༺chapter eight༻
✧
⇝ I want you to have a peace of me

days have gone, before she knew it months blew by, at times it seemed like it was only yesterday that Amiryat and her family arrived to the Metkayina' clan for safety, she could only imagine what their lives would be like if that man never came into their lives, more like her fathers, he didn't need his worst enemy coming back to haunt him after all these years.

Amiryat spent most of her time with Ao'nung by the water or by the rock, her parents knew something was different in their daughter, Neytiri trusted that she was being careful but Jake on the other hand didn't want his baby girl growing up to fast especially when she brushes him away from the constant questions about Ao'nung, though he didn't know which of the Metkayina boys she was speaking to.

She never told her parents about seeing Ao'nung because she knew they wouldn't approve of him, don't even get her started about her siblings mostly Neteyam and Lo'ak, they both didn't like the boy since they first interacted when they arrived and if they knew that their oldest sister was secretly seeing him without them knowing, it would affect their relationship, they never kept secrets.

"Breathe in..." Tsireya inhaled raising her hand over her body, it was a beautiful morning for them to learn how to breath freely in the water, Amiryat couldn't help but notice that Ao'nung wasn't anywhere, which caught Tsireya' eye making her slip some information about him training with their father.

It was no secret that Amiryat was fond of the boy after a couple weeks but he was nice to her and only her, but then again she didn't see the way he called her siblings "freaks" or "demon-blood", then again she wasn't around when he did torment them.

"and breath out." Amiryat did as she was told watching Rotxo from his spot by Kiri, "imagine flickering a flame." Tsireya brought her hand out. "you must slow down your heartbeat." She reached forward pressing her hands on lo'ak' chest wanting to slow his heartbeat down.

"Breathe in." She instructed, lo'ak kept his eyes forward taking in a deep breath as her hand pressed down on his stomach. "Breathe from down here, breathe out slowly." He exhaled turning his eyes down to her.

"Lo'ak, your heartbeat is fast." Tsireya caught him off, feeling the rapid thump of his heart against her hands. "Sorry." He apologized, missing the way Neteyam and Rotxo snickered at his flustered state, "try to focus." Kiri cocked her head rolling her eyes.

—

"Amir, look for bigger ones."

Tuk giggled for the second time, she had been spending at lot of her time with Amiryat by the beach that day, they were looking around the warm sand for shells, Tuk had been wanting to make a new necklace and dragged her sister along with her.

Amiryat only smiled at her words, the beach always had shells, and every once awhile new shells will swim up to the shore, which only made Tuk incredibly excited. "Here, I found this purple one." Amiryat placed the purple shell in her smaller hand.

"I also found a big white one." Tuk grins lifting the shell up to the sun, "I'm going to show these to mom, don't leave!" The young na'vi shouts as she ran back to their home, Amiryat chuckled standing back up.

The sun was absolutely beautiful today, it made the water clear as day she watched from a distance lo'ak and Tsireya swimming in the sea laughing with one other. "Is it weird that you're shadowing your brother?"

Amiryat twirled around catching the taller na'vi glaze, she inhaled rippling around the shells in her closed palm. "I'm not shadowing on him, just... making sure he doesn't get hurt." She shrugged. "Why are you here?" She asked.

Ao'nung took her hand with a hand-made shelled necklace, her lips parted at the small gesture. "I've never made anything like this before so my mother helped me make it," he let out a laugh staring down at her frame. "I believe it's the only time I've seen her smile."

Amiryat laugh letting her dimples come out which made him reach up no hesitation, caressing her cheek. "Why are you doing this?" She asked him softly, something about him being so kind and respectful to her made her believe that he wasn't the big mean guy her siblings made him out to be, he was just being misjudged and had really bad friends who were a bad influence on him.

Ao'nung brought his hands back only to pushing back her hair from shoulders showing more of her face, "Because I care for you, and I wanted to apologize for tormenting your siblings, it wasn't right and I should have apologized sooner." Amiryat nods accepting his apology. "—and though you and I only spent almost every night together I wanted you to have a peace of me with you." Amiryat furrowed moving her eyes down to the necklace in his hands, there sat a smaller shell in the middle it was blue shinning brighter then the rest. "May I?"

Amiryat turned around without a word moving her hair to the side letting Ao'nung wrapped the necklace around her neck making sure the tie wasn't loose. "Matches perfectly." He smiled, she grins pushing her hair back.

"It's beautiful, thank you."

He never did stop smiling after that, Tuk did come back only to collect the shells from Amiryat hands and ran back home, the pair wasted their day together, collecting more shells for her sister's collection before swimming in the ocean laughing fooling around like teenagers would.

Neytiri smiled softly listening to her daughters laughter from afar from where she stood by her husband, "she looks happy." She comments grabbing Jake's attention, the male looked up following her glaze, Amiryat stumbled back at the harsh wave but Ao'nung took her in his arms when they tripped over each other sinking back into the water.

—

On the next day Tsireya had lesson prepared for them but she decided that she needed to split everyone up to get everyone to focus, Tsireya had Rotxo be Amiryat' learning coach, they spent most of their time in the ocean for a breathing lesion underneath the water, Amiryat immediately caught the way her chest took in the water, it wasn't easy in the beginning but taking her time and somehow forgetting that she needed to breath in the water, she understood the water.

"This is a way for you to learn how to focus on one thing at once." Rotxo had enjoyed Amiryat company more than he thought he would, he considered her family allies, he didn't see "demon blood" in them he saw na'vi family wanting to protect their own.

"What do I do with it?" Amiryat asked him, taking the shell from his grasp, they swam in the sea away from the village but close enough to see the people. "Catch it before it sinks." Rotxo took it back tossing it into the ocean.

Amiryat inhaled diving into the water, eyes staying on the floating shell as it continued to sink, her legs moved as she reached forward taking the shell with a smile, turning right around staring up from the bottom, raising her brows at the distance between them. She swan back up inhaling the air.

"I caught it!" Amiryat smiled at the boy, Rotxo chuckled clutching the shell. "Yes, you did." He smiled down at her, the two na'vi left the bench when loud voices brought them over to were Ao'nung and his friends stood with Lo'ak and Kiri. "Oh, god." Amiryat mumbles moving towards them, Rotxo right behind her.

"What's going on?" Amiryat reached the boys plus Kiri and they all turned to her, Ao'nung furrowed upon seeing Rotxo there with her, lo'ak turned to her waving off his hand. "Don't worry, we were just talking."

Amiryat scoffed before turning to kiri making sure she was okay. "I'm okay, really." Kiri reassured her, the three boys continued to harass Lo'ak by pulling on his tail, Amiryat stepped away from her sister to the group just after seeing the action.

"leave him alone." Amirtay glared smacking the boys hands away which only made he pick at her. "Look another four fingered freak." He laugh grasping her hand, Ao'nung pushed him back making the boy tripped away in shocked. "Leave her out of this." He hissed lowly.

"Leave us alone!" Kiri says catching the way the other two boys continue to pick at lo'ak, Amiryat didn't understand what was happening, did Ao'nung start this? was everything he said a lie? was he really the bully her brothers described him as.

the girl moved back when Neteyam came to view pushing Ao'nung back away from her, making everyone else grow silent. "You heard what she said. Leave them alone." He grunt jamming a finger into his chest.

Ao'nung didn't understand how everything was suddenly his fault, he didn't even start what his friends had, but instead of saying anything he took the blame. "Big brother coming in—" one of his friends began only for Ao'nung to stop him mid-way with his hand.

"Back off. Now." Neteyam practically growled pushing him back. Amiryat inhale grasping the necklace that laid on her chest, Ao'nung nods moving back. "Smart choice, and from now on, I need you to respect my sister." He looked an each of them.

Amiryat glared at the boy who hissed missing the puzzled expression on Ao'nung face. "Let's go." Neteyam took his sisters arm pulling them away, Kiri stuck her tongue out rolling her eyes, before they began to walk away.

"look at them, they are freaks, the whole family." Lo'ak stopped on his tracks hearing the comments they made, Amiryat turned to her youngest brother raising a brow. "Lo'ak, what are—" she began but he cut her off.

"I got this, sis." He says to her stepping down to the boys, lifting his five fingered hand. "I know this hand is funny, look, I'm a freak." He wiggled his pinky to the Ao'nung, he turned his head glancing at Amiryat who refused to look at him. "—alien, but I could do something really cool, watch,." Lo'ak brought his hand forward curling his hand up, Ao'nung turned back around. "First I tie it really tight and then..."

Lo'ak took a swing at him punching him in the face hard, then again before knocking one more, Amiryat eyes widen watching Ao'nung fall back. "It's call a punch bitch! Never touch my sisters again."

The boys hissed, Ao'nung grunt standing back up running up and slammed lo'ak down, Lo'ak pushed him off punching him again, two others tugged hard on lo'ak tail dragging him back, Neteyam shook his head, deciding to join the fight, kneeling one of the boys in his area.

"Dads gonna kill them." Kiri stood back in disbelief, Amiryat huffs nubling on her lower lip. "Yeah." She huffed out, "Ow! My tail." Lo'ak screamed getting yanked back, "my ear! Let it go!" The na'vi boy yells with lo'ak yanking him along, Kiri turned to the right seeing a angry male na'vi storming over to them. "It's dad!"

—

Amiryat followed after her father with her two brothers right behind her, Jake was beyond pissed after finding his three oldest in across fire with the chief's son, he had warned them before but somehow they always got themselves into these situations.

"What was the on thing I asked, the one thing." Jake said grinding his teeth making sure they were away from the public eye, Amiryat watched her father gaze hardern. "Stay out of the trouble." Lo'ak mutters holding his arm.

"Stay out of trouble, right." Jake was irritated with his kids behavior, jaw clenched, Amiryat didn't like that he was only picking at Lo'ak when they all joined to defend each other.

"It was my fault." The two older sully's spoke at once which made they turn to each other, that wasn't plan but they also have been doing since lo'ak turned five.

"No, no, I don't think so." Jake shook his head facing them both. "You two gotta stop taking the heat for this knucklehead." He grunt his teeth, Neteyam looked away.

"Dad, those guys were picking on Kiri." Lo'ak told him, moving pass his siblings. "They called her a freak." Amiryat closed her eyes sadden about the whole thing. Jake face softened sighing out. "Go apologize to Ao'nung." He told him.

Lo'ak crake his head up unbelievably surprised by his words "What?" Jake turned back to him. "His is the chiefs son. Do you understand, I don't care how you do it, just go make peace." Amiryat sighs watching lo'ak shakes his head leaving the hunt.

Jake faced his daughter. "And you, I told you to keep an eye on your brother to protect 'em." Amiryat lips parted staring up at him in disbelief.

"Seriously? I was protecting him, I was defending him when they started picking on him and Kiri you can yell at me for all you want but I won't apologize for it." Amiryat jerked back from her fathers touch when he reached for her, his face blanched.

"You cannot ask me to." Jake kept his glaze on her, Amiryat hoped he would apologize, she hoped that he would realize how hard he is on all of them, that his daughter deserved an apology for everything but he didn't, he just stood there not saying a word. But his eyes were saying everything he wasn't.

Amiryat inhaled shaking her head, pressing her lips together with her eyes burning when they glistened with tears, "you don't care do you?" Neteyam winched staring down to his feet.

She didn't move from his gaze, noticing the way his hands jerked like he wanted to reach for her but he hesitated. "Amiryat." She shook her head. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything." Amiryat turned away and walked out the marui.

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