Chapter 54

Was moving a refugee camp the rest of the way up the peninsula to Yokoya easy? No, it was not. But the project had filled Kyoshi with hope as she recouped while plotting to take down Chin. Plus it was a good distraction while Rangi was still away.

But the camp had continued to grow in size as well. Taking in anybody who had been mistreated by chin, the effects of the tyrant started to weigh heavy on her mind.

Early one morning she had been able to gather the first group of people to move to Yokoya. Knocking on the vast front doors Kyoshi smiles as she sees a familiar face.

“I see you have a couple guests” Auntie Mui answers.

“Hope you don’t mind the extra company.” Kyoshi smiles as she starts to help people with their things.

“My spirits you’ve brought a village”

Kyoshi could help but laugh at the way that Auntie Maui’s eye started to twitch. “This place was always too empty.” She tried to reassure her. “And they needed a home”

People started to fill the halls and set up more tents outside in the courtyard. Taking up a room which Kyoshi was happy to give away, only asking them to leave her one room.

When she moves outside to see all the tents going up in the courtyard it feels weird for Kyoshi to be back. The last time she and Rangi had visited they had avoided this place for a reason.

The courtyard where she had lost Yun, and nearly lost Rangi on the same day. Maybe by doing this some new memories will be forged here.

Some of the refugees had preferred to set up camp here, feeling bad for invading the Avatars mansion in a hurry. Despite Kyoshi trying her best to persuade them otherwise.

In two weeks the shift had been complete, and everyone from the original camp was settled on the mansion grounds. Kyohsi had been writing to Rangi every night as she sat by the fire out in the courtyard, keeping her up to date.

Later one night after she had sent her update to Rangi, Kyoshi sat back in a pile of blankets trying to think through how she was going to deal with chin.

Surely if I just take him out the rest of the operation would crumble in due time.

She was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of tarps moving around. Unlike other times she would have been concerned that someone was trying to ambush her, she knew the cause of the rustling.

The little girl who she had met in the woods the first day she came back, that had led her to the first camp had once again found her here. Now it was as if she had a little shadow.

With a small smile she pushed her dish to the side a bit, she hadn’t gotten the chance to eat just yet but knew she could always find something later. “It’s yours if you want it” She called out softly, before looking back at her papers pretending to busy herself.

Just like every other night this week within minutes. The girl tentatively steps out of the shadows to take the plate and sit a few feet to the side of Kyoshi.

“Beautiful night isn’t it?” She asked, still looking at the papers. There was no reply, though that was what she expected now.

Kyoshi turned her head slightly to see that the girl was eating the food she had left out, and didn’t appear to be giving Kyoshi another thought. It still bothered her that no one knew who the little girl was, or where she went at night.

“The hawk should have no problems making it to Rangi” She said looking up to the sky. The girl was well aware of the firebender by now.

The girl still said nothing but continued to eat the same. “I grew up here you know” Kyoshi started. “My room was one of the old closets, I worked in the kitchen and around other parts of the house. I’ve made a lot of friends here”

Lost some as well.

“I think my old room is still empty though, the first door by the kitchen with the green handle. When I first started working here I could never remember where my room was so they painted it for me” She laughed softly at the memory.

“It’s yours if you want it” She smiled standing up, gathering the papers she had brought out. “Til tomorrow then?”

It was the first time since Kyoshi met the girl that she offered her a place to sleep. But the girl never said anything back. It felt like she was earning the girls trust in millimeters, but that was still progress wasn’t it?

After dropping the papers off at her room she made her way outside perching on top of the wall of the mansion, which also happened to overlook the majority of the town as well.

She could see just about everything, and everyone that came and left in the night. Only a couple of times had some of Chin’s army wandered this south, but never more than a few. Likely scouts, no trouble to deal with anyways.

But it had kept Kyoshi up, feeling like this town was Chin’s next target. That her little camp of people who had left his army was right beside him. Kyoshi felt like she had to assume Chin had learned about the camp by now. Wondering if he could soon go after the people whole fled from his reign.

So here she sat on the wall, watching all creatures of the night. At some point she must have drifted off because the next thing she knew she was waking to shouts and rocks being thrown at her feet.

“How dare you-” one shouted.

“To bring all these people without asking-” Another yelled.

More of the townspeople had gathered at the front of the gate to shout their woes as well. It’s too damn early for this. She thought as she made her way back down to earth, being greeted by the frowning faces.

“Good morning.” Kyoshi said plainly, folding her arms. “To what do I owe the pleasure”

Her relationship with the people of this town would always be complicated, when she was nothing they acted as if she was the dirt under their nail. A nuisance that never seemed to leave, or a leach feeding off of what was there.

A title can change a lot, actions more so. Still it never seemed to be enough.

“How dare you bring in all these people from the streets, you’re infesting our town” a man shouted.

“We don’t have the means to accommodate them all”

“I am accommodating them actually.” Kyoshi said flatly. “The most you have to deal with is a couple more people at your store which I doubt you’d mind.”

“You’re putting a target on our back, you know. Do you even know these people? They could be criminals”

Then they’d hate to know I’m the closest thing to a criminal here.

“As far as I’m aware no place in the earth kingdom is safe, it’s only a matter of time.”

“That’s really reassuring Avatar, so did you just come to join as being sitting ducts then” Another asked.

“I am working on a solution” She said flatly.

Rangi, I need Rangi first. Once she’s back we’ll make a decision. I can’t leave this town defenseless.

People had continued to come to the mansion’s gate every day after that for a week, with the same complaints. To which Kyoshi gave the same answers.

But it had started causing issues, pulling her away from her plotting. So she brought a scroll or two when she went to the wall to watch over the grounds, when one night she was interrupted.

“Would you like us to take a shift?” A woman asked as Kyoshi reentered the courtyard.

“Excuse me?” She asked softly looking up to the group of women in front of her.

“You stay up every night til dawn, it must take it tolls”

Kyoshi could only laugh at the statement. “I suppose, I’ve never minded though”

“if you’d like we would be happy to watch the gates like you have tonight, so you may rest too”

The woman’s words twisted Kyoshi’s heart strings. “So I may rest?”

“I know we’re not nearly as trained, but if you trust us” Another woman stepped forward.

“Would you like to?”

The group seemed taken back by Kyoshi’s offer. “I assume that you want to protect your loved ones, not just put my mind at ease”

They seemed to agree with her words non verbally. “Besides the point I would be happy to train you, another time when the sun is up. I know someone as well- who is quite experienced. She will be here soon enough” Kyoshi smiled at the thought of Rangi, though sleep was starting to take over.

“it would be an honor Avatar-“

“Please, if we get acquainted call me Kyoshi”

“We consider this place home, it only seemed right to help protect it too”

A home, that was the first time Kyoshi ah heard someone call it instead of just a camp. Do some of these people consider this place home?

One spoke, as Kyoshi let out a long sigh. “I will grab a bed roll and sleep out here tonight then” She said.

“I trust you will wake me though if anything happens, even if an animal you’ve never seen wanders too close”

The group agreed to her terms easily, and Kyoshi finally gave in. “I will go and grab some last things then” She said walking back towards the house.

Digging through a closet she caught sight of the green handle of her childhood bedroom, for a minute she saw movement under the door. But the second she took a step forward it halted. She knew just who was in there.

Returning to the courtyard she laid out her bed roll under an open canopy, and closed her eyes at the sight of the woman on the wall stationed like she had many nights before.

“Avatar Kyoshi-“

Mumbling started to stir Kyoshi from sleep.

“She told you not to call her that-

“It’s weird, but the people at the gate-“

That last part had caused her to sit upright in an instant. “How long have they been here?”

The two blinked once before answering. “About ten minutes, they won’t leave,” The shorter one said.

“I’ll handle this, consider your first shift a success” She said smiling slightly as she rose.

“About time you showed up” An angry man shouted as she opened the gate to slip though.

“Day 8 then isn’t it, what are we complaining about today?” She sighed leaning against the wall, already bored.

“You’re harboring fugitives, that’s what everyone’s saying. You have a camp of criminals that escaped Chin”

They clearly have no clue what’s going on, that sentence is contradictory of itself.

“They’re not criminals, their homes and lives were destroyed.”

“You’re just adding onto the street trash. That’s where they’ll end up anyways when you leave.” Another sneered.

“They are people.” Kyoshi gritted, pushing off the wall. “People who needed help, somewhere to go. So that’s what I gave them.”

“Do people think this place is a dumping ground for the homeless? You were no different than them after all, don’t you think?”

Kyoshi stared right into the short man’s angry gaze. Her stare holding nothing but hate for his words.

“I have bigger issues than your already well voiced concerns”

“And what are you doing about them-” She had rushed up to grab the front of his tunic, lifting him so that his feet barely made contact with the earth.

“I haven’t been able to do shit because every morning I have a new peanut gallery telling me what to do about the people I invited to live on my property. Not yours, not the this towns, I own this mansion for fucks sake” She shouted slwoly letting him back down.

“Doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do now, it’s been taken care of.”

“What do you mean by that?” She demanded

“Chin likes to take care of pests so I let him know where a bunch of them were hiding” He seemed proud of his accomplishments.

“You moron, Chin was barely aware of this town’s presence. You’ve actually put a bullseye on all of us now.”

“He’ll get rid of the excess waste” he rebuttals.

“No he will get rid of anything that stands in his way, he is literally calling himself ‘Chin the Conqueror’. Nobody here will be spared until you bend to his will. Not even snitches” She added spitefully.

Before anything else could come of the argument, a hawk’s call filled the air, as it landed on Kyoshi’s shoulder. Taking the scroll she turned away from the non supporting crown and headed back within the premises of the mansion.

Her name scrolled on the front, Kyoshi couldn’t help but smile as she unrolled it. Rangi would be here today.

For that minute she forgot how this town now had an enlarged target on its back as the place that people who escaped Chin’s rule had fled. For that moment she saw Rangi, and that everything would turn out fine. It had to

I really don’t have an excuse for this chapter taking so long but I’m sorry and hope the next chapters will be worth the wait <3

Also this story now has nearly 32 THOUSAND views, excuse me that’s absolutely incredible thank you so much!