Rating: Mature
Languages: English, Na'vi
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
2nd Genre: Romance
Character A: Harry J. Potter
Character B: Tsu'tey
Summary: When they went to sleep, they hoped of a better future. But with Gaia insane and Magic as dead as his friends, Harry has no reason to stay. Escape and exist was all he had in mind when he stowed away on a ship to Pandora. Not another war. Slash.
WARNING: Slash, Character Death, AU, OCs, Dark Themes.
Last time:
Tsu'tey shook such thoughts away as he swiftly retreated from the Ikran nest, the white female watching him go with bright green eyes as she settled herself over the clutch of eggs and the brown coloured male hissed warningly at him. No doubt promising retribution should his rider come to any harm, Ikran were like that, he had noticed, when you rode one you became one of them and they protected you as one of them. Either way, he nodded and the creature snorted, satisfied, before lunging over the side of the cliff with a shriek, no doubt looking for food.
Adjusting his hold on the cold bundle in his arm, Tsu'tey quickly climbed upon his Ikran and took to the skies, the sooner he brought Hari to Mo'at the sooner he could begin to make reparations.
And now:
He looked so small and pale curled against the Warrior's chest, eyes bruised and hair unkempt. The People were silent as he passed, looking for all the world as though he were dead as Mo'at accepted the tiny bundle from her youngest Daughter's Intended. He did not speak, no sound was made, but the Tsahik nodded, understanding anyway, as she turned and carried the tiny form up into the branches.
The Upper Reaches, the canopy, was bright and airy, the ideal place for a wounded soul.
Gently, she laid the Not Sky Person onto the sweet grass that had begun to take root in the lichen and moss that carpeted the bark before sitting beside him, a coaxing hand covering over his forehead. The heart was a difficult thing to heal, too easy to break, too difficult to heal like a cut or a burn, but strong in its own special, secret way.
This wasn't a wound Mo'at knew how to heal.
Wounds of the heart were finicky things, some could never heal, some healed only too well, and others were still wounded but still working. They were complicated and whim some things. Things such as the Sky People's 'suicide' was not unfamiliar to them, Mates would often join Eywa before they were expected simply so they could be with their loved one who fell before them. Eywa did not reject them, and the People did not scorn them for following their precious loved ones, if anyone had a right to 'suicide' it was the tiny Not Sky Person before her.
However, this was not his home, Eywa was not his mother, and there would be no beloved waiting for him though their Mother would accept him with every ounce of her being. No, if Hari was to die, first, he had to Live.
Survive was simply not enough.
Tsu'tey watched as Neytiri pulled the tiny pink being into the eating hall, he looked pale and drawn and smaller than ever as he trailed listlessly after her. He ate mechanically but didn't speak and left as soon as he had finished – never even looking up at him or noticing his presence.
Things continued in this fashion for a few days.
It disheartened Neytiri and Mo'at to see all their efforts doing nothing for the tortured soul. Hari's nightmares were well known by this point, it was hard to ignore the panicked screaming when he fell asleep – he had begun to sleep during the day, far away from everyone else. He spent a lot of time like that, on his own, out of sight, for someone with such pink skin in their world the fact that he was capable of becoming so invisible to their hunting eyes was incredible.
But then, one morning, Zuleika stood in front of him and threw a dagger onto the floor wordlessly.
Hari stared at it briefly before looking up at her in surprise, the first expression they had seen him wear for some time. The woman just arched an eyebrow at him, distinctly unimpressed and a small, slightly guilty and sheepish smile curled onto Hari's lips. He nodded then and got to his feet, taking the dagger with him, and going to where ever it was he had been hiding himself.
"He will be fine," Zuleika said firmly, "The path will be long and difficult, but he had taken the first step, the second one will only come naturally in time."
Tsu'tey wished he had her confidence.
Three days after he received the dagger, Hari appeared in Zuleika's forge and presented her with an armguard made out of fishscales, they were carefully sanded to the right size, the ties made out of braided and dried twine with very delicate and intricate etchings of ivy scratched into the armoured scales. The Blacksmith had been thoroughly impressed and appreciative of the extra effort he went to create it, taking the apology without it ever having to be spoken.
When she appeared amidst the Warriors the next day there wasn't a single one who didn't cast a curious and somewhat envious eye over her proudly displayed gift. A gift which proved its worth during a hunt when she used it to protect herself against a Viperwolf's jaws.
Neytiri had to translate a fair few requests for the arm guards later, of course at a trade.
Tsu'tey didn't see much of Hari in the following weeks, too busy with the Warriors and the Sky People as they encroached upon their territory, Sylwanin's increasing vehemence to drive them out causing contention amidst the People, more than once he had been forced to physically pull her back least she get injured in battle. He didn't know why she had become so wild, but he assumed Neytiri or Mo'at had told her of their Visions, memories from Hari's Mother, and this had prompted her fury.
It was strange having to be the level headed one, but he found himself swallowing back his first reflex more often these days, thinking instead of how to keep everyone alive, instead of how to kill all their enemies.
Hari had taught him the value of life and loss.
He did see him from time to time, it was hard to miss the herd of small children that followed him, they loved the fact that there was someone smaller than they were and Hari seemed to brighten up in the face of their innocent happiness. Or perhaps he hid his sadness better. It was hard to tell.
He knew Neytiri was teaching him to speak and in return he was teaching her how to make the arm guards that had become so popular. The Hunters sang praises to his bravery, they had hunted Dinicthoid before but it was a difficult and dangerous task. Tsu'tey had heard them marvelling at the speed and bravery of the Not Sky Person as he killed them with nothing more than a knife, lunging straight into the creature's mouth to land the death blow. He wondered if it really was bravery, or if it were a lack of care for his own life...
When he actually managed to meet Hari after so long, the Wizard had been sat down making what looked to be a large decorative necklace and chest plate out of shiny purple beads. It was quite beautiful, clearly for a woman and so delicate that Tsu'tey doubted that any of the People had fingers small or nimble enough to make something similar.
"It is pretty," he told the Wizard, crouching beside him, "Who is it for?"
"Hello Tsu'tey," he greeted, glancing up between strands of black hair to offer him a small smile, the Warrior felt some small tense part of himself relax ever so slightly at the sight of it, "Its for Neytiri. For when she becomes a member of the People," the green eyed male explained. Tsu'tey nodded, pleased that someone – likely Mo'at – had taken the time to teach him of their customs.
"Why though?" True, it was customary that once you had earned your place amongst the people you were allowed to carve your bow from the wood of Hometree, but the giving of gifts was unfamiliar to him and truly, it was not something the People practised.
Hari hummed thoughtfully, fingers pausing in their delicate work, "Grace has explained Birthdays to you, hasn't she?" he asked, Tsu'tey shook his head, he had never heard the term before, "Back home, it was the celebration of life. Every year, on the day of your birth, you were given gifts and well wishings from your family and friends to show how thankful they were that you were born, that you came into their lives. Couples do the same on the day when they became joined to celebrate their love." He smiled at the look of understanding on Tsu'tey's face, "We liked celebrating things. I want to give Neytiri something nice to celebrate the day she earns her place, and to thank her for all that she has done for me." He paused here and set down the thin bone needle he had been using to thread the delicate purple beads together and reached into one of the baskets at his side.
"I also wanted to thank you." The Warrior blinked, his tail flicking in confusion as the Wizard turned to face him, "You were the one who brought me here, weren't you? You're the only one who could have known that something wasn't right, and the only one who knew where I lived." The Na'vi shifted guiltily at the reminder of his terrible mistake, unable to meet Hari's eyes and instead ended up looking down as the Not Sky Person pushed one of his armguards into Tsu'tey's grasp.
Golden eyes looked up, stricken, "I cannot accept this, Hari. I do not need thanking," he explained, trying to push them back.
A thin black eyebrow rose on the smaller male's pale face, "Tsu'tey, I was barely living before. I was running away from the truth of what happened. True, you caused me pain by bringing it up, by ripping the wounds open." The Warrior cringed, his ears folding back as he recoiled away from the Wizard who leaned over and grabbed his hand, pulling him back. "But you helped me. It hurts, yes, I don't think it will ever stop hurting, but I can face it now," he explained soothingly as he tied the armour to the Na'vi, "I can think of my Brothers, of my Sisters, I can remember the green of our home, I can look back on the good times without drowning in the bad. There's still a long way to go yet but...
"I can live now."
Chapter Fin...
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