Chapter 49

They were able to make their return to the fire nation the next morning. Kyoshi went to the kitchen while Rangi told Jinpa of the events out east.

He was practically beaming when he handed Rangi a scroll sealed with the seal from the palace. The firelord had kept up his side of the deal, they had gotten their support groups.

Rangi ran into the kitchen to tell Kyoshi, surprising her so much that she had nearly choked on the piece of bread she was eating.

For the first time in a while Rangi felt like she saw Kyoshi’s shoulder relax as she beamed back at ther.

The following morning they had set their path through the fire nation with their last stop being the earth kingdom town. Jinpa had circled of all the overrun towns that they could clear on the way there. Then making a last of the towns that would be left to the support groups.

Looking at the map, and their current planned route Rangi  couldn’t help but notice how Yokoya on their way. “We should stop in Yokoya for a night or two before we deal with the last  town”

Kyoshi had walked up beside the firebender to look at the map. “Works for me, I’d like to visit Kelsang anyways”

There was a certain tone of optimism in Kyoshi’s voice as she spoke of Kelsang, but the thought of him strangely made Rangi feel guilty. There was still something she had to do.

It had a couple of months between everything with the groups and then setting out on their own to handle the remaining overrun towns. To a certain point Kyoshi felt like they had almost fallen into a rhythm as they arrived at each town as they dealt with the chaos.

Over and over they helped the towns regain control. Kyoshi really hadn’t realized the extent of the damage until she had to deal with them all up close and across the nation.

Until finally they had cleared the fire nation, the remaining towns were left to the support groups and they could set out the earth kingdom.

Kyoshi had been seemingly more stressed about the overrun earth kingdom town. The reason why Rangi wasn’t exactly sure of, but she tried to reassure her that it probably won’t be any different than any other town they had dealt with.

“You alright?” Rangi asked, nudging Kyoshi the slightest bit as they walked, Yokoya coming more into view. “Yeah it just..” She picked a fraying thread of her gloves.

“I don’t know, I have really mixed feelings about this place” She finally admitted.

Mixed feelings. That felt like a simple way of putting it, this is where it all began, and in a way ended. At least a certain part of each of their lives.

Finally Kyoshi pushed open the doors to the estate of the mansion that she had inherited. It seemed to have been well kept. She left it to all the people you had lived and worked there.

As they walked the familiar halls there were some people that Kyoshi didn’t recognize, but they turned their heads at her and Rangi the same. when someone stopped in their path.

“Kyoshi is that you?” Auntie Mui stood in the end of a hall with an armful of grain bags

Kyoshi gave her a shy smile as she approached the woman who had set down the bags. Auntie Mui had gone right up to Kyoshi as if to take a closer look.

“Goodness if you were so tall I wouldn’t have recognized you with all that makeup on” She said as she reached out to wipe some of the white base paint off Kyoshi’s face revealing some freckles. Handing Kyoshi the rag after as if to indicate that she should wipe the remaining bits off.

“And Lady Rangi you are back as well?” The woman asked as she peered around Kyoshi to look at the firebender.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Rangi replied with a shy smile.

There had been a large dinner thrown at the mansion that night, Kyoshi had gotten to see many of the people she worked with growing up and suddenly it felt like she had never left.

Until they had asked what she had been up to, Kyohsi didn’t know where to start or if she even wanted to. She settled to share about the places they had traveled. “And you travel beside her dear?” Auntie Mui asked Rangi.

“Yes I’m-” She cleared her throat. “I’m her bodyguard, where she goes I follow,” Rangi explained.

The woman only smiles, “well that has always been the case hasn’t it?”

Kyoshi who had gone to pull her gloves off so that she could eat couldn’t help but laugh at the conversation, when suddenly Mui had grabbed her hand.

It had caught her so off guard that she had nearly fallen face first on the table. “And when did this happen?” Auntie Mui shouted looking at the ring.

“Recently enough,” Kyoshi replied with a smile.

“And who? Why didn’t you bring them with you here, did you not want us to meet them or what?” The woman had almost been shouting at Kyoshi, so much so that she missed the glance exchange between Kyoshi and the firebender.

Rangi knew that if she shook her head or showed any sign that she didn’t want Kyoshi to share this, then she wouldn’t. But her smile when Auntie Mui had asked about the ring. Rangi wanted to see that smile again, and so she gave Kyoshi the slighted nod, giving her the okay.

“I did bring her with me Auntie,” Kyohsi said proudly as she held up Rangi’s hand to show off the firebnder’s ring. Rangi felt her face heat up as the attention was all placed on her.

But that stupid dopey smile on Kyoshi’s face, the things Rangi would do to protect it. Because in that moment of excitement, Kyoshi could have made the whole world look at her and it wouldn’t matter.

Mui had launched into a whole nother series of questions about the wedding details. Very few of those questions did Kyoshi have answers too, but her smile remained the same.

Eventually the conversation shifted elsewhere, and people had spread out a bit having other conversations.

“Come on,” Rangi said, extending her hand out towards Kyoshi.

“Where are we going?” Kyoshi found herself asking as she allowed herself to be pulled along.

“Just out, I felt like getting some fresh air,” Rangi replied with a smile. Kyoshi smiled as she gladly let Rangi pull her along.

“Do you want to go see them?” Rangi asked as they cleared the gates and started heading up a hill. Kyoshi nodded her grasp on Rangi’s hand tightening as they walked onwards. In all the excitement they hadn’t had time to come here yet, and now felt about as good a time as any.

They walk up the large green hill, one that Kyoshi felt like she had walked many times until they reached Yun’s grave.

The two of them had stood there for a while each in a world of their own as they stared at the tomb of their lost friend.  “I’m still not sorry for what I did,” Kysohi whispered. “But I miss him the same”

Until finally Kyoshi started heading further up the hill where Rangi knew Kelsang’s stone was.

This hill, that’s why I remember it, Kyoshi and suddenly realized. This was the last place she had spoken to Kelsang, or where she had thought she had.

Kyoshi remained still as she looked down at Kelsang’s stone, but as she turned to look at Rangi she noticed that she started crying.

“Rangi it’s okay, if it’s upsetting to you to be here we can go back” Kyoshi tried to reassure her.

“No, I- I have something I need to say” She said, stepping in front if the headstone suddenly taking a deep bow

“Brother Kelsang” She starts speaking seemingly to the universe.  “I’m-I’m here… to ask you for Kyoshi’s hand… I know you are no longer here with us, and I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know that a day doesn’t pass that Kyoshi doesn’t think of you. And I guess I can say the same for myself now, it only felt right to ask” She took a breath.

“You took her in, without- without you I never would have found the love of my life.”

Kyoshi had no words for what was happening in front of her. The real reason why Rangi had suggested this stop wasn’t to see the mansion or old friends or anything. It was so she could have this moment.

“I promise I will work until my last moment to make her happy. You would know better than anyone that she never deserved anything she went through. And although I can’t take it back, I will work tirelessly to make up for the lost time. Let me prove that I can give her life we both know she deserves”

Kyoshi took her hand again, squeezing it tight. It felt like it was the only thing she was capable of doing at this point. When Rangi went to look back at Kyoshi she was crying now as well, but with a smile on her face. Though she wasn’t looking at the fire bender anymore she was looking off into the mountains.

“You have already given me more than the life I deserve,” She said, squeezing her eyes shut to allow for more tears to fall.

Rangi felt another tear slide down her face, before she tilted Kysohi’s head so that she was looking directly at her. “Why don’t you let us be the judge of that, okay?” More tears fell from her eyes. Though they weren’t in complete mourning, but in joy as well. She was really going to spend the rest of her life with this girl.

Eventually they sat in the grass in front of the grave watching as the sun sunk further below the horizon.

“How fast do you think your mother and Jinap could get here?” Kyoshi asks suddenly.

“I’m not sure maybe in a day or two if they take an air bison. Why?” Rangi guessed.

“You want to get married?”

The question for whatever reason didn’t feel completely real to her, perhaps it was because of how casually Kyoshi had mentioned it or something else. But the question hung in the air now.

“Before you say anything this isn’t like when we were about to put an end to the balanced nation.” Kyoshi followed up. “I don’t want to get married because I think I’m going to die or get hurt or-“She stood up suddenly.

“I just don’t think I can wait any longer, I don’t waste any time knowing I could have been married to you”

Rangi looked up at Kyoshi in amazement, somehow she had said all the right things, everything that eased Rangi’s thoughts. “I told you life was worth living” She gave Kyoshi a smile as she allowed herself to be pulled up.

“But what are we going to do about the big wedding we had planned and all the people we invited?” Rangi asked, watching as Kyoshi’s face flashed red.

“I- I don’t know, I mean I didn’t think about it-” Kyoshi started to spiral.

“Kidding, I never sent out the invitations expect one to Jinpa and my mother”

“But I thought you-” Kyoshi looked at Rangi’s expression which told her that she was better off to stop talking and let her explain.

“I never sent any more out because I knew you never wanted any of that, I knew it the first time I asked who you wanted to invite and you went on about people who you thought had to be there. This is supposed to be about us, not them”

Kyoshi couldn’t find any more words; she just steps out to pull Rangi into a tight hug. “I may have to share the Avatar with the world, but am I so selfish for wanting you Kyoshi to myself?”

And that was one among many of the reasons why Kyoshi loved Rangi so deeply. Through all the time that they had known each other whether she was a servant at the mansion or the Avatar it never seemed to matter to Rangi. She was always Kyoshi.

I love them so much you guys, I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I think it’s so cute, feel free to left me know what you think in the comments <3