Azure Light

~A~

~Harri?~

A hand nudged him, but the wizard just grumbled and snuggled into his warm pillow some more. ~Lemme sleep five more minutes,~ he mumbled, tightening his arms around a warm… body? A very warm body. A nice, warm, and firm bo-

A laugh made his pillow start shaking uncomfortably. What the…?

~We have arrived at our destination, Harri. Perhaps you should wake? There's something I would like to show you.~

Opening bleary eyes, Harry frowned at the sight of blue. Pulling back, he blinked, realizing that he was sitting on the back of a very large… oh. Looking up, he met a pair of amused yellow eyes. ~Sorry about that,~ he mumbled, voice roughened by sleep and fatigue. Even before Grace had given him extra work, he hadn't been getting much sleep this past week. The meditation he'd had to do each night to straighten out the last loose ends in his mind had been time consuming.

Tsu'tey just continued to grin slightly, amused at how rumpled Harry probably looked. Frowning, the AVATAR driver checked his mouth for drool.

Tsu'tey's grin widened as he jumped off their ride and started walking away from Nightfall and into… a cave?

~Where are we, exactly?~ Harry asked, sliding off and jogging to catch up.

Tsu'tey kept walking, in spite of the fact that there was very little light to see by. ~Father would bring me here many times when I was a small child. Many, many years ago, during a time of great storms and cold weather, the Omaticaya clan took refuge in these caves. My father's father was a child then, but he passed its location on to my father, and my father to me. Only a few in the clan remember this place, but no one ventures here anymore.~

Harry frowned, barely able to see Tsu'tey's wistful expression. ~Why don't they?~

Tsu'tey was silent for a moment. ~There was a cave-in not far from the entrance. My father almost lost me in the rubble, and after that told the clan it was no longer a safe place to explore, to warn off other families from taking their children there.~ The Na'vi warrior ran a hand along one of the stone walls, tracing something that only his memory could see. ~I wanted to come back. Clear the rocks and dirt so that we could continue to visit and explore it, but my father refused. With the caves blocked, we didn't… there were no more trips together… Just the two of us.~

A wave of sympathy spread through Harry, bringing him to lay a gentle hand on the warrior's shoulder. ~Why did he refuse?~

~Said it was too dangerous, and there wasn't enough light to see the rubble, clear it, and check for more weakness in the walls of the caves.~ Tsu'tey turned to Harry, and the AVATAR driver tensed in anticipation at the intent glint of Tsu'tey's eyes. ~You carry light with you, do you not?~

Harry blinked and froze in surprise. ~You… you want me to make light? Even after what happened last time?~

Tsu'tey shook his head. ~Last time I touched. Now I know not to touch.~ The Na'vi waved his arm in the direction of the black recesses of the cave. ~Can you?~

Closing his eyes and bringing his hands into a cupped position in front of him, Harry frowned in concentration. He'd been so busy lately he hadn't had the chance to practice magic in this body, and after the last time… well, let's just say that he wasn't exactly eager to try again.

Feeling energy pool warmly and tingle in his hands, he opened his eyes to see how the light had formed. Seeing it morph and roll like water, he carefully cajoled it to shape into a ball, then made the magic on the outside harden and encase the movement inside until all it appeared to be was a glass ball with glowing water inside.

Letting the ball move from both hands to one, he gently levitated it closer to the ceiling and commanded it to be brighter. The blue light flared and whitened, turning from a glowing azure ball to a brighter pastel blue.

Tsu'tey spared a moment to stare at the light in awe before turning his attention to the mission in front of him. Walking away from Harry, he approached the cave-in with a small frown. The wizard followed quietly behind, moving the ball of light with his mind so they could see all angles of the dirt and rock.

Finally, the Na'vi said something. ~It looks as though there might be an opening on the left side. The rocks and dirt aren't quite as thick there, and I think I can see the cave beyond.~

Tsu'tey carefully climbed up the rocks and dirt. Harry opened his mouth to tell him to be cautious, but the warrior had already gotten to the top of the pile and peered through. ~Can you move the light so I can see?~ he asked, and Harry did so, moving the light and affixing it metaphysically to hover over Tsu'tey's shoulder.

They were both surprised when the rock on which Tsu'tey stood shifted and fell, making the Na'vi lose his balance and tumble through the opening the domino of rocks tumbling down created.

Surprised by the abrupt loss of light, Harry called out Tsu'tey's name and ran towards where he had last seen the Na'vi, conjuring another light as he went. Unfortunately, just as he reached the top of the opening in the dirt, the ceiling gave way.

Harry barely had time to think about how the vibrations of one stone had set off the rest of them before he was crushed under the weight of stone and dirt.

~A~

When consciousness joined Harry the first time, it was to more pain than he could compute at that moment. When it joined him the second time, he had a few seconds to wonder why he was still alive when he couldn't breath before the lights went out again. It was only on the third time that his body had healed enough to support his consciousness, and his magic had figured out how to make up for his inability to bring in air. Next, however, he had the misfortune of being conscious while buried alive, and make no mistake, that wasn't pleasant no matter how many times you could die from asphyxiation.

Sending out his senses, he tried to get a feel for how much dirt there was. Unfortunately, since there was nothing living in the dirt, or in this entire cave besides Tsu'tey, he couldn't feel squat.

Wait, Tsu'tey! He was alive! Thank Eywa. Sending his consciousness out to the Na'vi, he tried to get a feel for his friend's status. Feelings of fear, confusion, anger, and anxiety immediately spilled into him the moment his mind brushed the warrior's. Unfortunately, he was unable to breach the Na'vi's natural walls to tell him that Harry was alive, if not exactly… 'okay'.

Getting pissed off at being trapped under all this rubble, he instinctively used his magic to try to push it off of him. To his surprise, the rocks and dirt rumbled around him before stilling as his control slipped. Wait. He could actually use magic on them? Wasn't the energy of the planet supposed to interfere, like usual?

Deciding that pondering such a mystery could wait for another day, he pushed his magic out of his AVATAR body and smiled triumphantly when it actually worked, fusing with the dirt around him and lifting it off him. Unfortunately, that seemed to open a whole new can of worms when he felt even more weight fall on top of him.

Fuck. What, was this cave-in holding up the entire… ceiling…?

Ah crap.

Well… if he couldn't move the rubble, then he'd just have to make it so it wouldn't move. Drawing his magic back into himself, he stopped pushing up all of the rocks and focused on the little around him. Using his magic, he created a small bubble around himself, melted the stone, forced it into the shape that he wanted, and then cooled it again. Casting out his senses for Tsu'tey, he repeated the process, and then crawled down the small tunnel he had created, until finally, he was on the other side of the rubble.

Gasping for sweet, sweet air, he let out a surprised groan when hands grabbed at him and yanked him away from the cave-in.

~Harri? Harri, are you okay? How are you- how did you…~ The Na'vi trailed off, blindly searching with his fingers and pausing when he touched the AVATAR driver's bruised ribs. The fractures had been mended somewhat, but only so much that his internal organs wouldn't be punctured.

~Hey,~ Harry rasped, coughing a bit of dirt and dust out of his nasal passage and nose. ~I see my little light went out. Must have happened when I died.~ No point in keeping a secret from someone who already knew the secret, after all.

The hand on his arm tightened. ~Don't… don't joke about that,~ Tsu'tey snapped angrily.

Harry raised an eyebrow, even though the Na'vi couldn't see it. Maybe he should do something about that… ~Why? You already knew that I can't die.~

~I knew that you didn't die from poison. I did not know that you would come back from being crushed!~ the Na'vi yelled angrily into a face that he couldn't actually see. Harry frowned at the sounds of heaving breath. ~I never should have come here. My father was right. It is too dangerous, and someone could… die…~ Tsu'tey's breath caught, but Harry heard no sign of tears, only stress, frustration, and fear.

Taking a deep, rattling breath, Harry reached a hand up and brought it to where he could feel Tsu'tey's face to be. Cupping one cheek, he sent warmth through his hand and into the Na'vi's body. ~It's okay,~ he said softly, almost wheezing. ~I'm not dead. I'll be fine.~

Tsu'tey snarled, but didn't remove the hand. ~You are not fine. You breath noisily, and I can tell your body is hurt.~

Harry sent another wave of warmth. ~I will be fine. It'll just take a little time to heal the damage enough to walk is all, okay?~ Tsu'tey said nothing. ~I don't regret you bringing me to this place,~ he said softly, coughing a bit of phlegm out of his lungs. ~I'm glad you brought me here. Glad you shared this piece of yourself with me. Don't regret that.~ More silence. Harry let out a shuddering breath, sending healing magic into his chest to ease his breathing. ~Please?~ he breathed softly, trying to hold back a fit of coughing that would ruin his request.

The hand that had tightened around his bicep loosened and moved to Harry's heaving chest, following the rise and fall of it as if to reassure himself that Harry was still alive. The slight pressure sent Harry into a fit of coughs that made his chest ache. Angry at the phlegm and dirt that refused to leave his lungs, he sent a wave of magic through the organ to remove any fluid and clinging particles, then moved onto his side quickly to cough the lot of it out onto the floor of the cave. Clearing his throat, he let out a relieved breath at the lack of phlegm and collapsed back against Tsu'tey. "There, that's better," he muttered to himself, rubbing his chest with one hand. The other, he quickly discovered, had been caught in one of Tsu'tey's and held in place against the Na'vi's face.

Sending another small wave of warmth into his hand on the Na'vi's cheek, he focused the rest of his attention on getting his body back into working order. Letting his magic spill out of his core, he contained it to his body and then gently nudged it in the right direction. It was working much more easily now than it had even just a week ago. Maybe it was because Eywa wasn't trying to absorb him anymore? Or maybe because there was no life within a good ten meters of him in every direction? Or maybe it was because he didn't bother to try to channel it in the way he would have in his human body, instead nudging the flowing energy to do what he wanted it to do. Whatever the case, he was grateful the healing wasn't going to take nearly as long as he'd anticipated.

Working from the core outward, since his subconscious magic had already healed whatever damage had been done to his skull and vital organs, he worked on fusing the half-healed bones of his ribs back together, fixing the damage that had been done to his spine so he could feel the agony in his legs again. Next he worked on setting the bones of his legs and quickening the healing process, making sure all the bone marrow in his right femur got back to where it was supposed to be, instead of spilled all about the horrendous splintered crack. Only after his skeletal structure and internal organs were healed did he begin to work on the flesh wounds, knitting cut skin back together, bruised muscle, and rebuilding a few arteries that had been flattened.

When he was finally done, he let out a relieved breath and relaxed against Tsu'tey's surprisingly comfortable lap.

~Harri? Harri!~

~Mm? I'm fine, Tsu'tey. Just tired after all that healing.~ Sending a stronger burst of heat through his hand, he also tried to convey his happiness, concern, and how he wasn't afraid of their situation. He knew they would get out of there. It was just a matter of how much magic and time it took for Harry to fix the tunnel.

Tsu'tey gasped, his hand convulsing slightly upon Harry's own. ~How… how are you doing that? We haven't tsaheyl si.~ Formed the bond. Established neural connection. It always sounded so weird when Harry tried to talk to Jake about tsaheylu, and the human kept trying to bend it to human concepts. Even wizards didn't have something close to the direct mental connection and blending of two minds.

Harry startled. ~I'm sorry. Did I… did I connect… I didn't mean to, I…~ the AVATAR driver verbally stumbled, trying to pull his hand away.

Tsu'tey held it stubbornly in place. ~No, you just… I was unprepared. That is all. What is it, exactly? It is not quite tsaheylu.~

Harry shook his head, despite the fact that Tsu'tey couldn't see it. Actually… focusing magic into the palm of his hand, he reformed the globe from earlier much faster than he had the first time. Since he was rather accustomed to using magic in general, it wasn't taking him long to figure out how to manipulate the slightly different… flow of it, for lack of a better term.

Satisfied that he could see Tsu'tey's face now, he offered the Na'vi a small smile. ~It is a way of sending feelings to a person, as well as energy.~

~Energy?~ Harry felt a spike of anxiety through flesh as well as through golden eyes. ~It didn't… feel like before.~

Harry shook his head. ~That was an accidental… overfill. Think of it like this… When you first touched the energy, the light, it flowed into your body and filled your cup more than your cup could hold. In order to catch the water that overflowed, the energy formed the bond between us and channelled the excess back into me.~ Hazarding a guess, Harry continued, ~It didn't hurt until you separated our tswin, right?~

Harry sensed a wave of embarrassment for a moment until Tsu'tey shoved it down. ~No, it did not hurt until then.~

Curious, Harry wondered if it had felt for Tsu'tey as it had felt for him. ~Did it… feel nice?~ he asked.

Harry heard more than saw Tsu'tey's tail flick against the ground as his face screwed up with a mixture of emotions that he couldn't read. Thankfully, he could feel them. Unfortunately, none of them were good.

Pulling his hand away, unable to deal with the negative emotions curling in his belly, he pushed himself upright to limit contact with the Na'vi. As soon as their skin no longer touched, the terrible emotions in his stomach ceased, and he let out a relieved, heaving breath.

~Are you okay?~ Tsu'tey asked, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder. The emotions of disgust, loathing, and confusion churned in his stomach again, making the AVATAR driver pull away from the touch, regretting the confused and hurt look it put on Tsu'tey's face, but unable to deal with the Na'vi's reaction to the profound and spiritual connection they had had.

~I'm fine,~ he said calmly, wincing slightly and averting his eyes when it came out much colder than he had wanted.

Tsu'tey didn't try to touch him again, and the hurt that sank in his stomach like a ball of iron ached. This emotion was all Harry's own. Tsu'tey thought that their bond was disgusting. Did he hate Harry, too, as much as he had hated that moment? Was Harry nothing more than a burden for him?

Channelling his hurt and frustration into his magic, he held his hands out in front of him, towards the cave in, and expelled the energy from his body in a frustrated blast of power. Red light streaked from his hands and discharged into the rubble, filling it with energy and then literally ejecting it from the cave like an explosion of gunpowder sending a cannonball flying. The shockwave of pressure almost knocked Harry over, but a quick channelling of magic into the ground held him in place. Feeling the ceiling already beginning to collapse, he held out his hands and sent a wave of heat so hot that it melted the stone. A little bit of magic easily moulded it into a smooth, solid surface, and a wave of cold cooled it to the point where it would stay in place.

Slowly removing his control from the stone, he waited to see if the newly formed ceiling and walls would hold the weight of the ground above it. When no precarious rumbles ensued, he let his magic coil back into his core, this time the energy churning in agitation instead of flowing calmly.

Turning to Tsu'tey, he kept his face as neutral as possible. ~Shall we go?~

The Na'vi stared at him with an inscrutable expression.

-Toki Mirage-

Wow, this came out a lot quicker than I thought it would. At the end of last chapter I just had this idea and figured, hey, why not run with it until it dies?

Hope you guys liked the sappy moments in this chapter. Trust me, I was probably as "Oh god, no!" as you guys were coming to the end of this chapter. (Sad sigh) The writer demanded it of me, though. And trust me, she's a tyrant. T_T (internal romantic: sniffles)