Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter forty-two of "Gone in the Dark." I decided to have Lo'ak and Tsireya become sexually intimate because I felt Na'vi teens were similar to human teens in exploring sexuality. That does not mean the teens will become a mated pair. Stay tuned for chapter forty-three.

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Chapter 42: Rise and Shine

The midmorning sun beamed its rays on the Cove of the Ancestors. It reflected off the ocean. This made it seem as if it were sparkling. It shined into the cave, where Lo'ak and Tsireya were asleep. They lay on their sides. He had his head on a patch of moss as if it were a pillow, as did she with another. He had his arm around her a little tightly.

Lo'ak stirred in his sleep. He opened his eyes, groaning annoyingly at the sight of blurry vision. He blinked multiple times to clear it. He saw the sunlight on the wall. He shifted his attention to Tsireya, who moved her head somewhat. She suppressed a yawn. She tried again with another one, but she couldn't help herself. She smacked her lips before sighing contently.

He tried not to smile, but he couldn't help himself. He thought his girlfriend looked like an angel. He remembered the first time they fell asleep out in the rainforest and spent the whole night there eighteen months ago. They freaked out and rushed home. They apologized to their parents for being away. They found none of them had been worried at all due to Tonowari's request to leave them alone. They were very relieved. They were teased by their siblings, especially when it came to Aonung and Kiri.

His thoughts shifted to last night. He considered it to be the best night of his life. He was amazed they made love six times. They did it twice before falling asleep. He knew they were unable to get enough of each other. He was glad to have come here to see Rishi within Eywa. It gave him comfort to see her at peace. He hoped to see her again soon, especially in rough times like what his clan was dealing with.

He started thinking about his family. He believed they had already had breakfast and were now tending to the patients. He wondered if more patients had been brought in. He hoped none of them were on the verge of death as he had seen too much already. He hoped Neytiri was getting better and that she had possibly woken up. He prayed he would never see her in such a helpless state again. He had no doubt her wounds would leave scars, which would always remind her of this war.

Lo'ak shook his thoughts out of his head. He knew he needed to get up, so they could head home. He wished they did not have to as he really wanted to stay here. However, he knew they must, especially since they were seen as dependable for providing medical care to patients. He touched her shoulder and shook it in a very gentle way. She stirred and opened her eyes. She turned over to face him, giving him a warm smile. She propped her head with her elbow, her tail moving up and down.

"Good morning, Tsireya," he said in a sweet voice.

"Good morning yourself, Lo'ak," she answered and played with the braid closet to his face. "How do you feel?"

"I feel great," Lo'ak admitted. "How do you feel?"

"I feel great too," Tsireya admitted with a giggle. "I think I could go for a long swim right now."

"I think I could too. Perhaps you could do some backflips underwater," Lo'ak suggested and wiggled his eyebrows.

"I would definitely do that," Tsireya agreed. "You could do some with me."

"Nah," Lo'ak said, shaking his head. "I would rather swim around."

Tsireya huffed. "Spoilsport."

Lo'ak narrowed his eyes at her. "I heard that."

He reached behind her to give her butt a hard pinch. She smacked him on the forehead, an annoyed growl coming from her.

"If you pinch my butt again, you will pay for it," Tsireya said and pointed her finger in his face.

"All right," Lo'ak replied with a slow nod. He pinched her butt again with a loud laugh. "Oops. My hand forgot." He gave it another pinch. "Oops. My hand forgot."

"All right," Tsireya growled and flared her nostrils. "You asked for it."

"Bring it on," Lo'ak said, pushing himself into a sitting position. "I dare you."

Tsireya curled her hand into a fist and pressed it in between her boyfriend's eyes. He groaned before laying down on his back. He spread his arms out eagle style. He twitched three times. He lost consciousness. She looked at him more closely, screaming when he regained consciousness and grabbed her to pull her on top of him. She smacked him in the head.

"Talk about being a meanie, Lo'ak!" Tsireya scolded playfully.

"I love being a meanie!" Lo'ak said with a laugh. He sat up, causing her to do the same. "You are not changing me."

She gritted her teeth before kissing him tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He did the same with his around her waist. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. This made her groan somewhat loudly. They broke apart and gasped for air.

"I have to say last night was the best night I'd ever had in my life," Tsireya whispered with much sweetness.

"Me too," Lo'ak agreed and emitted a soft sigh. "I didn't think it would happen after Rishi's funeral."

"I didn't either," Tsireya commented and cleared her throat. "I look forward to having more intimate nights with you."

"I feel the same way. You were definitely like a force of nature last night," Lo'ak murmured and kissed her forehead.

"You were too," Tsireya replied. "I will say I was the bigger force of nature."

He shook his head. "Unh-unh."

She nodded. "Uh-huh."

He growled playfully and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. He pressed his forehead against hers. They inhaled each other's scents for thirty seconds before breaking apart.

"I love you so much," Lo'ak said in a loving manner.

"I love you too," Tsireya responded. "Always."

Lo'ak and Tsireya were about to kiss when squeaking caught their attention. They spotted June and Meena sticking their bodies halfway out of the water. They moved over to them and petted them on their heads.

"Hey, ladies. Did you have a good night's sleep?" Lo'ak asked, laughing at the duo's happy clicks. "I thought so."

"We'd better get home," Tsireya commented. "I will race you there."

He laughed. "You're on. Last one there is a rotten egg."

Lo'ak and Tsireya stood up and grabbed their clothes. They put on their loincloths and tied them. She slipped on her top and clasped the back. He leapt onto June's back and made tsahaylu with her. She mimicked his movements with Meena. They dove underwater, excited squeals coming from the ilus.

00000

Jake looked out the window of the marui Neytiri was in thirty minutes later. He had his eye on the sky. He observed small clouds moving through it. He looked over his shoulder at her. He went over to her and seated himself in the chair. He touched her forehead. He stroked it with his thumb. He sighed heavily as Tonowari came up behind him.

"The sun is shining brightly this morning, Neytiri," Jake whispered with a sniffle. "I wish you could see the sky. It is mostly clear."

Jake looked down, his hand going to his forehead. Tonowari came to his side while pressing his lips together.

"Hey, Jake," Tonowari greeted solemnly.

"Hi, Tonowari," Jake replied, glancing up at him. "If you are wondering about Max, he went back to get some breakfast. He is planning to head back to High Camp to get more medical supplies. He wants to make sure we are well-stocked. I checked on my kids after I woke up. They have already had breakfast."

"Did Max get a good night's sleep, though he woke up a couple of times to watch Neytiri?" Tonowari wondered.

"He actually did," Jake admitted. "He was rather surprised himself."

"What about you? Did you sleep okay?" Tonowari asked hopefully.

"I slept all right," Jake whispered, standing up. "I believe being near her made me sleep better than I would have if I had been away from her."

"I do not blame you. I did not want to be away from Ronal all night. Being near her helped me sleep well," Tonowari said, warmth coming from him. "I just woke up thirty minutes ago. It is rather unusual for me to sleep in. Ronal said it was best for everyone to leave me alone as I had not gotten a ton of sleep in the last few days. She revealed she had already taken care of breakfast for Aonung, Kiki, and Kipling when she came to check on me."

"That's good," Jake commented and blew softly. He moved his head from side to side in which he stretched his neck. He placed his hands on his sides. "Kids need good food for strong bodies."

"Have any new patients come in?" Tonowari wondered.

"Just one. It was a middle-aged Metkayina man with a gash on his lower right arm. It was not serious," Jake explained.

"Thank Eywa," Tonowari said in relief. He looked up at the ceiling for minute before turning back to him. "I hope we do not see any more severe injuries. Yesterday was a lot, even when it was just three patients."

Jake exhaled sharply. "Unfortunately, we will probably have more warriors show up with such injuries."

Tonowari clicked his tongue. "We will just have to deal with it."

Jake and Tonowari heard talking. They turned to see Lo'ak and Tsireya coming into the marui. They spotted them holding hands. The couple stopped before their fathers.

"Good morning, Lo'ak, Tsireya," Jake greeted.

"Good morning, Dad, Tonowari. We're sorry about staying at the Cove of the Ancestors all night," Lo'ak responded and scratched his neck.

"We just needed time alone," Tsireya added.

"There is no need to apologize. We thought it was best you two be left alone. We had a feeling you two—well, you know," Tonowari commented with a chuckle.

"Judging by your messy hair, it is obvious you did do it," Jake added while gesturing toward the lovebirds' hair.

Lo'ak and Tsireya blushed somewhat. They were astounded at how their fathers figured out they had been sexually intimate. They remembered how Jake told them about teens having sex during his high school days. They saw how it helped them to understand expressing sexuality was normal and not a disease.

"We didn't mean to embarrass you two, but it was not hard to figure out what you two were up to last night," Jake pointed out with a small smile.

"We can tell you we do not regret going further than making out," Lo'ak declared firmly.

"We are glad that you don't regret it," Tonowari said warmly. His face turned a bit serious. "We just have one request."

Lo'ak cringed a little bit. "What's that?"

"Do not talk about your sex life in front of the youngest kids," Jake replied with a raised eyebrow.

"They do not need to hear about that stuff yet," Tonowari added and crossed his arms.

Tsireya nodded. "Okay."

Lo'ak and Tsireya peered over their shoulders at Neytiri. They walked toward her slowly. They stopped next to her, their ears lowering a bit. Jake and Tonowari joined them.

"Still no change in Mom, huh?" Lo'ak wondered sadly.

"No," Jake admitted with a heavy sigh. "You do not have to worry about Max. He got a bit of sleep last night. He is having breakfast right now. The rest of the kids have had theirs. I am sure you two are hungry."

"A little bit," Tsireya answered and sniffled. "It is hard seeing Neytiri like this. I wish she would wake up."

Tonowari eyed her. "All of us do, daughter. We can't make someone wake from a coma like this one. They have to come out of on their own. It can be a long while before that happens."

Jake curled his hand into a fist and put it under his chin. "One thing is clear. She will need our help to recover."

Lo'ak touched his mother's forehead as Tsireya took her hand into hers to give it a gentle squeeze.