Chapter 50

For what felt like the first time Kyoshi went against her role as the Avatar, she went backwards. That morning they were supposed to be heading to the final earth kingdom town but instead they had turned around and headed for the earth kingdom border to meet Hei ran and Jinpa.

The two had arrived sooner than the others so they set out into a local town to try and find something nice to wear for such an occasion. Rangi’s demand, not necessarily Kyoshi’s.

They ducked into a shop filled with a broad assortment of clothing. Rangi had taken the lead sifting through the piles, handing things to Kyoshi as they went.

“So you’re really okay with it not being at Senik’a island?” Kyoshi asked from behind the pile of fabric in her arms.

“Yes I sure, how many more times do I have to say it?” Rangi shot back and she threw another item Kyoshi’s way. Kyoshi had been pestering her about this topic all morning.

“Can I help you two find anything?” The shopkeeper suddenly appeared beside them.

“No we’re fine thank you” Rangi found herself replying.

“Quite the pile you’ve got there, any special occasion?”

“A wedding” Kyoshi had replied so fast she didn’t have time to think about what she was saying, a worried expression quickly crossing her features.

“Oh how exciting, so who’s the lucky bride?” The woman asked innocently.

Kyoshi looked over to Rangi thinking for a second. Now wasn’t the place, rather it didn’t feel like it was. But would it ever feel like the time or place? Kyoshi thought to herself.

“She’s getting married tomorrow,” Kyohsi replied with a slightly sad smile.

But soon Kyoshi got over that small sadness and focused forward. This was just an aspect of their lives that would never truly be over, but that doesn’t matter right now.

She watched as Rangi’s expression froze for a moment before she was being gushed over by the shopkeeper. Asking all sorts of questions, and going to grab more clothes.

“A bit late for a dress don’t you think?” The dress keeper asked beginning to help Rangi sort through the pile in Kyoshi’s arms.

“Yes, but my fiancé decided to move things up, and I guess I couldn’t say no, so here we are.” Rangi replied as she grabbed a dress to try on.

The woman hummed for a moment before saying that she was going to try and look for another option in the back before leaving Rangi and Kyoshi alone.

“Am I allowed to see this?” Kyoshi asked, looking at Rangi through the reflection. She was now in a silk dress of red with white and gold details.

“I needed a second set of eyes.” Rangi replied, pulling at the sleeves a bit. It was then that Kyoshi noticed the small fire lilies that were embroidered, this was definitely the one.

“Nonsense, you don’t need me, you know this is the one. Just look at those little fire lilies.” Kyoshi guestured.

“Fine you caught me, perhaps I like the company”

“I should hope so-” Kyoshi stopped short at the sight of the shopkeeper returning, still smiling though.

As she watched Rangi talk back and forth about the dress, and then what Kyoshi, an honored guest at the wedding, would wear more of the current situation began to hit her.

That was the dress, that is what Rangi would be wearing when they would finally be married. Finally.

Later that night Jinpa and Hei ran met them in town at an inn. A little more late than the two expected but all that mattered was they were all here now.

“Rangi, Kyoshi” Hei ran called as they approached. As Rangi sat up from bowing to her mother, something caused her to nearly fall backwards.

Her mother was crying. Rangi never saw her mother cry, at the news of her father passing was once but other than that, almost never.

“Are you okay?” Kyoshi asked, stepping forward clearly also worried by this new emotion they were seeing from Hei ran.

“I’m fine, fine. I’m happy, really. Would have liked a bigger heads up, but we’re here now aren’t we?” She asked through a smile, as she went to dab the tears from her eyes.

“Alright let’s get some dinner and then get you two set up in your rooms.”

“Rooms?” Kyoshi asked, puzzled.

“We are doing one of the traditions right, you already called it up out of nowhere, got your outfits together, but I’m not budging on this one”

Rangi just shrugged, “Fine. She has us there,” She said, looking over to Kyoshi. “We might as well do one thing right.”

At dinner they had told Hei ran and Jinpa of their trip to the mansion. Kyoshi went on about the people and the state of the place, and the food when she looked over to Rangi to share the last part of their trip. And perhaps what led them to where they were right now.

But Rangi sat there a moment not saying anything as she thought. But Hei ran could read the thoughts behind her daughter’s expression.

“You finally did it, didn’t you?” She asked with a smile.

Rangi had confessed to her mother a couple times how she felt bad for never asking for Kyoshi’s hand. But also realized that there was no one to necessarily ask, until she made the realization and in some way a plan. She wanted to ask Kelsang for Kyoshi’s hand, but was unsure of how best to do it.

“What are you two talking about?” Jinpa budded in.

“Rangi asked Kelsang if it was okay if we got married.”Kyoshi filled him in. “We walked up to his tomb and she had the whole little speech prepared and- JINPA” Kyoshi shouted being caught off guard by his sudden tears.

“I’m sorry it’s just-” He had to blow his nose. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this? I mean you will officially be Rangi’s problem now” He joked, dabbing away his tears. Kyoshi suddenly felt no remorse for making the monk cry.

As they walked back to the inn Kyoshi and Rangi trailed in the back whispering to each other as they veered closer. “You can’t back out now you know” Rangi whispered.

“And why would I ever want to do that?”

Kyoshi laughed, that laugh Rangi felt like she was finally able to protect.

“Come along Rangi our room is this way” Hei ran interrupted. Kyoshi hadn’t even noticed that they had arrived.

Rangi nodded as she started to walk to her mother, before taking a quick glance over her shoulder and dashing back to kiss Kyoshi one last time before tomorrow.

Kyoshi froze at the moment as Rangi continued to head off to her mother. “You two are almost unbearable sometimes you know” Jinpa said with a roll of his eyes. “Come on let’s go”

The room was like any other inn they had ever stayed at, two beds with a window at the end. Kyoshi’s nice new tunic lay neatly in the corner along with her fans and head dress.

As Jinpa had walked over to blow out the last candle he noticed Kyoshi sitting on the edge of one of the beds staring down at her hands like she was stressed.

“Is everything okay?”

Kyoshi looked up, releasing the tension she was holding in her hands. “Yes?”

“You’re not sure?” The monk questioned further. He had waited too long for this not to happen because Kyoshi, spirits forbid got in her own head.

“No. I’m okay.” She looked up. “Why am I okay?”

Jinpa smiled as he sat down on his own bed across from hers. This was no problem, nothing of the sort. “Because you know it’s the right thing to do.”

“I knew taking on Narulok was the right thing and I would say that I was about a hundred times more nervous about that, is there something wrong with me?” Kyoshi questioned.

“Probably” Jinpa shrugged.

Kyoshi shot him a dirty look, going to grab a pillow to toss at him.

“But not this time, this is right and you know it” He replied, catching the pillow. “So trust yourself.”

“You just don’t want my chaos to be your problem anymore. You know that even after I get married we will still work together.” Kyoshi reminded him.

“It will always be an honor to deal with your chaos Kyoshi, I fear the day I have to step away” He chuckled to himself.

“Always so full of it.” Kyoshi shook her head. “But thank you Jinpa”

And with that the last candle was blown out and the night began to pass as Kyoshi went to bed smiling.

The next morning Kyoshi had met Jinpa down at the inn’s entrance all dressed in her new tunic. No chainmail beneath, no warrior makeup, not even her headdress. She was just as she had met Rangi, Kyoshi.

“Come on, we should get going, Hei ran and Rangi will be down soon.” Jinpa said as he motioned to the road.

They had decided on a spot out in a valley. Kyoshi and Jinap were going to head out there first and Rangi and Hei ran would follow after, so that Kyoshi could be there to greet them.

As they headed out onto the trail for the first time Kyoshi started freaking out. “Wait do we even have someone to you know-” Her head was suddenly spinning. “Like marry us, who’s going to do that?!”

“I am, of course.” Jinpa replied calmly.

“You? Don’t you need a license or something?”

The monk only shrugged. “I’m a monk of many talents, plus I left early this morning to get licensed by the town. It’s all done and dealt with”

They had spent the rest of the walk in silence, and before Kyoshi realized it they were there. They stood at the base of one of many rolling hills filled with wildflowers. In the distance the mountains were dusted with the first possible snow of the season.

The trees that they could see glowed with a warm orange light, almost as if they were little flames. There was no one around for miles, it was just Jinpa and Kyoshi standing in the meadow for now.

“How did you know about this place anyways?” Kyoshi asked as she bent down to pick a flower.

“We spotted it from the air bison before we landed so we made a quick pit spot before we met you guys at the inn. That’s why we were a bit later. We figured it would be perfect” Jinpa explained.

As he looked down Kyoshi was back at gathering flowers, selecting those of only red, and oranges, with a few yellows.

“I used to think she hated me, you know” Kyoshi spoke as she pulled at another flower’s stem.

“Back at the mansion?” Jinpa asked to watch Kyoshi work. She nodded.

“And now I’m marrying that hotheaded firebender who would make a fuss over me being late, or showing up for work with dirt on my clothes” She said as she stood up once more, shuffling the flowers around slightly so that they laid correctly in a nice bouquet.

“Then, I might I remind you that she’s still a stickler for all that stuff.” He commented pointing at the dusty spot on the new tunic from where some of the flowers rested.

Kyoshi laughed as she dusted herself off. “What would I do without you Jinpa?”

She then turned to place the bouquet on a stone for Rangi. “Do you think she’ll like them?”

“I think you could have made her a bouquet of poison ivy and she would have loved them the same.”

Kyoshi thought on his words for a moment, because she knew that Rangi would take a collection of poison ivy if Kyoshi handed it to her. She then thought back to what Rangi had said to that day as the tears streamed from her eyes.

“And the hardest part of it is that all I really want is to get married, but I don’t know how much my heart can take. Because I won’t leave, I don’t think I ever could. But do you really think it’s fair?”

No, no it wasn’t.

For a while now she realized she was probably like a bouquet of ivy that Rangi refused to let go of.

Kyoshi would prove that marrying her wouldn’t break Rangi’s heart she vowed to herself.

“Kyoshi, are you ready?” Jinpa asked, pulling her out of her own head, his arm extended towards her.

“For what exactly? They aren’t here yet.”

Jinpa smiled, well you have to walk down the aisle first” he said as he linked their arms.

“But there’s no else here, is there really a point?” She asked as they started walking up the slight hill.

“There is always a point” He said back as they walked the rest of the way in silence. Laying down a path of green like an isle as they walked parting the flowers and grass.

“So, be honest, did you ever think that this would be part of your job?” Kyoshi asked jokingly as they stopped, looking out to the dusted mountains.

But when Jinpa didn’t reply she looked over to him.

“Jinpa?” He was facing the way that they had walked up.

“She’s here”

As Kyoshi turned to look at the base of the hill, there Rangi was. One of her arms linked with her mother’s, in the other held the bouquet Kyoshi had made up. Slowly they descended up the hill to reach where Jinpa and Kyoshi stood.

That smile, Kyoshi thought. What I would do to keep it safe, never again will I be the poison ivy in her wake.

Rangi felt like she kept forgetting to breathe as she walked, staring into Kyoshi’s eyes. It took a moment to actually realize what she looked like in this moment, she didn’t have any of her Dao foi makeup on, or her headdress and the fans were nowhere to be found. Her hair was unbraided and spilled over her shoulders as she stood. It reminded her of when they worked at the mansion where they had first met.

Once at the top Rangi saw the shiny stripes down Kyoshi’s face where tears had once been. She couldn’t believe that after everything this is where they now stood.

“Are you ready?” Kyoshi asked. Rangi nodded as she felt a stray tear slide down her face.

“You take good care of her Kyoshi” Hei Ran said as she let go of Rangi’s arm and guided her hand into Kyoshi’s.

“Mom” Rangi’s head had snapped back to her mother out of embarrassment.

“I will always take care of her as best I can. I promise.” Kyoshi replied.

Hei Ran smiled as she went to cup the side of Kyoshi’s face. “I’m so glad I could be here for this moment, thank you both of you for having me here” And with that she stepped to the side of Jinpa as he began to speak.

Though it was brief, Kyoshi wouldn’t have been able to repeat a single word back if her life depended on it, she was caught in Rangi’s eyes.

She had told Rangi before that she didn’t want to get married now because she was afraid of dying, but because she didn’t want to spend another moment knowing that she could have been married to Rangi but wasn’t. And now that they were here she could truly confirm this as the truth.

Kyoshi then realized it was time for their vows, the words that she had been quietly rehearsing since they got engaged.

“Kyoshi, would you like to go first?” Jinpa asked. She took a breath, holding Rangi’s hand tighter.

“Rangi, when I was on the streets of Yokoya it’s true as I told you that I spent every night counting the stars.” She couldn’t help it as a new wave of tears had come and they weren’t stopping anytime soon.

“What I never told you is that I would also wish on those stars, the brightest ones I could find, wishing to live. But what I failed to realize is that even though Kelsang found me and took me to the mansion I still wasn’t living. I was alive yet not living all the same-” She took a breath trying to calm her words.

“Until that night that I tried to leave and you insisted on following, that night Rangi was the night I started living. Ever since I became the Avatar I feared that’s all I would ever be, but being with you I know that fear is forever exiled.”

The light that caught Rangi’s eyes as Kyoshi spoke almost distracted her but she still had one thing she had to say.

“If we are ever split you will take all of me with you. You need to know that you are all of me and I fear the day that we are apart because then only the avatar will remain. Where you go my whole being will always follow. So if death do us part I will be waiting endlessly for you until I can be whole again.”

Tears moved from Rangi’s eyes and down her face as Jinpa tried to find his own words. “Rangi would you like to go?”

She nodded, wiping her eyes first before speaking. “Kyoshi, not the welder of the four elements, but Kyoshi. From the moment I saw you in that mansion I knew you were special, though I wasn’t sure why at the time. But I was drawn to you, like the tides to the moon. Even though I’m aware I didn’t make it easy, all I wanted to do was be around you.”

“So when I saw you leaving that night, though I was honor bound to follow the avatar I was more so bound to you. Because the thought of you leaving without me felt painful, something I would never dream of. I know you’ve doubted yourself but you were always worth it Kyoshi, and you always will be. Because like it or not I’m so in love with you I don’t even know how to put it into words completely”

Rangi had rehearsed this in her head what felt like a thousand times, yet she still couldn’t put it to words fully.

“I know that you’ll probably live a hundred lifetimes, and have had a hundred loves. But I promise to try and be the greatest, because that’s the only thing you deserve. And I promise to find you in every lifetime to prove that true”

Kyoshi closed her eyes for a moment letting more tears fall, before exchanging their I-dos. But right before Kyoshi could answer she felt a drop of rain on her shoulder, then another and another. She looked up to be greeted with a sun shower.

Hei ran and Jinpa froze for a moment, fearing that this had ruined the moment. But Kyoshi and Rangi only looked at each other before laughing.

What they were laughing about was uncertain. Maybe it was the fact that this seemed to be their luck. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

Rangi reached up and pulled a strand of hair that was sticking to Kyoshi’s face out of the way as the rain continued to hit their faces. “It’s just like the night we left”

She smiled thinking back to that stormy night, where the two of them had left together and set out on what was the first of a lifetime of adventures.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way”

“Jinpa, I believe you were in the middle of something important” Rangi laughed, as the monk cleared his throat once more.

“Yes, Kyoshi do you take-“

“Yes,” She interrupted.

“Spirits you have to let me finish saying it first, anyways Rangi do you take Kyoshi, chaos in all to be your wife?”

Wife. Kyoshi thought, that was the first time she had heard it said out loud.

“Yes, chaos in all”

“Very well then, by the power that I obtained this morning I can now pronounce you-“

They were never going to wait for him to finish his sentence. Rangi had grabbed the front of Kyoshi tunic pulling her down to her level as their lips collided.

The rain continued to fall as the two finally separated. “You really are officially my idiot now aren’t you?”

Kyoshi gave her a crooked smile as she pulled together their lips once more. “In this lifetime and the next”

The group had eventually decked the hill, Kyoshi insisting on carrying Rangi. Who then decided that it was her turn to carry her new wife, as Kyoshi set her down Rangi scooped Kyoshi up herself.

“Wha- Rangi”

The fire bender only laughed as she held the Avatar in her arms.

“We need to get going, there’s some noodles waiting us back at the inn”

Spirits, Kyosh could marry that girl all over again right then and there.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH THEY ARE MARRIED YOU GUYS! It only took me 49 chapters and like over 100k words but I hope it was worth the wait. There will be more to the story promise, I hope you enjoyed it and will stick around for more of their story <3