Memories

"Memories" is the twenty-eighth chapter of The Rise of Kyoshi.
== Overview ==
As Kyoshi recovers from her injuries, she bonds with Lek and learns about his traumatic past.
== Synopsis ==
In a dark bedroom in Zigan, Kyoshi slowly heals from her battle with Xu Ping An. She initially refuses the medicine given to her since she remembers the heady sweet state Jianzhu put her in when identifying her as the Avatar. However, she is overwhelmed by her pain and accepts the medicine. She watches from a wooden bed as an old Earth Kingdom woman coaches Kirima through her amateur attempt at healing. Later on, Kyoshi regains a bit of clarity due to a fresh dose of medicine. She addresses Lek, who is now the only person in the room and has a conversation for the first time in at least three days. He explains that Kyoshi's speedy recovery is because of Mistress Song, one of the best doctors in the Earth Kingdom. Lek offers to bring Rangi into the room, saying that unlike him, she is actually worth talking to. Kyoshi asks Lek to stay put, wanting to finally make amends with him. Kyoshi struggles to find the right words and ends up bluntly complementing his ability to throw rocks, wishing she could bite her nails. After correcting herself, Kyoshi thanks him for saving her life at Te Sihung's palace and asks how he learned to throw rocks so consistently. Though Kyoshi hopes her words would encourage a smile from Lek, his face instead turns solemn.
He asks if she knows what a gibbet is, to which she says that she did not mean to dig up his past. Lek explains that while he lived in a village called Date Grove in the Si Wong Desert, his close friend and daofei brother, Chen, was caught stealing lychee nuts. The governor ordered Chen to be hung up in a cage and left for dead. As Chen was locked inside the cage, Lek noticed a weak hinge and tried to bring the cage down by hitting it with rocks as the villagers made fun of him the whole time. After a few days of trying to rescue his friend, Jesa and Hark found Lek passed out underneath the gibbet. He woke up on their flying bison's back, learned how to properly earthbend, and swore that he would never miss a target again. Lek questions whether Chen's death was justified, leaving Kyoshi speechless by the heart-wrenching story. Lek partially smiles and suggests that Kyoshi's parents might have abandoned her to protect her from the life of an outlaw. He says that perhaps they wanted the best for their daughter and only took him in since he was a useful random child. Kyoshi gently suggests that Lek is probably wrong and admits that she is glad that though her parents could not be with her, at least they could be with him.
After a long moment of silence, Lek stands up and tells Kyoshi that he will go get Rangi. Then, he hesitantly asks if Kyoshi thinks that he eventually has a shot with Rangi. Kyoshi stares at Lek in astonishment before he bursts out laughing, claiming that she should save her facial expression for her Avatar portrait. Kyoshi playfully insults him and he returns the favor. As he leaves the room, Kyoshi's cheeks heat in frustration before she grins and realizes that Lek called her his sister for the first time.
== Production notes ==
=== Series continuity ===
* Mistress Song, the doctor who treats Kyoshi's burns, shares the same name, nationality, and gender as the nurse who treats Iroh's rash in "The Cave of Two Lovers".
=== Character revelations ===
* Lek reveals his tragic backstory to Kyoshi and calls her his sister for the first time.
=== Goofs ===
* On page 387 of the hardcover and Kindle editions of The Rise of Kyoshi, the text reads "How long as it been?" when it should read "How long has it been?"
=== Trivia ===
* With its six pages and 1,642 words, this chapter is the shortest of the book.
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Kyoshi novels chapters
Category:Real world
Category:The Rise of Kyoshi chapters