Chapter Text
Trembling hands carried to carry the food basket she so carefully had prepared onto her borrowed car. Kyoshi usually despised the overuse of cars when there was a perfectly good public transport system that could take them everywhere, but this was a special night, and they had to go to a somewhat secluded area.
It was a nice spring afternoon, not too cold but with a nice breeze that prevented the day from getting too hot. That didn’t stop Kyoshi’s body from anxiously sweating since that morning; she had been up since dawn, fretting over the preparations for her date with Rangi, triple checking with Wong about borrowing his car, her clothes and her surprise. At around 3 PM, right after lunch (which she had barely tried) Kyoshi started preparing the food. She didn’t like to brag, but her skills were pretty good after she had worked as a kitchen assistant; she decided on an assortment of different small foods that she and Rangi could share. Kyoshi had even splurged on Stalknose mushrooms, Rangi’s favorites.
Kyoshi smoothed her thin green sweater once more, she hoped Kirima was right about it; her roommate had all but tackled before she left and had forced Kyoshi to change out of her flannel for something more ‘date like’. It was casual, but also cut in a way that accentuated her curves and showed a little cleavage. Not something she was terribly comfortable with, but she could see the appeal.
Driving to Rangi’s house took only around 5 minutes, but it was enough time for Kyoshi to completely panic all over again; she hadn’t spoken to her best friend since asking her out, with the only exception of the quick text she had gotten this morning, asking her if there was a dress code. Thankfully, she spotted Rangi’s old house right before she jumped out of her moving car. Kyoshi took a deep breath, grabbed the small bouquet of red petunias she had gotten, walked towards the entrance and knocked on the door twice.
With her heart almost beating out of her chest, Kyoshi heard steps approaching, and then the door swung open. Kyoshi’s smile froze on her lips when she noticed to her big dismay that the woman in front of her was at least thirty years older than Rangi. “Hello Kyoshi, please come in”, Hei-Ran greeted her pleasantly.
“Thank you”, Kyoshi managed to stammer after following her professor. Hei-Ran gestured for her to take a seat, while she poured some green tea for the both of them. Suddenly, Kyoshi was acutely aware of the flowers in her hands and awkwardly put them to the side.
Hei-Ran handed her the tea saying, “Rangi will be ready soon”. Her friend’s mother stared at her for a few moments as if she were assessing Kyoshi, making her squirm; then after she seemed content with what she found and smiled slightly while sipping her tea, “I must say, I’m glad you two are finally taking the next step.” Hei-Ran chuckled at Kyoshi’s surprised/terrified expression, then her eyes narrowed and her expression turned harsher, “You better take care of my girl.”
Kyoshi nodded, as solemnly as she could while being scared out of her mind by Rangi’s mother. “I will.”
Hei-Ran seemed pleased with her response, taking another sip of her tea. Thankfully, Kyoshi was saved from enduring another round of awkwardness by the hurried steps down the stairs that made them both look at the stairs in front of the living room. As expected, Rangi appeared in front of them, looking a bit frantic.
“Kyoshi, please excuse my daughter’s tardiness, apparently nothing she owns was up to her standards today”, Hei-Ran said, a smug smile directed at Rangi.
“MOTHER!”, Rangi said, blushing.
If Kyoshi was being honest, she was only vaguely aware of the discussion taking place right next to her, being completely mesmerized by Rangi’s appearance. She was wearing jeans and a simple white shirt tucked in, covered by a red jacket that reached all the way up to her thighs. But Kyoshi was instantly drawn to her eyes, a small dusting of make up covered her face making her eyes shine in the dim living room light. She’s so beautiful.
Only after who knows how long Kyoshi realized that the room was silent. She blushed furiously, stood up, and awkwardly presented her flowers to Rangi. “You look great!”, Kyoshi said, looking away.
“Thank you”, Rangi mumbled, also looking away. She received the bouquet and quickly placed it in a vase that Hei-Ran had prepared with water while they were talking. “Shall we?”
“Yes, of course!”, Kyoshi said, trying to clear her head. She said goodbye to Hei-Ran, who was watching them with a slight smile, and led Rangi outside. They walked to the car, and Rangi frowned a little at Kyoshi when she opened the door for her.
“Since when do you have a car?”, she asked curiously.
“This is not mine, I just borrowed it for the evening”, Kyoshi sheepishly explained while turning on the ignition.
“Kyoshi, you really didn’t have to, you know I’m fine with using public transport.”
“I am aware,” Kyoshi said, briefly looking into her eyes before pulling into the street, “but I wanted to do something nice for you.”
Rangi grumbled something unintelligible while the blush returned to her face.
They drove around in comfortable silence, sneaking glances at each other but quickly looking away once they were caught. Only once Rangi noticed they were entering the outskirts of the city did she break the silence. “Wait, where are we going?”, she asked, curiosity evident in her expression.
“You’ll see”, Kyoshi answered with an enigmatic smile.
“If you wanted to take me to a make out spot we could have just gone to the University’s parking lot”, Rangi teased, although a brief flicker of her eyes betrayed her anxiety.
Kyoshi’s eyes widened and she went entirely red, it took everything she had to keep her eyes on the road. “We’re not going to a make out spot!”
Rangi laughed wholeheartedly, tension easing from her shoulders, “Come one, making out with me can’t be that bad!”
Kyoshi didn’t think it was possible to get any redder, but her face somehow managed. I’ll get a heart attack before this is over. “I only meant the spot isn’t a place known for making out, not that I would be opposed to it ...”
It was Rangi’s turn to blush now.
They started going up a hill with the car; once they reached the top, Kyoshi checked her watch, glad they were right on schedule and motioned for Rangi to exit the car. She picked up the food basket and a blanket and walked over to the spot she had visited the day before. Kyoshi set everything down and sat on the blanket.
Rangi sat down next to her, taking the small plates and setting them down on the ground. Her eyes shone when she spotted the Stalknose mushroom dumplings her friend had prepared. Kyoshi smiled while pouring some juice into two cups, “Go on, try them!”
“No, I’ll wait until we’re ready.” Ever the proper girl, Rangi continued placing the chopsticks on each side.
“Please, I made them just for you!” Rangi hesitated for a second before reaching for her chopsticks and quickly snatching one dumpling into her mouth. Kyoshi watched her closely and smiled widely at the delighted sounds coming out of her friend. “I’m guessing you like them.”
“If you can cook this well, why do you never eat properly?” Rangi shot back, getting another dumpling. Kyoshi laughed and gently shoved her shoulder.
They ate for a few minutes, teasing and talking, overall just enjoying each other’s company. It was an old pattern that they had known for years; the easy rhythm with which they so easily fit together was what first drew them to each other. But there was an openness that they had forgotten along the way with all the lies and responsibilities that only now was coming back and left them drunk off one another. It was such a comforting feeling that Kyoshi almost forgot the reason they were there.
“Thanks for bringing us here, Kyoshi”, Rangi said, after smiling for a little too long at one of her friend’s dorky jokes. There was real warmth in her expression that made Kyoshi’s stomach fill with butterflies. “It’s quite beautiful.”
“That’s not the only reason”, Kyoshi said, looking at her watch Only one more minute “Get up”, she offered Rangi her hand to stand up, “Can you see that building below?” Kyoshi asked, pointing at the medium sized oval shaped building with a hole in the middle that sat right below the hill they were standing on. “That’s the Ba Sing Se Opera House, and I happen to know that today the Caldera City Orchestra is set to perform.”
Rangi seemed confused at the apparent random trivia she just got from her friend, until the notes started to flow. Kyoshi looked expectantly, she knew Rangi liked to listen to the ‘Fire Music’ style the Orchestra was known for, and if she was being honest, the fast beat of the drums combined with the melody of the bronze section made for a quite an exciting listen.
Rangi looked shocked at first but then turned to Kyoshi, biting her lip to suppress her joy “You’re an idiot”, she said, bumping their shoulders jokingly.
“What did I do now?”, Kyoshi asked, also smiling.
“You just are”, Rangi said, rolling her eyes.
They stood there, side by side, listening to the music until Kyoshi noticed Rangi’s foot tapping beside her to the beat of the music. She extended her hand, a teasing smile on her face, “Wanna dance?”
Rangi’s face turned an adorable shade of pink and she shook her head, “You know I’m not much for dancing.”
“I’m not either.” Kyoshi really wasn’t, but at that point she felt bold and silly. She hadn’t felt this happy in so long, that the giddiness of the setting, and her best friend next to her left her feeling capable of facing down an army. So Kyoshi took the first step, putting her hands on either side of her chest and flapping her elbows, “This one is called ‘the chicken.’”
“You can’t be serious”, Rangi started laughing, covering her face with secondhand embarrassment.
“Oh, I am”, Kyoshi replied, putting more energy into her dancing. Rangi shook her head but eventually joined in with her own take on dance moves. Kyoshi had never heard of the ‘Turtle Duck’ but couldn’t say she wasn’t enticed.
They danced like drunk uncles at family barbecue for the remainder of the song, making sure the other was able to breathe properly after the fits of giggling that periodically got to them. After a particularly strong laughing fit, Kyoshi put her hands on Rangi’s back to try to sooth her, while still shaking herself. Rangi turned around, smile in her eyes, not realizing how close their faces were.
They stayed like that, breathing heavily, for what felt like an eternity until the spell was broken when the song ended. They both looked down, completely aware of what had been about to happen, but too shy to go through with it. Instead, once the new song started, Rangi extended her hand towards Kyoshi, a silent invitation.
Kyoshi took it, and they swayed completely ignoring the beat of the music coming from below, completely entranced in their own world. There were no thoughts, nor any anxiety; they just felt peaceful, it was the natural progression of their relationship, as inevitable as the flow of a river. Maybe deep down they had always known. Kyoshi placed her forehead against Rangi while they continued moving. Rangi stood up in her tiptoes to brush their lips together.
Their first kiss wasn’t like in the movies. It was awkward, their noses got in the way, Rangi’s lips were chapped and their height difference forced Kyoshi to slightly bend her knees to reach her. None of them care though. The kiss was gentle, soft and caring. It was barely the lips brushing together, Rangi’s hands cupping Kyoshi’s face and her thumbs caressing her cheeks in a circular motion, but the whole world dropped away for a second.
They separated after what could have been either an hour or merely a second, neither knew nor cared to find out. It was only then when everything hit them all at once, they both blushed intensely while they again became aware of the music in the background. Kyoshi could only look to the side while smiling to herself.
“So you did take me to a make out spot after all”, Rangi broke the silence, her hands still on Kyoshi’s shoulders, a teasing smile hiding her shyness.
“I don’t think just one kiss can qualify this place as a make out spot ...”
“Well, we can definitely work on that”, Rangi said, kissing Kyoshi again, knocking the air out of her lungs for the hundredth time that day.
The kissing grew more passionate at times, hands tentatively exploring new territory, full of pent up longing that had been festering for years; it was after one of these times that Kyoshi found herself laying on the picnic blanket not really remembering how she got there. Other times, the kissing was slow and loving, full of all the care they had for each other, with clashing teeth when they couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s getting late”, Rangi murmured against Kyoshi’s lips, pointing her words with a peck.
Kyoshi opened her eyes for the first time in a while and discovered that indeed, it was already dark around them. The last part of her date plan was to watch the sunset but she couldn’t say she was particularly sad about how things turned out. “It really is”, she said, not really wanting this dream to end.
“We should be getting back”, Rangi repeated, but not moving either.
“We really should”, Kyoshi was about to continue kissing her Rangi, when the thought of Hei-Ran’s wrath made her reluctantly move. They gathered up all the things they had brought and, hand in hand, went back to Wong’s car.
The ride back was silent, but it was a different kind as before. When they had first met that day, the air was filled with anticipation, anxious energy filling the car, keeping them from talking too much. Whereas now, there was a peace that neither knew they were longing for, but that only after it had arrived, they knew they were missing.
Once they got to Rangi’s house, neither one wanted to move. Kyoshi could see Hei-Ran’s silhouette through the living room window, which made her blush when she realized that Rangi and her had slightly swollen lips and dreamy looks. “So, would you like to watch a movie during the weekend?”, she asked, suddenly shy again.
“I call dibs on picking it”, Rangi said before kissing her goodbye and exiting the car.
Kyoshi stared at her until Rangi disappeared behind her door. After that she headed home in a daze, returned the keys to a smiling Wong, endured the teasing of her roommates (though not entirely undeserving) and finally plopped down on her bed next to her unopened mail.
Kyoshi still wasn’t completely sure she wasn’t dreaming, so in an effort to ground her she started opening her letters; they reminder that she had to pay her phone bill surely would confirm her that the entire date actually happened. She was only kidding herself as she only half-read the letters. There was one form Kelsang asking how she was (he still refused to get an email account), another one from the school’s Student Division asking her presence for Monday, probably to remind me I’m late on the tuition payment again, and the last one indeed from her phone company.
All was well in the world. Kyoshi fell asleep with a goofy smile on her face, replaying her date over and over again.
*******
The weekend was beyond Kyoshi’s expectations. She had spent so long imagining how to ask Rangi out that she forgot to even think about how actually dating her would be. To be completely fair, it wasn’t too different to how they were with each other when they were just friends; she did already spend much of her time together, but the fact that they could hold hands, kiss her and stare at her for however long she wanted without seeming creepy made Kyoshi’s heart flutter.
Rangi was seemingly keeping it together better than she was, but Kyoshi had caught her unconscious touches becoming more common, less subtle. And the teasing. Kyoshi should have known Rangi would expand her teasing to their newfound relationship. She wasn’t complaining per se, she was just worried a heart attack would kill her before the lack of sleep would.
At the moment they were reviewing a few notes on the cafeteria, enjoying their jasmine tea. Kyoshi had to admit she wasn’t really paying attention to her studies. Maybe she just enjoyed how Rangi wrinkled her nose when she was focusing on something important.
“You know your dopey smile won’t help you pass this class, right?”, Rangi said without looking up from her book, annoyance in her voice but unable to keep a slight smile off her lips.
Kyoshi blushed briefly and scoffed. “I got it covered.”
“Sure you do”, Rangi said, rolling her eyes and finally looking at her. A glint of mischief passed through them as she leaned towards Kyoshi, “Tell you what, you finish studying with complete focus for the next hour, and we can do other things later.”
Kyoshi swallowed thickly. “Other things?” Rangi only nodded, satisfied with the response she was getting. Sadly, Kyoshi looked at her watch and hung her head disappointed. “I can’t do another hour, I have to be at the Student Division in fifteen minutes ...” Kyoshi finished the rest of her tea, gathered up her stuff and pretended to lean in to kiss her goodbye - instead, her face dodged Rangi’s and she whispered in her ear, “I’m looking forward to learning what those other things are.” And with that, Kyoshi quickly pecked at her jawline before leaving.
Kyoshi turned back to look at Rangi once before exiting the cafeteria and was pleased to see the complete redness in her face. It was nice to know she could turn the tables on her.
She arrived at the Student Division Office with about five minutes to spare, let the secretary know she was here and waited her turn to talk to the tuition collector while playing on her phone.
“Miss Kyoshi?”, the woman called her, “Dean Jianzhu will see you now.”
“Dean Jianzhu?”, Kyoshi asked confused, “What is this about?”
The secretary just shrugged and continued working. Kyoshi walked up to the office with trepidation. Inside there was a man a few inches shorter than her, with bright green eyes and black hair that was starting to show streaks of white in it. She had seen him a couple of times while growing up; he used to be a close friend to her adoptive father, Kelsang, but never paid much attention to Kyoshi herself.
“Miss Kyoshi, please come in”, Jianzhu told her with a smile that left Kyoshi feeling uneasy.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yes, please take a seat”, he said, motioning to her. “I’m going to be direct with you Kyoshi, I think you have a brilliant mind, and a very promising future ahead of you.”
“Thank you?” Kyoshi didn’t know where he was going with this, she was an incredibly average student if not below, she had never stood up in the crowd, and had nothing exceptional to show except for Rangi.
“Yes, me and professor Hei-Ran were very impressed by your submission for the White Lotus Research Fellowship.”
Kyoshi froze in place; eyes went wide before she could control them, and a cold sweat started running down her back. “I… I think there must be a mistake, I never submitted anything for the Lotus Fellowship.”
“Ah but you did, it just had a different name on the cover, didn’t it?” Jianzhu waited to see if she said anything before continuing. He took out her paper with Yun’s name on it from his desk and started going through it. Kyoshi’s mouth went completely dry. “I must admit, I haven’t seen such creativity and passion for a long time ...”
“That 's not…”
“And I even think - in my humble opinion - that it’s your best work”, Jianzhu continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Your brilliance shone through in your other works, they caught my eyes immediately.” He took other papers from his desk that she recognized as her Daofei jobs; contemporary comparative politics, macroeconomics, law and policy. “I have been looking for you for so long, the Daofei really stepped up their game when they recruited you.”
“I…”
“There really is no point in denying it, Kyoshi.”
He was right, she had been caught. “How did you know?”
“That Yun’s work wasn’t really his?” Kyoshi shrugged. “It was very obvious to me after the first meeting I had with him, the boy had no clue what he was talking about but tried very hard to pretend like he did. I went over the paper and it seemed familiar, it was the same writing style I had caught in Daofei works of social sciences.”
“And how did you know it was me?”
“After I… convinced the boy to come clean, I asked him to request a follow up to the Daofei, and you’re the one who showed up at 3 AM to deliver the paper.”
Kyoshi felt her eyes fill with tears that she refused to let fall. It was all coming to a head, the one thing she had been dreading since she decided to take Kirima up on her offer. She thought of Rangi and almost laughed at the huge ‘I told you so’ she would get. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“I want you to take your rightful place as the winner of the White Lotus Research Fellowship, and help us make your project come true”, Jianzhu told her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“What?” She couldn’t have heard correctly, Dean Jianzhu couldn’t be rewarding her after breaking about half of the University’s regulations.
“I am being serious, Kyoshi, you’d be an invaluable asset for us.”
“But why?”
“Take it as me looking out for the prestige and future of this institution”, Jianzhu answered lightly, “This offer, however, comes with two conditions. First, you must promise to stop doing Daofei works, I think that’s obvious.”
“Yes, of course”, Kyoshi eagerly agreed.
“And second, you must give me all the names of the members of the Daofei.” And with that, Kyoshi’s budding hope was crushed under a mountain of guilt and regret. If she took that offer I would mean to sell all her friends out.
“I work alone”, Kyoshi desperately tried to convince him. It was a weak lie and they both knew it, but she had to try.
“Kyoshi, I know I said you were brilliant, but lying is not your forte”, Jianzhu dismissed her with a wave of his hand, “Not even you can pull off an array of Math, Biology and Arts projects in the same week. There has to be more people in this. I want their names.”
“I don’t know anyone else.”
“Kyoshi, please, you don’t have to give them to me right now”, Jianzhu spoke like a caring father, amused with the antics of his children, “Take until tomorrow, same time to give me an answer that will make Kelsang proud.”
That was a low blow and he knew it. “What if I simply don’t know anyone else?”
“Then you’ll find them out or I’ll be forced to believe you were working alone and you’ll have to take the full force of their punishment.” Jianzhu smiled and before Kyoshi could answer, he stood up and walked to open the door. “I am confident you will make the right choice, Kyoshi.”
After exiting the office, Kyoshi walked aimlessly around campus, crushing anxiety heavy on her chest, refusing to let it all sink in. She went to the small orchard on the north side of campus and sat down under an apple tree that offered some cover from the sun. She hid there, escaping her shame, silent tears streaming down her face. Just as everything was looking up for me.
She didn’t know how long she sat there motionless, not even moving to clean the tears from her face. The sun had started to go down, no longer mocking her anguish, but painting the sky a more muted orange when she heard her name being called. Of course Rangi would be worried about her, she checked her phone and saw there were fifteen missed phone calls from her. She just kept on worrying her for no good reason.
Kyoshi didn’t feel like talking to anybody, especially someone who had repeatedly warned her about the dangers of her line of work. She didn’t deserve Rangi.
But Rangi was anything if not relentless, searching swiftly and meticulously all around the orchard when she spotted the girl that really wanted to blend into the foliage. “Thank God, there you are!” Rangi got down on her knees and hugged Kyoshi as hard as her arms allowed her. “I got worried you did something stupid.”
Kyoshi’s throat hurt to even think about what she had to do now, but it was for the best. “Rangi, I don’t think we should be together anymore ...” She couldn’t drag her down with her anymore.
Rangi didn’t even flinch, just continued hugging her, “You have rocks for brains if you think I’m going to leave you alone now.”
“Rangi, please understand, I actively threw away everything I had ever worked for, I can’t offer you anything but disappointment. You deserve better than me.”
At that, Rangi forcefully pushed her away from herself, and fiercely looked into her eyes, anger simmering under the surface. “Don’t you ever say that. You’re the kindest, most hardworking person I know. The only reason you’re in this situation is because the system is messed up and punishes people who are brilliant like you but that don’t have the good fortune to be born into money.” Her eyes softened and Rangi kissed her softly once more, putting some of Kyoshi’s anxiety to rest. “Don’t you dare speak about my girlfriend like that, ever again.”
Kyoshi felt like crying all over again, and this time she didn’t hold back, she sobbed into Rangi’s shirt until it was soaking wet. The sky was completely dark by the time she was able to speak again without hiccupping. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing, I can clean it later”, Rangi said, understanding but ignoring that the apology was for more than just her shirt.
“How did you know what happened?”
“My mom called to give me a heads up”, Rangi said carefully, “Dean Jianzhu let all the professors know that there would be a few changes with the Lotus Research Fellowship this morning, apparently your name came up a couple of times.”
“Your mother must hate me now”, Kyoshi said half jokingly; she knew that Hei-Ran, just like her daughter, was a woman of principles.
“Not going to lie, she’s disappointed.” The statement stung Kyoshi all over again. “But she still cares about you. She called me specifically so I could be there for you.” It was comforting to think that she could still rely on the woman who offered her a scolding and lemonade when they were twelve after she let some of the kids punch her in the courtyard.
They stayed quiet for a few more minutes after Rangi tentatively asked, “What are you going to do?”
“There’s nothing to do, really”, Kyoshi sighed in defeat, finally able to look at her situation in a more rational manner. “I have to face everything tomorrow, make a few phone calls to apologize to some people and figure out what I’m going to do from now on.” Mainly Kelsang, he had given her the few opportunities she had had in her life. And she had wasted them.
“I will be with you every step of the way”, Rangi said, strong conviction in her voice. Kyoshi had no idea what she did to deserve her. She wasn’t a religious person, but she would thank God everyday for putting Rangi in her path.
*******
As it turns out, being expelled from University wasn’t the life-altering event like it felt inside Kyoshi. The moment it happened was even more anticlimactic than she expected. She just walked into Dean Jianzhu’s office at the set time, told him she was the funding and only member of the Daofei and that she would face all punishment he saw fit.
Dean Jianzhu’s response was a simple “Disappointing” before signing the expulsion decree he had already printed. I suppose he must have seen it coming.
Rangi had been waiting for her outside the Student Division Office, and took her immediately for ice cream and cuddles. If she was being honest, receiving the confirmation of her expulsion had been the easy part, after all, Kyoshi had been expecting it, and had made her peace with it, as much as she could. The hard part was talking to her people afterwards.
Sitting next to Rangi, with her girlfriend’s hand in her own, she called Kelsang. Kyoshi came clean about all her dealing during college, the struggles she had gone through with money, how she found an incredible group of friends and roommates who had taken care of her and how even when it meant she could have solved all her problems, she didn’t even consider to betray them.
By the end of her rant, they were both crying loudly. It seems like it’s the only thing I do lately. Kelsang apologized for not realizing how she had been struggling, to Kyoshi’s immense surprise, he reassured her he still loved her and that while he was not proud of what she had done, he was proud of her for the loyalty she showed. He finished with a “We’ll figure it out.”
It still weighed on her conscience all the pain she was causing her adoptive father, even when he didn’t say it she could hear it in his voice. Kyoshi vowed she would never disappoint Kelsang again. Even after all, she was glad she could still call his house her home.
Kyoshi took a few minutes to gather herself up and then, to Rangi’s surprise, she called Hei-Ran. Their conversation was shorter than with Kelsang. Kyoshi knew that the almost military-like woman wouldn’t be swayed by sentimentalism and therefore did not try to explain her reasons behind her actions. Kyoshi instead apologized for being a Daofei, promised to not get involved in any future scandals and to take care of her daughter.
She got an earful that lasted about half an hour about what it meant to have integrity and honor, how one needed to respect their skills and not propel people who didn’t put in the effort to get better. She finished saying that she expected better of her new daughter in law in the future, and that she expected them both for lunch on Saturday to go over application deadlines for new universities.
Kyoshi was more than shocked at the turn of events. Not only Hei-Ran still tolerated her, she had even called Kyoshi HER DAUGHTER IN LAW. “I have to say, you mother reminds me of you when she gets that intense.”
“Please, I go way easier on you”, Rangi said, soft smile that conveyed so much more emotion than words ever could. She would never say it, but Kyoshi knew how much Hei-Ran meant to her girlfriend and she decided to regain her respect.
After that, Kyoshi headed home with Rangi by her side to face her roommates. She had purposefully not told them about the deal Jianzhu had given her, so they wouldn’t get too anxious. And she was right, at first panic ensued, that was later replaced by anger at her omission and finally a solemn gratefulness at the cost Kyoshi had paid to keep her Daofei brothers and sister a secret.
“I knew we made the right choice with you, kid”, Kirima said with a slight nod, “as it is tradition in this household, we now must repay the sacrifice by getting Kyoshi black out drunk.”
“YES!”, Wong and Lek shouted, while Kyoshi and Rangi looked confused.
“Come on, firecracker”, Kirima continued, “You already know about us, so you might as well be a Daofei.”
Rangi’s face turned completely red in anger, but refrained to make any comments to either her status or the nickname. After that, Kyoshi’s memories of that night get a little hazy. All she knows is that she woke up the next day on the floor of her room with her girlfriend sleeping on her bed and a video on her phone of Rangi and Lek drunkenly singing karaoke in a jam packed bar.
Maybe she wasn’t so alone after all; she had people in her life that loved her unconditionally.
A few weeks went by. Kyoshi had looked into different programs that would accept a disgraced student from a top university, and she had a few options. In the meantime, Kyoshi had convinced her roommates to slowly transform their business into a tutoring one, with mixed results. The money wasn’t as good, but the risks were non-existent. She knew they continued the Daofei work, but those days were over for her.
As for Rangi, she was basically the fifth member of their house, given that she spent so much time with Kyoshi already. She even got an honorary Daofei card from Kirima, which was promptly thrown back at her laughing face. “You guys have cards? How did you not get caught before?”
Kyoshi didn’t have the heart to tell her Kirima was just trying to get on her nerves again. Watching their bickering had become one of her favorite pastimes.
One day it was just Rangi and Kyoshi sitting in the living room in companionable silence, enjoying each other’s presence when a knock on the door startled them both. Nobody ever came to visit them, and all of Kyoshi’s roommates had their own keys.
Frowning, Kyoshi got up and opened the door. Outside, there was a bald man wearing a professional suit and a bright orange tie. His features were friendly and he smiled as soon as she saw her. “Hello, is this Miss Kyoshi’s residence?”
“Yes, I’m Kyoshi”, she answered, even more confused.
“Wonderful”, the man said, apparently genuinely happy to see her .“My name is Jinpa, I work for the White Lotus Foundation, may I come in?”
“Yes, of course”, Kyoshi said after a moment of hesitation; if he was a murderer, she was sure Rangi could take him.
“Miss Kyoshi, I am so sorry to drop by unannounced but getting your name, let alone your contact information has been incredibly difficult”, he said, settling into one of the chairs in the small kitchen. “Dean Jianzhu was really not eager to cooperate.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but what is this about?”, Kyoshi asked, encouraged by the attentive gaze of her girlfriend.
“Yes, of course you must be confused”, Jinpa smiled apologetically, “We, as the White Lotus Foundation, were very impressed by the project submitted by the University, we believe it had the potential to make a real impact in infancy policy making. However, as you might be aware, the university withdrew their candidate without a reason.” The man furrowed his brow as if that information upset him. “I was tasked with the mission of finding out why, and then finding the author of said project.”
“I’m so sorry, Mister Jinpa, I wasted yours and your foundation’s time”, Kyoshi said, only now realizing that she had even more people she had to apologize to.
“No need to apologize”, Jinpa said good-naturedly, “We know now the reason why the candidate was withdrawn, we also know that you were given the choice to continue but you didn’t take it. But that’s not the reason why I’m here.” He reached towards his suitcase and took out a few papers from it. “We are impressed by your work, and while we generally frown upon academic dishonesty, we are aware of the sacrifices people need to make in some cases. So, we wanted to offer you a job as junior researcher helping us implement your project and whatever new ideas you might get.”
Jinpa slid the papers in front of Kyoshi. They were a contract offering her a fulltime job, with a monthly salary that quadrupled what she usually made with the Daofei. “I don’t know what to say”, Kyoshi was truly out of words.
“Please do take your time to think it over.” Jinpa got up and also put his business card in front of her, “Give me a call before Friday.”
“Yes, thank you very much!” It was the only thing Kyoshi could say, too stunned to do anything else. Once the man was gone, Kyoshi turned around and found Rangi smiling widely, she grabbed onto her like a koala while loudly congratulating her.
“Kyoshi, do you know how monumental this is?” Rangi could barely contain her excitement. “The White Lotus Foundation is at the forefront of most policy changes not only here, but around the world!”
“I still can’t believe it”, Kyoshi said, only now processing what had just happened, “I have a legit job, doing something I love. Rangi this is huge!” Kyoshi kissed her deeply, feeling so content, that a crazy idea popped into her mind. “You know, I could even afford my own place with that salary.”
“Finally!”, Rangi said, trying to pretend like she hated Kirima, Wong and Lek. She didn’t fool Kyoshi though, she knew that her girlfriend had grown to care for those dumbasses.
“I was wondering, given that we already spend ninety percent of our time together ...” It was a spur of the moment decision and Kyoshi didn’t have a speech or a fancy date planned so she looked to the ground ready to backpedal if Rangi didn’t like the idea, “maybe it would be cool if we just were to live together.”
“It would be cool, huh?”, Rangi said with sarcasm.
“Well, it was only an idea, I know it’s a little soon and…” Kyoshi was silenced by a long kiss from Rangi who couldn’t stop smiling all the while.
“You idiot, of course I would love to live with you!”
And looking into those brown eyes, Kyoshi knew she wasn’t alone, she was enough.