The Balance of Life

Part One - Discovery

Chapter 3 - Part 10--- Aftermath

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"Is this where Jake stayed while his spirit was in his Na'vi body?" Ralu asked when they reached the remote control station, after Neytiri had directed the litter bearers to put Norm down in a comfortable spot.

"For the most part. Sometimes his body was back at the Sky People's home," Neytiri replied as an involuntary shiver raced up and down her spine. This was the first time she had been back here since she killed Quaritch and rescued Jake from suffocating in Pandora's air. All that was left of the thanator was its bones. The AMP suit was mostly covered in vines and other plant growth. She was sure nothing remained of him but bones as well.

"What was Jake like…I mean, what was he like as a human?"

"Well…he was shorter and smaller than you are right now."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Neytiri could still remember the panic she had felt when Jake's avatar had collapsed in front of her. The heart stopping panic she felt when she discovered his human body barely conscious on the floor outside his pod.

"What did he look like?'

"What I remember most was the kindness in his eyes. After I placed his breathing mask to his face and he was able to breathe again, he looked up at me and I felt the same connection I do when he looks at me with his Na'vi eyes. He placed his hand—no bigger than yours—on the side of my face and said 'I see you'. It is a moment I will remember the whole of my life."

"Were there tears in your eyes then as well?"

"Yes, young one who needs to know everything, there were. The mixture of relief and love that I felt was almost too strong to bear." Rubbing the tears from her eyes she felt those same emotions swell within her.

"I hope that I will find a life-mate that I will love as much as you love Jake."

"What? You haven't seen your future life-mate yet?"

"No. I don't see everything that will happen."

"Just how much do you see of the future?" Neytiri asked, her eyebrow arched.

"Bits and pieces. Sometimes my visions are clear, sometimes they are mere impressions, feelings."

"When did you begin to have them?"

"I've had them for as long as I can remember, possibly since I was born."

"Did you know your parents were going to die?" Neytiri knew it wasn't a kind question, but it was one she needed to ask anyway. Hopefully it wouldn't cause Ralu any undue pain.

"Yes, but I didn't know how or when. I just knew they weren't going to always be with me. I would get glimpses of people that weren't my parents but it would be in a family setting. Like sleeping together, or eating a meal, laughing and playing. Things like that. I never saw Jake's or your faces. I didn't know who you were."

"Until last night." The image of Ralu sitting in Jake's lap as if she had been born there immediately sprang to mind. She had felt the bond between Ralu and Jake all the way across the gathering area.

"Actually it was when Jake was passing through the Eye of Eywa that my vision became clear. While I was bonded with Eywa I saw us together. It was very clear to me that we were going to be a family."

"You're a bit young to be bonding at such a ceremony." Neytiri tried to remember when her mother had first allowed her to bond with Eywa. She was quite sure she was a several years older than Ralu.

"True, but my aunt and uncle were well into their own bonding by the time I found a suitable place to bond. I'm sure they assumed I was still back at the gathering area with the other children."

"It didn't overwhelm you, frighten you?"

"No, not at all."

"You told me that I would have children. Did you see this while you were bonded with Eywa?" This particular revelation had totally caught her by surprise. She always figured she would have them someday. It was the way Ralu had phrased the declaration that had seemed odd. Almost as if she herself felt she couldn't have them.

"No, that vision came to me while I was sleeping between you and Jake last night."

"Do most of your visions come while you are sleeping?"

"Most do, but I can have one in the middle of the day just as easily. I never know when to expect one. But I always know when I'm having one."

"Will you tell me when you get more of your visions?" The answer to this question should be very interesting Neytiri thought as she studied Ralu's face while she answered.

"If it is something that will not cause you or Jake pain, then I would most likely tell you."

"Wouldn't it better if Jake or I knew that something painful was coming? We could prepare for it, or avert it altogether." She smiled inwardly at this ploy that her own mother used often, and effectively.

"Possibly. Until such a vision happens it is impossible to say what would be best for everyone involved."

"You carry a big burden for one so small. I want you to know that I will always be here for you—and so will Jake—anytime you need to share that burden."

"I know you will…Mother? Storms are coming. Some will come from Eywa while others will be of our own making."

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Author's Note:

I am going to post short updates for the next few nights. I will be away for a long weekend so I won't be posting from Friday thru Monday. I will however be thinking about what comes next.

Enjoy.