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The janitorial closet by the gym: that’s where Rangi had to be. Kyoshi grimaced at the thought of running across Yokoya High School, but Rangi needed her, and Kyoshi would do anything for Rangi.
She reached the gym building with her lungs ablaze and a cramp in her stomach. Despite being a starter for her school’s basketball and volleyball teams and nearly six and a half feet tall, running was not one of her more vital skills. She took a moment to slow her breathing (enough, at least, to not make a fool of herself in front of her girlfriend) and adjust her clothes before knocking on the door.
Quietly, from inside, she heard a muffled noise that vaguely resembled the words ‘come in.’ And so, Kyoshi opened the door. Light briefly flooded the tiny space before Kyoshi’s shadow engulfed it. But it was enough to reveal who sat inside.
There, curled up on the floor and leaning against a dusty shelving unit, was Rangi. Her beautiful, talented, fiery Rangi. Except she certainly didn’t exude the same energy that earned her the latter adjective of being ‘fiery.’
“I knew I’d find you here.” She murmured, voice quiet and filled with as much warmth she could muster after a run.
“Kyoshi, we both know you aren’t keen enough to know that.”
“That’s not true! I found you, didn’t I?”
“How many tries did it take?”
“... four.”
She let out a laugh, and a small smile graced her features. For a moment, Kyoshi saw the real Rangi, her Rangi under the metaphorical cloud of darkness.
“You could’ve just asked for my location, you know.”
“You’re right, but where’s the fun in that?”
The pair slipped into a semi-comfortable silence. Kyoshi shifted on her feet, unsure whether to sit or stand or do neither or to leave. Subconsciously, her eyes searched the room, looking anywhere but her girlfriend.
She knew Rangi and knowing Rangi meant knowing that only certain people could be around her in times like these. But, of course, in her self-doubting mind (caused by the pressure of school and society and just overall existence mixed with just a touch of main-character trauma) Kyoshi wasn’t sure where exactly she stood on the scale of Rangi tolerance.
(Of course, any reasonable person outside of Kyoshi would say that she ranked higher than Hei-Ran sometimes).
(Keyword: sometimes).
Before she could panic and run away, a question tumbled out of her mouth. “Can I sit by you?”
“Might be a tight squeeze, treetop. But… yes.”
Again, Rangi was right. As Kyoshi tried to sit down, it became increasingly evident that she would either have to become a contortionist or shrink. Eventually, after some anatomical Tetris, she managed to find a seat on the closet floor. With her back against a cabinet, Kyoshi managed to fit her legs somewhere between snug and stuck. She hadn’t quite figured out what to do with her arms, but then Rangi settled right into Kyoshi’s side, and she recalled the existence of a strange thing called a hug.
After a moment or two of much more comfortable quiet, Kyoshi softly asked, “What happened?”
“Nothing huge. It’s honestly kind of stupid.”
“Nah, I’m sure it isn’t.”
Rangi probably knew there was no escape from the conversation; Kyoshi’s arms enveloped half of her functional limbs, for god’s sake. She didn’t even really want an escape; deep down, she knew this was good. Nevertheless, laying her heart bare to someone -even Kyoshi- was difficult.
“I left my music at home.”
“That isn’t nothing.”
“It isn’t a big deal! I don’t even have rehearsal today. But this one thing just….”
“Sent you over the edge?”
“Yeah,” Rangi took a deep breath, settling closer into Kyoshi’s side. She spoke quietly, almost as if uttering the words aloud would summon Hei-Ran in an instant, “I love my mom, I really do, but… this past week, she hasn’t let up. I can’t take any breaks.
“Everything has to be perfect with her. She wants me to go farther than her, and she’s been to the metaphorical moon. How can I surpass her? It’s like, I’m under all of this pressure, but I know she just wants me to be successful.
“It’s just hard being around her. I can’t make mistakes, even at home. I know, I know she loves me. I know all of this is for my benefit. I just wish I didn’t have to have everything together all of the time.”
Kyoshi hugged her close, feeling Rangi start to crumble again. Listening to each quiet sob was like a thousand tiny knives in her heart. Rangi had been working herself half to death, trying to maintain a certain degree of perfection. As much as she loved and admired Hei-Ran, Kyoshi knew that extended time with her mother would only make Rangi worse.
And then, out of nowhere, a brilliant idea struck her.
“You could, I mean- I mean only if, if you wanted to-”
“Huh?” Rangi shifted her head, trying to meet Kyoshi’s eyes.
“I mean, there’s no pressure, but if you- if you wanted you could stay… over… with… me…?”
“Kyoshi?”
“Not like that -well, maybe like that- but I just mean-”
“Kyoshi.”
“Kelsang loves you, he’d be more than happy, and Wong and Kirima and the others just got back from their tour, and I know how much Lek misses you and-”
“Kyoshi.”
“Seriously, everyone would be so happy to have you, and it’s really just a suggestion you don’t have to say-”
“Kyoshi.” Rangi’s tone of voice and firm grip on her arm finally brought her back to reality.
“Uh… yeah?”
“I’d love to.” Kyoshi took special note of the way Rangi’s face flushed. It was adorable.
And then, without thinking, her mouth opened, and suddenly she was on another agonizingly unstoppable word-vomit. “Oh, okay, cool, I’ll let Kelsang know, and I’ll- I’ll tell Kirima and Lek to lay off because they’ll probably never let me hear the end of it if my girlfriend stays over for a few days, but you know they’re just idiots and-”
At this point, the only way Rangi could get her adorable idiot of a girlfriend to stop rambling was to kiss her, and that was the exact strategy she employed. She felt Kyoshi’s arms tighten around her waist, and Rangi’s hands found their way around Kyoshi’s neck. Her fingers carded through her girlfriend’s hair and across the soft bristles of her undercut.
Now Kyoshi was the one blushing. Rangi could feel the heat radiating from her face.
Eventually, the two broke apart, with unmistakable grins on their faces.
“That was nice,” Kyoshi giggled.
“You’re such a goof.”
Rangi lay her head against Kyoshi’s chest, finding comfort in the steady thrum of her heart beating. She felt safe in her arms, with the gentle pressure of Kyoshi’s chin resting atop her head. Holding each other, the couple felt at home.