bound - avatar oc x oc

part 24

Akaia sat with Kiri in the corner of their home, away from the others. They were sorting through shells they had gathered over the past month.

It had been a week since Kiri woke up. The girl was upset—and she had every right to be. Jake had told her she wouldn't be able to connect to the Spirit Tree anymore, not until they figured out what was wrong with her.

Kiri was devastated when she found out.

"This is a nice one," Kiri said, picking out an ocean-blue shell and handing it to Akaia.

The older girl looked at the shell in her hand, watching as it shimmered in the light. Her eyes narrowed as she examined it closely.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, transfixed by it. Something about the shell seemed oddly familiar to her.

Kiri glanced at her sister, observing her closely. Akaia had been acting differently lately, her mind always somewhere else.

Except when she was with Mak'korro.

The boy had been hanging around the marui a lot. Jake had nearly had a heart attack when he came home from hunting to find the two of them alone, unsupervised, sitting together.

Kiri smirked at her sister. "What's been happening with you and Mak'korro? I've noticed he's been around here a lot more."

Akaia gulped, glancing up at her sister with a faint blush.

"Akaia!" Kiri squealed.

"Shhh, Kiri. I don't want our whole family to hear," Akaia whispered, putting a finger to her lips and glancing around.

She sighed, still fiddling with the ocean-blue shell. "We've gotten closer," she said with a sly smile.

"Akaia, you have to tell me," Kiri begged, inching closer.

"We kissed," Akaia whispered.

A grin exploded across Kiri's face. "This is so exciting! Who made the first move?" she gasped, grabbing her sister's hand.

"I did," Akaia admitted, her blush deepening.

Kiri squealed again, and Akaia quickly reached out to cover her mouth as Lo'ak turned around.

"Can you guys shut up?" he muttered, glaring.

Kiri pulled Akaia's hand away and shot back, "Don't tell us what to do, skxawng!" Neteyam, sitting beside Lo'ak, burst out laughing.

Lo'ak rolled his eyes and smacked Neteyam's chest to silence him.

Kiri turned back to Akaia, the grin returning as she sifted through the shells again. "I'm proud of you, sis. Who knew you'd have the balls?"

Akaia rolled her eyes, giving Kiri a gentle push on the shoulder.

"So... have you guys been kissing more in secret? Is that why he's always around?"

Akaia shook her head. "No. We've only kissed once. He just insists on being around me."

"You two are so cute it makes me sick," Kiri said with a teasing smile.

Suddenly, a loud horn echoed across the village, making everyone alert. Akaia jumped up, telling Kiri to stay put while she stepped outside with her father.

They watched as villagers cheered and dove into the water.

"What's going on?" Tuk asked from behind Akaia.

"I dunno, Tuk," she replied, just as a familiar voice rang out.

"The Tulkun have returned! Everyone, our brothers and sisters have returned!" Tsireya called from the water.