Their swimming with the Metkayina children hasn't gone as well as they had thought. Compared to Tsireya, Ao'nung and Rotxo, they couldn't hold their breath as long. Ahurewa was slightly proud of the fact that she could hold her breath for longer than Neteyam and Lo'ak, even if it was only a minute longer, but she would rub it in their faces no matter how much more time she could spend under the water. It was down to the time she had spent in the mountains with her clan, her body being used to the high pressure.
Tsireya had pulled them out of the water near the rocks for a 'breathing' lesson, something that Tuk strongly objected to. Ahurewa noticed Neteyam and Ao'nung glancing at each other with amusement at the way Lo'ak was reacting to Tsireya's touch. Watching them together pulled at something within her. This magnetic string that connected the two would draw them closer and closer together. She could see it, the future they would have. To be connected in such a way, was a gift from Eywa. It rarely happened between those that were arranged before birth, but to those free spirits, like Lo'ak and Tsireya, they would be joined in a way no one else would understand. Looking at Neteyam, she could almost see their future together in the same way. If they truly felt what the other was experiencing, then they could connect in the same way. Two spirits drawn to one another, their meeting an inevitable fate. The way of water has no beginning nor end. To be with another, meant forever. Through the bad and the good, the easy and the difficult, life and death. It wasn't a decision that should be taken lightly, yet the Na'vi felt with their whole heart, and chased after what it was their hearts called for. And hers called for Neteyam. It was the not knowing that stopped her, not knowing if he looked at her the same way. Jake had said she was a part of the family now. Did that mean Neteyam would see her in the same way he saw his brothers and sisters? Did it mean she would have to find someone else, connect with someone else. Travelling all this way, to be with the reef people, it meant she'd committed to the idea of joining them in every way. If Neteyam would not have her, then one of the reef people would, and her heart sunk at the idea of it. Only he would understand. Only he would know the deepest of her secrets. He was the only one alive that knew now, and she didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.
"Ahurewa!" Breaking her out of her thoughts, Tsireya called her from where she was about to jump into the water, off with Tuk and Kiri.
Looking over to Neteyam, at his retreating figure as he walked away with Lo'ak and the Tsireya's brother, she waited – hoping for him to look back at her, just once. She hadn't noticed him get up and walk away, and she turned away just as he was about to jump in after his brother.
Her eyes longed for him. They searched him out constantly, looking for that safety net, that reassurance. She found it in his warm eyes, whenever he looked at her, they burned hotter every time.
Jumping in after the girls, she swam over to where they stood with the sea creatures that they rode. Like ikran, everyone in the tribe could ride one, but they were tamer, and easier to master.
"I'm sure you will be much faster learners than them," Tsireya chuckled at Tuk as she pointed out Lo'ak getting dragged through the breaking surface of water.
"Whoo! Look at Kiri!" Tuk shouted, rushing to make the bond with an ilu of her own. Tuk was much gentler than anyone else she had seen, more playful and less concentrated on how fast or cool she looked.
From what Ahurewa could see, Neteyam was a much faster learner than Lo'ak, steadily making his way across the reef, smirking at his brother diving head first into the water. She liked seeing him like this. Away from danger and expectations, he was free to enjoy the moment, watching with amusement as his brother made a fool of himself.
"You two can't stay away from each other can you?" Ahurewa jolted a little at being caught out. Turning her attention to Tsireya, she shot her a questioning look, hoping it disguised the hopefulness in her. "I mean, this is the first time I have seen you two apart. He's always close by you."
Ahurewa laughed, brushing it off. "He is responsible for me, Jake put him in charge of me while we're here."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I wasn't coming here at first. But now that I'm here, Neteyam is the one that has to make sure I don't do anything wrong."
"He's like that with his brother as well isn't he?" Tsireya's attention had turned to Lo'ak then, who was starting to get the hang of things.
"Yeah." Ahurewa watched the side of her face knowingly. "He's like that with his sisters too."
"You're not his sister, are you?" It was more of an observation, the way she said it, eyes on Neteyam now as he spoke to his brother, splashing him with the tale of his ilu.
Ahurewa shook her head.
"So who are you?"
It was a good question. One she had been asking herself more often recently. Jake had been so easy to agree, and from what she had seen, Neytiri hadn't had much of a problem with it. She wasn't Neteyam's sister, so was she his friend? Was she like his sister? None of them felt right to her. But it was true, wasn't it? He had said it himself, they were good friends. "My people were killed by the sky people. Jake's family found me in the forest, and they took me in." She shrugged. "So I don't really know what I am to them, or why they even let me come. But I'm grateful." Ahurewa turned to the ilu that was in front of her, hopping on and making the bond gently, just as Tsireya had told her. "They are the closest thing to family I have at the minute, so I will enjoy it while I can." In other words, it was too good to be true, so labelling what she was to them would only make it harder to let go when they inevitably got taken away from her.
Neteyam turned before he jumped into the water, just briefly, one quick look. He was afraid that when he came up from the water she would be washed away, gone. So it was out of instinct that he looked at her before jumping and following his brother to learn how to ride ilu. It was natural for animals to behave in such a way. An animal would always look either to who they felt safest with, or who they worried about the most. And Neteyam couldn't tell which it was with her.
"She isn't as good as the others." One of the boys had said.
"It's because all she can do is swim through trees." They laughed together. "She hasn't gone near the ilu. She must be scared."
Amidst their snickering, Neteyam had followed their line of sight to where Ahurewa was speaking with Tsireya, carefully climbing atop the ilu. "Hey!" He yelled, "Watch your mouth."
They went quiet. Neteyam was the oldest and strongest of them, so to argue with him would mean something a lot more than if they argued with any of the others. While he was around, they'd have to keep their mouths shut.
Nearing the girls on their ilu, Neteyam and Lo'ak slowed down as they approached, just catching the end of their conversation.
"I can't explain what it is." Ahurewa said, "he's been a good friend to me."
"Yo!" He called out, cutting off their conversation as if he hadn't heard it. He didn't want to think too much into what she'd said. He didn't want to think about how she'd said it with such finality, as if that's all she thought of him. He also didn't want to think about the way it stirred something inside of him, the very depths of himself churning with distaste. He wasn't her friend. He would never be her friend.
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I See You (N. Sully)
Fanfiction"If she could not see me, then I would see her." Ahurewa left her village with nothing more than the clothes on her back. Her people, known for their courage and their outstanding ability to fly ikran, were all slaughtered by the sky people, forcing...
