Hello, welcome to my first Avatar story! I figure this takes place right after Grace's death. This is a oneshot, and I think it pretty much stands on its own.
In this story, all the speaking is in Na'vi, and in the one instance someone speaks in English, it says so. So there is no confusion there.
Tsu'tey's POV-
I cradled Hope, my mate, in my arms, carefully, as she slept. It was early yet, and most of the Omaticaya hadn't risen yet. But Hope was almost always awake by now. I found myself worried by this, even though it was perfectly plausible that this was caused by our child growing in her belly.
I gently touched the soft swell of my mate's stomach. The child was barely noticeable, only giving my Hope a distinctly meatier frame, instead of the lean and slender one she'd boasted as long as I've known her. She was so early in the pregnancy, yet I found myself wondering whether either one of us would live through it, especially when she was committed to joining the fight no matter what. Even pregnant. Hope didn't care what I said, all she would say in return is that she had a few scores to settle.
I glanced up as I saw her brother, Jakesully, and Neytiri approaching. "Brother, where is she? She's always woken by now," I asked, gazing back down at my mate in my arms.
"That is why I'm here, Tsu'tey. We need to talk," Jakesully replied. His voice was somber. He sounded sad. I looked up at him, to see the worry on his face, in his eyes. Neytiri was confused beside him, it was clear she did not know.
"Say what you have to say to me, Jakesully," I told him, and he settled, sitting on the ground across from me. Neytiri followed suit.
"Hope won't be linking in," he commented, and I flashed an alarmed look to him.
"When will she come back?" Neytiri questioned. Hope was as much Neytiri's family as she was mine. I waited for Jakesully's answer.
"She won't be," he whispered.
"What?" I demanded, gripping Hope's body tightly. The heartbreak I was feeling in my chest was unbearable.
Jakesully was staring at his hands. "She wanted me to tell you that she was going home. To earth," he said, hesitantly. I whipped my head back and forth, angrily. This I couldn't believe. She promised me that she'd never leave me. How could she lie? "But that isn't true," Jakesully continued.
I looked at him, anger and heartbreak seeping into my voice. "Then what is the truth, Jakesully?" I questioned.
Jakesully flinched. "Hope would rather have you think that she broke your heart than the truth," he said again.
"Tell me the truth, brother! Why does she leave me?" I questioned again, grief settling into my voice. Without Hope, I was nothing. Without Hope, her Na'vi body would die, as would our child. I would lose everything in one fell swoop.
"If Hope links in again, it could kill her." Jakesully said, simply. I stared at him, aghast, as did Neytiri. "The way she is now, if she linked in, she could get lost in the middle, and never make it back to either side. It would kill her, with just the exertion it puts on her body. She's sick, Tsu'tey," Jakesully explained.
I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, and a sense of dread, feeling that it was true. "Why did she not tell me?" I asked, quietly.
"Because she knew she'd have to leave you. She has no choice. She just didn't know when. She never wanted you to know." Jakesully answered.
"When will she be better?" I questioned, lifting my head to gaze at him.
Jakesully looked absolutely devastated by the question. "She won't, brother. Hope is dying," he replied, sadly. Grief was clear in his eyes. He spoke as if she was already dead, and was already grieving her.
"Can she not be healed?" I questioned, hopefully.
Jakesully shook his head. "Her sickness is incurable, brother. Norm told me there's nothing we can do but wait. But I thought you should have the chance to say goodbye. I am sure if she saw you...Hope would be at peace," he commented.
I closed my eyes, silent for a moment. "Neytiri, watch her for me," I requested, and she nodded, wiping away tears. I stood, meeting Jake. "Where is she?" I questioned, gravely.
"At the trailer, where we link in. Brother, she doesn't have much time," Jakesully answered, starting to make his way towards the outside of the gathering of the Omaticaya people, where we called our ikrans and jumped into flight.
Right now, I wasn't sure how to feel. Hope had scared me so many times by being injured, daredevil stunts, so I wasn't sure whether the situation was really as grim as it seemed. The air around Jakesully convinced me so. At this moment, he spoke into a small black square that he called a radio. I couldn't hear him over the wind, but I was sure he spoke to 'Norm'.
Jakesully landed first, and I followed. I dismounted my ikran immediately, going to the window of the trailer.
All I could see was the back of a sky person, most likely Norm, as he lifted something from a long, silver bed. I saw limp, tiny pink legs over one of his arms, and a head covered with long, yellow hair flopping against his other arm.
It was Hope, I realized. I watched as the sky person fixed an air mask on his own face and Hope's, and headed for the door. I turned towards the door, seeing the sky person come out with the limp sky woman in his arms. My Hope. He balked as he saw me coming forward.
"Give her to me," I spoke, in rough English, holding my hands out to him. Norm hesitated, glancing at Jakesully, who nodded, and Norm carefully handed her over to me.
I curled my arms around her, holding her as if she were a baby. Hope was no bigger than a Na'vi child. Her eyes were closed, unconscious, and she took soft breaths that she struggled for. I sank, slowly, against the trailer, still cradling her carefully. She was bundled in so many blankets, and yet she still shivered. This was what my Hope had been born like.
Small, pink, weak. Her yellow hair felt like silk as it lay over my arm. I gently touched her face, though covered by a clear mask that prevented her from suffocating in the Pandoran air. My hand was nearly twice as big as her head, and I peered at her through the mask. Her facial structure was the same as her avatar. Her black eyelashes rested against her pink flesh. Her body was small, even by sky people standards. Hope was skeletal, I could feel her bones through her thin, soft skin. She was weak. As helpless as a baby.
No wonder she'd felt so powerful in her Na'vi body. "Hope," I gently said, hoping to rouse her. A plan had begun to form in my mind.
Those black lashes fluttered open, revealing those same honey brown eyes as her avatar. Her eyes showed astonishment, and pain. Pain that weighed heavily down on her. My stomach twisted. "Tsu'tey," she gasped.
"How could you not tell me," I whispered. She blinked, rapidly, her breathing shallow and weak. I could feel death coming for her.
"I'm sorry, Tsu'tey. It's just...I love you. And I thought it would hurt less thinking I didn't. Instead of you knowing I was dead," she whispered, stopping often, as if winded just by speaking.
"Hurt less? You're mad, Hope. And you're not dead." I reminded her. Hope's stick of an arm lifted, touching my face.
"But I will be. Soon, Tsu'tey. And I know it. You know it. Jake knows it." She whispered.
I shook my head, holding her hand to my face, bringing it over to press my lips against her palm. She heaved a sigh. "Do you really think I'd give up so easily on you, Hope?" I asked her, and her eyes snapped open, regarding me carefully. It was such a familiar gesture, I almost saw her in her Na'vi body.
"What are you planning, Tsu'tey?" She questioned. I glanced around. Norm and Jakesully were sitting across the clearing, giving us privacy, careful to keep their eyes averted.
I didn't answer, just calling my ikran. Jakesully gave me a strange look, but didn't move. I didn't move to stand until my ikran landed in front of me. Then I sprang up, and jumped onto my ikran, Hope still in my arms. I connected our queues hastily, and ordered it to take off. Hope gave a yell in my arms, and Jakesully yelled from the ground. "Tsu'tey! Brother! What are you doing!" He yelled.
I didn't answer him, and headed towards the Tree of Souls. "Tsu'tey, what are you doing?" Hope yelled over the wind, struggling to breath. I made sure her blankets were wrapped around her securely, not letting her get chilled.
"Eywa will save you, Hope. I will not give up. We must try," I told her quickly, holding her safely in my arms, her hair whipping in the wind.
I heard an ikran's screech behind me, and one glance told me that Jakesully had come after me.
As the Tree of Souls came into view, I landed hastily, and began to stride forward as quickly as I could, still holding Hope as she clutched at my shoulders. "Tsu'tey, what is the meaning of this?" Mo'at questioned, as she and Neytiri stood from next to my mate's Na'vi body.
"Hope is dying, Tsahik. We must try to save her," I commented, bringing her forward for Mo'at to examine. Gasps and whispers ran through the Omaticaya people.
I gently laid Hope at Mo'at's feet, and she kneeled beside her, looking her over. I stayed on my feet, only because I knew Jakesully was coming and he would be angry. "She is not well, Tsu'tey," Mo'at spoke, her voice heavy with concern.
I gazed down at Hope, whose eyes had fallen shut.
"I know. Tell me there is something you can do, Mo'at," I pleaded.
The Tsahik looked doubtful. "Her body is so weak, Tsu'tey. Even my healing cannot save her. The disease that plagues her is not Pandoran. It is of her world, and if Jakesully says it is incurable, I believe him." She replied.
My heart sank further. "What about what you tried for Dr. Augustine? Hope is not wounded, only sick and weak. Make her one of the Na'vi," I suggested, hopefully.
Neytiri's eyes lit at this. "Mother, that could work. Grace was weaker, nearer death than Hope is." She remarked, and I flashed her a thankful look.
Mo'at looked thoughtful, her hands probing the weak body of my mate. "There is a chance. It is very slim; Tsu'tey, Neytiri. Hope is weakening quickly. If this does not work, Hope will die." She warned and we both nodded.
"As will her Na'vi body and our child for certain if we don't try," I replied.
Neytiri and her mother nodded, solemnly.
"TSU'TEY!" I heard Jakesully yell.
"Why is Jake angry?" Neytiri asked as I turned to face him.
"Because he kidnapped her!" Jakesully exclaimed.
I scoffed. "I took her without your permission. But I am her mate, so why would I need your permission?" I said, angrily in reply.
"You took her without HER permission!" Jakesully growled.
"Is this true, Tsu'tey?" Neytiri questioned.
"At least I didn't give up on her! You were prepared to just let her die! I won't give up on her, until we've tried every method Eywa has gifted us with! Would you give up on Neytiri?" I retorted.
Jakesully took a few steps forward and shoved me back. "She didn't want anyone to know! I respected her wish! She didn't want to get her hopes up!" He yelled.
I shoved him right back. "That is my decision, Jakesully! Not yours! She is my mate, only your sister! My decision!" I shouted back.
"Enough!" Neytiri screeched, stepping between us before we came to blows. "Jake, we are going to try and transfer Hope's soul from the dying one to her Na'vi one. We will need your support," she commented.
I scowled at him, and turned to Hope, settling on the ground next to her. Her eyes opened, a tear leaking from her eye. "Tsu'tey," she murmured, reaching a shaking arm towards me, I took it, gently holding her hand. "Don't fight," she requested, nearly choking on her words.
I glanced at Jakesully, who had barely caught her words, but his face grew long with guilt.
I raised her hand to my lips. "Only for you," I replied, which had quickly become my reply for anything she asked of me.
She smiled a little, before she started to cough, and couldn't catch her breath. I looked to Mo'at, who started moving faster.
"We must start immediately or we'll lose her right now," the Tsahik exclaimed.
We all leapt into action, readying everything. Everyone besides Mo'at and Neytiri moved away, to connect our queues to the roots of the Tree of Souls, myself and Jakesully included, to help pray to Eywa for Hope.
Mo'at began to chant to Eywa, as Neytiri guided the reaching roots to Hope and then to her Na'vi body. "Please, all powerful mother, Eywa, take Hopesully into yourself and breathe her back to us in the form that will sustain her life, make her one of the people!" Mo'at begged. She continued to chant, and the rest of us along with her.
For hours, this continued. I dared not to breathe, when Neytiri reached over to gently take the mask off Hope's face.
This was it. Hope had been returned to us, or she was with Eywa. I scrambled to my feet, disconnecting my queue, and heading to Hope's side. I crouched next to her Na'vi body, Neytiri on her other side, waiting for her to wake. But she didn't.
I felt myself begin to falter, a frown filling my face. I looked away, only to hear a startled breath. My gaze snapped back to her, and found her eyes open. Her large, honey brown eyes were open. I cradled her face in my hands. "Hope, Hope," I crooned, trying to get her to look at me. Her eyes were wide open, but unseeing, unfocused. Her nostrils flared, and her eyes suddenly focused, bringing her hands up to lay upon mine.
"I saw her, Tsu'tey, I saw Eywa! I was with her!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.
I grinned and chuckled, relief bubbling inside of me. "Hope, you're forgetting something. You're alive. And look at yourself," I told her.
Hope blinked at me, before seeing her blue fingers on top of mine. "I'm Na'vi," she whispered, and I laughed out of pure joy.
"Always and forever. When you fall asleep, you will stay right here," I told her, pointing to her chest. Hope grinned, and threw her arms around me, eliciting the cries and shrieks of joy from the Omaticaya people.
"I promised I'd never leave you," Hope whispered.
I grinned. "Though not for lack of trying," I retorted.
Hope frowned, pressing her lips into my neck. "I'm sorry, Tsu'tey," she whispered again.
"You forgot that it would not only you I'd be losing," I murmured into her ear, placing my hand flat against her swelling stomach.
I could feel her surprise. The fact that she had become pregnant had come as such as a surprise to us. I'm sure that she had almost forgotten about it. "I'm sorry," she repeated.
"Shh, Hope. I don't care. You're alive, better than before," I told her, and lifted her head, and kissing her passionately, with all the feeling I had within me.
"Tsu'tey! Brother!" I heard Jakesully call from behind me. I turned my head to glance after breaking the kiss, relaxing with Hope's arms wrapped around my neck. Jakesully stood behind me with Neytiri, looking so happy that he was crying. "Let me have my sister for a few moments," he requested, and I obliged, standing and helping Hope to her feet.
Then Jakesully crossed the distance and seized Hope up in his arms, and swung her around, all making sounds of happiness. I crossed the ground to where Mo'at knelt with Hope's other body.
"Tsu'tey, help me bring the old Hope to rest underneath the Tree of Souls," Mo'at requested, and I agreed, lifting her body gently, and moving to follow Mo'at to where she deemed this body would rest.
Hope fell into step beside me. She stared at the body that used to belong to her.
"It's so surreal. That was me," she murmured, stopping as I lowered the body into a spot underneath the roots of the tree. She knelt beside me. "I didn't take care of myself," she said, slowly, letting me lace our fingers together. I gave her a questioning look. "When I was here, in this body, that body just lay, not sleeping, not moving, not eating. It took its toll. I lost weight to the point I weighed less than a 100 pounds, and could barely get on and off the bed. All I wanted was to be in this world. I would eat quickly, and go to sleep, only to wake up again and spend as much time as possible with you, with the Omaticaya." She explained.
"That's what killed this body- the exhaustion. The starvation. It made your disease worse. You would've lived twice as long if you had taken care of yourself." Mo'at remarked, critically, and I shuddered. It was me, it was the Omaticaya people that weakened Hope's body.
"It was only here that I was ever happy," Hope said, pensively, lightly touching her old body on the arm.
I stood, pulling her with me. "And that won't change," I told her, pulling her body deep into my arms. Hope wrapped her arms around my shoulders, resting her cheek against my chest. "We will be a family soon, Hope. And we will be happy always," I promised her, brushing her loose, dark hair from her forehead, and kissing it lightly.
"I see you," Hope whispered, lightly winding her fingers into the back of my Mohawk.
"I see you," I murmured back, holding her tighter, knowing the battle ahead was the worst to come.
Edited 2/4/2013.
JSYK- I will not be continuing this oneshot like I previously stated.