Like Water || Neteyam

Chapter 10: Come Back to Me

(Sorry for the lack of update!!! Went to China for a month and didn't realize Wattpad is also blocked there, and it didn't help that I couldn't get VPN to work...)

It took a few hours past eclipse for most of the Omatikaya people to settle down in high camp. Samsons carrying war supplies along with humans who have chosen to side with Jake were still coming in, whilst those who have already arrived are trying their best to be efficient in organizing and grouping the people and goods. Jake was too busy preparing for his upcoming battle, Norm stayed with him, for they were planning to fly off to space together to face the RDA. Neytiri rejoined them as soon as she made sure that the kids made it safely into the mountains with Mo'at and the rest of the clan. Max on the other hand ensured that the link beds carrying yours and Norm's human bodies made it safely to camp.

It felt strange to not have Spider by your side. Kiri remained visibly upset, Tuk who flew with her remained quiet despite how talkative she usually is. Lo'ak stuck by your sides as you all flew near each other until all of you dispersed into different directions after landing, all except for you and Neteyam of course.

"Ira..." Neteyam called to you as he pulled your hand, looking like he had something on his mind but was unsure of how to word it. You turned to him, waiting for him to proceed, yet he just looked into your eyes, then quickly turned away as he felt your questioning gaze. "Are you...okay? Do you need a break from your avatar?"

You knew this was not what he originally meant to say, but you smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'm fine. To be honest, this doesn't feel like my first link, it's like I was born straight into this body, no discomfort whatsoever. Remember the story of our dad's initial links to their avatars? Your dad sprinted straight out of the ambient room, and my dad could hardly catch up due to how disoriented he was."

The two of you chuckled upon this memory as though you had lived to see it, even though neither of you were born during that time yet.

"After all this wait, I still can't believe it's really happening." Your eyes sparkled with excitement, "I can't wait for the hunting and fighting lessons, after all of this is over of course." Both of your faces dropped a little, as neither of you know whether the conflict between the Na'vi and sky people will ever come to an end.

"Mom was the best hunter back in the days along with Tsu'tey, I'm sure she will be happy to teach you, just like how she taught dad when he first came to the forest." Even though his words are genuine, he still look half-hearted as he spoke, like whatever was on his mind still bothered him.

"She still is the best hunter, I'd be honored if she is willing to teach me. But you know it Neteyam, I mainly want you as my teacher." You placed a hand by his cheek to direct his eyes to you, he couldn't help but lose himself within your gaze a little, as you smiled innocently at him.

"Ira, I..." it was obvious that he was troubled by something, he did not want you to think that he did not care, therefore he opened his mouth to explain himself, but you quickly cut him short.

"If you want to catch your dad, you better go now."

Your words made him freeze on the spot, he paused for a few second as he stared at you in disbelief. He wasn't sure which was more shocking, whether it was that you knew all along that he meant to sneak into the aircraft to go into the dark world with his parents, or if it was that you knew and still didn't mean to stop him from going.

"How did you know?"

"You made it pretty obvious all along, first it was asking your dad for a space suit to get training with him, then you said no when he asked you to go to the mountains to take care of us."