Together for Forever ♡ Neteyam x Fem oc

6. I See You

They eventually reached one of Nani's favorite beaches, far enough to get away from the others but still close enough to home. The sky was becoming pink and the breeze from the ocean was coming in, it was just before sunset.

"Sit," Nani instructed Neteyam as she laid out all of her healing agents in front of her. She sat down directly in front of him.

She looked up at the boy and inspected his face. Grabbing his cheek turning his face from one side to the other, "ah." Neteyam winced quietly in pain.

It reminded him of his grandmother he left behind, his clans Tsahìk and how she would heal the wounded. As she once healed him before too. Nani'ite was raised by a Tsahìk so she grew up learning how to heal others, he admired that about her.

"You are stupid, ignorant like a child." She said to him, as she began to mix a few ingredients together with her hands in a bowl.

"I like to think I'm a little smart." Neteyam said quietly.

"Ignorant." Nani said sternly, shooting a look at him then getting back to work to make a paste for his injuries, "but noble, willing to protect your brother even if you knew you'd get in trouble."

"He needed help" Neteyam shrugged.

"And you think you helped?" Nani raised a brow and began to touch the boy's face. He flinched at first, as she rubbed the paste on his jaw where a bruise was forming.

Neteyam liked the feeling of her hand on his face, he closed his eyes in peace and responded to her question, "I kept him from getting his ass beat, so yes."

"You helped form a larger gap between your people and my people." Nani said, causing Neteyam to open his eyes. "You will never be a part of Metkayina until you can ease tensions between my brother and yours."

"Then maybe you should talk to him yourself. My dad already told Lo'ak to apologize" Neteyam said lowly.

"Neteyam," she grabbed his face up to look at her in the eyes, faces only inches apart. "You must keep your siblings in line. It is your duty to your family."

"You sound just like my parents." He huffed, moving his face away from her hand. As much as he wanted to be close to Nani'ite, her sternness and attitude reminded him too much of his parents. He was already used to getting lectured about his role in his family. He knew his duties, to protect his siblings and keep them out of trouble. He already heard enough from his father today.

"Hey," she grabbed his face again, Neteyam resisted at first, "Hey!" She said forcing him to look at her. "It is your duty to serve your family, if you want to be Metkayina then this you will do."

"I do serve my family!" He gave her the same force back, he backed away and stood up on his two feet, "all day I'm worried about my siblings. My parents are constantly down my throat warning me to watch my brother, take care of Kiri and protect Tuk! I do serve my family!"

"Neteyam," Nani's said as she stood up to face him, "you-"

"And I know you get it; you don't have to tell me that." His voice dropped deeper, and his jaw clenched. Neteyam turned on his heel, ready to walk away.

"Go ahead," Nani said out at him, "walk away Neteyam! I knew you were soft."

That caught his attention, causing him to turn around and walk even closer to her. "My father is Toruk Makto, warrior and protector of all Na'vi people." Neteyam spoke quietly yet strong, "I am not soft, I am a warrior. I grew up around war, that is something you have never experienced, Nani'ite."

"Neteyam-"

"Don't mistake my kindness for weakness" he cut her off, "I would die for my family, and I would kill for my family, I have killed for my family."

Nani looked up at Neteyam and back down at her feet, ashamed for disrespecting him once again. She was becoming just like her mother, she thought to herself. And although she meant it from a place of good, Nani did not yet understand the difference between tough love and tender love. That they both come from the same place. She didn't need to be so tough on everyone else all of the time.

The sun had finally set now, the leaves around them glowing, they were towards the back of the village near the jungle behind. Nani and Neteyam's skin began to glow, their bioluminescent dot patterns becoming more apparent. The two had stood in silence, waiting for someone to break the tension. Neteyam waited for her to look up at him, but she continued staring at the sand below them.

"I don't mean to frighten you," Neteyam said softly, "I just want you to respect me."

"I do respect you." She looked back up at the boy looking down at her, "I see you Neteyam, I really do."

Hearing that changed something in Neteyam's heart, he knew Nani would be tough to crack but it was a fight he wasn't going to let down easily.

He saw her too, for who she was. Everyone else would usually stray away from Nani'ite, she had no close friends. No one besides her brother and sister, who she loved deeply but also was tough on. Neteyam knew why she was the way she was; she was raised that way. He knew her confident persona was only a façade to hide the fact that she was insecure. Scared that she would never live up to her parent's expectations, only ever used to getting her way by being cruel. Neteyam wanted so badly to fix her, to help break down the walls she had built up. He truly did see her, for who she was. He grabbed the side of her face, looking into her eyes.

"Nani'ite, I see y-"

"Nani!!" A voice rang out, breaking the two apart quickly. In ran Tsireya in a panic, "Nani, oh Neteyam good! It's your brother, it's Lo'ak!"

"What is wrong Reya?" Nani quickly asked walking up to her sister.

"Ao'nung! He took Lo'ak outside of the reef!"

"Are they still there?" Neteyam asked eagerly.

"No, they left him... alone."

Instantly, anger took over Neteyam's face. His eyes turned dark, and his face clenched. He quickly paced his way into the village and near the leader's pod, finding Ao'nung with his group of friends.

"Hey!" Neteyam pushed the boy down immediately, "where is my brother?" He yelled at him.

"He hasn't come back yet, I -"

Neteyam grabbed him by his hair and forced him all the way back to his own home, where his father sat outside with Kiri.

"Tell him, tell him what you told me!" Neteyam demanded. Once he did, his father flew up in a panic to find his son.