender and a healer.”
Oh.
A waterbender. Right.
She suddenly felt extremely exposed in front of the scariest woman in the world, for a full ten seconds silence filled the space between them. Kyoshi stared blankly at Hei-ran. Hoping that if she was still enough. The firebender would think she turned to stone. It did not work.
Finally, Hei-ran let out an agitated, tired sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I’ll get Atuat.” She didn’t allow Kyoshi any other say as she brushed past her and disappeared into the room at the end of the hall. She heard quiet hushes in the room, she strained to listen.
“She what?” Suddenly she wished she had just let herself bleed out. A few moments later Atuat came out, tying a robe about herself and muttering something Kyoshi couldn’t hear under her breath.
“Hey, Atuat. I-”
“Shut it.” Kyoshi let out a long sigh, it seemed her speaking privileges had been revoked.
Atuat walked past her, not even sparing a glance at the arrow in Kyoshi’s gut. She just walked to the main room and motioned for Kyoshi to sit down in a chair. She wordlessly complied, taking a seat, wincing as she did so.
Atuat didn’t give Kyoshi a chance to prepare herself, she grabbed ahold of the arrow and yanked it out. Kyoshi thought the Avatar cycle had started over. It took every shred of her being not to cry out, she grit her teeth so hard her gums bled.
Atuat bent clean water- at least Kyoshi hoped it was clean- onto the wound, the pain began to dissipate into a dull throb almost immediately. She let out a sigh as the water glowed and stitched her skin back together.
“You and Rangi are the worst. I can never catch a break with either of you.” Kyoshi decided not to take Atuat’s words to heart, she focused on the pain slowly ebbing away. Hei-ran stood in the corner of the room, watching with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips in a firm line.
“I mean seriously! I deal with Rangi’s fury all day and the one time I get to rest you come home with an arrow sticking out of your gut! You’re lucky it didn’t hit any major organs.” Kyoshi winced at the sudden force of her words, not from pain or pity, but from fear.
“Not too loud, Rangi might-” It seemed a full sentence was something Kyoshi was no longer allowed to have.
“She's out cold. Had to slip something into her tea just to keep her from chasing after you every second.” Atuat said with obvious disdain. After a few more minutes she finished healing and discarded her water back into the bucket. She turned and immediately made her way back to her room.
“If you need anything. Don’t.” She muttered some other unkind things under her breath that Kyoshi decided to ignore. She waited until she heard the door click shut before turning to Hei-ran, still standing in the corner of the room.
“You don’t think she’d tell Rangi.. Right?” Hei-ran just stared blankly before turning and walking down the same hall, disappearing into her own room.
Kyoshi sat there for a long moment before finally standing up, the pain was gone. The only evidence of the wound ever being there was the scar that blended with the others. She prayed Rangi wouldn’t notice, but she knew she would. It was only a matter of time.
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The next morning Kyoshi woke up feeling extra warm. It was the middle of fall so the inns that were more poorly insulated- like the one they were in now- weren’t exactly balmy.
Kyoshi rolled over in her makeshift cot, snuggling more into her blankets. She slept in the main room since there wasn’t an extra room and she didn’t want to catch whatever Rangi had.
“Comfy?”
The sound of the painfully familiar voice made her freeze, she now knew the source of the warmth, she slowly opened her eyes to find a beautifully furious firebender standing above her, glaring daggers into her eyes.
“Rangi… Goodmorning, you’re looking… better.” Maybe Rangi was mad at something else, maybe she didn’t know about-
“Get up. Stance training. Now.”
She definitely knew.
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Kyoshi knew she couldn’t win this fight. The best thing she could do was just stay silent and let Rangi ridicule her while she tried not to think about the burning pain in her thighs.
“An arrow, Kyoshi? Really?” Rangi was pacing back and forth in front of Kyoshi, her voice was slightly stuffy, but she was obviously well enough to torture Kyoshi.
“While I’m sedated you come home with an arrow in your gut? How careless can you be?” Kyoshi knew the best option right now was to be quiet and do everything Rangi said.
“Rangi, I-” She cut her off before she could plead her case.
“Don’t speak until your hips get to parallel.” Rangi stopped in front of Kyoshi, hands planted on her hips and her perfect face set in an angry scowl. Kyoshi quickly adjusted her position then spoke again.
“I’m sorry, Rangi. He just… snuck up on me.” There was nothing she could say to excuse herself. Rangi scoffed and began pacing again, this time around Kyoshi.
“You’re sorry? Sorry doesn’t cut it Kyoshi!” She felt a sudden impact to her back, she tensed immediately, thinking Rangi had decided a sparring match was a better fate. But Rangi didn’t tackle her, her arms wrapped around Kyoshi’s waist and she was… shaking?
Oh.
She was crying.
She heard the telltale sounds of the small, sharp inhalations Rangi made when crying. Kyoshi suddenly regretted her entire existence. She moved to turn and embrace Rangi, but Rangi held on tighter, not allowing the movement.
“Maintain.” Rangi murmured against Kyoshi’s back. So Kyoshi obeyed, she sank back into the stance while her heart sank further in her chest.
“Do you know how it feels to know you’re out there alone without anyone watching your back? Without me?” She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Nothing she could say that could make the pain vanish.
Rangi’s grip loosened, Kyoshi took it as persimmon and slowly stood, she turned but didn’t reach for Rangi immediately. Rangi looked up, her glassy eyes meeting Kyoshi’s.
“You are my whole world, Kyoshi. Even if you don’t think so. I’d no sooner burn the world then let it take you from me.” Her eyes were fierce but desperate. Kyoshi’s own face crumbled. She stepped forward and finally gathered Rangi into her arms, pressing her cheek against the crown of her head.
“I’m sorry, Rangi.” She whispered, it was the only consolation she could give. Rangi melted into her arms and Kyoshi held her tighter.
“Please don’t cry.” She whispered into Rangi’s hair. She pulled away just enough to gently cup Rangi’s face in her hands. The rough pads of her thumbs brushed away her tears.
“I won’t leave you, ever.” Her voice didn’t waver once. She felt Rangi lean into her touch and close her eyes for a brief moment before opening and meeting Kyoshi once again. Kyoshi leaned in to press a kiss to Rangi’s lips. Just before she could, a finger stopped her. She frowned.
“I’m still sick, dummy. And you still have seven minutes left.” Her glowing girl was back, both fortunately and unfortunately. Before Kyosho could respond Rangi kicked her feet apart and pulled her down back into horse stance.
“Rangi…” She groaned. “We were having a moment.” Rangi stepped back, her arms folding behind her back. Gone was her girlfriend. In its place was her painfully dutiful firebending Sifu.
“Is that disobedience from my student I hear? Shall we start the time over?” The panic on Kyoshi’s face must’ve shown by the look of utter triumph on Rangi’s face.
“That’s what I thought. Every word that leaves your lips from now on will be an extra minute added on.” Rangi said as she began circling Kyoshi again, checking her stance for any inconsistencies.
Kyoshi didn’t let out a single peep, She glanced over and saw Hei-ran watching from afar. She hoped her soon to be mother-in-law would save her. But she only smirked and left back inside the inn. Any hope vanished with her.
“Lower.” Rangi whispered into her ear.