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Rangi could pinpoint the minute her heart had lurched out of her chest, falling down and breaking in pieces, scattered around Kyoshi’s body as she lay on the ground of the fighting rink. She could barely hear anything anymore, the world around her dampened by the wild breaths she found herself taking. Rangi had never seen anyone bend lightning before today, and she quickly decided that she never wanted to see the cruel blue lines ever again. She could barely see Kyoshi from where she was, but she saw another tendril of quick, blue energy extend from Xu’s outstretched fingers. Kyoshi’s body absorbed the hit once more, involuntary spasms coursing through her strong muscles and contorting her body in unnatural ways. Rangi could faintly smell the sharp odor of burning flesh, the scent wafting into her nostrils causing her stomach to turn onto itself. It smelled like death.
At this point, Rangi let out a wild scream, or at least she thinks she did. Her lungs burned with the effort but everything around her still felt numb, distant, and blurred as her eyes stung sharply. She wasn’t sure if she took a step forward or not, but she could feel a hand latch onto her forearm, providing a much needed anchor. She looked to her side and was met with the deep pools of Kirima’s eyes, reflecting back to her the same sense of desperation. We can’t do anything.
Rangi heard the deafening crack of lightning once more, and turned her eyes back as Kyoshi spasmed again. The pit in her stomach grew, threatening to melt her from the inside as the putrid, burning taste of acid filled her mouth until she had to lean down and let it escape. As quickly as she had done that, the tide of the battle had turned. Rangi looked up to finally see Kyoshi, or at least someone with her body but not her eyes- the familiar green now replaced with bright glowing orbs and a voice booming with a thousand echoes. This wasn’t her Kyoshi, not in the familiar, intimate way that Rangi had grown to know her, but instead as the Avatar in her full glory, the force of destruction which lay at Kyoshi’s core finally out in broad daylight.
She watched as Kyoshi’s hands unwrapped themselves from around the man’s neck and he fell, screaming, pleading, begging her for mercy that would never come. Then came the unnatural crack of bones as he hit ground and finally Rangi could hear again. Her breathing, still ragged and burning, calmed down enough for her to be able to start allowing other sounds into her overwhelmed system. She was faintly aware of her own feet carrying her forward with the group as Kyoshi descended, until finally the Avatar’s feet touched the ground. Rangi saw green again before Kyoshi’s eyelids fell forcefully shut and the tall girl stumbled backwards, unable to continue further.
Rangi had sat by Kyoshi’s bedside since they had first brought her into the wayside hut that apparently constituted a medic’s home. She felt small and weak, as she had so many times since they had left their home in Yokoya. When no one else was in the hut, Rangi would draw her legs towards her and let her chin rest on her knees, a comforting position that she would often take as a child after particularly grueling training. Her bright eyes never left Kyoshi’s thrashing body for more than a few hours when Rangi would “sleep” as she called it. In reality, Rangi would never allow herself the comfort of a true sleep, just simply resting her eyes shut while her mind remained alert for any movements by Kyoshi. In the brief moments when Kyoshi would wake, Rangi hung at the edges of the Avatar’s view, uncertain of how to proceed or what to do to help.
It was easier when Kyoshi was asleep, Rangi had decided to cautiously touch her dark hair and even let her hand wander down to Kyoshi’s cheeks, gently stroking her soft skin. It had been three days of this hell and Rangi was unsure how much more she could take.
When Kyoshi’s voice finally broke the silence, Rangi nearly knocked the chair she had been sitting in over with how quickly she got up.
“What…what happened?” Kyoshi’s voice was tight, raspy, barely making it past her dry lips. Rangi quickly raised a bowl of water to her, having been prepared for this moment since they had first brought her.
“We brought you here…after…after the fight,” Rangi began, though it was weird to hear her own voice after such a long time in silence. She watched anxiously as Kyoshi sipped the water, her fingers twitching with anticipation that she might need her help.
“How long has it been?” Kyoshi asked
“Three days. You went into the ..Avatar State..and you got hit really bad with Xu’s lightning. We had nowhere else to take you…” Rangi trailed off as Kyoshi began to look at her bandaged hands. “You took a lot of damage to your hands..the lightning hit your fans…I’m sorry Kyoshi…I’m so sorry…. I couldn’t do anything…”
Kyoshi’s bandaged hands found their way up to face, carefully cradling it despite the harsh material of the bandages. Rangi felt her heart drop as realization kicked in.
Kyoshi was alive and breathing and here, holding her once again.
“This wasn’t your fight Rangi. I had to do this, this was my duty. Xu was my responsibility,” Kyoshi answered. There was no waiver to her voice, no sense of regret or fear. The Avatar had laid down her justice.
Kyoshi smiled gently, her face warm but quickly shifting to pain as she hoisted herself up. Rangi’s arms quickly found themselves around her, providing extra support. The Firebender shifted her body and perched herself next to Kyoshi on the bed, while her arms stayed loosely around the Avatar.
Kyoshi smiled gently. Despite the dangerous situation that they had only recently been in, Kyoshi allowed herself to relax into Rangi’s arms. She loved the familiar heat coming off of the girl in-front of her and the soft smile on the firebender’s lips looked tantalizing. Rangi seemed to have read her mind in that moment because she closed the gap, her lips pressing softly against Kyoshi’s. It took Rangi a moment as her heart began to beat quickly before she settled, wrapping her arms tighter around Kyoshi, a small ghost of a moan leaving her as the kiss deepened. When they broke, Rangi rested her forehead against Kyoshi’s, unable to part too far from her love. Rangi decided she would never part from Kyoshi. She silently vowed this to herself, a mantra of determination filling her head and settling deep in her heart.
“I should get into life threatening fights more often,” Kyoshi noted, her tone light and airy.
“You’re such an idiot,” Rangi replied, indignation dripping from her words as she rolled her eyes. She had missed the lighthearted moments with Kyoshi, when they could both drop their shields and be together. Too often on their journey they had felt like the entire weight of the world rested squarely on their shoulders. Rangi had known how to be a soldier all her life, but Kyoshi- strong, powerful, beautiful Kyoshi- allowed her the moments of freedom to be herself. They stayed like that for a while, their time punctuated by soft kisses and gentle embraces until finally Rangi tucked herself next to Kyoshi on the bed, careful as to not hurt her, and finally found herself drifting off to sleep, wrapped up against the woman she loved with all her heart.
Her Kyoshi.