Let me heal you - Neteyam x reader

Seven

All hell had broken loose. Ronal and Tonowari were shouting at me, Jake Sully and Neytiri were shouting at Neteyam, and all the adults were shouting at each other.

"We have taken you in out of our kindness and you let your son mess around with my niece?"

"You should have though this through, Neteyam These people have given us sanctuary, and you risk that!"

"Ay, Stela, after I took you in, knowing you had demon blood, thinking I could change you! I almost wish my sister had been killed in the war instead."

It becomes silent. Ronal covers her mouth with her hand. She had gone too far, and she knew it. Tears prick at my eyes again, but I will not cry. I will not.

"Go back to our mauri." She whispers. "Go!"

I stand, and Neteyam pulls himself up with me. He gives his parents a sideways glance, before cupping his hand to my cheek. Ronal stays silent.

"Don't worry, my syulang, I will work this out. Okay?" He mutters.

"Okay," I whisper back, but somehow this feels like goodbye. I kiss his forehead, Ignoring how Neytiri squeaks in annoyance. "I will see you later, my Teyam."

As I leave the mauri, my eyes begin to sting. The whole walk back, I cry bitter tears. I ache for Naola's sweet words of comfort.

--

The next morning, I sit in the mauri, quietly weaving a fishing net. I had not been allowed to leave all morning. Ronal had told me indirectly, through Tsireya. She was yet to speak a word to me.

The creaking of the walkway alerts me of the approaching group. Tonowari leads Tsireya, Anoung, Neteyam, and Lo'ak towards me. Ronal brings up the rear, her hand on Lo'ak's back. They all wear solemn expressions, and Tsireya is on the brink of tears.

Neteyam catches my eyes, offering a small smile. I can see Ronal watching from behind, but she does not comment. Instead, she paces in front of the group.

"You allowed this," she finally says, her eyes darting between Tsireya and Anoung. "You allowed him to bond with the outcast."

She glares at Lo'ak, who hangs his head, but does not look ashamed.

"Tsireya," Tonowari says. "You disappoint me, daughter."

I stand from my seat behind her and wrap my arms around her shoulders. I will not let her feel like I had. My cousin clutches my hand tightly, still fighting a loosing battle against a wave of tears. She hangs her head, but unlike Lo'ak, she does look ashamed.

Tonowari turns to Lo'ak. "And you, son of a great warrior, who has been taught better."

"Bayakan saved my life, sir. You do not know him." Lo'ak insisted, unaware of his parents approaching from behind. Neytiri spots me, but this time her eyes are filled with pity instead of anger.

"No, Lo'ak," Tsireya whispers in warning.

"Sit." Tonowari mutters. Lo'ak lowers to his hunches. No one else moves. "Sit down!"

I take this as my queue to resume my weaving. I do not want to become the subject of Tonowari's rage today. Not again.

"Hear my words, boy. In the days of the first songs, tulkun fought amongst themselves. For territory and for revenge. But they came to believe that killing, no matter how justified, only brings more killing. So, all killing was forbidden. This is the tulkun way." As Tonowari spoke, Ronal paced behind him, and Neteyam keeps his eyes on me. "Bayakan is a killer. So, he is outcast."

"I am sorry, sir. But you're wrong."

Neytiri hissed. "Lo'ak."

"I know." Lo'ak insisted.

"That is enough." Jake Sully finally spoke up. He grabbed Lo'ak by the forearm and dragged him away, not unlike how Ronal had done to me the night before.

Tonowari let out an angry sigh, running a hand down his face. Neteyam stood quickly, following his mother and father. Dropping my weaving, went to do the same, but Ronal took my arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I did not think you would want to be in the presence of a vrrtep (demon)." I said, shaking my arm out of her grip. She did not protest as I left.

"My Teyam!" I called.

He flashed his beautiful smile when he spotted me. "Stela."

"I'm sorry about last night. I did not mean for them to find out."

"They would have had to eventually."

"I suppose," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "But I did not want it to be this way."

Neteyam hummed, before taking my hand and leading me down onto the beach. We sat in the sand together in silence. Any worry that Neteyam would no longer be interested in me were gone.

Ronal and Tonowari rushed by on their Ilus, followed by a group of Metkayina, Jake Sully and Neytiri. Neteyam and I exchanged looks. We left the beach, and I called my Ilu. We followed them outside of the bay until we reached the tulkun pod. There, floating lifelessly in among them, was Naola.

A scream echoed in the air, but I didn't stop to realise it was my own. Neteyam clutched my waist tighter as I urged my Ilu faster. I pried his fingers off me before diving into the water and crawling onto Naola's fin. Her lifeless eyes stared into nothing, and another scream ripped at my throat.

"My sister..." I pressed my already glowing hands to her side searching for something, anything, any sign that she was still there, and I could bring her back. There was nothing.

"Who did this?" I asked, but it remained silent. "Who did this?"

"The sky people." Jake Sully called from his Ilu.

"The sky people..." I repeated, struggling to see through the barrage of tears. "The sky people killed my sister... my Naola... I will kill them. I will kill them!" I sobbed and sobbed, wrapping my arms around my sister.

"Stela, we must go, it is not safe here." Ronal urged, reaching out towards me.

"No, no! Don't touch her... don't touch me! No, no..." My head hurt. I could not see. I felt sick with grief and helplessness.

"Syulang," Neteyam. "You must come."

I let him pull me away from my sister and hold me in his arms. The ride back was long and painful. Neteyam's arms around me, and the sweet memories of my Naola kept me grounded. By the time we had arrived back at the village, the tears were gone, replaced only by the suffocating anger squeezing at my heart.

I will get my revenge, and I will kill the people who did this. Who took away my sister.