The first thing Kyoshi saw when she opened her eyes was a blur of green and brown racing beneath her. As her eyes adjusted, a few things hit her at once.
Her body felt sluggish, almost like when Jianzhu had drugged her, but as she breathed in and out, she felt it slowly but surely seep away. There was also dull throbbing in the back of her head, its barely noticeable presence was starting to come to the forefront as the drugs left her system.
As she came to, something in her mind screamed at her to not make a sound or sudden movements. Heeding its advice, she very carefully took in her surroundings, making sure any movement could've been caused by the jostle of whatever she was riding on.
She looked to her left, and saw a leg donned in familiar Fire Army pants. She couldn't turn her head enough to confirm the identity. Between the attire, her last memory before going unconscious, and a familiar heat her body was pressed up against. It was probably Rangi.
Kyoshi swore in her head, then tried to calm herself down. It was fine, she just needed to assess her surroundings. Then she'll figure out how to talk it over with Rangi. Nothing to worry about!
She carefully flexed her arms and wrists. They were bound from behind, by cuffs from the feel of them. They were shoddily made Earth Kingdom handcuffs, so if Kyoshi put strain on them in the right way, she might be able to break them. Or she could blast the lock with earthbending, whichever worked. But she'd need her fans for the latter.
Next were her fans. She could feel a familiar dig into her side as her arms ran past and pressed against them. Thankfully, she'd put them in her sash before she went to meditate, just in case she felt like performing fan drills. Good, at least she could defend herself if it came to it.
Kyoshi swore in her head again. No, she couldn't go into her talk with Rangi assuming they'll fight. She needed to trust her friend, to show her friend could trust her. But the voice in her head started talking again. It whispered something about'preparedness'and to be ready if things go south. Kyoshi tried to ignore it.
She flexed her legs last, they appeared to be bound as well, but by a different style of cuff. There was a longer chain in between her legs, it didn't offer much mobility, but if she could get to her fans she could most likely break them with bending.
Ok, so I've been drugged, my arms are bound behind my back, my fans are with me, and my feet are bound too. And Rangi kidnapped me…..and I'm going back to last part was a given, where else would Rangi be taking her?
Now that Kyoshi knew her situation, there was really nothing else to do but talk it over with Rangi.C'mon Kyoshi, just say 'I'm the Avatar! You've got to help me!' No you sound stupid! I need to figure out a better way to say it.
Kyoshi took a subtle deep breath, ready to get the hard conversation over with. She slowly turned her head to finally look at Rangi's face. "R-"
Kyoshi felt all the air being pushed out of her by the iron press that was boring down onto her. No, it was more like two bronze knives hung over her head, ready to drop and pierce her skull.
Rangi stared down a Kyoshi, like a predator eyeing their prey.
'What? You think I wouldn't notice you moving? Who do you think I am?!'No verbal words were needed, her eyes were able to deliver the piercing message alone. She'd been watching Kyoshi's every move.
Kyoshi struggled to breathe. There was a look in Rangi's eyes, something Kyoshi couldn't pinpoint. The closest word she could describe was utter contempt.
Before her body could register with her mind, it seized up in fear, instinctively bending the earth beneath them. A large plate jolted upwards from underneath the mount they were on, and they were sent flying forward.
Kyoshi could feel herself being lifted off the giant harness she was on, and then she felt Rangi's hand grab at her. Only to be kicked away by the steed's foot. The three went careening towards the earth in three different directions.
Kyoshi got lucky and landed in a large bush. She panicked for Rangi, but she could hear the soft swushing sounds of her jet-stepping, and she knew her friend was alright. She still heard multiple crashes. One was followed by a yelp and then a rustling that got farther and farther away. It appeared the animal they were on had run off on them.
Kyoshi struggled and hobbled to get out of the bush she'd landed in. She could feel the handcuffs creaking against her attempts to break them. She tried twisting her body to get at least a hand on a fan.
If I can just- gah- just one fan! I can blast the lock open!Running with daofei had come with some perks, one being'How to open a lock in two elements!'It involved shoving as much element into the lock as possible, and blasting it open. They claimed water was the easiest between water and earth, but Kyoshi only had earth to work with. The issue? She lacked the ability to control the small specks of dirt to be able to accomplish the feat without a fan.
Kyoshi finally got out of the bush, and was now trying to slide one of the fans in her sash around to the back so she could grab it.
"Kyoshi….." A growl came in front of her.
Kyoshi looked up in a panic. The area was a mess, all the supplies that must've been on the mount's back were thrown about. Rangi stumbled over to Kyoshi, her right hand clutching at her dangling left arm, her rucksack hung loosely around said arms. Apparently she hadn't had as good a landing as Kyoshi had thought.
Kyoshi stilled for a second upon seeing the feral anger seething off her friend as she stalked towards her. Then, Kyoshi broke into a frenzied squirm, thrashing until her hand finally clasped a fan. Quickly, she started sending energy towards small specks of earth and encased the wrist bindings. Hoping to either blow the lock from the inside, or cause the cuffs to explode off with enough force. Whichever broke first.
"You…." Rangi growled out. She took her hanging left arm and thrusted it upward. There was a sickening pop, as she popped her shoulder back into place. "You just can't make thiseasy, can you?"
Kyoshi tried pulling on her bindings, but nothing gave. "Rangi, please, we need to talk!"
"Talk? No, we're past the point of talking," she said darkly.
"Please! You're being lied to!" Kyoshi cried. Just at that moment, Kyoshi felt a small give in her arm restraints.
Rangi stopped in her tracks. Her face was obscured by the shadow casted on by the trees, Kyoshi couldn't see her friend's face except for the wide, fiery-bronze eyes staring right into her soul. "Lied to?"
Kyoshi sighed in relief, she was getting through to her. "Yes! I don't know what Jianzhu has told you, but it's a lie! He's mad for power! He wants to control me! He killed-"
"I know," Rangi said in a hollow voice. She let the rucksack on her back thud to the ground in front of her.
Whu-wait? She knows?! But then why is she- no. Something's not right. She knows Jianzhu is lying? Or that he killed Yun and Kelsang or-
"I know I've been lied to, Kyoshi," Rangi's hollow voice held nothing but ice, it was too uncanny for her fiery girl. It wasn't right. Like the sky turning green. It wasn't natural.
The restraints started to pop under the strain and then they finally gave. Kyoshi brought both hands forward, one holding the fan, and the other with an open hand. She was talking with her hands in a way that accentuated her confusion. "But-then why- Why are you chasing me?! Why are you working for Jianzhu when he killed Kelsang and Yun?!"
Rangi stopped rummaging through the bag. There was a shift in the air. The cold fury melted under a wildfire that was brewing in front of Kyoshi.
"I'm guessing he didn't disclose that little tidbit, huh?" Kyoshi said darkly, remembering the moment Yun was dragged away and Kelsang's neck left his body. "Hekilledour friends! Ourloved ones, Rangi! I need to stop him! I-"
Something smacked Kyoshi in the face, and dropped to the ground with a thud. Kyoshi came out of her memory and looked back at Rangi. She was panting, her same ferocious look from before donned her face, but it was accompanied by tears.
"I know," Rangi gasped. "I know I've been lied two years!"
Kyoshi could only stare at Rangi in utter years? What is she talking about?
"W-what are you talking about?! Jianzhu lied to you for two years?"
Rangi shook her head slowly. "No, ." She pointed at the ground by Kyoshi's feet.
Kyoshi's eyes slowly followed Rangi's finger, like a criminal following an executioner's finger pointing in the direction of the chopping block. Kyoshi looked at her feet, and could feel what was left of her little world falling apart around her. What laid at her feet was Jesa's diary. Her mother's diary. Adaofei'sdiary.
Kyoshi started gasping for air, her body started trembling and her vision was going … No. No, no no no!Her darkest secret, her best friend had found it. And she didn't accept her-no, that's not it. It was being used against her. If Kyoshi hadn't been a coward and opened up about her past, maybe they wouldn't be here now. Kyoshi had fallen on her own sword. Hung by her own rope.
"And you'restilllying! I'msickof yourlies!"
"I-I can explain," Kyoshi whispered. She was grasping at straws now. She lost the chance to control the narrative and she knew it.
"What is there to explain?!"
"Yes I was born to daofei!" Kyoshi started rambling, panicking, anything to defend herself. "I was born and then theyabandonedme in Yokoya when I was five! I was an unwanted child by them and the people of Yokoya!" Kyoshi could feel hot tears running down her face. "I've never been in contact with them! I hate daofei! I lived on the streets until I got a job at the mansion! Please, Rangi, you know me!" Kyoshi was pleading with tears in her eyes.
"IthoughtI did too," she responded in a hollow voice, and began her stalk towards Kyoshi again.
"I'M THE AVATAR!" Kyoshi screamed her other earth shattering secret, her last hope. "Jianzhu took Yun and I to be tested by a spirit. It declared me the Avatar! And then it took Yun! Jianzhu let it happened, and Kelsang tried to save me but Jianzhu killed him and-"
"Stoplying!" Rangi stopped in her tracks and clawed at her ears with her hands. Like Kyoshi's words were going to hurt her. "You've already lied to me! You've already tried to kill me! I don't believe you!"
Kyoshi took a step back and felt the chain's taunt. She pointed a fan down, and tried using the earth to weaken the links.
Rangi started her march towards Kyoshi again. "How dare you drag Master Jianzhu's name through the mud! How dare you claim you're the Avatar and insult Yun's memory! They don't deserve to have their name be dragged down into thegutterwithyou!"
Kyoshi stopped working on her ankle cuffs, and looked at Rangi. "You think I belong in the gutter too?"
Rangi's face shimmered, morphing into a look of hurt that matched how Kyoshi felt. "Gah!" Rangi buckled forward and clutched at her head like she was in pain.
"Rangi!" Kyoshi tried to rush forward, forgetting about her restraints, and tripped. She scrambled on the ground, afraid of what Rangi would do next, but she was still buckled over in pain, gasping for air.
"S-stop it! Stop messing with me! Stop lying!" She cried.
Kyoshi tried to stand back up. "Rangi, I'm not lying! I'm the Avatar and I-." Kyoshi dove to the ground, she just barely dodged a fire fist to the face. It landed in the bush Kyoshi had fallen in, and it lit instantly. The trees next to it caught on not long after.
"I said to stop lying!" Rangi screamed, one arm was extended out into a punch, while the other still clutched at her face.
Kyoshi gritted her !Diplomacy had died, there was no getting through to Rangi. Especially not with the forest ready to burn down! There was only one option for Kyoshi:Knock Rangi out and get them out of there.
Kyoshi grabbed her other fan, and used the power of both of them to rip the chains apart. She then quickly twirled them and sent a medium sized rock right at Rangi's stomach. Rangi recovered enough to see what was happening, and got blown backwards by the rock.
Kyoshi quickly turned around, and attempted to snuff out the fire. She went into a Crouching Bridge Stance, and folded the earth under the bush and trees that had caught fire in on itself. The branches and trees snapped against each other as they rolled over one another.
Kyoshi twisted her hands and arms until, finally, the seared objects snuffed out, leaving only smoke billowing out of the cracks in the earthball she created. With one less problem out of the way, she dropped the object to the ground, and the earth shook.
"Thank you,"an ethereal voice whispered. Kyoshi turned her head and thought she saw a flash of black and white. But before she could inspect, a fist collided with her face.
Kyoshi was flung back into the earthball she'd just created. She flew her arms up to her face to protect it, she also maneuvered her body so that her liver was out of striking range.
Rangi followed up with a flurry of strikes. She took jabs at Kyoshis arms and torso. However, they weren't as powerful as the one livershot she delivered onto Kyoshi in Chameleon she holding back or-?
There was a cracking punch to Kyoshi's left rib - she's just….. Whittling me down, slowly.
Remembering she had her fans in hand, she quickly flicked her wrists, and a new medium sized boulder flew at Rangi. She barely dodged it, having to step away from Kyoshi to do so. "Will you stop throwing rocks-!"
Kyoshi cracked one of her war fans across the side of Rangi's that do it?!
Rangi stumbled and caught herself, she put her fingers up to her bleeding temple, and looked at the blood. Then she shot Kyoshi a dirty look.
Nope! Just made her cursed to herself, she'd never knocked anyone out before! Why did everyone and their mother have an easy time doing it toher, but she couldn't do it once?
"I'm an earthbender! What do you expect?!" Was her only retort. Now if Kyoshi could just….forceanother element out that would be perfect. Maybe then Rangi would believe her! But Kyoshi couldn't feel any connectionexceptfor earth. So that's what she was going to work with.
Kyoshi made a motion with her fans swinging them from left to right. She saw Rangi dodge in anticipation for an attack from her left, but there was nothing to dodge! Kyoshi had faked her out.
She was met with Kyoshi's body running into her. Kyoshi wrapped her arms around Rangi, pinning the smaller girl's arms to her side, and lifted her off the ground.
Kyoshi couldn't believe it worked! Except, now what? Fans were back in sash, not like she could hold them, her hands were busy keeping the hold from falling apart. How was she going to knock Rangi out?
Before Kyoshi could think of what to do next, Rangi, the girl of action, took matters into her own hands, and slammed her forehead into Kyoshi's.
"Let! Me! Go!" Rangi yelled as she headbutted Kyoshi. Her next attempt was to somehow kick and knee Kyoshi with what little mobility she had.
This was a stupid idea! Kyoshi tried dodging what she could from the close combat hits. Thankfully it didn't hurt as much compared to when Rangi had free reign, but that was only by a little.
"Not until you listen to me!" Kyoshi yelled back, as she tried to contain the thrashing firebender. Kyoshi was stumbling all over the forest floor.
Kyoshi's foot caught on something, probably one of the many things the steed had dropped in the crash, and felt herself falling back. Kyoshi saw Rangi's face pale, she looked back as she was falling and realized they were next to a very steep hill.
Kyoshi's shoulder hit the ground and the pain made her let go of Rangi. They didn't separate because Rangi grabbed right back at Kyoshi, pulling her into a grapple.
The two rolled down the hill as punches and blocks could be heard ringing through the air.
"Are you stupid or something?!" Rangi yelled as she delivered a knee to Kyoshi's serratus anterior muscle mid air.
"Maybe I am! It's not like I went to some hoity-toity school like you did!" Kyoshi took the opportunity to deliver a punch to Rangi's oblique muscle.
"School can't help people with chronic rocks-for-brains!" She yelled back. Her forehead crashed into Kyoshi's chin. Or maybe it was her armored shoulder?
"At least I'm not full of hot air!" Kyoshi slammed her forehead into Rangi's collar bone.
Great. Were they fighting to the death, or airing out their childish laundry? Kyoshi couldn't tell.
They finally finished their roll at the bottom of the hill, luckily they hadn't hit a tree. It appeared the trees were a bit sparse where they landed.
Rangi had landed on top, but she didn't have the upperhand. Kyoshi had twisted her body in a way to keep Rangi in a 's over if she firebends!
"Rangi! Please! See reason! I don't want to fight you, I'm only defending myself-!"
Rangi lifted her hands up, and Kyoshi braced to dodge for fire, but Rangi surprised her and slammed her thumbs down onto two separate parts of Kyoshi's upper body and pushed. Kyoshi lost her grip on Rangi as Rangi needled her pressure point.
Kyoshi tried to get a hold on Rangi again, who winded up for a headbutt and landed it square on Kyoshi's forehead, she held it there like heat to iron. "Reason? Yeah. Ok. Tell me what was your reason for killing Yun?!"
Kyoshi froze, and Rangi took the opportunity to rip herself out of the rest of Kyoshi's grasp. She sat up and grabbed the front of Kyoshi's tunic with one hand, then lifted her other fist up in the air. It vibrated with energy.
"TELL ME!" Rangi roared. Her face looked like she'd been stabbed. "He was our friend! Why?! Answer me!"
She slammed a fist down, Kyoshi dodged, and a crater formed in the dirt where Kyoshi's head had been. The explosion caused Kyoshi's ears to pop and she became dizzy.
"I didn't kill Yun! Jianzhu is lying!" Kyoshi dodged another fist. Black spots began to dot her vision.
"LIAR!" Tears were falling from Rangi's face again. "Why do youalways lie?!"
Kyoshi wanted to defend herself. She hadn't been lying, that Jianzhu was the cause. But Kyoshi could see there was more to Rangi's words. More than what Jianzhu did. More than what Jesa's diary revealed. Kyoshi had lied about things to Rangi before, of her own accord. She'd personally sewn the seeds of doubt into her friend. She made it so that her own friend couldn't trust her.
Kyoshi reached up and wiped at her friend's tearstained face. "I'm sorry…."
She wished she could be more specific but her brain was barely hanging on to consciousness.
Rangi's eyes tightened in pain before closing and wrenching her face away from Kyoshi's hand. Then she gritted her teeth and looked at Kyoshi as she pulled her right arm back to deliver one more punch.
Just as Rangi was about to let her fist fly, she stopped. The girls heard a strange whistling. Then there was a CRACK and Rangi was flung back.
"Hey! Leave the kid alone!" Kirima's voice rang out, as a jet of water flew in the air. She and Wong were flying through the air with their dust and mist-stepping. Wong threw out a series of arm movements, and Kirima shot a water whip towards Kyoshi. The whip snaked under her arms, and started lifting her towards them.
Once she was within arms reach of them, Wong stopped his arm movements. The two older members of the Flying Opera Company each took one of Kyoshi's arms, and threw it over their shoulders.
As they ascended back to Pengpeng, Kyoshi looked down and saw Rangi struggling under multiple earth and ice restraints as she called out to Kyoshi.
"Let's go girl!" Lek yelled to Pengpeng as soon as Kyoshi, Wong, and Kirima hit the saddle. The giant bison groaned in response and started its route eastward.
Kyoshi laid on the saddle ground, barely able to stay conscious. She wasn't sure if it was from the drugs or the fight, or if she was just tired from the whole ordeal all together. "Wha….. how did you find me?"
Kirima pointed at Lao Ge in response.
"Old man's intuition," Lao Ge said, a little on the smug side. Kyoshi had a feeling there was a little more to it than that.
"We saw smoke in the distance and put two and two together," Wong added.
"Yeah, then we saw you getting your ass kicked," Lek yelled from the reins. Kyoshi agreed with Lek. Yup, Rangi did indeed deliver an ass kicking. "Can't you fight your own battles? You made me hit her!"
So he was the one who caused the strange whistle and knocked Rangi off of Kyoshi.
"Sorry about that," Kyoshi groaned. "Our talk got a little out of hand."
"A little?!" Kirima yelled aghast.
"And talk?! Are you serious? Shekidnappedyou!" Wong looked at Kyoshi exasperated.
"Nobody's perfect?" Kyoshi responded unsure how to appease them.
"I'm guessing you were trying to get back together and it didn't work," Lek said flippantly. "Soooo, does that mean she's single again?"
"Ok you two, we're going to need to have a long talk about toxic relationships," Kirima snapped. "I'm starting to thinkshe'sthe problem and notyou."
"It's not toxic, plicated," Kyoshi tried to defend. She thought of all the lies she'd told Rangi up till now, all under the guise of self-preservation. "And I am the problem, I deserve it."I'm the one who broke her trust first.
Kirima rolled her eyes, "That's what theyallsay."
"So sheissingle now, right?" Lek yelled.
"Lek, you aren't going to-" Kirima started.
"Lek if you hit on Rangi, I swear to all the spirits I will fly Pengpeng up to the highest point she can reach and throw you off this saddle!" Kyoshi yelled over Kirima.
Kirima looked at Kyoshi with an eyebrow raised. "You know what? I take it back, you two areperfectfor each other."
Kyoshi groaned, and rolled onto her side and curled up into a ball. She needed sleep.
A/N: Haha yaaaaay the uhhh talked it out. 8U Well that didn't go over so well. It's ok guys! We can always try again! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و
Heads up, the first arc of this fic will end at chapter 16 I believe. So far there are 3 arcs planned. I am working on getting ch 14, 15, 16, and 17 done atm.