270 BG- The Lower Rings of Ba Sing Se

Fog was hanging in the air over Ba Sing Se. The morning sun had not yet risen in the east, but the day was already beginning for those ambitious enough to seize every available hour of the day.

The streets were filled with merchants and sellers, setting up shop or perfecting their wares. Stores were packed with early-morning shoppers, mostly women, who hoped to snatch the freshest fruits and vegetables early and return to their families in time to cook breakfast.

Street urchins and homeless benders blended in with the masses. Their grungy clothes and dirty faces were a sign of their third-ring status. Most of them shared more in common with street rats then with human beings; scrounging desperately for scraps and hurrying away, frightened, when someone bigger threatened to get in their way.

Through the misty muddles of melancholy mediocrity stood a pure vision of power and strength. This extremity of force was found in the form of a girl, dressed in dark green robes. Her clothes marked her as an obvious earth kingdom resident, but her heavy makeup would make many average earth kingdom citizens question her true position. Her face was laden with heavy layers of white paste, her eyes outlined in black coal and colored up to the brows in tapering red dust. Her lips were a dusty brown, matching the dirt of the streets. Her makeup made her a fighter that used more then bending. She could bend well, but she did not need to. The skills she had learned from her training on her island served her better then anything the great masters could have taught her.

As Kyoshi made her way through the rings, younger children scampered from her path. She looked frightening, everything from her makeup to her quick pace spoke of urgency and a dare to not be interrupted. She set her eyes on her mission to the upper ring of the city and did not avert her gaze.

It was a shame, commented some of the older folks in the city as they watched her pass. She used to be such a happy girl.

290 BG- Ba Sing Sea Upper Ring

Kyoshi ducked her way along the roofs of the buildings. Her agility and power of inconspicuous was a gift at times like these. She was running in a way that was most un-Avatar, and certainly unladylike. However, no one could see her so high above the city and moving so quickly, and she was happy to feel such freedom.

Jumping over the roofs, she landed on a plain green thatched rooftop. She deftly hooked her arms on the side and swung herself inside through an open window.

"Hello Benji Baby!" She called loudly.

The earth bender artist gave a shriek of surprise and upset his ink palate, scattering dark splotches across his scroll.

"Kyoshi! How many times must I ask you not to sneak up on me like that? How would you like it if I popped in through random windows while you were in the middle of practicing?"

"Well seeing as you have the agility of an Air Bison, I would quite like to see you try it," responded Kyoshi.

Benji glared at her for a second longer, but he could not feign anger for long. He was too happy to see her.

"It's good to see you," said Benji. He crossed the room and bent to give her a quick peck on the lips. Kyoshi savored his touch on hers. "Are you ready to start planning?"

"Very much," agreed Kyoshi. "I'm thinking a summer wedding would be nice; the earth kingdom will be in full bloom then."

"I never would have taken the most powerful Avatar to date to be a summer-wedding gal."

"You know I love the flowers," laughed Kyoshi. "Besides, where would you expect the most powerful bender in the world to be married; on the bending training grounds?"

"I have to admit, I would imagine something like that if I did not know you so well."

Kyoshi gasped and slapped his arm good-naturally. Then the two dissolved into laughter and set about planning what was bound to be the happiest day of both of their lives.

270 BG- Before the Council of Five

"We need a better system to defend our capitol."

"Are you insinuating that the current administration is not viable enough to protect their own citizens?" asked one of the officers. The other's looked rightfully shocked at her statement.

Kyoshi turned to the man that had spoken. His name was General Fong; a very respected and very old Earth kingdom warrior. He had a broad figure and greying hair that was pulled back in a long plait. The other officers would endorse or deny her request based on his input, she knew.

"I'm not saying you are doing a bad job; I'm saying that you are not doing enough of a good one," said Yoshi. "These are troubled times we live in, and there is too much going on for the Earth Kingdom army to handle."

"We can increase our ranks," Commented General Fong. "There are ways around the shortage of men that do not include creating an undercover group of spies."

"Not spies," said Kyoshi calmly. "Informants. An elite fighting team that uses the skills and abilities I have developed through my time training as an earth kingdom warrior."

"You are the Avatar," said one the other officers. "You cannot be seen sneaking around, creating elite fighter forces to carry out undercover missions!"

"The Avatar is supposed to be a symbol of peace and spiritual balance!" cried one of the others. Their roars quickly filled the air as others joined in and added their agreement.

Kyoshi waited patiently for them to settle down.

"Quiet! Quiet!" shouted General Fong. Once the others fell silent, he turned to Kyoshi. He cleared his throat.

Kyoshi watched him with a combination of mild interest and fierce determination. She was curious to hear what he had to say next, but it did not matter really. She was going to fight for this no matter what he said; this was something that the citizens of Ba Sing Sea needed for their safety. And their safety was her duty.

289 BG- The Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se

Planning the wedding had been much of a whirlwind for the two lovebirds. Not only were they rushing to get the plans finalized before summer fully sprung and dealing with the usual pre-wedding ordeals including invites and cake, but they were also doing so under the umbrella of the hounding press. Each reporter seemed dying to get a direct interview with the Avatar on her wedding, as well as photos of the happy couple.

"Avatar Kyoshi! Avatar Kyoshi!" cried the reporters, hurrying down the street as the couple emerged from Flower Fiesta 'the best florists in the Earth Kingdom'!

"I swear if one more of them asks us for a picture, I am going to trap them all underground in the deepest earthbender-created cavern known to the Earth Kingdom." growled Kyoshi.

"You always have been one who loved the attention," joked Benji. He threw his arm around his fiancé and led her down the street away from the reporters. Kyoshi threw a dirty look at the crowding journalists, but then allowed herself to be led away.

The reporters were insistent, and continued to follow them down the street, asking for photos, quotes, and interviews.

"Kyoshi! Avatar Kyoshi!" yelled a particularly insistent reporter.

"What?" snapped Kyoshi, forgetting herself in her frustration. As she spun around, she saw that it was not a reporter calling for her after all. It was Officer Lang.

"Oh, hello Officer Lang," greeted the Avatar sheepishly. "What can I do for you?"

Officer Lang seemed to be out of breath. He gasped for oxygen, then quickly straightened to deliver his news. "You can come with me. There has been another attack in the lower rings, and this time the thugs seem to be getting out of hand. I was sent to get you."

Kyoshi quickly shoved her packages of wedding décor into Benji's arms. "I'll be back soon," she promised him, giving him a quick kiss. Then she bounded after Officer Lang.

As they approached the lower rings, evidence of the riots grew louder. Yelling filled the air, loud screeches that made Kyoshi's ears ring. Smoke stung her eyes from fires in some of the lower homes. Some people were running, screaming, terrified. Others were simply walking around in a stupor, looking at the rising flames in the distance with a glazed look of confusion in their eyes.

"Where are the fights coming from?"

"A group of rebels broke in through the West wall; they were hiding on the trains. They have been terrifying the citizens ever since."

"How many?"

"We are not sure, at least twenty."

"Twenty?" Kyoshi was shocked. "How have they managed to grow ranks so much without us knowing?"

"Well our information was pretty limited; we are soldiers ma'am, not spies."

Kyoshi growled in frustration and dashed into the street to join in the fights.

270 BG- Before the Council of Five

"The stations of our military keep them busy. They do not have time to gather intelligence to ensure we have proper information for battling thug teams that threaten the safety of Ba Sing Sea."

General Fong leaned forward in his chair. He had his hands crossed, and his face was composed in a sympathetic gaze. He was going to try to use pity and rationality to deter her from her goal.

"Avatar Kyoshi…The attacks we had this past year were tragic. But no one blames you for the terror the Pig Iron Punks and their gang of ruffians caused."

Kyoshi took a deep breath. They might not blame her, but she blamed herself every day of her life.

"It was my fault," she said. The officers exchanged looks. She took another breath and continued. "It was not all my fault, but I am the sole one to whom the blame of failure should fall. I was distracted, and I let that cloud my Avatar duties. But this new team, they will not be distracted. They will be the best, and the most focused that anyone could ever be."

289 BG- The Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se

The fight was spreading throughout the city faster then they could control it. There had apparently been a lot more of the brutes in the city then they had thought, and it seemed as though they were calling in reinforcements.

"General! Tell me everything you know," demanded the Avatar, breaking into the defense office of Ba Sing Sea.

"They are part of a group called the Pig Iron Punks," said the General without turning around from his maps and statistics. "Named for the metal you cast in a crucible."

"With all due respect General, I do not care about their names, I was much more curious about how we can beat them."

At this, the General turned to face her.

"I think that comes down to you, Avatar. My men are trying to fight them back but they seem to have the goal of destroying as much property as possible as they move their way through the city. At this rate they will be in the royal palace before sundown."

Kyoshi's eyes widened at the news. "Do you think their target could be the king himself?"

The general raised his hands in a shrug.

Kyoshi turned and made her way out of the tent. As the exited, Officer Lang ran up to her.

"Avatar Kyoshi…I'm so sorry…"

"What? What is it?" Something about his worried, frighten look scared her. Something was wrong.

"There was a man…he wanted me to take him to you, and he was coming until we were attacked by some of them." He seemed nervous to give her the rest of the news, but continued nonetheless. "I am afraid his skills in defense were not the best. He was killed in the scuffle."

Kyoshi steadied herself. "What was his name?"

The officer looked terrified. "I believe he said, Benji, ma'am. He was animate about seeing you."

270 BG-Before the Council of Five

"And so men, I tell you that this elite force is not only necessary for the safety of the citizens of Ba Sing Se, it is also necessary for the safety of the entire Earth Kingdom on the whole. Just imagine the horrors that would have been inflicted on the kingdom if those thugs had reached their goal in the upper ring. Had they burst into the royal palace and murdered our King, we would be in an era of chaos and catastrophe at this very minute. Having this team will give us hope of a bright future without this trouble from gangs."

The generals were shocked by her argument, she knew. But they were already turning to her side. She could see it in their faces.

General Fong had a quick word with them, then he turned back to the Avatar.

"Very well," he nodded. "You will be authorized to create this elite team under the supervision of the Council of Five. They will be the defenders of Ba Sing Se safety and espionage security, as well as the private guards of the Earth King himself."

Kyoshi nodded, then turned to make her way out of the room. Her work here was done. At the last minute, General Fong called her back.

"Wait!"

Kyoshi paused.

"What are you planning to call this elite force?"

Kyoshi thought for a moment, then answered. "They will be the Dai Li. The cultural guardians of Ba Sing Se."

And with that, Kyoshi walked out of the room. She had a long road of justice ahead of her. At this moment, she could not remember the joys she had felt so easily at the times before the thugs. But she hoped that this new team would give the entire city of Ba Sing Se, as well as herself, a promise for a brighter and safer future.

A/N

Team: Fire Nation

Round 2 : Hope

Category: Themed

Prompt: Kyoshi

Word count:

So…a bit about this story! I have always been curious about hat make Kyoshi become the Avatar she was shown as in the show. What turned that little girl from the island into such a rock-hard fighter? This is what I came up with. I like the idea the Kyoshi was once such a sweet girl who was carefree and in love, but that all changed for her. Not sure how you feel about it, but I liked it. I'm excited to be part of this writing competition, which is what I am writing this for. Hope you all enjoyed!