Vareya laid resting in her Marui, feeling exhausted and drained from last night.
It hurt to move, hurt to blink. Her eyes shut on their own and her body spasmed whenever she so much as breathed.
She doesn't understand how she managed to haul herself up into her hut when she was in the state she was in, but she did it. Used the last of her strength to climb up, her muscles aching, head pounding, and vision blurring.
Vareya collapsed the second she set foot inside and blacked out, that was the last thing she remembered. Now that's she's awake, the sun was peeking through the opening of her hut as it made its daily rise.
Shining brightly in her face, and while any other day she'd embrace it, right now she despised it. Yet as Vareya attempted to turn her head, her lungs felt compressed in her chest, making her breath escape her mouth with a loud gasp.
Memories of last night flooded her mind. The torture she endured was painful, but the healing process after was indescribable. Needless to say, Lengö and the rest of his gang of morons weren't pleased with the believed 'stunt' she had pulled on them.
They were confident she herself had brought him as backup, or perhaps a witness to prove to her uncle what they were doing to her.
So they made sure to leave Vareya as depleted as possible. They cut her first, some getting creative and carving drawings and cruel phrases on her skin.
She remembers screeching into a hand of one of the males in pain as they attempted to silence her. Especially when they forced her to heal herself.
Some say it's a gift, it sure sounds like one as well. The fact you can heal yourself after a minor cut or a more life threatening wound, it's an ability most only dream of having.
You can heal not only yourself but anything that breathes, anything that has a living soul.
However, no one comprehends the price that must be paid for such a curse. Just to mend a simple tear of the skin leaves her with a headache, mending several leaves her dazed and aching.
What they made her perform last night, left her on what felt like the brink of death. She tried to tell herself she was being dramatic, but that was the second worst pain she's ever experienced in her life.
The extent of the injury decides just how much is taken out of her. The smaller the wound, the lesser of pain. Yet when there are several injuries, or the harm caused is execrable, that's when the pain turns into pure unrelenting agony.
Makes it feel as if parts of her very soul were being torn and used to mend the broken, and it hurt.
They made sure to burn her, went as far as sticking an arrow though her foot and making her heal what they destroyed.
Over.
And over.
And over again.
Until she had nothing left to give. They left her there, snickering between themselves as if they had just done a deed Eywa would be proud of them for.
Lengö had stayed behind, placing a light kiss on her forehead as he whispered in her ear, " You did well Vareya, Kai would be proud."
She wanted to yell and sob at the same time, but she was struggling to breathe as she laid there helpless and defenseless against him, " Don't forget who you belong too."
A loud snap cracked through the morning, and she was snapped out of the prison of memories she almost locked herself into.
Vareya tried to sit up, but her arms gave out as she slumped back into her position. Another snap followed by a groan this time sent her ears upright, and she herself couldn't help but groan.
No no no no no no no no.
Was all she repeated in her head over and over again. It wasn't out of fear due to her laying on the floor unable to move, it was from humiliation, anger, and annoyance.
Because she new exactly who was the only moron who dared come up. And when he spoke, her assumption sadly deemed to be true.
" Vareya, don't shoot me please." his accented voice shouted, followed by a pant as he seemed to be climbing his way up, " I only want to talk, and I bring a peace offering!"
Why? Why? Why? Why now? Why him? Vareya thought inside her head, crying inwardly. Pitying herself and reeling back in time to see what exactly got her in this situation. Why there's even a situation that involves him to begin with.
" Oh great Eywa, if you ever cared for me please send him falling to his death." she begged as she painfully sat up, leaning against her weapon rack. That was the most movement she could do before she felt she would pass out again and had to freeze, becoming still once again.
" I heard that!" Neteyam yelled, he himself panting as he got closer. Then she saw a hand grip the edge of her Marui as he lifted himself up and in her home. Welcoming himself as he pleased into a place he wasn't welcomed.
The first thing his idiotic brain seemed to process was the fact that she was slumped beside the weapon rack, not taking in the fact that she was indeed slumped.
Neteyam immediately held out Vareyas hunting knife in the air between them, as if he was truly passing an offering.
" I brought back your knife. Don't worry, I didn't use it. It's completely untouched, exactly how you left it."
Vareya wished she had the energy to walk right up to him, and snatch her precious knife that he stole, away from him then use it to stab him and watch him bleed to death.
But right now she hardly had the energy to speak, somehow managing to do so, " Splendid, now do me a favor would you? Can you just stab yourself with it for me?" Vareya intended the words to come out cruel and filled with sarcasm, but her voice gave out about mid sentence. And the only thing Neteyam picked up was exhaustion at her slurred sentence.
" You don't look well." he said taking a step closer.
She scoffed, " Congratulations, you solved the great mystery."
" What happened to you?" Neteyam said softly, his face full of worry.
She groaned loudly, " Why can't you just leave me alone? What do you want from me?" she cried in annoyance.
He seemed to ignore her theatrics as he began settling her knife down and made his way towards her.
" Kehe!" she hissed, " Stay away from me."
Weakly and sufferably, she blindly reached behind her until she grabbed something and threw it at him. The object moved slowly in the air and he merely took one step to the side as he watched the axe land with a small thud beside him.
Vareya tried to stand, the pain excruciating, but she pushed on. Grabbing an arrow and throwing it at him. Again, with hardly any strength her attempted attacks were doing nothing to harm him, but she continued trying.
She threw another arrow, then another. Then she gripped something heavier and impulsively threw it at him. His eyes widened as her spear gun landed on his foot. He winced in pain, " Can you please stop that and let me help you."
" Never." she hissed, but the last bit of energy she had in her dissipated as he finally reached her. Vareya hastily attempted one of those punch things he had begun to tech her, but instead she collapsed forward, falling right into his arms.
Neteyam picked her up off the ground easily, carrying her carefully to her large hammock as he held her tightly. Still despite her state, her stubborn self wouldn't back down without a fight.
Obnoxiously flailing her body in his hold and touching his face, pinching and pulling his braided hair. " let me go let me go let me go." she scowled over and over.
Neteyam only scowled, but he didn't budge until he safely placed her down on the soft beanstalk palm hammock that she had woven herself, and she hated how her stiff body instantly relaxed.
Once he set her down, he went straight for the baskets that held all her food and supplies. " Do you have herbs in any of these?" Neteyam asked as he continued searching through her hut.
" Why can't you just end my misery?"
Neteyam didn't respond to her comment, his face serious as he spoke, " Vareya, this is important . Do you have anything in here I could use?"
Vareya wanted no help from him, none at all. She continued to try and convince herself that she'd prefer to stay silent and suffer on her own than allow him to take care of her.
She would heal eventually, gain her energy back after some rest. This will just take time. Her convincing didn't do much though because when she tried to turn on her own, her whole body spasmed and she gritted her teeth to hold back a yell.
Wiya.
" The small basket in the corner, I might still have some Ar'lek seeds in there."
He nodded and rushed towards it, opening the cover and revealing the last four seeds, " It's not a lot, but it should be enough."
Neteyam quickly went to work, grabbing water from the leaf she leaves hanging outside to collect rain water and heating it. She had no choice but to watch him work as he crushed the seeds, mixing some other plant with them that he must have found in her stacked stash, then threw it in the water.
He let it simmer and he stirred it diligently, not taking his eyes off of it as he mumbled words to himself. Seeming to be repeating certain ingredients that she didn't understand.
When he finished, he collected the medicine in a small bowl and handed it to her. She went to reach for it, but before she could even graze it, he snatched his hand back.
" Let me..." it took her a second to realize what he was asking, but when she did she scowled.
" It's already humiliating enough having you here pitying me and reminding me how useless I am. I couldn't live with myself if I ever let you-"
Not letting her finish, he forced the bowl to her mouth. Leaving her with only two options, either she drink it or fight it and spill the hot liquid all over her. Vareya regretfully went with the former option.
The taste was so bitter that she wanted to gag, but Neteyam kept tilting the bowl, forcing her to drink all of its contents. When she was finished, she broke into a fit of coughs.
" By Eywa..." she coughed, " that is the most disgusting thing I've ever had."
Neteyam smirked at her reaction, " It was the best I could do with the supplies you had, but you should start feeling better soon."
Vareya turned away from him, and although she'd never admit it, she could already feel the positive effects of the revolting medicine he had made for her.
She could concentrate and form sentences without looking or sounding as if she was going to black out. Her body felt lighter and her mind clearer, not perfect, but a lot better than before. Damn him and his healing tea.
" At least you did one thing right." that was the closest Neteyam was going to get to receiving a thank you from her.
" Your welcome." he smirked, and she scowled. Once again he ignored her and couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you?"
" Don't push it forest boy." she said sighing and closing her eyes, " Now I suggest you leave before I gain my energy back and stick an arrow through your heart."
" Harsh." Neteyam responded bluntly, and to her dissatisfaction, he showed no sign of leaving anytime soon. Instead he began placing all the weapons she had, pathetically, thrown earlier at him back in their place on the rack.
Vareya wasn't one to hold back what was on her mind, " Your stubborn, has anyone told you that? It's going to get you in real trouble one day."
He shrugged, " True, or my relentlessness can show me that the best things are worth fighting for."
His statement left them both in silence. Vareya could only stare at him, and his gaze didnt falter either. His pupils dilated, and the striking golden color surrounding them bore a story she wasn't sure she wanted to read.
The boy in front of her has only caused problems in her partly peaceful life. They've hardly met, hardly talked, hardly interacted, and yet it feels as if they've known each other for far too long. A familiarity that Vareya doesn't understand nor wants.
She hasn't had any true interaction with any Na'vi in years, her mind is confusing itself. All this time alone and suddenly having someone she can't get rid of is making her feelings mix up the difference of hatred and comfort.
There is no way this forest freak who has given her nothing more than head aches could possibly ever cure the lonely, scared child inside of her. The one that she worked so hard to hide away.
" I want you to leave." her words were hardly more than a whisper.
Neteyam still didn't break eye contact, and for once she was the one beginning to get uncomfortable and jittery under his strong set eyes, " Why? Why is it so hard to accept me when all I want is to help you."
His voice came out all too desperate as his arms waved as he talked, showing his emotion. Wether he intended too or not, she'll never know. Showing emotions is a weakness, and if this is his method of opening himself to attempt to win her over, it wouldn't work.
" I don't want or need help from anyone, especially from you. As I said before, I'm merely a distraction so you can forget about how cowardly your father is for ripping you from your home. Your trying to use me to hide your feelings so that you can stay the perfect child in front of your parents.... am I wrong?"
Her words came out sharp and he shook his head violently in denial, pacing in her hut as she still laid in her hammock. Not the most ideal spot to be when in an argument but there's not much she could do.
" Yes, you are wrong. About all of it. If I did want to stay the perfect child, I would do the opposite of coming to you. I'm supposed to be watching my siblings instead of being here with you-"
Vareya widened her eyes and gasped dramatically, " Tewti, naughty."
His ears went down at her comment, lips tight as he glared at her. Neteyam almost seemed embarrassed.
" I really wanted to come here to apologize for what I said last time, it wasn't my place when I hardly know you..." he paused to take a breath, " I don't have to know what happened to you, I don't have to know why you go to see that group, and I don't have to know your past. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance to teach you ways to become a better warrior in exchange for a few lessons. After you've taught me everything I need to know, we'll part ways and I'll leave you alone."
Vareya looked at him stone faced, her mind processing what he just said. The only reason why she agreed the first time he made this proposition, and the only reason why she'd agree now, is for a selfish reason.
It's not a necessity for her to be around him nor to help him. It would be a want so she could have an upper hand in fights, knowledge no one can take away from her.
" Besides, you proved to be a fast learner after the accidental hit you gave me. I'll teach you all you need to know and I'll be off your hands in no time."
That's something she'll only admit to herself, in a fit of desperation, Vareya had thrown a punch towards one of the Metkayina boys last night. It was the same as her first try, unbalanced and slow, which took away most of her power, but it hit true and stunned all of them.
Imagine if she could fight just like demon blood.
Vareya tilted her head back slightly, lifting her head high, " It wasn't an accident." she smirked, and Neteyam couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.
But his smile instantly dropped when she threw her legs over the hammock and stood shakily. Neteyam immediately bolted for her but a hiss from her left him stopping in his tracks. Vareya closed her eyes and breathed deeply, when she reopened them, they were gleaming with something mischievous and dangerous.
Neteyam couldn't look away.
" Well forest boy, you ready for your first day?" she said stretching her body, lifting her arms above her as her body extended back, Neteyam looked away as his heart thumped softly.
" Shouldn't we wait till tomorrow? Your still need to recovery from whatever-" Vareya interrupted him before he could finish.
" Giving up on me already monkey boy?" she scoffed as she gathered some necessities they would need for his training.
" Never." he said quickly, a little too quickly. After that earned him a weird look from Vareya, Neteyam attempted to cover it up by quickly adding, " I just figured you needed more recovery time."
With a shrug she answered, " Trust me, you're going to be doing all the work."
" Are you sure?" he asked still hesitant especially after seeing her arm twitch from carrying the weight of the speargun.
" As sure as my urge to stab my knife through you." she said, " Now hurry before I change my mind, hatred as strong as mine doesn't fade in one day."
Neteyam couldn't help but tease, " But it could fade, just needs some time does it?"
Vareya stepped at the edge of her Marui, turning her head to look back at him. Her face was serious when she spoke.
" Don't count on it."
Then....
she jumped.
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N
AHHHH THIS ONE TOOK FOREVER!!
I feel like I kinda rushed it but I hope you guys enjoyed!!
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR STICKING AROUND WE ARE ALMOST TO CHAPTER 10, and if I've being honest, I was probably expecting 10 views MAX!! All my new and earlier readers mean sooo much to me so thank ya'll!!
I'm going to try throwing in some more Na'vi words so if you guys can't find the definition, just comment and I'll answer y'all asap!
Please let me know your opinions or comments and if there are any errors I may have missed!
See ya'll soon for more fun parts(😏😏)
MUAHHHHH!!!
-Love, _watuluv_9
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