IKIGAI / Jake Sully

6

"Hey. Wake up" Jake whispers in my ear but I just whine.

I attempt to roll away from him but get scooped up into his arms. Laying on his chest while my legs dangled.

He drapes a blanket over me "It's gonna get a bit cold"

But I don't respond trying to still sleep. Jake begins to click for his Ikran and a gust of wind snaps me wide awake as I try to struggle away from the large banshee that landed on Jake's balcony and growled at him.

"Hey! Hey! It's ok. It's just Bob" Jake grins hugging me tighter "so you're awake now I see"

"Wh..why is he here?" I say confused it was still dark outside

"Well I always see you looking up at the stars" Jake starts putting me on my feet before grabbing a harness to throw over me. "so I wanted to show it to you up close." Jake says

"Jake this is...I can't"

"Afraid of heights?" Jake teases I try to shove him but Jake just stops by catching my hand and pulling me towards his face.

Laying my arm where they naturally go

Around his neck.

"You're riding with Toruk Makto. You'll be safe"

How does he get anyone to say no to him I let out a sigh.

"You promise?"

And he laughs leaning down to kiss me "promise"

Jake jumps onto his Ikran and reaches his arm out for me throwing me infront of him.

"Scoot back a little bit." Jake instructs putting his hand near my lower stomach. I bent lower to push myself back closer to him. I push my backside right up to his thighs. Jake moves his hand from my stomach and straight to my hips falling right onto my thighs.

"OK! Not that far" he laughs nervously

"Too much?"

He sighs nuzzling himself into my neck. "Uh..anymore and we may not even make it to the sky"

"What are you talk...?" I started and I can tell by his looks what he already meant. His muscles begin to tighten and I feel a throbbing sensation come behind me

"You're the one trying to tempt me." He snickers "I'm just trying to be good" I looked up at Jake and his hands find a way to my jawline caressing it lovingly.

He moves his hand to connect his tsaheylu to his banshee and smirks at me.

"Hold on tight." Jake instructs and without even needing to talk to his Ikran. It takes off into the air.

The dusk sky is so beautiful as the sun is just peaking over the horizon. I reach my hand upwards to touch the fog that resembles iridescent puffs.

The twinkling stars surrounding around us look endless like an ocean of jewels

"I've never been this high before"

"I figured" Jake says petting my head "You like it?"

"I love it."

"So your tribe doesn't like flying or something?" Jake asks steadying his Ikran to glide though the air.

"My dad did"

"Your dad?"

"Yeah Rolif"

He pauses for a moment letting the pieces fit together in his mind

"I know your dad? I mean I knew" Jake corrects "He actually use to talk about you a lot but I pictured just a little kid"

"Yeah doesn't matter how old I am he still thinks I'm only 5" I laugh looking out to the sky and letting the breeze run through me.

"That explains your eyes now" he tells me

"Yeah my dad apparently had a rare mutation and instead of having yellow eyes like most Na'vi it caused him to have pink ones so when I was born i carried that trait but just in one eye"

The only thing heard between us was the sound of his banshee shrieking every and now and then.

"You two were close?"

"Yeah."

Jake puts a hand on my shoulder as if to soothe me

"I'm sorry" he tells me and from his tone I can sense a touch of guilt. Jake was the man who my father followed into battle.

So he'll always carry the weight of those who didn't make it out with him.

"Stop apologizing" I say back looking back up at him "you're only doing yourself a disservice when you try to appease other people" I quoted him

Which earn a little chuckle.

I think those sad eyes started to heal a bit that day.

He flys downward, landing on a rock before hoping off and helping me off.

"This is the highest point on Hallelujah" Jake explains to me "in my opinion I think it's the best view of the sun rise" He says point toward the moon. "You'll be able to see both planets pass by each other"

"How did you find out about it?"

"Neytiri showed me." He reveals plopping down next to me. Jake lays completely down folding his arms behind his head and stares up at the dimmed sky.

"Is that why you don't want to be Olo'eyktan?" I ask looking over at him. "Because you still feel guilty for her death?"

His eyes widen slightly but never shifting to face me.

"I think that guilt you hold is because you feel like you lead so many people to their death?" I added on and it was like something clicked in his head.

Like his feelings that he couldn't describe now spoken into existence.

"Yeah actually" he opens up "I watched her die in my arms and.....I'm kind of annoyed she told me not to off myself" Jake morbidly jokes "I'm even more annoyed I promised her I wouldn't either."

He sits up bending both his legs and dropping his arms over them.

"Do you still feel like an outsider here?" I ask and he glances over at me "you know since you live with Neytiri's mother"

"Not as much as I did before" he smiles over at me "you kinda make it feel a bit more like home"

I feel his lips touch mine as I tangle my fingers into his. I tilted my head pulling the back of his neck closer to me. He opens his mouth and in unison I opened mine to invite his tongue in to dance with mine.

The sun peaks over shining on us as Jake pulls away.

"We should get back before your mom loses her shit" he tells me.

His Ikran claws onto the bark toward the entrance to my room.

"Jake?" I say right before he jumps back on his ikran and disappears. "For whatever it's worth. I think you would be a great Olo'eyktan."

His golden eyes that glimmered in the morning sunlight, pulling a smile that pushed his dimple out from his cheek.

He jumps off of the branch as his Ikran catches him off and I just watch him fly off into the sun.