"Breathe in slowly," Mi'reya instructed as she moved her hands as she breathed. "Hold."
Rotxo, Kiri, Neteyam, Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Mi'reya sat on rocks as the Metkayina children taught them how to breathe. Ao'nung had run off in an attempt to escape his duties, saying he needed to go to lessons with his father - which all Metkayina children knew to be a lie.
"Now let go, slowly," Mi'reya instructed, moving her hands down, slowly letting out her breath. "You need to calm your heart. Otherwise, you will not survive long underwater."
"Imagine a flickering flame," Tsireya explained as she noticed Lo'ak was having trouble controlling his breath. "You must slow down your heartbeat." Tsireya put her hands on Lo'ak's chest as she instructed him what to do. "Lo'ak, your heartbeat is too fast. Try to focus," she said obliviously as she took back her hands, focusing on her breathing. Missing the way Lo'ak's cheeks tinted with a shade of red.
Neteyam Mi'reya and Rotxo shared a look as Mi'reya giggled at her friend's obliviousness, while Kiri just rolled her eyes but held a small smile at the fact that her brother had a crush.
The group closed their eyes, continuing their breathing lessons as Tsireya began in a calm and soothing voice. "Let your mind go clear. The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea is around you and in you. The sea is your home before your birth... and after your death. Our hearts beat in the womb of the sea. Our breath burns in the shadows of the deep. The sea gives and the sea takes. Water connects everything together. Life and death. The dark and the light."
The group sped on their ilu's between the corals, Mi'reya's hair flowing behind her. She turned her head to Neteyam and smiled widely, happiness overcoming her.
You are doing great; she signed with her free hand.
All thanks to you, he signed back, and she grinned happily, realizing he understood what she had said.
Speeding up on her ilu, she beckoned him to follow her as she swam out of the water, spinning on her ilu and diving back in. She saw how Neteyam had followed her move and how he did it almost perfectly. If possible, her smile widened even more, feeling happier than she had felt for a while.
She, however, refrained the dark feeling inside her that was trying to tear through and tell her just how similar this was to what she had done before, except for that time, it was with someone else.
The day was coming closer to the end, and Neteyam proposed to Mi'reya a walk along the beach, something she was reluctant to agree to at first but eventually caved in, remembering Tsireya's words.
The sea waves were calm as they walked along the shore, Mi'reya occasionally picking up a few shells she had found on the way and placing them in a small woven sack, humming a prayer to Eywa she now knew all too well.
"Do you like it here?" Mi'reya said as she began the conversation, looking up at Neteyam to see his eyes already on her.
"It's good, but-" he hesitated as he sighed to himself.
"It's not home," Mi'reya finished, sending him a sad smile. "I know what you feel in some way. It feels like it's normal, but it's not."
"Yeah, pretty much that's how it is," Neteyam answered, not knowing what to say.
"Tell me about the forest," Mi'reya suggested a light sparkle in her eyes, showing her interest in what he had to say, much to the boy's surprise.
"It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, the sea is gorgeous too," he quickly added, not wishing to offend her, but realized she wasn't as she encouraged him to continue. "Its enthralling; we lived in the Halleluyah Mountains, and the feeling of flying down on Ikran between the floating mountains. The complete freedom you had, was thrilling. And the missions we would go with dad against the Sky People, and how Lo'ak would often get us in trouble, or how our Grandmother, our Tsahik, would sing for us when we were young. I just miss it sometimes."
Mi'reya cautiously walked up to Neteyam and hesitantly placed a hand on his arm, surprising herself as much as him. "I hope one day you can go back home."
"I am pretty sure it will be long before we do," Neteyam pursed his lips, not wanting to ruin the mood. "But tell me about yourself; growing up in the sea must be amazing."
Mi'reya smiled at his words, her mind already flashing with the memories of her childhood and a certain someone. "It's beautiful. You have this deep connection to the sea and the creatures. You should see the tulkuns, my soul sister, how much I miss her. I used to run off at night and swim around, feeling the water around me and how silent everything was. It was amazing."
"Was?" Neteyam asked, confused.
"I don't do it much anymore, I don't have a lot of time with all my lessons with Ronal, and it's not the same as it used to be," Mi'reya explained, trying to avoid the fact that there wasn't a certain someone by her side, that certain someone being the sole reason she felt calm and at peace.
"I get it," Neteyam sent her a reassuring smile and placed a hand on her arm, just like she did moments ago, happy to see that the girl didn't flinch away this time.
"You must come to our bonfire, although I am sure Tonowari will ask your father for your and your siblings presence," Mi'reya spoke up, her heartbeat speeding up as she remembered her favorite moment of each year. "We sing and dance to music around the fire and offer fruits and fish to Eywa. It's honestly magical."
Neteyam's mood rose as he realized what the girl had invited him to and how much it meant for their clan. It was an honor for him to go there. "I would love to."
The Metkayina girl grinned, and as the two walked further down the beach, she seemed much happier than when he had met her.
Hours had passed, and the two were beginning to head home when Mi'reya noticed a familiar skimwing heading towards a place she knew all too well. It didn't take a genius to know who was riding the skimwing.
Neteyam luckily had not noticed the passing skimwing, or had not paid any mind to it and Mi'reya was debating if she wanted to follow the skimwing or not, Tsireya's words playing back in her head, how she and him had to work it out for the clans's sake. There was a battle going on in her head, one telling her to follow him, and the other to enoy the moment of peace with Neteyam.
Mi'reya began fiddling her hands in nervousness, a habit she had for a long time, one that Ronal advised her to stop. Finally Mi'reya sighed internally as she looked at Neteyam.
"I have to ride back home, I have been out too late," Mi'reya suddenly spoke up, Neteyam's eyes turning to her as they halted their step.
"I can come with you, if you want," Neteyam offered, a hopeful gleam in his eyes, a gleam that Mi'reya had to extinguish.
"No, no. I will be alright. I have to quickly drop by Ronal's Muri to give her the shells," Mi'reya smiled quickly as she headed for the water, calling for her ilu.
"Oh, alright then. See you tomorrow?" Neteyam asked.
"See you tomorrow at our lessons," Mi'reya quickly shouted as she dove into the water, going to a place she had known all to well.
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Fanfiction"Why did you stay?" Mi'reya asked, confused as she saw Ao'nung sitting beside her. "Isn't it obvious? I didn't want you to be alone," he said simply. Those words alone made her feel butterflies in her stomach. Avatar the Way of Water [fem!oc x ao'nu...
