You're enough (Neteyam x Ao'nung)

Chapter 28 : stage five (acceptance)

⋆*.•Ao'nung POV•.*⋆

After I had visited Neteyam last night, I couldn't bare to think about sleep and decided to go for a midnight swim. About to dive into the water, I feel a hand latch onto my shoulder.

"EYWA WHAT THE FU-" they put their hand over my mouth to shut me up, leaving me to stare at them annoyed. "Bro be quiet, it's the middle of the night!" Lo'ak whisper yells at me, finally taking his hand off my face. "What the fuck bro, what was that for?!" I whisper-yell back in response.

Rolling his eyes, he walks past me and sitting down on the edge of the suspended path and dangling his feet over the edge. "What's up?" I sit down beside him, a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine bro" he pushes my hand off his shoulder. "Yea sure, lie" I look at the water, smiling as I see him turn to look at me in the corner of my eye. "I'm not lying" he takes his eyes off me and also turns to the water.

"Don't worry, I won't make you tell me if you don't feel like talking" he nods appreciatively and sighs. "You know he'd never been in a relationship" I look at him with my eyes wide. How could someone as pretty as him have never been in a relationship?

"What?" He turns and read my expression. "Yea, he was always too busy with his 'duties', you know being the next Olo'eyktan and all" he shrugs it off. "Damn, I'm gonna go for a swim. Do you want to come? We could go to the tree of souls or something" I try to change the subject, knowing that if we continue talking about the boy that I just love so much and will never be able to tell I will break down crying. 

"Yea sure" He nods and I call two Ilus, slipping into the water and waiting for him to do the same. "Just follow me and I'll lead the way" Nodding yet again, he makes the kuru bond with the ilu and adjusts his position so he doesn't fly off as soon as the plesiosaur-like creature begins it's descent through the water. 

I dive into the water with my Ilu, trusting that Lo'ak is doing the same behind me. When I finally make it to the Cove of ancestors, I slow my Ilu and look back at the other boy. He does the same as I had done and gives me a thumbs up before we both dive into the water. 

I am the first to reach one of the fluorescent branches of the spirit tree, since I am the better swimmer of course, and Immediately connect my braid. Everything around me begins spinning as I get brought into a forest-like area. But it's not like the one we have beside the beach here. It's much bigger, much more beautiful. 

A figure is sitting on a log at the other end of the clearing I find myself in. "Ma'Nung! You came!" My breath hitches, and everything hurts as I hear him speak. Tears start falling from my eyes as I realize how much I've missed his beautiful voice. "Ma'Teyam! I'm so sorry for everything! I didn't mean it-" he stops me, having walked towards me, he puts a hand on my mouth. His touch is cold, nothing like it actually would have been. 

"It's alright Ma'Nung, I know" he gives me a soft smile and I nod sadly. I can't help but notice that his figure is fading slightly, and not exactly present. When I am about to ask about it, he reads my mind and answers the question for me. "I'm still in the place between life and death, though after my funeral I will be done" He sounds different when he speaks here. "Can you still choose to come back? Cause you should! You really should! We all need you!" I follow him as he slowly walks away from me, ignoring the stinging feeling in the back of my head. 

⋆*.•Lo'ak POV•.*⋆

I open my eyes and I'm in a black room. Not exactly a room. A liminal space. There is nothing and no-one other than myself. Until...

"Hey baby bro" 

Hard to believe it's been like a week since I last heard those words. I look around frantically trying to find the source of the voice.

"You're not going to find me baby bro"

He sounds like he is chuckling slightly. A laugh that I haven't heard in a long time. 

"Bro, you have to come back to us. We all need you"

I speak out to the darkness. Hoping that he can hear me. 

"No you don't my, dearest brother. I have seen your future without me, and it works out fine"

How could I ever be fine without my older brother? My best friend?

"Can you show me, what the future looks like" I take a second to gulp "Without you"

The room goes silent for a bit. Maybe he's gone?

"I can't show you your future. But I can show you Kiri's and Tuk's, and Ao'nung's"

He pauses for a second before he says the last name. Didn't him and Ao'nung have an argument before the war?

Suddenly, the room lights up and in front of me I see Tuk, but she is an adult. She is wearing a warrior's band and running around with some other dude. Just as she runs so far out of my vision that I am about to take a step to see her better, Kiri appears as well. She is holding a small child in her arms, pointing to the different trees and flowers and talking to it. From behind her, Rotxo appears and hugs her from behind, whispering something in her ear. 

Then, everything goes dark again.

Well, almost. 

Behind me another area gets lit up and I see Ao'nung sitting cross-legged from a small child, much younger than the one Kiri had in her arms. He looks up and talks to someone walking by, but the shadow covers this person, I squint my eyes and finally see who it is. 

Neteyam?

Finally I hear some of what is happing in the small scenes in front of me. 

"Took you long enough to come join us, didn't it Ma'Teyam?"

"Sorry! I got caught up with my chores, please forgive me!"

"I don't know..... Syulang? Should we forgive Papa?" 

"hmmm, Yes! But only if you take me flying!"

"Ah bribery, smart"

But Neteyam is dead? This can't be Ao'nung's future! Can it?

⋆*.•A/n•.*⋆

I forgot to say it before cause I actually didn't notice but omg thank you so much for 4k reads like how. I think the book is gonna end soon and stuff so prepare yourself for that. ALso I don't really like the past couple chapters and might rewrite them but I'm not sure so ya. 

Thank you so freaking much for reading this.... Have a super cool day/night!💙
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⋆*.•Fight or Flight - Conan Gray•.*⋆

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