Towards Love

43.deja vu

When Jake had gone to pick up Neteyam and Spider, he had communicated to Lola that their injuries were not serious and that they would recover. He wanted to reassure her to concentrate on finding her son, because they would heal, but some injuries were more important than others. Lola had wasted no time in getting back to the village. Ozai, exhausted by his misadventures, had fallen heavily asleep in her arms during the ikran trip, his now dry tears having created two lines on his dusty cheeks. She held him tightly and checked regularly to make sure him was there, scared that he might magically disappear.

Upon landing, the young woman did not even wait for Hapi to come to a complete stop before jumping to the ground and walking as fast as she could to her in-laws' hut. She ran into their house like a tornado and found herself face to face with Neytiri and Jake with closed faces and worried looks. "Where is he?" They turned to her and their faces lit up when they saw their grandson in Lola's arms. The Tsahik rushed over to them and picked up Ozai still asleep and cradled him, tears welling up in her eyes. Jake smiled and tenderly held his head. "We're so glad you found him. Where was he?"

"This bastard tied him up in a cave. He was alone in the dark without any food or water. I guess he was going to starve him to death. A two years old!" Jake clenched his jaw in anger. "It's about time we got rid of him, he's really a parasite." The three of them looked at the peaceful face of the young Na'vi for a while. Then Lola came out of her torpor, her anxiety overwhelming her again. "Where is Neteyam?"

"On your hut. Kiri was with him earlier to heal his injuries but I think she's by Spider's or Noxus' side now."

"How are they?"

"Spider will make it, he's got hit in the ear but he should recover. Noxus on the other hand... We don't know of she will make it." Lola lowered her head. Losing a member of the clan was always a great moment of sadness and she hoped from the bottom of her heart that Noxus would make it. Especially since it was for them that she had agreed to follow Neteyam. "Let's pray Eywa for her recovery then." Both nodded sadly. "Could you please keep Ozai for a while? I'm going to take care of Neteyam."

"Of course, as long as you want."

"Thanks. I see you." Coming out of their hut, her step were heavy going towards her. She was afraid of the state in which she would find her mate. Jake had said it was nothing serious but she had a feeling of deja vu. The last time was also an explosion and he had been in a coma for several days. Her legs mechanically took her to their door. She took a deep breath and entered. The interior of their hut was dark as the sun finished setting. She went back out to get some plants so that the bioluminescence would illuminate the place. Neteyam was lying on their bed on his side, with his back facing her.

She approached slowly. She could already see many scratches on her partner's back. Sitting down beside him, she made the inventory of his state while avoiding to wake him up. A big gash was drawn on his left flank as if he had been attacked with a knife. His hands were swollen as if he had fought hand to hand. His legs were burned in several places and his face was swollen. "Nothing serious my ass." She put her right hand on his hair, caressing it. A desire to cry knotted her throat. Seeing her mate in this state was the worst thing she could experience. Her other half was in pain and there was nothing she could do about it but wait for him to get better. She hated being helpless. Hearing her sobbing, Neteyam woke up with a groan. He tried to turn towards her and winced with every movement. "Hey..." His throat was dry and a coughing fit caught him, pulling at each of his wounds. "Hey, don't talk, I'll get you some water." Lola stood up and returned with a glass of water in her hand. He tried to take it but she gently pushed his hand away, bringing it to his lips herself.

A sign of relief appeared in his face as soon as the water touched his swollen lips. Neteyam closed his eyes briefly then reopened them and fixed them on his mate. "I feel like we've already been there." Lola smiled sadly trying to make this joke. He chuckled but winced rapidly dur to his injuries. "Okay, sorry, no more jokes." He smiled with difficulty and raised his left arm to rest his hand on Lola's cheek. She seized it and held it firmly against her skin. "You scared me. Again. I swear, if you do that to me again I will be the one ending your life." He looked at her with his right eye full of tears, the left one being completely swollen. Lola put a hand on his cheek. "I love you, don't leave me." He nodded, saving his words.

They remained in silence for a while. Neteyam playing with Lola's fingers to distract himself, she looking at him with a heavy heart. Suddenly she heard a trickle of voices. The young woman had to lean slightly towards him to understand. "Ozai...?" She smiled at him. "We found him, don't worry. He's fine, he's with your parents." Relief where read on her face. They hadn't done this for nothing, her son was safe. He suddenly widened his eyes and squeezed hard the hand of his mate. "What's the matter? Are you in pain?"

"Legs... Ointment." The young woman looked around her an saw a jar of ointment next to the bed. She took it quickly and applied some on Neteyam's burnt legs. His relief was immediate. "You need to rest, your body needs all the energy possible to heal. Sleep." She went to get up but he grabbed her forearm firmly. "Stay..." She nodded and lied down next to him. He had turned on his side, obviously the most comfortable position for him at the moment. She did the same and they faced each other. She stared at him with eyes full of concern and he stared at her with eyes full of love. Neteyam took Lola's hand to feel her close to him. "Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." He nodded sleepily and soon went back to sleep.

Lola didn't sleep at all that night. In addition to the pain he felt, Neteyam had nightmares. He moaned, screamed and woke up with a start almost every hour. The young woman applied her ointments, gave him water to moisten his sore throat and comforted him the best she could. She hated seeing him like this and promised herself that she would make Quaritch pay for what he had done to her mate.

Author's note
I felt sad writing this... Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know what you thought about this chapter :)