Word count: 6,146
Ao'nung x Ailani (Metkayina na'vi)
Fluff/angst
Warnings: death
"Ailani! Wait up!" Ao'nung calls out as the girl runs down the shore.
She turns her head toward him, laughing and sticking her tongue out to mock him.
Once Ao'nung manages to catch up, they're far from the rest of the Metkayina, and out of sight. He grabs Ailani by her hips and she shrieks as she realizes she has been caught.
"Ao'! You cheated!" She laughs, knowing that wasn't true.
"I gave you a five second head-start! You cheated by making Rotxo distract me." He heaves as he turns her body around to face him.
Ailani places her hands on his chest, noticing his breathing was unsteady. "Mawey, Ao'nung." She whispers, slightly caressing his collarbone.
"I am calm." He says, trying to hide the smile on his face. "They can't see us, can they?" He whispers as he wraps his arms around her torso.
Ailani peers over his shoulder, scanning the area. "Not a Na'vi in sight." She says, wearing a proud smile.
Ao'nung smirks, lowering his face toward hers. To his dismay, Ailani dodges. "Do you ever think we should stop seeing each other in secret? Confess to our parents what we've been up to?"
Ao'nung sighs, shaking his head. "You know what my parents would think. They already have a girl chosen to mate with me when I am ready to be Olo'eyktan."
"But your parents love me, Ao'... maybe they would be considerate." Ailani voices, hopeful about the idea.
"We cannot risk them separating us. We'll run away together one day, I promise."
That is something he has been repeating to Ailani for a long time. They have been maintaining a secret relationship, one the clan should not know about. Not even their closest friends know about their relationship, though they do think they have feelings for one another.
There are times Ao'nung cannot hide his smile when watching Ailani take care of her ilu.
And there are times Ailani cannot help but laugh at the lamest jokes Ao'nung has ever made.
They tried to be secretive, but sometimes the shield would crack.
Luckily, Ao'nung's parents were the least suspicious of his family. Tsireya could tell they were very fond of one another, but that only made her happy for her brother and friend. Ao'nung's family all loved Ailani dearly, for she was his friend since they were children.
"I don't think that would be fair to our families." Ailani commented, against the idea of running away. She has tried to convince Ao'nung many times, but has not succeeded.
"What is not fair, is them deciding who I spend the rest of my life with." He responds, tightening his arms around her and pulling her into a warm embrace.
Ailani sighed, knowing this wouldn't be the last time they would have this conversation.
And it wasn't.
——————
Fast forward to the day an Omatikayan family arrives at the scene.
Ailani thought the attention would finally be pulled away from the chief's son, but it was quite the contrary.
Ao'nung was now tasked with welcoming strangers into their village, teaching them their ways and spending plenty of time with them.
This made Ailani and Ao'nung's secret outings less frequent. It was harder for them to see each other without having people around.
The least they could do was appreciate the time they had with one another while spending time with the Sully family. Ao'nung absolutely hated them because of this.
Ailani was aware of his distaste of the Sullys the moment he expressed his concern about their decreasing time together.
"They're stealing our time."
"Then let's make the best of it, Ao'nung. We can't let this hold us back." Ailani soothes him by rubbing his arm. "I'll keep helping you with them and we'll see each other that way." She reassures.
"If only we didn't have to hide..."
But it was a new day, and they had to make the best of it.
Today, they would be teaching the Sully kids to ride their own ilu.
While Ao'nung and Tsireya focused on Lo'ak, Ailani helped Neteyam.
"Think of it like bonding with your ikran, except you will be going underwater." She says, holding on to Neteyam's ilu as he hopped onto it.
He connected his braid to make tsaheylu and closed his eyes as he felt the ilu's breathing.
"Try to stay calm." Ailani whispers, holding Neteyam's hand to the ilu's side. "Breathe."
Suddenly, bursts of laughter were heard from the side.
Ailani and Neteyam turned their heads toward the abrupt sounds to find Ao'nung, Tsireya and friends laughing at Lo'ak's fail.
Ailani frowned, knowing this wouldn't end well.
And she was right.
Neteyam's ilu suddenly smacked against Ailani's back, making her lose balance and fall face forward into the water before it swam away, pulling Neteyam with it.
Ao'nung quickly noticed the scene, diving immediately to swim towards Ailani.
Ailani was struggling to regain her composure, as the hit that landed against her back wasn't something she could evade.
Ao'nung reached her and helped her up, realizing it hurt her to stand straight.
Ailani nodded. "I'll be okay, I just need to rest a minute. I'll be fine, Ao'nung, I promise." She winces, even though she is trying hard to convince her boyfriend that she was not hurt.
Neteyam swam back, worried about Ailani as well.
Ao'nung's face shifted into one of anger. Pushing Neteyam's shoulder, he yelled, "What is wrong with you?"
Tsireya arrives at the scene. "Ao'nung, it was not his fault." She says.
"Do not blame him, Ao'. His ilu got scared." Ailani added in Neteyam's defense.
Neteyam side-eyed Ao'nung before placing his hand on Ailani's arm. "Are you hurt?"
Ao'nung slapped his hand away. "I'll deal with her," he told Neteyam. Then, he placed Ailani's arm around his shoulder to prop her up, turning to his sister in the meantime. "Tsireya, show them breathing techniques. Rotxo will help you."
"Are you sure?" Tsireya questions.
Ao'nung nods before carefully pulling Ailani along with him to see his mother, the Tsahik.
"Ao'nung, it's nothing. I was body-slammed by an ilu, that's all." Ailani scoffed with a lighthearted tone, trying to get Ao'nung to smile.
He was frustrated with the fact that he wasn't there to stop this from happening. He was especially annoyed with Neteyam, who "allowed it" to happen.
"You're hurting because of it... because of him."
"Stop blaming Neteyam. He did nothing wrong."
"He let this happen to you, Aila'. I shouldn't have left you with him."
"I can handle myself, Ao'nung."
"What is going on?" Ronal, who spot the two coming towards her hut, asked.
"She's hurt." Ao'nung voices, trying not to drag Ailani too fast.
"Come, bring her in."
—
Time passed as Ao'nung waited outside for Ailani to finish getting treated.
Once Ronal finally walked out, Ao'nung stood up straight, ready to hear what his mother had to say.
"She will be okay, you overreacted son. Her back is bruised and she just needs to rest a while." Ronal explains, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Ao'nung didn't feel he had overreacted. He was just really worried for his girlfriend, but that was something she couldn't know.
Lowering her hand from his shoulder, Ronal gives him a look, somehow analyzing him. "I know she is your best friend, Ao'nung. But she can be very strong on her own. Try to keep that in mind."
Ao'nung nodded, grateful for his mother's kind words towards her. "Can I see her now?" He asked, no hesitation in his voice.
"Go on. I will look for your father."
Ao'nung quickly entered the hut, immediately noticing Ailani laying on her chest, resting her head on her arms.
He made his way in front of her and sat down, cross-legged. Ailani smiled at him before shifting around to sit the same way.
Ao'nung was about to protest. "Ailani-"
"It's okay as long as my back doesn't rest on anything." She interrupted, reassuring him. "It's just a bruise."
The young boy nodded at her before lowering his head placing his hand on her knee. Ailani placed her own hand on top of his with a frown forming on her face.
"What's wrong, Ao'?
He shook his head, sighing in the process. With a low voice, he spoke. "At times like these, I reconsider your idea about telling our parents. I mean, they must have an idea already, right? Seeing how close we are and all?"
"Ao'nung..."
"There you are!" Tonowari's voice suddenly boomed, interrupting their moment and causing them to separate their hands immediately. "Your mother found me at the perfect moment." He added.
Ao'nung stood up, distancing himself from Ailani. She remained seated but turned her head slightly to watch Tonowari.
"Is something wrong?" The chief's son asks.
"On the contrary, everything is splendid. I was having a conversation with your future father in law, and we have arranged an outing for you to start getting to know your future mate!" Tonowari's voice was ecstatic, but the teenagers were in shock.
Ailani turned her gaze toward Ao'nung, giving him a concerned look. He eyed her for a split second before returning his gaze toward his father so they wouldn't raise suspicion. "When is this?"
"A few weeks from now, it will be a surprise for both of you. I know you will get along with her just fine." Tonowari's happy mood wasn't helping the situation.
A few weeks from now, Ao'nung and Ailani cannot have each other.
The boy faked a smile. "That's great. I will make sure to leave a good impression on her."
"Good. Now," Tonowari turns to Ailani. "good to see you, Ailani. Get better soon, okay?"
Ailani, who has been holding back tears, straightens up at the mention of her name. She takes a deep breath, "I will certainly try."
After that, Tonowari excuses himself and leaves the place. Ao'nung takes the opportunity to kneel in front of Ailani and take her crying face in his hands, wiping her tears away.
"I will see what I can do. I can make her hate me, she will hate me so much she won't want to be my mate. She will never mean as much as what you mean to me, Ailani." He reassures in a worried tone.
Ailani sniffles, placing her hands above his own and stroking his knuckles as she tries to calm herself down.
Shaking her head a bit, tears continue to stream down her cheeks. "I'm going to lose you, Ao'nung." She cries.
"No, no, Ailani. You will always have me. We'll run away, I promise."
————
The next day, Neteyam profusely apologized to Ailani for her sore back.
"I hope I did not disrupt your comfort, Ailani. I did not mean for this to happen."
For the millionth time, Ailani says it is okay. She knows it wasn't his fault.
Still, as days went by, she knew Neteyam felt like he had made a bad impression, as he was always trying to make it up to her.
Ao'nung noticed this, but even though his jealousy consumed him, he could not do anything. That would risk the village finding out about him and Ailani.
Either way, Ailani was already good friends with the Sully kids. She found them to be the people that most distracted her from the situation that kept breaking her heart. Ao'nung getting a mate.
Ao'nung wasn't in the same boat as Ailani. He disliked them heavily. Thought they were stealing Ailani from him, and even called them freaks behind their backs.
Well, behind their backs until he decided to provoke them.
One day, Ao'nung and his friends decided that messing with Kiri would be a fun pastime. Ailani was not aware of this, due to the fact that she did not like Ao'nung's friends and how they influenced him. She still tried her best to see the good in them, but she would avoid spending too much time near them.
Kiri was relaxing in the water, staring at the sand. Her time of relaxation was cut short when she heard voices giggling at her.
She stood up, asking what the boys had said while she was underwater.
And Ao'nung called her a freak.
He poked fun at her, mocking her hands, more specifically her fingers...
"What was going through your head?!" Ailani asked as she examined Ao'nung's bruises. "Making fun of Kiri? Fighting with Lo'ak and Neteyam? Are you not ashamed?" She questioned further while placing a wet cloth over one of his bruises.
Ao'nung winced, not only because of his bruise, but because he knew he was in the wrong. "Look, Ailani, Lo'ak started the fight-"
"But you provoked it, you skxawng." She applied pressure to his bruise, making him hiss at the pain.
They were sat on the sand of their secluded spot. Due to all the attention on the bruised boys, Ailani and Ao'nung snuck away to "tend to his wounds", which they were doing, but they were also enjoying the alone time.
Ailani moves the cloth to another bruise. "Ao', I've told you before, and I will say it again. Stick to Rotxo, he's a better influence than any of those jerks."
Ao'nung rolls his eyes and puffs his cheeks. "I can't say I will do that. They are still my friends. But I will try my best to let Rotxo influence me if that's what you want."
Ailani smiles as she strokes the piece of cloth gently on his bruised lip. "Deal."
"Ao'nung!!" A distant voice calls, a male one, a friend of Ao'nung's to be exact.
Ailani scoffs and rolls her eyes. "There goes alone time."
Ao'nung smiles, saying, "I will be back." then he pecks her lips quickly before standing up.
Following suit, Ailani grabbed his hands. "Please, stay." She pleaded, hoping he wouldn't leave with his friends.
Ao'nung looks back, hoping the boy hasn't arrived anywhere near them yet. In the meantime, Ailani wraps her arms around his neck.
Once Ao'nung turns his head back, he gasps, noticing a figure behind Ailani.
Ailani looks back and immediately lets go of Ao'nung. "Neteyam..." She whispers.
"What is going on here?" The Sully boy asks, nearing the couple.
Ailani's eyes wonder back and forth from Neteyam to Ao'nung and vice versa. "It's nothing, Neteyam, I was just- we were just-"
"You can save it. I have been suspecting this for a while. And Ao'nung, you're going against your own family."
Ao'nung frowned, visibly annoyed at the situation. "I don't need to explain myself to you."
"Ao'nung!" The voice grows closer.
"Go, Ao'nung. I will handle this." Ailani says as she pushes his chest slightly so he would leave.
Ao'nung shoots her a concerned look before glaring at Neteyam. "You tell someone, I will make sure my father gets rid of your family for good."
"We'll see about that." Neteyam glared back, then Ao'nung leaves.
Ailani quickly turns to Neteyam. "Please, please do not tell anyone. It doesn't matter whether he is promised to another or not. He hasn't even met her yet! When he does... we will see what we'll do. For now, please keep the secret with us. In fact, take it to your grave." She softly hits his chest to make a point.
Neteyam's cold gaze turns into one of concern. "You do know, that if the clan finds out, you will be outcasted. You will be known as the girl who tried to steal the chief's son's future."
"How would you know that? How do you know I won't be pitied by everyone?"
"Because a girl I knew, went through the same thing... and I couldn't do anything about it."
"Neteyam... was she yours?"
He shook his head, but his eyes had a sad look to them. "She was my best friend. I found her in the forest, she was not of the same clan as me. She told me her story, and it is very similar to yours. From then on, she only had me to trust. We would meet up in secret, and sometimes she would cry about not wanting to go back. Now, I will never see her again."
Ailani's eyes watered. She did not want to be outcasted. She loved her clan, not more than Ao'nung, but she loved them. "I am so sorry."
Sighing, Neteyam places his hand on Ailani's shoulder. "It is in Eywa's hands now. But this is my warning to you, stop secretly seeing Ao'nung. It is what's best for both of you."
"But Neteyam-"
"No, I will not be hearing what you have to say about the matter. Even if you both love each other deeply, you don't deserve to be outcasted. This is why I won't say anything."
Ailani's face lit up. "Really?"
Neteyam nodded before being engulfed in a hug by Ailani. "Thank you so much, Neteyam."
He stiffens up as he remembers his forest friend, which makes tears form in his eyes. He tries his best to hold them back as he places his arms around Ailani. "Just- take care of yourself. Ao'nung might be a skxawng but I will not let his actions bring you consequences."
Ailani backs away with a slight chuckle. "Alright. Thank you for being so understanding. I will see how I will deal with the situation. You go on ahead."
Neteyam nods, giving her a small smile before leaving her alone.
Sighing, Ailani speaks to herself. "Oh, Ao'nung, you're going to be the death of me."
—————
Time went by and Ailani had no idea where Ao'nung went. She took this opportunity to search for the Sully kids. Having seen Neteyam before, she thought it wouldn't hurt to see the others.
Walking along the shore, she found Neteyam drawing on the sand with his finger.
Ailani creeped up on him, trying to spook him out once she reached his back.
But once she raised her hands- "Hello Ailani."
"Was I that obvious?"
"Pretty much." He chuckles.
"What are you drawing?" Ailani questions as she stands to the side to get a better view of the drawing.
"Oh, I'm not drawing. I'm writing my name."
"Wait, what?"
"In english, I am writing in english. My dad taught me."
"Well, it is getting dark, so it will not be seen as clearly."
"That's fine." With this, he stands up, facing Ailani. "I just finished, anyway."
Ailani looks at the sand, trying to see how it resembles his name. She fails to understand, so she shrugs it off. "Have you seen Kiri anywhere? It has been a while since I last spoke to her."
"No... as a matter of fact, I haven't seen any of my siblings in a while."
Ailani laughed. "Lo'ak is likely with Tsireya then."
"You noticed that too?"
"Anyone who has basic observation skills can tell Lo'ak and Tsireya are fond of each other. Though I do hope Tsireya doesn't get hurt."
Neteyam scoffed. "If anything, Ao'nung wouldn't want Lo'ak close to Tsireya."
Ailani shrugged. "You have a point, but it is not his decision. Plus, Ao'nung loves Tsireya, he should be happy for her."
"Speak of the devil." Neteyam mutters, making Ailani turn to where he was looking.
Ao'nung hurriedly walked over to them, a worried look overcoming his face. Once he arrived, Ailani placed her hands on his chest, something she would often do to calm him down.
"Ao'nung, what's wrong?"
"I did something bad." He said as his ears lowered in shame.
Neteyam tensed up as his face turned into a serious expression. "What did you do?"
"Listen, I am telling you this because you know our secret. Promise you won't say anything."
Ailani quickly speaks, "He won't. Ao'nung, he won't, just calm down and speak."
"Okay..."
Ao'nung confesses to leaving Lo'ak stranded, which immediately infuriates Neteyam. Grabbing him by his ear, Neteyam drags Ao'nung towards Jake as Ailani followed closely behind.
"Tell him what you told me!" Neteyam's angered tone alerts Jake and Ao'nung is forced to say what he regretted doing.
Eventually, Lo'ak came back. When he did, he showed no happiness toward Ao'nung, but Jake Sully stopped him before he could do anything.
Surprisingly, Lo'ak didn't put the blame on Ao'nung, even though it was his fault.
Later on, Ao'nung asked him why he did such a thing. To which Lo'ak replied by saying that he knows what it feels like to be a disappointment.
This made Ao'nung think things through in a different light. If he were to confess to his parents about his love for Ailani, would he be a disappointment?
————————————
"They're here!!" Ailani exclaimed, watching as the tulkun arrive.
She was ecstatic to see her spirit sister, and hoped she could introduce Ao'nung to her this time.
Las time, she had spoken about him for hours on end.
"Ao'nung, you must meet my spirit sister."
Ao'nung bends down so his mouth is close to her ear, "Are you going to introduce me as your boyfriend?"
Ailani smiled, nodding as an answer.
It was a pity they couldn't hold hands or ride on the same ilu without raising other's suspicions. It was enough that Neteyam already knew, they wouldn't want the whole clan to find out on such a special day.
Still, each on their own ilu, they made their way to Ailani's spirit sister.
Once there, Ailani signs hello and introduces the tulkun and the na'vi to each other.
"Ao'nung, this is Niiri. Niiri, this is Ao'nung, the boy I have talked so much about." She signed. Ailani turns to Ao'nung with a smile to see him waving at Niiri.
The tulkun communicates back, "Is he your boyfriend now?"
Ailani shakes her head so that anyone watching wouldn't know. "Don't say such things aloud, Niiri." She takes a cautious look around, noticing that everyone was doing their own thing. "Actually, he is."
Niiri lets out an excited cry. "I am so happy for you!"
Ailani gives a sad smile and turns to Ao'nung. "May I have a moment with Niiri?" and Ao'nung nods, leaving and giving them their privacy.
"What's wrong?" Niiri whines.
"Ao'nung is promised to another. Our relationship is kept secret, except an Omatikaya boy already found out. He is meant to meet his future mate soon, I don't know what I will do without him."
"Have you considered other options? Like perhaps a boy from another clan?"
"Niiri! I would never do that to Ao'nung. I don't think I could ever love anyone other than him. Especially the Omatikaya boy! Him and Ao'nung do not get along too well sometimes, it would be horrible for me to break his trust like that."
"I was just joking, Ailani."
"Sure you were."
Ailani and Niiri mostly joked around each other, they were very comfortable and had a very strong bond. Still, Ailani dreaded the idea of searching for another partner. She loved Ao'nung too much.
Eventually, Ailani invited Ao'nung back. He got along with Niiri splendidly.
——
It was time to say goodbye and head back home. Ailani was absolutely grateful that Ao'nung was able to meet her spirit sister, who told him to take care of her once Ailani had surfaced to get some fresh air.
The teens met up at the nearest beach, noticing how astonished the Sully family were.
"Good day, Kiri?" Ailani asks the starstruck girl.
"It was amazing." She replied.
"She met my spirit brother, Tuktirey did too." Rotxo explains, "We had a lot of fun." he finished.
Ailani smiles, proud of how far they had come with the Sully kids. "That's great." She then turns to Ao'nung, giving him a sneaky grin. "Tag?"
Rotxo rolls his eyes, "Again? You're never going to outrun him Ailani, face it."
"Rotxo, I have a good feeling about today, alright?"
Kiri gives Rotxo a questioning look. Rotxo clicks his tongue and explains, "They do this sometimes before heading back home. Ailani tries to outrun Ao'nung to her own home but he always manages to catch her, even if I try to distract him."
Kiri shrugs, "Well, if Ailani has faith then she should give it a try."
Ailani smiles at Kiri. "Thank you very much."
Tsireya sighs, placing her hand on Ao'nung's arm. "Try not to be too late, dad is going to ground you again."
Ao'nung shook her hand off, saying, "This will be quick."
Little did they know, this was their way of escaping and spending time with each other.
"I want to play!" Tuk says, surprising the secret couple.
"No, Tuk, it's late. We have to go back." Neteyam stops her, placing his hand on her shoulder to hold her back.
Ailani takes a confused look at Neteyam, who nods outwards in response, as if telling her to go.
"Alright, I will see you all tomorrow." Ailani waves at everyone before tagging Ao'nung and running away.
He stands still for approximately 5 seconds, giving her a moment to flee. Immediately after, he sprinted towards her, no mercy shown.
Lo'ak watches as Ao'nung runs away before turning to Tsireya. "Your brother is different with Ailani."
"Ailani knows how to calm him down. She brings out that other side to him, that is why they're best friends." Tsireya explains with a calm tone to her voice.
"Just best friends?" Lo'ak questions.
Rotxo chuckles. "I know what you're thinking. Trust me, we have all thought about it too. But it's not possible. Ao'nung is promised to another, a girl he hasn't even met."
"How come?"
"He has been assigned to be the next Olo'eyktan. They assign another girl to be the future Tsahik. They are supposed to mate and neither can get out of it." Rotxo explains, making Kiri gasp.
"That is not fair to them. Especially to the poor girl that has to mate with Ao'nung." She jokes, which brings laughter from the others.
"I think it is easier for Ao'nung this way. He wouldn't have to go through the trouble of making someone fall in love with him." Lo'ak comments.
"I do hope he gets to love this girl. It would be sad if he led a life without love." Tsireya expresses, which makes the rest fall silent, each in their own world about the topic.
Neteyam was listening silently the whole time. He did not want to accidentally say something he shouldn't. He was aware of Ailani and Ao'nung's secret relationship, which he didn't approve of, but he understood the consequences if others found out.
Meanwhile, Ailani and Ao'nung were sitting near the shoreline they stopped at. Ao'nung had once again caught up to her, which she didn't mind.
Ailani rests her head on his shoulder as they watch the calm waves of water.
"Some day you won't catch up to me, you'll see."
Ao'nung rests his head on hers, scrunching up his nose at her statement. "I will always catch you." He says as he moves his arm to place it around her shoulders.
Ailani hums in wonder, she knows that statement is not true. Once he meets his future mate, it is over for them, and there is nothing they can do.
But the outing with his future mate would have to wait, for war is near.
————————
Jake Sully stands before the Metkayina, holding a mechanism made to track down tulkun who have been hit by it.
Everybody is raging, everybody except Tsireya who is scared.
Ailani is full of sorrow as she remembers Niiri. But her hate for the sky people fuels more as she is reminded of what they have done to her.
While war is being declared, Lo'ak tries to sneak away, which Neteyam notices.
Rotxo, Ao'nung, Tsireya and Ailani find Lo'ak and Neteyam having an argument. Tsireya tries to speak to Lo'ak but he leaves on his ilu.
Neteyam warns them, saying Lo'ak is going after Payakan, the outcasted tulkun.
After hearing this, they all call their ilus, riding after Lo'ak.
On the way, Kiri and Tuk join them, and they all find each other with Payakan, trying to take the tracker out.
Pulling to no avail, they try their best to release Payakan of his death sentence, getting more desperate by minute as a large vehicle of the sky people approaches.
Neteyam calls for Ao'nung to grab a rope and tie it around the tracker, which would help pull it out eventually.
Falling off of Payakan, the teens successfully take it out, immediately calling their ilus back.
Neteyam swims away with the tracker, trying to distract the sky people while the others seek safety.
The rest is mostly a blur for Ailani, being dragged here and there by Ao'nung since her anxiety was getting the best of her in the middle of war.
They were stuck swimming between plants to hide from submarines chasing them. Ao'nung had never seen Ailani in such a bad state.
He was lucky she was still able to hold her breath.
But he was scared.
They all were.
Eventually, they get separated. Ao'nung, Ailani, Rotxo and Kiri and swimming together when they realize a sub is after them.
Kiri somehow manipulates the plants into crashing the submarine, and the person that swam out of it.
Ao'nung took a mental note never to mess with her again, sharing shocked looks with Rotxo and Ailani.
When they're finally able to resurface, getting some fresh air, two ikran fly down, one grabbing Kiri, and the other grabbing Ailani.
The boys shout their names, scared about what might happen to them.
Kiri and Ailani move around frantically, trying to get the ikran to let go.
Ailani, even while hyperventilating, is able to shout at the avatar riding the ikran, "Let me go!"
The avatar snickers, understanding what she said. "If you insist."
And he lets go.
"Ailani!" Ao'nung shouts as he sees her body fall from the sky. He dives quickly into the water with Rotxo following quickly behind.
Swimming as fast as he can, he spots a rock that he can climb onto, resurfacing once more.
Running from rock to rock, he spots Ailani's body on one of them, not too far from him. Jake Sully is there too, he had spotted her falling from the sky. This makes him run much faster than before, aiming to reach her as rapidly as he could.
"Oh no." Rotxo whispers as he tries his best to keep up with Ao'nung.
"I will always catch you." He says as he moves his arm to place it around her shoulders.
"Deep down, I hope you do. Don't let me run away from you, Ao'nung. Don't let me run away from this. Because I know that without you, life will not be the same." Ailani sighs, cuddling closer into Ao'nung's body.
"We'll run away together, Ailani. I have told you already. We will run away, together." He caresses her arm with his his hand wrapped around her, hoping that some day they would have these moments without having to keep them a secret.
"What if we're not fast enough?"
"You know I'm fast enough."
"What if I'm not fast enough?"
"You will be. I know it."
Ailani is laying on her back, coughing up blood as Ao'nung reaches her body. Jake steps back, giving them some privacy.
"No.. Ailani, stay with me." Ao'nung pleads as he kneels next to her body, taking her hand in his.
Once Rotxo reaches the area, he gasps and turns away, knowing he cannot watch this without crying. He places his hand over his mouth as he tries to muffle out his cries. Tears are already spilling down his cheeks as he hears Ao'nung begging Ailani to hold on to her life.
"Ao'nung.." Ailani cries.
"Yes? Please, talk to me, love. Stay with me now."
Jake and Rotxo's ears perked up at the pet name, but decide not to question him, for it is not the time.
"I wasn't fast enough." She gives a sad smile, trying to crack a joke.
Ao'nung shakes his head, pulling her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "But you are. You are fast enough, Ailani. Please, please don't go."
She keeps taking small breaths, as if that's all she could handle as she cries.
"Rotxo.." she whispers, but he is still able to hear her.
He turns, revealing his tear stained face as he nears her. Kneeling down next to Ao'nung, he takes a good look at her.
There are blood stains on her face, due to her coughing up blood. Her chest is heaving rapidly, and there is a pool of blood coming from behind her.
"Take care of him for me, yeah?"
Rotxo cries as he nods, giving her his word.
Ao'nung shakes his head, not wanting to accept her fate.
But soon enough, her breathing stops, and Ao'nung's heart breaks.
"Dad! Help! It's Neteyam!" Another Sully cries out, making their attention go to them.
Neteyam was injured.
Jake and Rotxo help Lo'ak, Spider and Tsireya pull Neteyam's body up onto the rock, laying him down a couple of feet away from Ailani.
Neteyam notices her, and his eyes widen. "Ailani? Is she okay? Is she okay?" He asks, even as his breathing becomes labored.
Ao'nung stays by Ailani's side, crying as he closes her eyes with his fingers.
Lo'ak cannot focus on anything other than his brother, and he tries to reassure him.
"It's okay bro, we've got you."
Jake turns Neteyam's body to look at his wound as Neteyam hyperventilates. "Oh no."
He grabs Lo'ak's hands and places them in Neteyam's chest, ordering him to put pressure on it.
Neteyam can barely catch his breath, but he tries to speak. "Dad..."
"I'm here."
Neytiri suddenly arrives on her ikran, repeating the word "no" as she makes her way to Neteyam.
Ao'nung lets out a frustrated groan as he realizes the crowd that has formed. Rotxo makes his way toward him, remembering that he needed to console his friend.
Tsireya spots Ailani's body, which makes her cry uncontrollably.
One down, one more to go.
She couldn't handle everything that was happening before her eyes.
"I want to go home." Neteyam tells his dad.
And at that moment, Ao'nung realized he would have to go back to a home without Ailani.
"I know, I know. We're going home." Jake says, trying to comfort his son.
Neteyam looks around at everyone's faces once more. He tried to be sad for Ao'nung, Rotxo, and especially Ailani, but his pain wouldn't allow him.
"It's okay, it's okay." Jake soothes.
Neteyam makes eye contact with him once more. "Dad, I..."
And his soul was no longer there.
——————
A funeral was held for both young na'vi. Ao'nung tried to keep his composure as he watched Ailani's body float down, but his tears revealed his true emotions.
Ailani's parents crying was what hurt him the most. They could never know how much Ailani meant to him, and how much they meant to him as well.
As for Neteyam, he held no anger towards him anymore. He knew Neteyam was honorable enough not to spill his secret, and he would forever be grateful for that.
But it was time to face his parents. It was time to tell the truth.
The truth was not going to die with Ailani and Neteyam, and Ao'nung was going to be sure to stand up for himself.
Once the chief's family were back in their home, Ao'nung could no longer keep it in.
"I do not want to meet my mate."
Tonowari turns to his boy, giving him a frown. "What is this?"
"You heard me. I will not love whoever you have for me. I will never love anyone the way I loved Ailani."
Ronal's eyes widened, looking at Tonowari, who's gaze visibly softened.
Tsireya lowered her head and placed her hand over her mouth, remembering her dear friend who was no longer with them. The fact that Ao'nung was actually in love with her, made this ten times worse.
Tonowari places his hand on his son's shoulder, analyzing his face.
Ao'nung maintains eye contact, not willing to back down.
"Ao'nung. Listen to me, and listen to me well."
"No!" He shoves his father's hand away. "It is not fair of you to expect me to fall in love with someone you chose for me. I will not entertain the idea of an arranged marriage any longer."
"Ao'nung, listen to your father." Ronal interrupts. Tears are forming in her eyes as well, but not for the same reason as Tsireya.
"You don't understand. Ailani was the girl I wanted to be with forever. You were going to take that away from me."
"We weren't." Tonowari says, sighing as he closed his eyes and scrunched up his nose.
"What?" Ao'nung whispers.
"We knew how much she meant to you. We weren't blind."
"What...?"
"We chose Ailani, Ao'nung. She was the next Tsahik."