A/N: WE DO NOT OWN ANY OF YU GI OH 5DS OR AVATAR! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CREATORS! THE ONLY THING WE OWN ARE OUR OCS!

Differences in speaking and thoughts:

"Words, words, words…" = In Na'vi

"Words, words, words…" = In English

'Words, words, words…' = Thoughts

Chapter 8: Ikrans

The next day, Arati and Tekumseh woke up the five learning Omaticaya and got them to the ikran area after eating and Arati grabbing a lasso like vine. Arati called down her ikran and gave it some food. She whispered to her some words that the ikran seemed to understand and Arati backed up as it got into a fighting stance like position.

"Remember what I told you last night. When your ikran chooses you, it will try to kill you," Arati stated. She unfurled the vine and began to swing it back and forth. "Watch me carefully and be prepared to do that same. I will only be able to do this once."

"R-Right," they agreed.

She turned back to her ikran and began to swing the lasso more. Suddenly, Awkey lunged at Arati. The Na'vi swiftly side stepped while swinging the vine over and around the ikran's mouth, shutting it tight. With just as much swiftness, she hopped onto the back on Awkey and it became a struggle between the two. Arati grabbed the tsaheylu on Awkey and her tsaheylu and brought them together. As soon as that was done, Awkey calmed down.

Arati took off the muzzle and it nudged into her happily. "I see you liked helping me teach a new generation of riders," she whispered.

"How did you manage to do that with a Toruk, Tekumseh?" Crow asked.

"It wasn't easy. Not that it's ever easy, even with a normal ikran," he replied. "But Seyley wasn't putting up too much of a fight. Think you can do that?"

"Yeah, probably," Jack answered.

"Here," Arati called and she and Tekumseh tossed a lasso to each of them. "Practice swinging the lassoes. If you swing them right, you are more likely to get the ikran's mouth shut and stop your likelihood of death."

They agreed and each of them began to swing the lassoes as they saw Arati do so. They each needed a bit of help here and there, but did quite well for the most part. After a bit, Acala came up.

"Are the Pa'li, Acala?" Tekumseh asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"Good," Arati responded.

"Is Acala coming?" Akiza asked.

"Yeah," Tekumseh answered. "Someone has to guide you up Ayram and make sure you don't die on the way up. But you can't ride another's ikran to get up there. Part of the test of the ikran is to climb the floating mountains. It isn't easy, but it is what must be done. Acala is going to guide you to the mountain that you will get your ikran."

"So follow him and don't die," Arati added. "Okay?"

"We'll try our best," Leo replied. Arati smirked and Acala led the others to the Pa'li.

Arati looked at Yusei. "Think they'll get one?" she asked him as he called Seyley down.

"They have to if they want to become one of the People," he replied as he and Seyley took off with Arati on Awkey.

. . .

The Na'vi on the Pa'li had reached the end of the rocky path where it led to giant vines tangled together and around giant rocks, heading high into the air.

"We have to climb that?" Leo asked shocked.

"Don't worry, Leo. Nothing too hard," Acala replied before beginning to climb the vines. The others quickly followed. "If you want to become taronyu, you must learn to ride an ikran."

When they reached the top floating rock, they noticed a giant island sized one floating by with vines hanging down it, like you had to grab one as it passed.

"What do we do now?" Jack asked.

"Three, two…" he counted down as the vines got closer. Once he was close enough, he called, "Now!"

He then jumped and grabbed a vine. The others looked at each other before following. They had learned to trust their body to know what to do. So they each grabbed a vine successfully. They climbed up them like a monkey, keeping a grip of the vine as to not fall.

Once they were on the island, they ran through the area and along a giant root connecting the island rock to another. As they did, they heard Tekumseh and Arati calling out and turned to see them flying around the air.

They waved at each other before turning towards the rock they were heading to. Once they were on that rock, they hurried through the caves and next to a cliff in the mouth of the cave. When they arrived, they saw a sight unlike any other. There were thousands of wild ikrans flying around along with the sun shining and a waterfall going over the edge they needed to head to.

Tekumseh and Arati then flew in and landed on the edge. They both thanked their ikran or Toruk as they got off and then turned to Acala and did the normal "I see you" greeting. The two riders turned to the young hunters.

"You will each go one at a time while choosing an ikran. But you will go out to the cliff at once," Tekumseh told them. They nodded.

"How about the woman go first?" Arati suggested with a grin. Both Omaticaya nodded also with a grin. Akiza approached the cliff from behind the waterfall, followed by Luna, and then Arati. The two huntresses looked around the corner at the waiting ikrans. "Remember you two, catching your ikran will not be as easy as it seemed. But do it like I showed you. And feel for which you choose inside yourself. You will only have one chance."

"R-Right," Akiza agreed while she and Luna stepped out with the woman. The men slowly followed.

"Akiza, you will go first," Arati told her and she nodded, pulling out the lasso and stepping out closer to the ikrans.

As she got near some of the ikrans, they flew off or moved away from her. Soon enough, though, a pink and red ikran turned to her in a menacing way. Akiza felt it then and there. She had chosen the ikran and it had chosen her. With a mighty screech, the ikran lunged at the girl, claws extended in an attempt to kill her. But Akiza was faster. The signer rolled out of the way while the red and pink ikran crashed into the rocks behind her. With the winged beast temporarily stunned, Akiza saw her chance and took it. She quickly ran to the ikran while twirling her lasso, and when she was close enough, Akiza let it hit its maw.

With one of its main weapons incapacitated, the girl leaped onto its back and began to pull back on its head, trapping it against its own neck. This, however, only served to anger it more. Now that it had shaken off its confusion from its crash, the ikran began thrashing, doing anything possible to dislodge the Na'vi girl. Just as it was about to crash Akiza into the cliff side, the girl grabbed their tsaheylus and connected them. Instantly, they both went lax as their bond formed.

Akiza muttered, "Niri'te…"

Arati took this moment to approach the two, and began pushing them to the edge of the cliff."First flight will solidify the bond. Go! Now!"she urged.

Akiza snapped back to reality and did as she was told, instructing her ikran to perform their first flight, and with a surprised squeak, they dove off of the cliff.

At first, the Na'vi girl began panicking, but as she remembered that she had done this plenty of times with her Black Rose Dragon, she put on a level head and began instructing her ikran who she could tell was female. "Pull up, Niri'te," Akiza instructed. Her ikran did so without hesitation. "Bank left, then right when we get around that mountain." Once again, she did so.

'This is just like driving a duel runner!' she realized. 'While they do the work, I must guide them so we get to our destination safely. Granted, a duel runner doesn't have wings and wants to kill people, but at least an ikran is reliable.'

As she enjoyed the freeing sensation of flight, she was soon joined by Luna and her blue and green ikran. "How'd it go?" Akiza shouted over the wind.

"Difficult," she answered. She looked at her ikran. "But I got her."

"What's her name?" Akiza asked.

"Ansit," Luna answered.

It didn't take long before Jack, Crow, and Leo flew up on their own ikrans. They introduced their ikrans: Jack's was Karishma; Leo's was Ahoragi; and Crow's was Ambokile. They were quickly followed by Tekumseh and Arati with Acala behind Tekumseh.

"Hey, guys," Akiza greeted.

"Nicely done, you five," Tekumseh told them with a smile while the other two Omaticaya grinned and smiled in approval as well. They then turned to flying around and getting the bond completely sealed between the new taronyus.