Vindicated Pt2: From The Ground Up. Hiromi HigurumaxF!Reader.
Cw: None really, its all kinda fluffy, although Higuruma is mentioned to be a perv once, maybe,....if you squint, SLOWBURN, angst, eventual smut.
Enjoy.
Weak and ugly.
That’s exactly what he thought of you when he saw you for the first time.
Outside of some dingy abandoned hotel, he has become used to this, other sorcerers seeking him out. Yet you weren’t looking like you were ready to fight you looked more surprised at his presence than anything. Like you weren’t looking for him at all.
“You’re Higuruma?”
“I am.”
“Oh, okay!”
He screwed up his face at this, he couldn’t read you at all.
All the same when you started approaching him he readied his gavel, yet he couldn’t feel any cursed energy coming from you. You were no less than 2 feet from the man when you stuck out your hand, that sweet smile he would come to know way too well gracing your lips “So…Let’s not kill each other!”
He was so utterly dumbfounded at this he just started at your hand.
“Oh okay! I get it. Don’t wanna shake hands, understandable.” You put your hands up in a gesture of good faith “I’m friendly.”
“You shouldn’t just approach another sorcerer like that, it’ll get you killed.” He grumbled.
“Well, if you’re the kind of man everyone has been making you out to be then I have nothing to worry about.”
“And if I wasn’t.”
“I would have crossed that bridge when I got to it.”
He scoffed at this, so naive “How old are you anyway?”
“26.”
Makes sense, you think you’re invincible, young and stupid. He thought as he just shook his head at you.
—
That was then, now when he thought of you-
Friend…
Yeah, a friend.
But every time he thought that way something would bloom in his stomach and he would feel the heat rise to his face.
“Higuruma- do you understand the mission at hand.” ichiji’s pointed voice brought Hiromi back to the present.
“Yes,I’m-“
“I’m sure he’s got it! I’ll fill him in if he gets lost.” you joked and elbowed Hiromi in the arm.
The contact caused his face to flush, he could not believe himself. He is 37 years old and he’s getting worked up over a playful jab in the arm.
“Very well then, let’s go.” Ichiji adjusts his glasses heading toward the black sedan.
The car ride is a quiet one, not an uncomfortable quiet, peaceful.
It has been a few weeks since that night and Hiromi couldn’t keep his mind off of it. How you held him while he cried and then had the audacity to ask him if he ate that day. He couldn’t help the small smile gracing his lips.
As fate would have it after that you two had begun to work together on a lot of missions. He would be a liar if he said he hated having to spend all that time with you.
—-
The mission was short, they always were when it was you two; in and out. Some would even say you two were the “A-team” of sorcery.
He loved watching you fight, not even in a perverted way, well kinda. But mostly in a state of amazement.
Your technique and fighting style were graceful and unique to you. He also loved being able to help you improve, getting rid of some of your nasty habits that kept you at a grade 2.
“You’d already be a grade 1 sorcerer if you just got rid of some of those habits.” He would always say and you’d roll your eyes and go “yeah, like what habits?”
“Well for starters; running straight into battle without assessing the situation first.”
“I do assess the situation! As I’m running into it!” You wink at him, a sly smirk sliding across your face.
Dear Christ.
“You’re so lucky you’re strong.” He said with a sigh turning his body from you to hide the smile threatening to break his features.
Your aggravated sigh pulled him from his thoughts, he down casts his gaze to you, you’re looking at your phone. Brows squeezed together in that cute little pout you do when you're mad.
“What is it?”
“Just my stupid landlord again.” You answer as you shove your phone back into your pocket. The same landlord you’ve been having issues with for the last several months, Hiromi is very well acquainted with the issue at hand.
“What did he do now?”
First it was the refusal to fix the heater, then it was the dryer, then it was ac that summer. What could it have possibly be now? All of the above? His expression quickly softened when your pout turned into one of sheer sadness.
“He just randomly decided I can’t have Mable anymore.” Your cat Mable, he’s met her a few times older and sweet, you’ve had her since you were in your early teens.
“He can’t do that, that's illeg-“
“He thinks can, Mable was never listed on the lease, I was an idiot and just asked him if I could move in with her and he said yes.” You shook your head “Sorry for cutting you off by the way.”
He racked his brain, he’s a lawyer well was a lawyer, not a civil one though and it’s been a while-
“I’m just gonna say to hell with it and find a new place, I was getting real tired of him anyway.”
His mouth opened and the words tumbled out before he could even stop them.
“I have a spare room.”
Well kinda, it was his home office, that he didn’t use anymore but it was a room nonetheless.
Silence. He didn’t like that. He felt stupid. Really stupid actually.
He didn’t dare look at you, sweat started to bead on his forehead.
“Okay, sure!”
His heart stopped.
Okay sure?!! All of that silence for an “okay, sure.”??!! This woman is gonna kill me. He thought.
“Okay, just let me know a date, I have to clear some stuff out, we can talk logistics later.” He sounded composed and collected, thank God for having been a lawyer at one time because on the inside he was anything but those two things at the moment.
He had never lived with anyone outside of his parent before let alone a woman……That also happens to be a woman whom raises his blood pressure to an unhealthy level.
“Oh! There’s Ichiji!”
Your voice pulls him out of the recesses of his mind, thank God because he was drowning in there, as per-usual.
—
It had been a few days since that mission, Hiromi would a be liar if he had denied going home that night and cleaning out that spare bedroom. Good thing he was an organized man, so it wasn't a challenge.
He felt a smile curl on his lips as he looked at the empty room, it was actually the bigger of the two in his apartment. He didn’t really feel he needed a large area to sleep in considering it was all he was going to be doing in there.
He was excited, to have a friend like you be so close.
Yeah, a friend.
It would be good for him, he has been rebuilding himself from the ground up and because of you he’s starting to feel he could actually move on from the past.
Not forget but just move on, there was a different kind of peace in that. To not forget his actions but to just continue on knowing there is a future for him just not the one he imagined.
His phone buzzing in his pocket brought him out of his daydream, he’s been doing that a lot lately.
A text message flashed on his screen from you, he chuckled at the name for you in his phone.
Odd One:
Hey, so I was thinking maybe at the end of next week, he wants me out asap if I’m not willing to pay this stupid deposit or get rid of Mabel. I just wanna leave.
Hiromi:
That should work depending on how nice headquarters is with our “days off”
Also I’m no lawyer but I’m pretty sure what he’s doing is illegal 🤔
He chuckled out-loud at his own joke, and then he proceeded to cringe at it afterwards.
God, that was bad. He thought.
He didn’t think on it for very long because you were already replying to him.
Odd One:
Haha! You’re sooooo funny.
You said we still have to talk logistics so do you wanna go get something to eat and talk it over later?
But if you actually just hate me that’s okay too.
He thought two things in that moment.
1st: God, you really are odd.
2nd: How could he get his fingers to work faster at typing any form of “yes”
Hiromi:
Yeah we can, and no I don’t hate you, stop being odd.
Let’s meet at that one ramen place we like at 8.
Odd One:
You mean Sakura’s? I didn’t know dementia started to set in at 37, how sad.
Hiromi:
Just shut up and be there.
On his side of the screen the annoyed tone was anything but. He was giddy in a way a 16 year old boy would be when it came to a “date”.
It’s not a date, idiot. He has to remind himself.
It was casual dinner with a soon to be roommate.
But still the excitement would not leave him and neither would the smile plastered on his face as he slid his phone back in his pocket.
Little bit of a longer chapter there, I’m really enjoying writing this. I don’t really have an idea on how many parts this is gonna turn out to be but as long as I’m still having fun I’ll be here!
I also really,really enjoying writing from Hiromi’s pov, you don’t see it lot and I think it’s because it’s really hard to capture his personality.
So I’m challenging myself (to do things I assume I shouldn’t be doing….I’m sorry I’m stupid.) to keep this series mostly in his perspective but don’t worry readers we will have our moments!!
I really do think Hiromi is very shy when it comes to this sort of thing. He’s never had the time or energy to focus on a love interest or anything pertaining to his wants and needs.
But that’s something for another time, probably in another headcannon list I’m working on -wink wink nudge nudge-
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
Chapter 8
The flight was short to the abandoned operation. Satoru landed his ikran beside yours by a tall grey wall. Turrets were heavily damaged and no longer able to be reprogrammed.
“You really did a number on this place.” You mused.
Satoru felt some pride. He was the most skilled warrior in the clan, this he knew, and yet your words made his tail flick in pleasure. “I know.”
He smirked.
You smiled and rolled your eyes as you followed after him. It seemed as though the earth of this planet had started growing in what used to be RDA. Vines curling up to the top of the walls and weaved between cracks as well as fences.
“You think it’ll be reliable enough for the science team?”
Satoru nodded, “inside should be salvageable. I did not care to destroy much on the inside. Just the Sky people.”
He kicked a vent down and crawled in, beckoning you to follow. It was small and compact, but enough to fit two Navi. Through the different turns, you both made contact with the main control center, everything seemed intact, just offline.
“I destroyed the signal that alerted RDA about any activity. Just in case I had to return for supplies or information.” He nodded, almost very proud of himself.
Smiling, you nodded, “smart.”
“I know that as well.” He smiled tilting his head at you.
Your tail flicked in amusement, a small smile lifting at the ends of your lips. Satoru took notice and his playful smirk softened to a smile. When he realized how the room seemed to fall into a quiet spell, he cleared his throat and smiled playfully once more, “So this is it. Is it to your expectation for your scientist friends?”
You took your time to look around, your eyes scanning. It was fortunate that Satoru had not entailed much damage to the main systems. Only problem was ventilation which could be fixed.
“I think it’s good enough.” You replied thoughtfully.
“I’ll give them the information when I unlink and see to it that they arrive here safely."
Satoru gave you a nod. “Good, perhaps they will be strong allies to us in some shape or form.”
“They’d be willing to help us, only if your clan allows it.”
Satoru’s ears gently pointed back in thought. “It will be difficult to even convince them to engage in these things.” He huffed. “I am scolded everytime.”
Your tail flicked in thought, “There’s always a way.” your voice was soft in reasurrance. “For now, we can find a way to make the ventilation work. We can patch up the broken vents and when the scientists arrive, they can handle the rest.”
Satoru nodded in agreement and the both of you got to work quickly. He went out to look for a strong tree sap found in the tall vine trees, usually used for structural construction in traditional Na’vi engineering. A good sealer, somewhat close to the material used for bathtubs on earth. You handled the construction, using screws and the substance to conceal the building, allowing only limited airflow from the outer world.
Unbeknownst to you, Satoru had been watching your actions in curiosity, intrigue evident in his bodily expression; tail flicking side to side, ears pointed to your direction, and his large blue eyes trained onto your hands. His head tilted slightly as his gaze switched from your hand to your face. Admiring how concentrated you looked. A small smile seemed to tug at his lips, but quickly corrected himself, his ears flattening slightly.
What was he doing..
He decided to walk out of the facility, the technology and odd instruments of the sky people quickly becoming overwhelming. But the thought of you hadn’t left his mind. He knew it wouldnt be allowed, he also knew it would become complicated. What if you had to leave pandora… for good? His tail switched behind him as he found his ikran, gently petting her snout.
“What do I do Ya’oma..?”
She only cooed in response.
His ears folded gently in thought.
He knew what he was beginning to feel for you was a problem. A na’vi and a sky person was unheard of.. Prohibited even. But he couldnt deny the gentle feeling against his chest, how it wouldnt suffocate him. Ysyuli had even noticed, though he attempted to dodge the conversation. He was falling for the beings he swore to destroy. How funny.
“There you are!” You called out to satoru.
Satoru displayed a casual smile as he turned to meet you again, “Finished?”
“Things look sturdy enough.” You paused meeting his gaze, “ Thank you, Satoru, I know this wouldn’t be something you’d usually do for us sky people.”
“Perhaps not.” Satoru smirked gently, “But, perhaps for you.. yes.”
A/N - i know it short but I really wanted to release something to you guys :D i hope you enjoyed!
Desc: studying turns into a confession. But Higuruma decides to show you instead of telling you.
Warnings: sensual and sexy make out session
Gosh this class was a lot more work than you thought. Nothing you couldn’t handle, of course, but just time consuming. Luckily for you, during the period of the quarter in university, you happen to get along with a particular person who you found sitting next to since the first day of lecture. It took a while to actually speak to him, you usually just went to class and commuted back home in an instant. But over the past 8 weeks, you got to know him. Hiromi Higuruma. A pre law student who was quiet but thoughtful and polite. He had a sense of humor, it was subtle, but definitely there. You two got along veeery well and recently things got a little more quiet between you. There was a silent little feeling inching its way in your friendship with him, and higuruma felt it too, though none of you acknowledged it. Hidden glances, slight touches, and soft smiles. Yknow, the cliche things.
But no matter how cliche or cringe one may think, it still makes your tummy jump at the sight of him, or your heart stutter when he was near you. He was very subtle and it was hard for you to decipher between friendly actions or if they had more intention behind them. Gosh you felt like a high schooler all over again.
Higuruma was no different.
He’d steal glances at you when you were studying your notes for the class you both shared. He loved helping you so much, anytime you needed explaining he’d be there, asking you if you understood or needed a different explanation. He was a true sweetheart.
Such a sweetheart that you wished to kiss, touch, or just be in his embrace. You wanted him to so badly run his hands through your body, feel his warmth against you. Oh how you wanted his soft looking lips to ghost the skin of your neck, goosebumps trailing behind his touch.
Higuruma called your name gently as the both of you sat on the rug of his dorm.
Ah, your mind had wandered again.
“Sorry, I think my brain is fried.” You apologized, letting go of the pen in your hands. You watched as it rolled down to the rug beneath you.
Higuruma’s eyes looked down to the pencil and then back to your expression. You looked tired, yet your cheeks had a faint tint of pink.
“We can call it a night. It’s getting late too, I’m sure you have to head home soon.”
Your eyes found the time on your laptop and you straightened suddenly, “oh shit it’s already 12 am.”
You began to close your laptop and gathered your things. The shuffling of your quick movements filing the quiet dorm.
“Yknow, you can stay.” Higuruma offered. “I won’t mind.”
You were slightly caught off guard by his offer. You stopped and looked back down at higuruma who was patiently sitting with his legs crossed.
“I don’t wanna be a bother.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I don’t mind.”
You smiled softly back and nodded, “well, iiif you insist.”
You sat back down beside him, your thigh just barely touching his. He watched you with tired eyes, yet there was a warmth behind them. A certain fondness you did not see.
“You look tired higuruma.” You said as you rested your cheek on your hand.
He smiled just a bit and nodded. “Maybe a little.”
There was a quiet pause. The AC gently humming as you both just watched each other. None of you moved. It wasn’t a tense moment but you felt your heart beat quicken just a bit. A short time stretched until you were not able to hold the contact any longer. Smiling slightly, you looked down at your feet in embarrassment.
Higurumas eyes never left you however. He was smitten and it pained him to just sit beside you and do nothing about it. He was a gentleman, of course, so he wouldn’t force anything upon you. He would admit though that he had curiosity if you felt the same. The question was: should he act on his feelings, whether it be to tell you, or show you. He weighed his options like looking through evidence, trying to make a final verdict. He’d give you time to pull away, he concluded.
He wasn’t going to just touch you inconsiderately, he’d make sure you knew his intention.
He calls your name like it’s the only word he knew; watching as your eyes meet his. Gosh you were gorgeous. He wanted to worship your body like a temple and take care of you.
He found his hand gently lifting your chin, just slow enough for you to pull away, but you don’t. Your eyes remain locked on his; the steadiness of his gaze sending a slight pulse of what felt like excitement to your chest, jumpstarting your heart to beat quicker.
His finger landed below your chin, and he paused, waiting for your approval.
All it took was one glance at his lips and back up to his deep brown eyes.
His thumb gently caressed the edge of your jaw and traced it all the way until his hand rested at the crook of your neck. Guiding you in slowly, he leaned in, his eyes never leaving yours.
Your hand found his thigh, steadying yourself as you turned your body his way. Your breath was heavier and so was his.
“Hiromi..?”
“Mm?”
Your hand found his face and without another word he pulled you in all the way.
Your eyes fluttered shut as his nose brushed yours, angling his head to press his lips on yours. The kiss was soft at first. Almost unsure, like a feather falling onto the surface tension of water. He pulled away just a centimeter, making sure you still wanted this. Gosh he was so caring. So considerate. You wanted to break the surface tension and dive in.
Your hand snaked to the crook of his neck and you pressed your lips against his once more, the kiss being much more intense than the first. He exhaled, a soft groan escaped his throat at the taste of you. He kissed back, establishing a slow and sensual kiss. You licked his lip softly, making his heartbeat stutter at the feeling. He wondered what other places he could feel your soft tongue on. He made way for you and your tongues met. It wasn’t a battle, it was a dance, choreographed by the heart.
Your fingers idly played with the short hair behind his head. You lovingly caressed it, earning another soft noise from higuruma.
The kiss remained slow, yet full of emotion. He kissed like a prince. Nowhere did you find disrespect in anything he did, specifically with you.
Your hand slid from the back of his head down to his shoulder. Latching on, you pulled yourself over him. He gasped softly and he opened his eyes to see you straddling his lap. He panted against your lips, keeping you close. Overwhelmed by this gift you bestowed upon him, he leaned his head back against the couch, the cushioned seat acting as a headrest. He wasn’t touching you now, afraid he would make one wrong move and scare you away. How sweet.
You grabbed his hands and guided them to your thighs, planting a soft kiss at his neck.
Higuruma could just bust in his pants at this point. He could feel his core against yours but he dared not to thrust up to you. His heart beat quickly, he could swear you could hear it if you leaned just close enough.
His grip on your thighs tightened just a bit to feel you, really feel you. He breathed in and out before lifting his head to look up back to you, your noses brushing against each other once more. His eyes were practically telling you everything: how much he wanted you. But not just physically, this man was in love. He’d want to be your everything before ever having the privilege of having you wrapped around him.
He found your lips again, the heat of everything turning into something more intimate. He kissed you tenderly as his fingers drew shapeless figures along your thigh. His lips pressed a small kiss on your cheek before he buried his face in the crook of your neck. He breathed you in, the warmth of his breath tickling your skin when he exhaled. You shuddered and ran your hands over his chest, to his shoulders, and up to his neck. He huffed softly at the feeling before planting kisses on the sweet area of your neck. He licked where he kissed, softly grazing at the skin with his teeth, earning a small gasp from you.
“That feel good..?” He asked against your ear.
You nodded and you could feel a small smile from Higuruma against your skin.
“Tease.” You hummed.
“Not teasing… just want to know what you like.”
With that, he met your gaze again. He lifted his face from your neck and found yours. You were dazed from the moment, and he thoroughly enjoyed that.
He said your name, softly like he always does. “I hope you know that this wasn’t because it was in the moment. My feelings run deeper than beyond just physical.” He said as he reached for your cheek.
You smiled, his words always so eloquent. Your hand found his cheek as well. “Mine do too.”
He smiled at your reciprocation and pulled you in for another kiss. It was slow and romantic. He kissed like the way Jack kissed Rose on the Titanic.
Pulling away you pecked his cheek. “We should get some rest before it gets any later.”
He smiled at you and nodded.
With that the both of you got ready to sleep. Higuruma was just about ready to give up his bed for you to sleep in, but you protested. All for your decision, he held you as you curled beside him, your warmth bringing him and his racing thoughts at peace, at least just for tonight.
a/n: im so in love with him guys its not even funny
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
⸙⸙⸙
Chapter 7 - RDA Facility
Leaving your ikran behind in a safe place, you and Satoru were walking through vent systems. Outside the facility, Satoru was able to find an opening, and punched It down, allowing you and him to walk in without being seen. You felt your senses maximize. You could feel every step of the surrounding AMP’s and even hear what they were saying.
A rumble came from the ground making Satoru stop. You stopped behind him as your heartbeat quickened. It felt deep in the ground. Whatever it was, it was big. Satoru beckoned you to keep moving as both of you crawled through the system. Soon enough there was an opening and Satoru punched through it again. His ears swiveled left and right, checking the perimeter. Outside, were many trucks loaded with material and oil with big RDA lettering on the side. Satoru grimaced in disgust. Not a single green plant laid here.
“Do you know anything about this?” Satoru looked back at you.
“No not much.. I did hear about operations taking place, I just never exactly knew where they were. They are digging in the ground for material. I assume we are in the Silk Woods?”
The facility was gray and sad. The air is full of fumes and chemicals from multiple outlets. The sky seemed darker here, thick clouds hiding the sun’s face. Satoru carefully crawled out, hiding beneath the truck parked in front of you. With his tail he signaled that the coast was clear, and you followed after him. The two of you lay flat under the truck, with your bellies on the ground.
“This place is much bigger than I thought. It’s almost as big as a small town.” You observed.
“It is killing everything it touches. The air feels thick with poison.” Satoru huffed.
You nodded in agreement.
“What should we do?” you turned to Satoru. He was focused on the AMP’s movements, calculating their movements.
“Lets try to gather as much information as we can. We can warn the clan.” He turned to face you now, your beautiful eyes already looking at him. “We can not let them keep this up.”
With a little unease, your tail twitched slightly, “How are you planning to defeat them?”
“We kill them.”
As much as you dispised the RDA, you didn’t know if you would be capable enough to take a human life. Thats not why you became a linguist, in fact it was to keep humanity alive. You figured you could help some other way.
“I..I dont know If I’m able to take a life.” You murmured.
Satrous ears slightly flattened at your words. “You hunt fine. The animals you eat have done nothing to you, yet you still kill them.” He pryed.
“Yes Satoru.. But I don’t eat humans. I am a human.”
Sometimes Satoru forgets that you are. His gaze lowered, he wouldn’t want to kill his own either, but these were Sky people…killing his home. “I see.”
You searched his eyes. “I’m sorry satoru.”
“ I do not blame you. I suppose you have a different Idea on how to do this.”
“I do, you must trust me. For now, we will search the base, see what we find.”
Satoru nodded, “However I will say this, If I must kill, I will.”
You nodded in agreement.
The both of you crept behind containers and supplies that were randomly scattered across the base. Boxes of ammo and weapons for as far as you could see. There was a main chain of command in the center of the base. Large, white letters that were spray painted on the tower, read: Communications. The tower seemed to be connected on top of a large facility that could potentially be tall enough to house something large. Perhaps many labs or AMP storage. It could quite literally be anything.
The ground rumbled again. Every 15 minutes it seemed. You needed to speak to shoko. You also remembered of Haibara; he did mention being stationed in a mining facility, maybe this was it.
“Satoru, we must go back to Hometree.” You whispered.
“We need more information.”
“I know, I have an idea who I could talk to.”
Satoru nodded and the both of you began to creep back to the tunnel you came through. Funny how the RDA had walls as tall as the trees on Pandora, yet had vent like tunnels big enough to fit Na’vi.
You hopped on your ikran farther out into the jungle, where the trees were no longer stumps. Satoru got on Ya’oma, and the both of you flew back to Hometree.
Your eyes focused on the green cushioning as you came to. Pushing out the link machine, you stretched gently. Your duller senses adjusting to the human world. It was like a heavy gloom falling over you. You only ever did wish to stay in your Na’vi body. Sighing softly, you stood up, looking around for shoko, only to find she was nowhere to be found. Your eyes found the clock on the wall and realized it was 4 PM, she must be at the RDA weekly briefing then. Shoko was always in her lab, never wanting to speak to the RDA soldiers unless she had to.
For now, you decided to walk back to your quarters. Many books lay untouched in your shelves, particles of dust beginning to form over the leather covers. You sighed softly as you walked over to your desk where you worked at night, where you assembled slides for your presentation debrief with the Marines. You saw old poloroid photos of your cousins and friends who were back at home. You missed them. You didn’t know if you’d go back to Earth though, it was practically a dead planet.
Your thoughts wandered back to Satoru as you lied in bed, a soft huff escaping your lips, and you closed your eyes. You already missed him. The freedom you feel when flying by him, the gentleness he has when he’s near you, how he placed that little flower behind your ear. You could feel a gentle warmth in your chest, as if he reached out and personally caressed your soul.
Ew corny.
Yet, true.
It wasn’t even the fact that he was handsome, he was charming and fun, but so strong and protective to what matters to him. Damn that Ysyuli lucky. You chuckled to yourself. Perhaps shoko was right, you were falling for your woodland Prince, who wasn’t quite yours.
Shoko entered her lab hastily, practically throwing her laptop and binders on her lab table.
“Fuck this place. Fuck this organization.” she huffed, grabbing her pack of cigs.
Her fingers fumbled over the cover, taking it off and picking one of the white and orange cigs from the bunch. Igniting it, she leaned back against the edge of the table and drew a long, deep, breath. A cloud of grey smoke travled out her nose as she breathed it out. Running a hand through her hair, she heard the door creak open and she turned to see you.
“Shoko?”
Her eye bags were darker seemingly overnight, you had just seen her a day ago.
She smiled a fake smile and signalled you in.
“Hey,” She slumped.
You took note of her appearance, “Everything okay?”
Her smile dropped and drew in another breath of her cigarette. “No… I don’t know what’s going on but It is not good. ”
Concerned, you leaned on the table next to her, “Yeah things aren’t good on my end either.”
There was a pause of silence as Shoko drew in a breath of smoke, “You go first,” she sighed.
“I found a mining facility at the lower end of the Silk Woods. I didn't think it was that big of a project but it is, and they are heavily secured. At lest 2 miles around it is barren land, all the jungle that once grew there had been chopped off, probably was burned down before they built the facility.”
Shoko grew concerned. “So that’s what they are planning. I figured they'd expand to huge operations from here. They have been lying.”
“That means they know it’s wrong.”
“Drill baby Drill, they’d say.” she scoffed, “I was practically laid off today. My presentations are…untrue, apparently, and so after I finished my class for the marines…I was pulled aside and told our lab will have no more further funding, and that it was a decision that had been debated since your avatar’s disappearance."
“What.”
“They don’t want us singing Kumbaya anymore. Your, Our original mission to understand the Navi and help bring a sense of equality between the two is over. We’re being thrown out.”
“And what of everything, the lab, the information our classes to the Marines?”
“It's gone, were done, unless were providing useful info to reinforce military weaponry, we aren’t needed.”
“What will you do now.”
“I dont know. I was planning to move out the team, just not sure where.”
“Fuck.” you murmured.
You paced around the lab, shoko’s tired eyes on you.
“Well this is gonna be a problem.” sighing, you met her eyes, “I was hoping you’d have more information about the expansion, or just anything at this point.”
“I got nothing, They don’t want us making their new trainees, and the people watching on Earth have sympathy over the Na’vi and their home.”
You could feel an uncomfortable anger rising in your chest, snaking to your throat as though you were being choked. “I see,” you mumbled.
The both of you sat in silence in the lab once more, the quiet hum of the AC rumbling up top in the roof.
Stuck. Unsure what the next move was.
You played with your hair, coiling it around your finger. “Well, since they’re so quick to kick us out, why don't we just… I dunno, expose them.”
Shoko looked at you to her left, “How do you supposed we do that?”
“We gotta show people what the RDA doesn’t want them to see. No one is happy on Earth due to human greed. I'm sure many of us know what is wrong now. If we somehow show them, get momentum, and destroy RDA's reputation, maybe they’ll also stop being funded.”
“Who’s to say they won’t kill us for trying that. RDA is military making millions of dollars. You really think a simple movement would bring them down?”
“I have hope that it could.”
“Hope…” shoko drew her cig in, exhaling through her nose.
“Sounds stupid but.. We should try, and besides, Satoru and I will convince the Aranahe to fight against this. Take down their machines.” You thought for a second. “ I know a Marine that also doesn’t stand for this, maybe we can convince more.”
Shoko thought for a moment, “You really think we can pull this off?”
“Like a ripple, we'll start small.”
You woke to dapples of sunlight hitting your eye. Beside you satoru lied a couple feet away. When you moved, his blue eyes opened softly, his tail flicked in curiosity.
“Morning.” he greeted you.
“Morning.”
He sat up and faced you fully, “Did you get any useful information?”
“A lot was happening since I left the base.” You huffed in a hushed voice.
Satoru eyed you with a slight tilt of his head.
“Lets go somewhere else to talk.”
Satoru nodded and stood quickly, beckoning you to follow as he lead you up the tunnels to the higher levels of Hometree. You climbed high right below Satoru, leaping across platforms and running along illuminated tunnels from natural bioluminescence. The green glowing light gently glowing brighter with every step you took. The two of you reached the canopy level of hometree, the breeze slightly stronger with the elevation.
Satoru walked along the thick branch that could practically fit a road in between. He sat down and looked at you. “What happened?”
“The science labs and my classes have been defunded, they are no longer being used. This can be really bad.” Your tail flicked.
“What must we do?”
“For now we must convince the clan to, If the time comes, fight against the RDA. “
“I have been trying to convinve them for the longest time.” Satoru sighed softly, “They are not fond of the idea of fighting and war, saying it’s useless and only brings more death.”
You nodded,” I dont blame them nor do I disagree,” you said gently. “But, if we let the RDA do what they want Pandora will suffer more. Now with our classes defunded, less people will learn about this place and become desensitized…again.”
“We must find a way to keep your classes, I see they mean a lot to you, and to your people.”
You nodded.
Satoru's tail-tip flicked, “There is this place I know about, it is deeper in the farther end of the jungle, the vine forest. There is an abandoned RDA operation I took down months ago. We could reprogram it and get the Sky People who are with us to work there.”
Your ears perked up with hope, Shoko did mention movement, this was the perfect opportunity.
“Lets go find it then.”
Satoru nodded and called after his Ikran, you doing the same. The two wonderful creatures cooed from the trees above and landed on the large branch where you stood. Quickly, you both attached your kurus and flew off the branch, following Satoru.
a/n : hey everyone! sorry for the late update, been busy with uni but i managed to write this over the weekend :)
Food for thought : what if there was a pirate Gojo
I was listening to “One Day” from the pirates of the Caribbean music while studying and it just clicked in my mind. Like imagine kissing Captain Gojo in the pouring rain after saving you. Ugh 🧎♀️
Where Satoru comes over to make Pazookies every Friday with you. Enraptured by sweetness, it leads to a confession <3
Warning : tooth rotting fluff ♡
You and Satoru were hoes for Pazookies. So much so that the both of you decided that every Friday, Satoru would come by your apartment to make a big ass Pazookie for both of you.
“I brought the ice cream and the cookie mix!” He announced brightly.
You helped him with the bags and placed them on the kitchen counter. “I can’t wait, I look forward to this eeeeeevery week.” You smiled.
“Same here, all this curse exorcising has me dying for a sweet treat.”
You chuckled, “When don’t you want a sweet treat?”
“When I'm asleep.” He answered, leaning against the counter.
You shook your head, but a smile still formed on your lips. You and Satoru were close friends, both constants in each other's lives. Which is why you never admitted your feelings to him.
“Alright, let’s get started.” You smiled. Walking to your cabinets, you pulled out two aluminum bowls and placed one in front of Satoru and one in front of you. You then walked over to the stove and turned the oven on to preheat. Opening your phone, “What do you wanna listen to, Satoru?”
Opening a box of cookie mix, he replied, “ah anything.” He smiled.
“Alrighty then.” You said, humming as you scrolled through your playlist. You pressed play, the song landing on Debí Tirar Mas Photos.
“I heard he was gonna do a concert here,” Satoru said, mixing his cookie mix rapidly in the bowl.
“I believe so.” You smiled as you set the phone down and grabbed a box of mix, your shoulders and head moving to the Caribbean beat. You chuckled, “Don’t spill the mix.”
“Me? Never! can’t let this go to waste now, can I?” He smirked.
“Hm, you’re right, your fatass wouldn’t drop a crumb.”
“You love this fatass.” He said, turning and shaking his toosh at you.
You couldn’t help but snort, his remark making you smile. “You’re stupid.”
He couldn’t help but laugh, too. “Okay, okay, on a serious note! Should I add colors to this? Make it into a masterpiece.”
“I mean it’ll probably look like an abomination but.. if you want to.”
“You’re no funnnnn.” He dragged, walking to your pantry and pulling out the box of food coloring. “I’m an innovator, anything I do is genius! Even for pazzokies.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.” You teased, adding the milk, butter, and eggs into your bowl.
The playlist played different songs of different genres, some added by Satoru when he’d recommend a couple.
You'd find yourself singing along to some or dancing. Satoru also tapped his foot or nodded along to the beat of songs.
Small smiles would appear on his lips when he’d hear you sing. He knew how much you loved to sing. He’d remember back when both of you were teens, he had signed you up to the high school talent show on purpose to make you sing in front of the crowd (behind your back). You got really mad at him, but he laughed it off, knowing you’d do amazing anyway, so there wasn’t anything to worry about. And you did do great! And he loved it, every second of it. He and Geto watched with thumbs up as you sang that day, Shoko cheering you on.
“You’re unusually quiet.” Your head tilted, a gentle smile on your lips.
Satoru smiled and shook his head, “Just thinking.” He said casually, attempting to dismiss his sudden reminiscence.
You hummed and turned to your lower cabinets to pull out a large, round tray for the cookie mix. You placed it on the counter.
“Whatcha thinking about?”
He smiled, his gaze gentle on you, yet you couldn’t see or tell, since his blindfold covered his eyes.
“Just when I forced you to perform in high school.”
“Oh my god, I was piiiissed, but honestly, I was kinda glad, I know my ass wouldn’t ever sign myself up for anything like that.”
“You're welcome.” He smiled smugly.
You giggled softly, “Yeah, yeah, thanks.” You set the bowl down, the mix finished, “ready to put the mix in.”
“Oh yeah!” Satoru said, clapping his hands together.
Both of you added portions of your mixes together into the circular cookie tray. Half of it was a mix of blues, reds, and greens, an obvious abomination(but we’ll call it a masterpiece). The other half was a regular chocolate chip cookie.
“See how normal yours looks? You gotta add creativity! Tastes better when you add love to it.”
“It is made with love!” You rolled your eyes with a smile. You grabbed the tray and opened the oven, placing the tray in. Satoru set up a timer on his phone for 15 minutes.
“And now we wait.” He said happily.
You hummed and began to collect the dirty dishes, taking them over to the sink and rinsing them. Satoru helped you, throwing away the empty cookie mix boxes.
It was a comforting moment. Just the two of you existing in the kitchen, the music playing, and the air filled with the aroma of chocolate chip cookie.
Once the 15 minutes were up, you took out the tray from the oven and placed it on the counter, a small piece below it to protect it against the table top. Satoru practically pushed you away from where you stood, his tall figure looming over the giant cookie as if he were examining a sample of something.
You tried to push him away in return, but he didn’t budge.
“Welp, it was nice meeting you, but this is all mine now.” Satoru teased.
“Oh, absolutely not.”
Satoru grabbed a large spoon and attempted to get a taste of the cookie, but you grabbed his wrist that held the spoon, trying to stop him. “You’ll eat this in a second if I don’t stop you.”
“I’ll be sure to save you a piece.” He smiled innocently.
“Liar.”
He laughed at your attempt to stop him. He knew he could easily push you away and turn on his infinity, but he decided against it. He didn’t mind your touch; in fact, at times, he craved it. But he’d never admit that to you.
Smiling, he moved, now gripping your wrist, gently trapping you between him and the counter.
“You're cute.”
You could feel the heat rise to your cheeks.
Satoru observed you, his cheeky smile falling to a gentle one. He sighed softly, “ah well, I guess I could share the Pazookie we made.”
“I would hope so.” You retorted, the pink tint still dusted on your face.
He released you and chuckled. “I’m just messing with you.”
“Yeah, I know.” You said, poking Satoru’s side, making him flinch with a small yelp.
Moving past him, you opened the freezer and grabbed the vanilla ice cream. You opened it and scooped out large scoops of ice cream. Placing them at the center of the oversized cookie. Satoru watched with a watering mouth.
“I just know you’re tweaking waiting for this.” You snickered.
“How could I not!”
Satoru had eaten almost 60% of the Pazookie, leaving you the other 40%, and yet you still feel like you overate. The sweetness of the cookie and ice cream filling you up instantly. Satoru lay beside you, his head on the couch headrest as his hands rubbed his belly.
“That was delicious.” You sighed.
“Mmmhm.” He hummed.
You giggled softly and looked over to him. You watched as he slid his blindfold down lazily, his blue eyes looking over to you now, a cheeky smile on his face. You chuckled softly as his expression, laying your head back on the headrest as well. It was quiet, the only sounds being the music playing on your phone that was still resting in the kitchen. When Satoru was around, you hardly touched your phone, wanting to be present with him at all times. You also noticed Satoru didn’t touch his phone; you only hoped it was for the same reason.
“Thank you for having me over,” Satoru said suddenly.
“Yeah, of course.” You smiled, your head still resting back. “I always have fun with you.”
He smiled at that. “Me too.”
You reminded him that even when things seemed dark, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. With the job you both had, jujutsu sorcerers, he figured it was important to also have some fun. He was so grateful to have you around.
His eyes bounced down to your lips, but he forced them up to your eyes once again. “Next Friday?”
He smiled.
You nodded, “for sure,” though neither of you moved.
It was as if time had slowed. His eyes glowed even though the living room was well lit. It was always his eyes that captured your attention, but not just by the color, but by how expressive they were. You could always tell what he was feeling, or so you thought. The way they seemed to shine when he was happier, or dim when he was low. You’d do anything to make sure they still shined.
You felt a warm touch against your cheek, pulling you out of your thoughts. Satoru looked unsure of his actions, as if it had been an accident. He was never the type to touch, but he definitely welcomed yours any chance he got.
He softly sighed through his nose and gently lowered his hand. “My bad, I didn’t mean-“
“It’s okay, Satoru.” You said softly, placing a hand over his without looking down.
Satoru’s eyes kept flickering down to your lips and up to your eyes. After so many years, he still didn’t have the courage to tell you. Afraid he’d drag you into his world, put you into more danger than you already were in as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Even associating with him in any way was dangerous for you. And yet you stayed.
When he almost died from Toji, you stayed.
When he lost Geto, you stayed.
When he defended Yuji from being killed, you stayed and defended him too.
You were always a constant in his life, and for that, he’d protect you with his.
He wriggled out of your hold on his hand and held yours instead.
Would you stay if he told you how he felt?
He said your name, softly, almost like a question, unsure.
“You’ve always been someone I could lean on. Trust. As dangerous as that is, I never thought twice about it. Moments like these, where we make things together, eat, or even just be absolutely stupid together, are something I hold near and dear to me.”
Satoru was speaking to you in his usual tone, almost borderline enthusiastic. The way it switched from your name to now was something you’d always notice. How he’d say your name softer than anyone else’s.
“And.. yknow I’d never tell you anything that didn’t matter — Well, actually even if it didn’t matter I’d say it anyway-“
You nudged him with a smile, and he chuckled.
“Anyways anyways!” He smirked, “ I just. Even as the strongest, I still feel… fear.” Trying to articulate his thoughts into words. “Not of curses, not of my job, but fear of never telling you how I really feel.”
“Satoru-“
“Let me be serious, please, you’ll never see this again.”
You searched his eyes. The humor attempting to mask the reality of what he was trying to say. You remained silent to let him speak.
“What I feel for you is not something I imagined I’d ever experience. Nor did I feel like I had the right to, and I’d be selfish. But in this world we live in, nothing is guaranteed, and you taught me not to fear my feelings. It’s so hard to do that. But for you, I learned, and I fell in love with you. I fell in love with your mind, your heart, you.” He said, his hands moving around expressively. It’s how he spoke, always with his hands, his expressions so animated.
“And I don’t regret it.” He turned his head forward, his eyes leaving yours.
You couldn’t help but feel stunned. No words coming out of your mouth in that moment. Satoru, the man you’ve been in love with, had just confessed to you that he, too, felt the same.
Satoru chuckled at your silence, “What’d you put in your side of that Pazookie?” He snickered and looked back over to you, “I guess everything I said was pretty corny, huh?”
“No.” You said, realizing he was starting to deflect from his confession. “No, it’s not.”
Satoru visibly decompressed.
“Satoru, I feel the same for you. You show me to be strong and fearless, but you also show me to be true to myself even when others doubt or try to change me. Like those damn higher-ups.”
Satoru chuckled, “I outta cut to the chase with them, shouldn’t I?”
“I won’t answer that.” You smirked.
Satoru chuckled and let you continue speaking. “But what I’m saying is.. I fell in love with you, too. It’s always been you.”
Satoru was able to hold your gaze, and before you knew it, he was leaning in. Your gaze dropped to his lips and up to his blue eyes. His gaze doing the same. In a matter of what felt like minutes rather than seconds, his lips met yours in a slow kiss. As if testing the waters, savoring every taste of you. The kiss was slow and sensual, yet careful. Not wanting to scare you away or overwhelm you. Your hand found his cheek, gently running your fingers from behind his ear to the shorter hair behind his head. Satoru gently pulled away, yet kept himself close to you, his eyes searching yours to make sure you were okay.
“You alright?”
You nodded, and when he was convinced, he smirked. “Probably the best kiss you’ve ever had, am I right?” His cocky persona beaming through again.
You elbowed him in return.
Satoru helped you clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes. You put away the dry ones and tidied up. Everything was clean, and it was time for Satoru to head out.
“That Pazookie was definitely drugged,” Satoru said skeptically.
“Mhm, sure.” You played along.
“I’m serious! When have I ever talked to you like that? I mean, really–“
You kissed him, making that loud mouth of his shut up.
He hummed softly and smiled when you pulled away. “Either way, it was worth it.”
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
✧˖°.
Chapter 6 - Your Bonded
The two of you laughed softly as you finally made it to Hometree. The sun had not yet risen.
Your body was tired, and you were now ready to get some sleep. You found your spot before you left and so did Satoru.
You lay down, and Satoru did the same, your eyes following his movements, and he lay across from you. Satoru couldn’t help but smile. You did too.
“Rest now.” He whispered, slowly closing his eyes.
You closed your eyes too, the small smile still on your lips.
••
“You were linked all night?” Shoko facepalmed. “You’re gonna overheat that thing.”
You laughed, “It was so worth it though. Shoko.. the night, the bioluminescence, and-“
“And Satoru.” She smirked.
You rolled your eyes, trying to hide a smile, “and Satoru.”
She gave you a knowing look. “So you decided to link overnight, and spend it running around in the jungle with the Aranahe Prince and act like there’s nothing going on between the two of you?” She poked.
“There’s nothing going on.”
“My ass.”
You gave Shoko a deadpan look. She only smirked.
“You’re an ass.”
She snickered, “alright I’ll stop…. For now.”
You shook your head with a smile. “Anyway.. how’s your lab holding up?”
“We’ve been good, you bring us a lot of good information and samples so, the Aranahe Binder has been filled with new things.” She smiled.
“Then you’ll love this, Satoru took me to visit their tree of souls.”
You could practically see Shoko’s jaw drop.
“He let you? Did you connect?”
“No, he said once I finished my journey with them. He’s gonna teach me how to get my first clean kill today.” You said.
“Really? I believe after that you get to bond with an ikran too.”
You nodded. “I rode on his before already.”
Shoko shook her head, “Man, you are spoiled.”
You giggled at her words before she nudged you softly. “I’m jealous, you’re living every scientist's dream.”
“Which is why I try to bring back as much information to you guys as possible.”
••
You figured Starou's way of teaching you was to just throw you into the fire. He wasn’t teaching you, no, he just decided to test you right off the bat. You were stalking an Arrowhead deer, following its scent and tracking its footsteps. Satoru watched from above, his body unmoving to make sure he didn’t interfere with your hunt. He has taught you how to use your longbow; now it was just a matter of how well you performed.
Your ears flicked back and forth, listening, detecting. Your feet could feel the small vibrations created by the deer’s steps, and your ears could pick up the slightest shifts of noise. You stalked around, getting a good picture as to where the deer was, and you drew your bow and arrow to prepare.
Behind a long, tall plant, you could see the deer drinking water by the river, its ears swiveling back and forth.
Slowly, you grabbed your bow, placed the arrow between the string, and pulled back. It was still quite difficult to keep it pulled, but you have grown accustomed to the way of life here. You must be strong to survive, and your body responded. Muscles were being built in your body as intended to help you maneuver in this life. You’ve taken notice that you can successfully follow Satoru around without being clumsy. Now that you thought about it, it’s been almost 2 months since your first link day. It didn’t even feel like it, but you figured since each day seemed to bleed into the next, you just lost track of time.
You released the arrow, and it hit its target. You walked toward the kill, a hand placed gently over the Deer’s eyes. “I see you, brother, and I thank you. Your spirit will run with Eywa, while your body will remain and become part of the People.”
Satoru made his way down the tree and followed you over to where you made your first clean kill. “About time.” He teased.
You smiled and rolled your eyes. “Not my fault, you just made me hunt for almost 3 hours.”
“Hours?”
“A long time.” Your tail flicked.
“You kept missing. That is not my fault.”
“Well, you are my teacher, so it kind of is.” You replied smugly.
“Oh, hush.” He dismissed as he crouched to look at your successful hunt. Your arrow has struck right between where its breathing hole was. You did it, you really did. Satoru was proud to see your progress. He knew you’d attempted many times, sure you’ve hunted successfully in the times you’ve tried, but this was the first clean one. A sign that you were ready to make your journey to the Ikran Rookery.
“You are ready.” He said, looking over to you now. “I will speak with the Tsahik and Olo’eyktan to arrange your journey.”
You smiled, your ears swiveling forward. “Thank you.”
You carried your prey over your shoulders as you walked through Hometree to set it down for the clan leaders to inspect. Many members looked pleased, or genuinely surprised a Sky person had been able to learn so much.
“Quite impressive.” The Tsahik inspected the catch.
The Olo’eyktan gave you a nod. “She is ready, Satoru, you and Ysyuli may now see that this Hunter is bonded to an ikran.”
Ysyuli?
Oh my, was she beautiful. The Tsahik in training, it seemed, wore vibrant colored clothing. Yellows, purples, and soft blues. Her eyes were also blue, just not as blue as Satoru’s. She had yellow and blue, face & body paint, shaped into swirls and dots around her face. She had a headpiece with white stones, almost resembling a crown, with feathers attached near the area beside her ears.
She greeted you with her hand pointed to her forehead and then gracefully lowered it in a way that felt respectful. You remembered what it meant.
“I see you.” She smiled gently
Respectfully, you mirrored her movements, “I see you.”
Satoru did the same to Ysyuli, just a little more rushed, which made his father swish his tail. You took notice but Satoru didn't seem to care.
With that, the three of you were off. You huffed as you followed Satoru and Ysyuli up to the rookery. Clutching the vines as if your life depended on it, which to be honest, it did. One slip up and you were surely dead. You took the Tsahik’s advice, and you didnt look down, knowing very well you’d feel dizzy and weak-kneed. The climb involved many obstacles, almost like a marine boot camp, except it was on floating cliffs… making it a billion times frightening.
The view was ultimately the real beauty of the journey up; you could see miles upon miles of jungle, green overriding the blue in the sky. It was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever experienced in your life. The shrieks of the Ikrans farther up signalled to you that the three of you were near.
Satrou stopped in front of a cave, various vines decorating the entrance and falling over the rock.
“Beyond this point, you will find the Ikran Rookery. Once you pass the waterfall, you will be able to choose your bonded, and they will be able to choose you.”
You nodded, the nerves in your body threatening to spill out, “How will I know when it has chosen me?”
“They will try to kill you.”
“Ah.. well.. that's nice.” You smiled through the fear.
Ysyuli gave you an encouraging nod, and Satoru gave you a small smile. There was a sense of comfort coming from him. His gaze was steady, and you could tell he believed in you. With no other word, you pushed past the vines and entered the dark cave, following the bright light at the end. You heard the waterfall roaring down the cliff. When you reached the bright end, you looked down. Gosh, you regretted that. You huffed and closed your eyes before shaking your head gently. Your tail flicked, and you turned a left corner before finding a huge clearing filled with colorful Ikran. Oh, how gorgeous they were. Some were blue with yellow streaks, red and green, yellow and purple, green and blue, turquoise, and the list goes on. Your ears flattened from the stress, but you were ready. Unhooking the lead provided to you from Ysyuli, you walked almost sheepishly into the rookery. It was just barely awkward, wondering if you were doing this right, most ikran were either flying away from you or just ignoring your presence.
Your tail flicked, contemplating. You approached a purple one, but it shrieked and jumped off the cliff, gliding down to another. You then approached a yellow one that looked awfully like a Banana Python, and it flew away.
You hissed in frustration.
“Cmon..” you murmured.
“How are things with you and the Sky person,” Ysyuli questioned as they pushed past the vines, going to check on your progress.
“It is good. She is a fast learner. As you can see.”
“I see. You’ve grown fond of her?”
Satrous tail flicked, “she's a good friend.”
Ysyuli couldn't help but laugh, earning a confused glance by satoru. “I see the way you look at her, as if Eywa stood before you.” She teased.
Satoru groaned almost like a hiss, “She is a sky person. Besides, we are to be mated.”
Ysyuli’s tail flicked, “Yes, I do not exactly want to be mated to you.”
Satrou chuckled, taking no offense. “I do not either.”
“Perhaps maybe once, I will support the trouble you bring.” She smiled.
They rounded the corner, making sure to be silent as they spotted you. Satoru wore a slight amusement in his eyes, watching as you struggled to find an Ikran.
It was almost as though all hope was lost; no ikran dared nearing you. Was it because they could sense you werent a true Na’vi? It couldn't be. Even a pink and purple one had rejected you, that one hurt for sure.
You spun your lead, hoping that maybe if you showed some form of aggression, one will be willing to challenge you. “C’mon!” You bared your teeth.
Behind you, you could feel a presence; it was silent but there. You stopped your actions as the sound of a low rumbling hiss sounded behind you. Your ears flicked to the source, and you turned slowly. A large Ikran, the colors blue and gold with turquoise, was hissing at you as it clung to the cliff. It began to climb down, its eyes trained right on you.
This was it!
Your ears gently rose up; this was your only chance. Spinning the lead you began to approach the ikran, making sure to keep a confident stance. It hissed and snapped at you, yup, this was the one.
You lunged at the ikran, trying to tie its snout shut; it snapped at you again, but you were quick and retracted your arms. In a ready stance, you tried again, moving side to side like evading an opposing basketball player, and tried to wrap the lead around the snout again. You managed to place it on, but the ikran shook its head, discarding the lead over the cliff. You were left with no lead.
Shit
You had no choice but to just get on it. You ran around the ikran, attempting to confuse it. Of course, it snapped at you in every direction it could reach, in your final diversion you hopped onto the ikran’s neck and reached for its kuru. Dragging yourself over its body, you wrapped your legs around the ikran’s long neck while you grabbed your kuru and finally connected them.
You’ve never felt such strength. The ikran’s heartbeat, strong, like millions of horses running, shaking the earth.
Satoru watched with pride, a smile on his face; Ysyuli sharing the same expression.
She yipped, and Satoru ran to you and your ikran.
“You must take flight now! Seal the bond!”
He instructed.
“Let’s fly.” You said, gently patting the ikran’s neck. Without a warning, it jumped over the cliff. The way your stomach felt was like no other, not even close to how roller coasters would have you feel. You were shrieking as your ikran fell into a free fall, both of you screaming like lunatics.
“Cmon, just fly normally PLEEEEEEASE!” The wind carried your voice, unsure if the ikran could understand; it did, and soon enough, you were flying…normally.
Your heart was beating out of your chest, but you managed to smile; you had done it. You felt the wind in your hair, ears, and tail.
Above, Satoru watched, a smile on his face once again.
“YES!” His tail flicked enthusiastically behind him. Without a second to spare, he called for Ya’oma. She landed beside him, cooing as he connected to her and flew off the cliff to join you.
“You did it!” Satoru called out.
Surprised, you smiled as he joined your side. “I did!”
The two of you flew side by side, laughing and enjoying the wind as if that’s what life was intended for.
You held on with your legs, securing your body on the ikran, you raised your arms up and took a deep breath. Satoru glanced towards you and kept his gaze on your free state. He couldn’t help but feel a small burst of warmth over his chest. Surely it was pride? He did teach you very well. He figured that’s what the warmth meant. He now flew above you, and you looked up to meet his blue gaze, and for a moment, you felt as though the moment itself was special. He has a certain look in his eye you couldn’t quite figure out. Adjacent to a soft gaze.
Ysyuli called to her gorgeous ikran, being yellow with streaks of white and a darker yellow. She connected her kuru and joined both of you. She pushed past you two and smirked.
“I will see you two at Hometree.”
You did the farewell sign language, and so did Satoru. He turned to you once she was gone. With his bonded, he playfully tried to knock you off course, earning a smile from you. You did the same to him, and Satoru laughed, throwing his head back.
Flying felt so free. The two of you had been making your way back to Hometree, just by taking the long scenic route. You’re ikran flew low, close to the rushing waters of multiple rivers. Satoru is right behind you.
You followed the curvy paths, dipping your hand into the water as your ikran flew while slightly angled, allowing you to reach out comfortably. Satoru smiled at the sight and caught up to your speed. Once your ikran had gone back to its horizontal angle of flying, Satoru was suddenly gone. You looked around in confusion before your body sensed a presence above you.
You looked up, and Satoru was inverted for a second as the ikran spun gracefully in the air. Practically showing off its flying skills at this point. He lowered his ikran to your level now, laughing.
“You should have seen your face!”
“I’ve never seen anything like that.” You giggled.
Both of you flew deep into the jungle, dodging vines and branches like a sport. But as you were flying, Satoru suddenly came to a stop at the edge of a clearing. The clearing lacked millions of trees. Your heart sank at the sight; multiple tree stumps lay on the ground, lifeless and gray. The two ikrans hovered, flying in place, squawking and also seemingly evaluating the sight before them.
Your eyes scanned the plain earth, only to find a facility at the center of it all. An RDA facility. Your ears flattened slowly, and your eyes were wide.
“It’s not safe here.” You insisted.
“No, but I am going to take a look.”
“No, Satoru, they’re dangerous; there could be more than what the poaching operation had.”
“I do not care. I’m going to look.”
You hesitated at his stubbornness but, sighing softly, you gave him a nod.
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
You sighed softly as Haibara, one of the marines from your linguistic training class, who did pay attention during session, came up to you once the training had ended. Most marines well on their way to chow.
“You look tired.” He said, adjusting his bag.
You smiled, “yeah just, a lot going on.”
He hummed, “Yeah I feel you. Heh.. feels like I’m doing a whole lot of everything I didn’t think I’d end up doing.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged, “I’m not really supposed to talk about it.” Hairbara said with a small smile. “I suppose just getting paid to do so much damage.” He said. “But I wanted to let you know I’m being stationed by the Silk woods to keep security over a large operation that the RDA is doing there. Just so that my absence is covered.”
You perked up at his words, “what kind of operation?”
“Not supposed to say much about it, again. But I guess they’re just mining materials.”
You hummed. “Right, well, come back soon, yeah?”
Haibara smiled, “can’t miss my favorite class.”
You chuckled and waved at him as he started towards the door.
“Oh and doctor?” Haibara paused before going down the hall. “I don’t stand for any of this. I get scolded for thinking the way I do. But.. I can tell you don’t either and just wanted to let you know that you can trust me.”
You felt taken aback but you didn’t let it show, “of course marine, thank you.”
“Haibara, ma’am.”
“Haibara.” You gave him a nod with a smile. “I’ll see you around.”
With that he gave you a final nod and left down the hall. You couldn’t help but feel a slight bit of hope. If one marine thought this way then others might too. You were just glad you had one more person to trust.
•••
Night seemed to prolong and you lay awake in bed. The AC of your room singing a steady hum. You couldn’t sleep, worry taking over your mind as you thought about the sudden expansion. It felt as if you were caught between two worlds, which you kind of were, yet you favored one. You shifted to your side, then the other.
By the time you had reached the Aranahe Hometree in your avatar earlier, everyone had already gone to sleep except for the Na’vi standing guard by the entrance tunnels. You placed yourself between a small family and Satoru. His eyes opened slightly as he watched you quietly get comfortable beside him. He smiled gently to himself. He has grown accustomed to you, the more time you spend together, the more interest he had in you. The tip of his tail flicked ever so slightly, and when you were finally breathing in a steady rhythm, he gently placed his tail beside yours, touching gently. He knew you couldn’t feel it, you weren’t linked any longer. He wondered what life you lived outside of his world.
You tried closing your eyes again, but it was futile. You sat up and groaned, the link was calling to you like the Green Goblin’s mask. Perhaps it’ll help clear your mind. Besides, you hadn’t experienced the full night of Pandora.
Your tail twitched beside Satoru’s and your ears flicked back and forth before your senses came to. You held yourself up with one arm. It was quiet and dark, the only light being the bioluminescent moss on the roofs of the dens. You carefully stood up, not wanting to wake any of the sleeping Aranahe. You started towards the Tree tunnels, attempting to find the exits again.
Though you thought you were silent enough, Satoru was a light sleeper and when he felt your presence was gone, he followed after you quietly.
You pushed through the various brush, climbing large platform-like fungi that spiraled up to the top of a large tree. You didn’t need light, for you had the bioluminescence that took your breath away eveytime. You allowed yourself to wander, to experience the night before the sun rose.
Not too far behind you Satoru followed, you were still unaware, fully immersed into the world around you. You found a gentle creek, crouching, you dipped your hand in, allowing the freshwater to soothe your worries for now.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
You jumped slightly at the sudden voice. “Satoru? You’re awake?” You said, turning over to look at him. He was crouched behind you, a smug little smirk on his features, happy he scared you.
He gave you a slow nod. “You should really pay attention to what is following you.”
“I wasn’t exactly looking for a lesson right now.” You replied.
He chuckled softly, “I know.”
He joined you beside the water, also dipping his hands in and then drinking out of them. You watched him intently. He felt your gaze and turned to face you, a smile forming at his lip’s ends.
“Like what you see?”
“Ppffftt.” You rolled your eyes. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself now.”
“Hmm you know it’s true.” He chuckled with a flick of his tail.
“Not true.” You said with a lifted chin, though a smile threatened to peak through your poker face.
Satoru smiled, his canines shining through.
He suddenly stood up and jumped over the creek, flicking his tail at you,“Come.”
You smiled and rose too. With a smile of his own he began to walk quickly through the forest. By now you had already mastered your movements as you traveled in the brush dense environment. You were no longer slow and were able to keep up behind him.
Soon the both of you were running and laughing. Feet quick as you followed him through lakes, the pathway being large roots that stretched far enough to walk across bodies of water on. Neon blues, greens, pinks, purples, and oranges littered the world around you. The earth reacting to your feet as your steps lit up into a lighter blue or green, depending on what you stepped on.
“Satoru no!”
He had pushed you into the water with an evil laugh, his ears and tail flicking in amusement. He crouched above on the root you were previously on.
“How is the water?” He teased.
You hissed at him playfully and he did it back. He stood up and before you could protest he dropped into the water beside you, the splash making you turn away so that it wouldn’t get into your eyes. He submerged and laughed playfully as his white hair covered his eyes. You laughed uncontrollably as you reached out and gently moved his hair from his eyes, only to reveal that he was already looking at you. He laughed softly beside you. You returned his gaze as your laughter died down.
He began to swim to the shore, helping you out by grabbing your arm, pulling you gently. You managed to slip on some algae and he caught you, making you both laugh again. You steadied yourself, holding onto his broad shoulders, your tail swishing behind you to find balance.
“I got you, I got you..” Satoru helped you regain your footing. Your eyes met his blue ones, which seemed to glow brighter under the brightness of the night. He gently reached out and moved a stray strand of hair that was stuck on your forehead. “Clumsy.” He smiled.
You rolled your eyes and walked past him, your hands on his shoulders sliding away from him now. You flicked your tail at his face. He smirked as he followed after you. He gently pulled on your tail, earning a gasp from you and you turned around sharply.
He wore a toothy smile before you rushed back at him, attempting to pull his tail as well. Though your efforts were ineffective. He was too good at keeping you away. He was smug about it, of course.
He led you down a pathway deeper into the jungle until the both of you reached a dark cave. He gently grabbed your hand and led you in.
“There is something you must see.”
He led you deeper into the cave until there was a rocky clearing. The both of you climbed up and inside, there was a large tree looking organism. It had branches that spread up but the leaves looked like jellyfish tendrils that drooped down to the cave floor, much like a willow tree that once lived back on Earth.
“The tree of souls.” He said softly, “we use this tree to speak to our ancestors, to those who’ve passed and reunited with Eywa.”
You looked up in awe. It was such a bright pink and purple, so dazzling in the dark, almost magical. You crouched before falling to your knees. It almost made you emotional, how sacred it felt. Your ears folded slightly back, the presence of the Mother felt powerful here.
He smiled softly and knelt beside you. “Once you complete your journey with us, you may connect and experience the Mother herself.” He said “I will get you there.”
You gave him a grateful nod. “And in return I will ensure the safety of your clan's future.” It was a big promise. You didn’t even know it was one you’d be able to fulfill but you trusted yourself and the people helping you.
You felt a warmth against your tail. It was Satoru’s. He shifted closer and looked around him before reaching to a small patch of green in the ground. It was a small flower glowing a bright blue, somewhat similar to Satoru’s eyes, that he plucked from the little patch. He gently picked it and looked over to you before placing it between your ear and your hair. His hands dropped gently to his lap, a small smile on his lips. You smiled back.
“A present.” He smiled. He flicked his tail away from yours and stood up again. “We should go back and get some sleep while we still can. Tomorrow you will have your first clean kill.” He said confidently.
You smiled as you watched him walk towards the cave exit. Before you followed, you gently touched the flower beside your ear. A warm feeling on your chest. A woodsprite softly floated down to you, landing in front of you on the cave floor. Your hand dropped from the flower and you placed them on the ground, watching the organism closer.
“What are you trying to tell me..” you said softly.
But of course it didn’t reply. It only floated up once again, spiraling around you, before it seemed to disappear into the cave ceiling.
Satoru's voice called after you and you jumped realizing you’d stayed behind for a little too long. You stood up but tripped over yourself before continuing down the path to meet up with him.
“Ouch..”
tags:
@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa444
@hartistasinombre
@terisek-96
A/N : ugh i love this chapter so much, just wanna write a whole detailed scene of them being whimsical and just tooth-rotting hopeless romance.
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
Forgot to tag ahh! :
@hartistasinombre
@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa444
Chapter 4 - RDA expansion
Satoru had left you to yourself in the morning. He figured you knew your way around well enough to start the day however you wanted, besides, he had duties he needed to take care of.
He patrolled the terrain looking for any signs of Sky people, smelling the ground, ears flickering around. There was a faint smell, but it wasn’t as strong. He decided to follow it, and eventually the smell became pungent and strong. It was the scent of death. Too much death. His tail flicked, and he followed the scent. As he arrived near a clearing, he stopped.
RDA AMPs were surrounding the area protectively. Inside, there were cages and tents sheltering clusters of Sky People. Some cages had animals in them, while others were open, only to reveal dismembered animals. Teeth and tusks were in piles, while different arrowhead deer were stacked above each other. His ears flattened in disgust and sadness, wide-eyed. His heart was racing. Why would anyone.. do this..? His tail drooped at the sight, and anger took over soon after.
He watched in horror as the cages themselves seemed to torture the organisms inside them. Unable to watch any longer, Satoru turned away and ran a couple of yards away to call to his ikran. A beautiful, cloudy-white Ikran flew down from the clouds, landing just a couple of feet from Satoru. His bonded had dark and soft hues of ice blue, mixed with streaks of turquoise, as if the blue sky were trying to break through a sheet of clouds.
“Tam tam Ya’oma.” He said softly as he gently placed his hand against his ikrans' snout.
“Ready for some fun?” He smiled, connecting his braid to the ikran and hopping on.
You sat beside some clan members, not entirely sure what to do as your guide had been gone recently. You’d find yourself asking to learn some new skills from weavers or even hunting on your own… or well, trying to. You weren’t exactly skilled at the longbow just yet. You managed to find things to throw into the contribution basket as well, earning some smiles from the clan, which made you feel more and more welcome.
“Where is Satoru?” The Olo’eyktan said out loud, more of a demand than a question itself. The clan leader’s tail flicked with annoyance.
Many members were looking around or shrugging, and others were making comments.
“Probably getting into some trouble.”
“Hopefully not tangling himself with another Sky person; it’s bad enough we have one.”
The Olo'eyktans' tail switched side to side like an angry feline as he looked down at you. You were crouched over a plate of fruits you had picked earlier from the shared kitchen. His voice came out surprisingly calm. “Do you know where he is?”
You shook your head, but just as he was about to return to his quarters, in came Satoru, rushing like he was on a mission. Your ears perked up towards his direction.
His father also looked to Satoru.
“Father.. the Sky People.” He began. “They were killing the animals. They were killing so many.”
Your ears slowly folded down in shock.
“I made them pay. I killed them.” Satoru hissed.
The Olo’eyktan hissed right back, “I’ve told you not to engage with them. You will bring their kind here, and they will kill all of us.”
“I’m not going to watch as Eywa’s creations are being destroyed!” Satoru argued. “It is not natural.”
“Son-“
“No. We can not sit here and ignore that the Sky People will not only kill us, but they will kill everything.”
Your ears folded away in shame, but his words lingered in your mind. The RDA has resorted to poaching now? You made sure to talk to Shoko later about this.
“I told you to leave it alone, son. Your duties are within this clan and making sure the clan is safe. There is no time to tangle yourself with the Sky People and endanger your people. Risking us to be found.”
Satoru hissed in frustration and walked away, his tail flicking side to side as his ears were folded away.
Concerned, you followed him.
“Satoru?” You called as you began to slowly catch up once both of you were outside Hometree.
Satoru didn’t stop, frustration clouding his mind.
“Satoru, wait!” You said before running up to him and gently touching his forearm.
He stopped and slowly looked back at you.
You sighed as your eyes searched his blue ones. “Satoru.. are you okay?”
“This is your fault.” He hissed.
“My fault?” You said as your ears folded back, your tail flicking behind you. “How is any of this my fault?”
“Your people. The insanity in your minds.” He hissed, “Why did you not stop them? Did you know about this?” He said, now standing in front of you.
“I knew nothing of this.”
“Lies!”
“Satoru, please! I had nothing to do with this.” You huffed, “I learn, I teach, I preserve.”
You walked closer to Satoru, facing him head-on, keeping your chin up. “I don’t kill.” Your tail flicked behind you as you tried to stand for yourself.
Satoru knew he was in the wrong for blaming you; he just couldn’t understand how anyone could think that killing anything for no true purpose was okay.
“No.. no, I know. I am sorry.” He said softly now, he couldn’t look you in the eye. Your ears relaxed, your expression turning to one of concern.
“I believe you, you know, I know what my people can do and why they do it,” you said softly, “it’s not for good reason.”
Satoru eyed you now, his tail gently swishing behind him. His ears turned to you as he faced you fully.
“Do you know how to fix this?” He asked, almost like a whisper.
Your ears gently folded, “Not really….” You met his eyes, the sun above casting its rays in ways that made them look like crystalline pools. “But I will do anything and everything I can do to stop this.”
He gave you a small smile, “It will be hard alone.” He said gently.
You nodded. “I have some help. Not all of us are the same, Satoru. There are sky people who care.”
He gave you a nod. “I believe you.”
There was a beat of silence. The jungle's breeze being the only thing between the two of you.
“Can I show you what I saw?”
You gave him a nod, “Please.”
He turned. You assumed he was getting ready to sprint into the jungle, but instead, he called out to his Ikran once again. The gorgeous flyer swooped down, flapping its large wings as it screeched once it landed.
Your mouth did an “o” shape, ears forward in surprise. You laughed, and Satoru turned to you with a smile.
“This is Ya’oma.” He said, “She is Ikran, bonded for life, unlike the dire-horse.”
Satoru’s gaze shifted down to your hand before gently grabbing it. He led your hand and softly placed it on Ya’oma’s snout. His gaze fixed on your expression. He watched as you smiled, a smile of his own creeping into his face.
“When you are ready, you will bond with one.”
You met his gaze, your smaller canines showing through your smile. Satorus chest felt warm before he chuckled softly and released your hand.
He connected his braid, “This is Tsaheylu, bond. It is what seals a lifetime of loyalty to each other.”
You hummed softly.
Satoru’s tail flicked, “Come, get on.”
You did as told and hopped on Ya’oma behind Satoru.
“Hold on to me, yes?” He said as he guided your forearm around his torso.
You nodded and held on to him, his abdomen strong against your fingers.
He yipped, and Ya’oma took flight.
You were in awe, the wind in your hair as the Ikran flew higher, exposing large extensions of the jungle below. You suppressed a wave of emotion by just the sheer beauty of the view. Clouds of fog encircling tall trees. The green against the blues and yellows of the sky.
“It’s beautiful.” You said, almost like a whisper in the wind.
Satoru smiled softly, “It is why we must protect it. Why we must fight for it. But.. Father doesn’t agree with what I do.”
“Why not?” You ask.
“You heard him. I am endangering the clan. Saying I’ll attract danger.”
“He's not entirely incorrect… but if you let the RDA do what they want, they'll only oppress you and the jungle you love more. Why do you think we left our planet and found yours?” You said solemnly.
Satoru’s ears twitched. “What happened to your planet?”
You sighed softly through your nose, your arms shifting around Satoru. “We killed her.” You said shamefully. Your ears folded slightly, “There is almost nothing green left. In my world satoru, there is nothing left because of greed, money, and ignorance.”
“I am sorry.”
“It is our own fault.” You replied softly.
Ya’oma landed in the mess, arrows in between many RDA machines and soldiers. You were quite impressed that Satoru managed to eliminate a whole operation on his own.
Satoru crouched by all the arrowhead deer, gently placing his hand over them. His expression was full of sadness and frustration, tail flicking left and right, ears folded all the way down. You looked around the tents for any information you could talk to Shoko about once the sun hid away from the sky. Tail flciking in despair, you saw all the amounts of deceased animals. From large ones to smaller ones. You found some files that were resting on a table under a yellow canopy and opened them.
Poaching operations
Arrowhead deer Bust = $10,000
Hammerhead Titanothere frills = $ 200,000
Hammerhead bust = $1,000,000
Transportation to Earth every Sunday 2300 at night.
They were poaching. Have we learned nothing..?
You turned over to Satoru, who was looking around and collecting his arrows, placing them in his Ikrans pouches.
“They are poaching them.” You said softly as you walked up to Satoru. You held up the files you had found. “I must return to the RDA Base.”
Satoru eyed you, “Will you return..?”
“I promise I wont be long.” You smiled softly.
Satoru smiled, “Please come back soon.”
“I will.” You said gently.
Satoru looked at you with gentle eyes. “Thank you for this.”
You smiled at him.
You ran as fast as your feet could take you. Luckily, most scientists knew what you were doing undercover, for they didn't agree with the RDA’s operations. They helped you have a low profile.
You knocked at one of the building windows, signalling a shocked shoko to come outside. She used the doorway the biologists used to go to the jungle for samples. Shoko emerged with a face mask and looked up to you.
She said your name in surprise seeing your RDA attire long gone and now equipped with gorgeous colorful clothing from the Aranahe clan.
“You must have this.” You said urgently. “I’ll explain more once I return to my human conciousness.”
Shoko nodded and took the files from your blue hands. You gave her a final nod before disappearing back into the jungle.
•••
Shoko blew a puff of smoke. “Poaching huh,” she said, flipping through the pages scanning at the prices for the animals.
“I would have thought we learned our lesson by now,” she said disappointed.
You tapped your fingers against the black table top. “I thought so too. But I guess all people care about is money… still.”
Shoko nodded in agreement. She tapped her cigar on the ashtray and placed the papers down.
“Is there a way we could stop this?” You asked, hopeful.
“I’m not sure, worst case scenario, you and Satoru could just eliminate all small operations manually.” She said thoughtfully. “I’ll tell you this though, they have much larger things going on. The poaching is the smallest concern for the Na’vi.”
Your eyebrows furrowed, “what do you mean ‘smallest concern’? What do you know Shoko?”
You were now standing straight, arms crossed.
“I had told you, not much.” She huffed, “Though I overheard some conversations saying they’ve built other RDA mining projects in other locations of the Kinglor forest. It’s not hard to spot, most of the forest turns grey and polluted in response.”
“So I have to kill my own?”
Shoko sighed softly, “you can try the peaceful way.” Shoko said, putting her hands on her pockets. “ Don't expect them to care or listen.”
You nodded, “I won’t be killing anyone, but… I’ll break down the machines, deactivate AMPs; Just don’t think Satoru would do the same.”
“I can’t say I blame him.” Shoko said.
The outside world was dark, the bioluminescence of the forest peaking through the shadows deeper in the jungle.
“I wish I could just… stay in the jungle. It’s like my body desires the freedom.. the nature… the connection.”
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
༄
Chapter 3 - Two Lives
Your eyes opened to a turquoise green jelly-like foam. Ah, your link. You groaned as you realized you had transferred back to your real body. You couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing, feeling so free and whimsical…
“Hey!”
You softly gasped at the sudden opening of your link door, revealing a woman with short brown hair and caramel colored eyes, a small beauty mark on the right side of her face.
“Where’s your avatar?” she questioned, helping you up from the link bed.
Feeling slight sleep inertia, you rubbed your eyes.
“My avatar?” you hummed. Oh shit, that’s right. You were supposed to return in your avatar body…here.
“Reports say the Marine who was accompanying you on your first day out was killed. That an arrow shot right through him,” she sighed, “Your first day out and you already lost your avatar. What happened out there?”
You blinked as your senses came to. “I found the Aranahe,” you said, “All of them.”
The woman stared at you. “No one has seen the Aranahe in a long time after the RDA drove them out of here. How's that possible? Our binders barely have any information on them.”
“We were attacked by one of them. He had white hair. The son of the Tsahik. I remember seeing him in your database before entering the transfer yesterday.” You said.
“Yes… That's the last known Na’vi we’ve seen around here, but we've only captured a picture of him once; we don't know much about him,” the woman said, lighting a cigarette. She took a minute to dust off the end of the cigarette on an ashtray. “Shoko Ieiri.” She introduced herself. She watched as you stood up and introduced yourself as well.
“Well, since you somehow got the trust of the Aranahe, why don't you help my lab out? We've been meaning to learn more about them.” Shoko released a cloud of smoke, “Maybe we can reason with the RDA not to destroy more of their home, I mean, that's the sole reason we left ours.”
You nodded. “Yeah, I can do that. I did tell them that I was hoping to bridge our species, creating peace.”
Shoko nodded. “That’s a hard task for our side,” she said, “It’s not all of us but… to the ones that count, well, they forget you can’t eat money.” She sighed softly as smoke escaped through her nose.
Blue eyes, tall and toned frame. Graceful. The Aranahe warrior. Can't believe I was taken to their home. I wonder why the change of heart. I truly thought Satoru was going to kill me. I’m sure it had to do with the woodsprite… Whatever that may mean for me, or him.
A sign from Eywa (Na’vi deity)
All I know is that I’m in for a full adventure, didn't know my PhD could take me this far. Worth it.
Now, off to see my prince, I guess.
> notes :
Na’vi flick the tip of their tails to resemble curiosity, or a pleasant feeling - signaling a good mood
Full tail flick = annoyance
Folded ears = anger, embarrassment, sadness, shame, fear, awe? (feel like it depends on the tail movement too)
Use their hands to speak at times
-(L/n)
You closed your journal and headed to your living space to sleep until the morning.
༄༄༄
Satoru rose from the ground as light softly trickled in, his senses coming to. His gaze shifted around to notice the clan beginning to rise, yet you looked like you were still sleeping soundly. Tilting his head slightly, he peered over you, the tip of his tail where white tufts of hair resided, flicked left and right curiously. He was still a little unnerved about you, unsure if you were really in your head at the moment. He nudged you gently. Nothing
“Hello?” He nudged you again as he said your name.
Your ears began to twitch as your transfer was successful. You opened your eyes to meet large blue ones.
“Good morning,” you said, processing once again that you were in the Aranahe Hometree. Sitting up, you looked around. Most of the clan had gone.
“If you want to belong, you must rise early,” Satoru said, standing up now.
You quickly got on your feet, following him out into the tunnel that then connected to what looked like a large kitchen, though it was centered so that anyone could come and cook their food, whether it was meat, fruits, or even mushrooms. You watched curiously beside Satoru as he picked out some food the clan shared. You took note of the fact that this clan seemed to share and contribute to everyone.
“Here, you’ll need to eat for our day today,” Satoru said as he handed you Viperwolf meat. It was a good source of energy, and you assumed it carried a load of protein, which could also mean today was gonna be… fun.
“Thank you,” you said, following him over to an unoccupied area. For the most part, you believed you could pass as a Na’vi, though the stares of some of the clan members reminded you otherwise.
Satoru crouched beside you and looked up to you until you decided to take a seat, a content expression on his features. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t seem to be tense like yesterday, ears relaxed and fixed towards the food he was eating. You stared at the meal on your plate, which Satoru had provided you. It looked like any normal steak you would’ve had on base, definitely better than the RDA rations they’d supply you every so often. You took a bite of the meat. Boy, was it soft. Your ears perked up in delight.
“Good?”Satoru asked as his eyes were trained on your expression.
“Very good.” You smiled. “Very soft. Better than the food where I come from.”
Satoru seemed to like your comment. “Good, Na’vi food is better than anything a Sky Person can make.” He teased, a small smile on his face.
You smile gently as you can feel any previous tension easing up. “Yeah, yeah..”
Soon the both of you were walking through the jungle once again. Since you weren’t running much, you stopped being as clumsy, though you were still slow, and Satoru would tease you about it. Saying how your balance is weak, your tail is not controlled, or how you failed to notice a branch smack your face he purposely walked through. He was kind of annoying.. in a charming way. You still thought about the previous comments made by the Tsahìk and some clan members. Was this what they meant by trouble? Or something else. You didn’t know yet but you wanted to find out, and since you’d be around him very often, you figured you would find out anyway.
Satoru showed you all the important parts of the terrain, where most water was acquired, the best hunting grounds, where fishers liked to hunt most, and pathways used to get to places faster. It was interesting; he didn’t want you to just see the environment you stopped at; he wanted you to experience it with all your senses.
“Breath in the scent, memorize it.” He sat in front of you, crossed-legged, his tail gently swooshing behind him. “Listen to the sounds of the forest.” He said.
You closed your eyes and did as instructed, and you heard many different sounds form together into a complex auditory scene. What sounded like birds, bugs, leaves moving against the gentle breeze, and animals scurrying on the forest floor.
You experienced many scents, from the aroma of the greenery around you to the animal that was a couple of feet away.
“These senses are extremely tuned.” You said, opening your eyes now.
Satoru nodded, “It’s how we navigate our world. We rely on all aspects of the body given by Eywa to live on the planet she provided us. We live in her, and she lives in us.”
“Eywa?”
“She is Great Mother. All energy provided is borrowed and then one day returned. She keeps our world balanced, ensuring the survival of all.” Satoru explained.
You smiled gently. It sounded beautiful.
“That’s beautiful,” you replied.
He smiled.
He led you further out into the jungle, crossing across terrain through large root-like pathways. They were long and tall, thick like sequoia trunks that stretched for miles. Your endurance wasn’t very good, and you found yourself feeling tired quickly, though you attempted to keep up. Satoru noticed but didn’t tease you about it; he slowed his pace slightly to let you catch up.
“You’re really fast.” You laughed softly.
“You are really slow.” He smirked behind him as he faced you and walked.
He stopped suddenly as you reached a small lake, with tree roots and mushrooms growing on the ground around it, and even in the water; lily pads covering parts of the water. There was a herd of large animals, almost as tall as elephants, if not bigger. They had a hammerhead-shaped face, and some had colorful frills on their heads. Some were red and orange, while others were purple and pink.
“What are they?” You asked curiously.
“That is Angstìk.” Satoru said, “very social but territorial. Never run, they’ll chase you and kill you. They can’t see very well, but they can smell you better than us na’vi can.”
You hummed in interest. Boy, would the scientists back on base be jealous! You couldn’t wait to tell them any new information.
“Sometimes we eat it, but only good hunters can successfully bring them down expertly.” He said.
You smirked, “Can you do that?” You asked as your tail flicked behind you playfully.
Satoru smirked. “I did, that’s why I got my Ikran early.”
He chuckled and flicked his tail at you, “cmon, let’s figure out a new outfit for you. You reek of sky people.”
You snickered and followed him.
Days began to bleed together, half of you learning the way of the Na’vi, and the other teaching it to everyone. By everyone, you mean the scientists. Marines didn’t show much interest in the classes you taught; most of them were trying to get your number instead. You scolded them in return. Though there are rare ones every so often who show genuine interest, which you appreciate.
It was a pattern. You’d sleep in the Aranahe Homtree and wake in your world, sleep in the base and wake up in the Aranahe Home. But you never got tired of it; it never got old. And each day with the Aranahe, you learned something new. New gestures, silk weaving skills, dye making, Direhorse riding, and tracking the terrain. Satoru was incredibly fast, and soon you’d catch up.
The two of you would run through the jungle, smiles on both your faces. You no longer wore the dirty RDA clothing provided for you on the first day of your link. Satoru had helped you gather materials to learn to make your own.
“This is going to look very bad,” You groaned as you attempted to weave for the first time. You used blue silks from the Kinglor moth and weaved them together, adding beads and feathers into your soon-to-be Aranahe attire.
“It’s a skill you must learn if you wish to be part of this life,” Satoru explained. “I wasn’t very good my first time too.” He reassured you gently.
You met his gaze with a soft smile, “Guess we have to start somewhere, huh?” You paused as a playful expression appeared on your face, “but don’t laugh when I look silly.”
“I promise,” Satoru smirked softly.
“Liar.” You swatted at him.
He laughed with you and swatted at you as well.
Your laughter died down a few moments later as you continued to weave. You could feel Satoru’s eyes on you, but you didn’t mind; you were sure he was just making sure you were doing this right.
He was, partly. His eyes would travel to your hands, watching you weave the silk. He took note of the fifth finger in your hand. Before he could think, he grabbed your hand and lifted it to his face. Your ears perked up in surprise. He gently touched your pinky.
“Why five?” He asked gently.
You thought for a moment, “sky people evolution.” You said simply, “our tree of species tends to have five bones, either on the flippers of dolphins or on the paws of cats.” You explained.
Satoru tilted his head in confusion, “dolphins? Cats?”
You chuckled gently, forgetting that he had no clue about the Earth you once lived on. “They are like the animals that live here. Similar but different still.”
Satoru nodded, “You should show me sometime.”
You nodded too, “I think I have a few images I could show you sometime later.”
He smiled, your hand still in his, until he realized he kept you from your weaving and gently released. “Sorry, continue.”
“It’s okay.” You smiled before continuing.
He taught you to use a bow.
“Strong.” He gestured towards his stomach, patting his diagram.
You attempted to pull back the string again, arm still a bit shaky, but not like the first couple of times. He’d demonstrate his movements, tail flicked up, chest puffed, abdomen controlled. You tried to do the same, succeeding in the 16th attempt. He gave you a nod of approval and told you to repeat the same thing until it became your body’s memory.
Of course, it took longer than a day to figure it out. Satoru would give you breaks, and both of you would eat together. Sharing food and cooking it together. Most of the stuff was things he had caught since you were still attempting to learn using the longbow.
It was morning, and you rose from your spot in one of the dens. Satoru was gone and you wondered where he’d run off to, he was technically in charge of you. You brushed it off; perhaps he was on a hunt.
Walking through the various tunnels of Hometree, you walked outside into the jungle. It was becoming familiar now, the scents making sense and the sounds becoming clearer. You could picture the animals that were inhabiting the areas around you now, no longer just relying on vision. You ventured deeper, more sure and quick than you once were. A smile on your face, you looked through every nook and cranny of the large trees and small caves. In every corner shaded from the sun's rays, bright bioluminescence glowed in the darker parts of the ground. You’d collect small bits of the forest. Perhaps you’ll weave it into something later.
You found a patch of green by a small creek, lying below and rolling into the long grass, spreading your arms and legs. The warmth of the dapples of sun kissed your skin and created a warm and soothing atmosphere. Your tail flicked in happiness. What you would give to stay in this world.
“They weave just like this.” You said, demonstrating the technique to Shoko. “I couldn’t get it at first, but after a couple more times, I think I got it fairly down.” You said.
Shoko released a puff of smoke. “Interesting.. the design seems to hold the material much stronger.” She said, pulling at the cloth in your hands.
“May I keep a sample? I’d like to see how the Kinglor produces this material. It’s almost stronger than cotton.”
“I’ve been told they take them from the cocoons unoccupied by the moth.”
Shoko hummed. “What else did you learn out there?”
“Ah Shoko. I wish you could experience it; it’s like a whole new level of connection to the world around you. The sounds, the smells, it’s so free. The food is amazing, by the way.”
Shoko chuckled, “out of everything? Food?”
“Satorus is quite the cook.” You chuckled.
“So that’s his name?” Shoko inquired.
“Yes, he is the next clan leader once the current olo’eyktan passes.” You explained. “He doesn’t talk much about his parents. He seems to be focused on teaching me and staying away from the clan in some aspects.”
“That’s so? Shouldn’t he be closer to the clan, since he is to lead them?” Shoko dusted the cigarette on the ashtray.
“I would’ve thought so, but I dunno. Something the Tsahik said brought out my curiosity. When I first arrived, she told him that perhaps teaching me their ways would influence him to stop changing them. Not too sure what that meant.”
Shoko thought deeply. “He probably has another way of doing things. From what we’ve gathered over the past years, is that they tend to stay away from the RDA at all costs. We assume they’d rather stay out of harm or trouble, maybe Satoru thinks differently, especially since your first encounter with him wasn’t far from here.”
You nodded, “That could be it.” You said thoughtfully. “I’m not close enough with him where I could ask him deeper questions. We have good interactions now but, he still seems a bit far to get to.”
Shoko nodded, “I’m sure he has a lot on his shoulders. Especially now that he has, what did you say they called it, a dream walker following him around.”
“I mean no harm.” You said, a bit disappointed. “I hope I’m not hurting him. He’s been gone in the morning more recently, not sure what that’s about either.”
“I’d assume his normal duties.” Shoko said gently, “Hey, it’ll be okay, and thank you for the information. The more knowledge we have, the more we can hopefully help the Na’vi and humans coexist rather than harm each other.” She said, “Though I should tell you this, I’ve heard of operations escalating recently. The RDA has been expanding further into the jungle past our normal premises.”
“What—“
“I don’t know what they’re doing, but they’re building farther out into the jungle. I doubt it’s anything good.”
“I’ll try to look into it.” You said in thought. “I have a marine in my linguist training, who by some chance actually seems interested in what I do, maybe I can get him to spill something.”
“Yeah, just be careful. Though we scientists and RDA work hand in hand, the RDA isn’t very trustworthy, usually running things based on how they want to.” Shoko warned.
You nodded. “For now. I’ll just keep going at it.”
Shoko smirked and tilted her head. “Enjoying your time with the prince?”
“Oh, please.” You said moving from your spot near the lab table.
Shoko chuckled loudly, adjusting the scope in front of her, as she repositioned her cigar in the other end of her mouth.
“You can’t tell me you don’t have some interest in him. He is quite the eye candy.” She teased.
“Interest, as in the desire to learn more? Yes.” You said arms crossed.
“So defensive.” Shoko smiled, her vision going from the scope to you.
You rolled your eyes and chuckled softly. “You and I both know he already has an assigned partner. Plus, I’m a, as they call me, Sky Person.” You said softly, “I’ll always be alien to him.”
You were friends with him from birth - the boy across the street, Satoru Gojo. However, you lose touch in college, but finally you're going to the same school! You have a love letter written, but you find Satoru - the football captain - is dating the top cheerleader. And she hates you. You're the girl who doesn't really get noticed, the girl in the bleachers playing the clarinet, watching Satoru score a touchdown and kiss his girlfriend. It hurts, but you try to stay uninvolved, but you're watching the boy you knew hurt. Can the two of you have a friendship anymore, and does he feel the same way as you?
pairings - football star! gojo x band geek! reader
warnings - angst, college au, mutual pining, lost friendship, friends to lovers - this chap - we get to kiss Shoko hehe <3 lots of tension, unspoken feelings, honestly heavy emotional angst, Sarah being a rage baiter, all our friends plotting, kissing and hurt/eventual comfort.
Part of @indiewritesxoxo community event! based on the t swift music video
art by @/Jan on X!
<<<part one
part two
You and Satoru are sitting on the bench like you used to back in high school, his arm slung over the back of it, so close but not touching you, legs spread wide. You’re sitting on one knee, laughing as you both catch up – god it’s been so long, you can’t help but treasure every moment.
It’s okay if all this was a friendship, you are trying to shove back the thoughts of that letter, hoping for some peace in knowing your best friend was still here with you, even if it’s just a few seconds here and there you get. It was selfish of you to want more, and you absolutely do not want to be the girl who disrespects another woman, even if she was horrible.
“Are you good with um… Sarah?” You ask softly, Satoru frowns, his eyes lowering now in a way that just isn’t Satoru Gojo.
“I was uh… giving you a lot of attention and I think I hurt her feelings,” you blush now, and he sighs. “Please, not your fault, I missed you so much and I think our connection is intimidating.”
“Of course it must be,” you fiddle with the fray of your ripped jeans frowning a bit too now, the sunlight casting shadows across the two of you, your figures lingering on the well manicured lawn of the courtyard. “I didn’t think you were inappropriate.”
His thoughts sure the fuck were.
Thinking of you when she sucked him off last night, imagining if your glasses would fog up as he taught you how to please him, the thoughts make him fucking hate himself. Satoru Gojo was not a cheater, and even when Sarah had kissed other guys and he’d yanked her drunk ass from them, he’d never tried to ‘get back at her’.
He feels terrible every moment since you got back, bringing up every feeling that he’d been able to shove back the past couple of years. You deserved a true friend, one who didn’t constantly leak pre in your vicinity, and Sarah – even if she was sort of terrible all the fucking time – didn’t deserve a disloyal boyfriend who seemingly wants someone else.
“She still shouldn’t have done that,” his eyes locked with yours, the wind blowing your hair around just a bit. “Like I get it, but she was dancing on him and… I’m not trying to say anything bad, okay? But you seem sad.”
“Sad? No,” he plastered on a heartbreaking smile that makes you ache. “I’m good, sweet- I mean…” It’s quiet as he trails off, the unspoken term of affection about to spill so naturally on his tongue, shooting you back to memories of the past.
‘Hi sweetheart,’ he’d said in fifth grade, it was snowing all over and he was waving with his light blue mittens. You had paused, blushing furiously underneath your scarf. ‘Hmm, are you pink from the cold?’
‘N-no! Ah… I’m just… sweetheart?’ he blushed a brighter pink with his fair skin, clearing his throat.
‘I saw them say it in a show and thought it was cute,’ he admitted, laughing softly. ‘Is it weird to say?’
‘N-no! No, I um… think it’s… I…’
‘Like a nickname, you call me Toru, right?’
‘Right!’ you said brightly, grinning with him now. ‘You can call me sweetheart if you want, Toru.’
He came and ruffled your hair, already Satoru was taller than anyone in the school, he seemed just a little too mature sometimes, with you though he was able to just be a kid. You loved seeing that, even young you saw all the pressure put on him with his schooling from his parents.
‘Sweetheart.’
The emotions catch in your throat that he can’t say it – you get it, you do. It’s not respectful to call another girl that, everything about your friendship was upsetting Sarah, and the last thing you wanted was him to hurt because of you. Yet the thought of losing him was extremely painful. You knew both of you would move on one day, but fuck it hurt.
“You don’t seem happy, and I don’t think that’s just me coming to college. Is she always that way?” You ask hesitantly, seeing him stiffen.
“She’s just very passionate I guess,” you sigh, Satoru leans closer, a little leaf has blown and landed on your hair. “Here, something got on there.”
“I think our plan is working,” Shoko and Suguru are leaning in front of the school building, smoking ciggies and watching you and Satoru sit on a bench, talking and leaning just a bit closer. “Suguru, you play it well.”
“Well she is pretty and I do like her,” he inhales his cigarette, exhaling the smoke in a puffy cloud. “But of course she belongs with Satoru. They've always belonged together.”
“Ah, two dummies,” Shoko laughs just a bit, seeing the way Gojo tucks your hair behind your ear before Sarah drives up in her little ostentatious sports car. “I hope it works, that ‘cheer captain!’ is gonna make me catch a charge.”
“Fuck I hope so too, let me get to my role,” Suguru bows and flicks the cigarette, Shoko snorts.
She watches as Suguru ‘casually’ bumps into you, watches Gojo's face – so jealous even if he thinks he's hiding it. She leans back against the brick wall, putting the cigarette to her lips as Nanami comes over, coughing.
“Terrible for you,” she hands him one, so he lights it like he always does. “Terrible influence.”
“You love them,” she flicks her ash and hands him a light. “Watch the two dummies, it's my pastime."
“I'm way past tired of seeing them fumble since we were in third grade,” he swipes some of his blond locks back, shaking his head. “Look how they just eye each other. Who thinks that's normal?”
“I know,” Suguru kisses your hand, Nanami and Shoko snort as they watch the scowl from Satoru, glaringly apparent across the courtyard.
“He's really going for it, huh?”
“He is, I hope it works, I can't stand seeing Sarah-”
“Ah ah,” Shoko puts her fingertips to his lips. “Don't say her name.”
“She's not Voldemort!” Nanami’s words make Shoko sigh.
“Yes she is – Voldemort with perky tits.”
“Yuck…” Shoko laughs now.
“She can be hot and a bitch.”
“No, it ruins it all for me,” Nanami ruffles Shoko’s hair, putting out the cigarette now. “Quit smoking.”
Shoko opens another and earns Nanami’s look of annoyance, peering over at the scene unfolding in front of her.
Suguru eyes are on you, smiling at your blush and Gojo's scowl he can feel burning his back. He would feel bad but he needs his best friends to just figure this the fuck out, and pissing off Satoru wasn't the worst side effect of that. He just hopes it works, he can't stand seeing a shell of both of you.
“I got you this,” Suguru pulls out a small, slightly battered copy of your favorite book ever from his bag, the one you’d mentioned you lost over the summer when you two hung out at the party.
“For me? How did you even remember?” You can’t help but smile, feeling Satoru’s eyes watch you, your fingers tracing the worn cover.
“I remember alot.”
You’re so caught up in his gesture, giggling all cute – that you don’t notice the way Satoru has gone completely still, standing next to Sarah who had gotten out of her car. The book, it was your favorite, Satoru had seen you read it over and over.
Wuthering Heights.
Your face looks so pretty then, smile on it brightening everything, but moreso the way Suguru is looking at you – fucking love sick. That hits him hard, he knew you and Suguru were getting closer, but this felt a little too intimate, a little too real, and he can’t say or do anything.
He should be happy, not envious that Suguru thought enough to do that for you, something that he should have done, or at least he felt he should have. Satoru hardly notices Sarah talking, and he feels even worse about it, falling into a self loathing that’s hard to get out of. Why didn’t he even know you lost it? Why was Suguru already getting that smile from you?
Why couldn’t he just be happy for his two friends?
“There you are, babe! I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me.” she clings to Satoru tightly, smiling mean at you now. “What are we all staring at?”
You pause and look at her, then Satoru. “Nothing, Suguru just got me a replacement for a book I lost.”
“We should uh…” Satoru trails off. “Go.”
“Wait a minute,” she looks right at you with a nasty smile. “About that double date! Friday night? That new Italian place? It’s perfect!”
“Um, sure,” you clear your throat, plastering on a fake smile. “Sounds good to me.”
“Thanks for being nice to her,” Satoru says as he sits in the passenger seat of her car, she kisses him and looks at you over his head.
Right at you.
She makes a fucking show of running her fingers along that undercut, hitting you right in the chest, envy and jealousy that you don’t want to feel. You refuse to acknowledge it, instead looking back down at your book, ignoring the blatant public display she’s putting on.
“Sarah…”
“What, you look so sexy today Satoru,” he can practically feel your eyes on them, turning for a moment to see you look quickly away. “We’re going on a double date, why be careful what we do? She’s just your friend.”
“No, no, just the pda in front of everyone is always a little crazy,” she hums and takes his hand, putting it on her thigh, deliberately in front of you and Suguru, Satoru clears his throat, looking at where she sat it.
“Then let’s go somewhere private.”
“Hey,” Suguru catches your attention as they drive off, you try to focus then, touching the book carefully. “I feel like I dragged you into the date.”
“No, no!”
“I did,” he sighs now, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t even ask you on my own, or tell you I um… like you.”
“Oh? You like me?” He does like you, he’s not lying – though he doesn’t reveal the fact that this is all to get you with Satoru. He’d feel bad about it if him Shoko, Hime and Kento all agreed the same.
You two needed a little push.
“Of course I do,” he brushes your hair back, what Satoru had done earlier and then stopped himself, you feel heat rise to your cheeks, tummy fluttering just a bit. Suguru had quite this cute effect on you, not the violent moths that Satoru brought constantly, it was gentler, but still something you’ve not felt with other boys.
Suguru and Satoru were both two of the most attractive men you’ve seen, and both your friends for a long time. You hadn’t met Suguru till eighth but you feel comfortable with him. Maybe it would be a good thing to try to push things back, to let Satoru be happy with Sarah and come to terms that your relationship would be different.
You can't ever find love if you're pining away from what could never be.
You look into pretty amethyst eyes and touch his shoulder nervously. You're not just ‘inexperienced’. You've never even let anyone kiss you before. You've missed out on so much because of your love for Satoru and something about that look from Sarah cinched it all in, sinking into your mind.
You can't confess your love without hurting another girl and ruining your friendship.
“I want to hang out with you Suguru,” you say softly, he leans down and tilts your chin up, amethyst eyes swirling all pretty – lids heavy as he smiles at you.
“Do you? I kinda thought you and Satoru…”
“Ah, no he doesn’t look at me like that,” you clear your throat then, his lips are hovering close. You can’t say you never kissed, ugh!
“I’m um, nervous.” You mumble instead, earning his soft smile.
“It’s no rush, Princess, plant one on here,” he taps his cheek and you giggle, tiptoeing and doing just that, your eyes flutter shut at the feeling of his warm skin under your lips.
“You’re sweet,” he brushes a hand down your back, respectful but still you feel the tension in your tummy, biting your lip. “I think it’ll be fun, if not for…”
“The evil witch disguised as a cheer captain?”
You snort a little. “Yeah, that.”
“Well we can go on a date alone next, sound good?”
“Very,” Suguru walks you over to your next class before waving goodbye, leaving you to walk with Shoko, both of you are in pre med classes. “Hey Shoko!”
“Hey sweets,” she smiles a bit at you. “You and Sugu, huh?”
“Just a little date!”
“You’re cute.” She ruffles your hair.
“Does everyone have to do that?” You blow your hair from your face, Shoko laughs a bit. “Um, Shoko?”
“Hmm?” She sucks on a lollipop, and your eyes dart to her lips.
“Could you show me how to kiss sometime?”
“What?” She blinks rapidly, and then sees your face. “Oh sweets you don’t know how?”
“No, ugh! Not not of course but, some time? Suguru doesn’t know I haven’t kissed, and I don’t want to be terrible at it.”
“I doubt you’d be bad at it,” she sighs then, taking your hand and sneaking you into an empty class.
“Shoko, we’ll be late!”
She laughs softly and pulls her lollipop out of her mouth, pressing you just a bit against the door, you know she’s your friend and you feel comfy but suddenly your heart is racing. “Why no kiss, pretty girl?”
“Shoko you’re making me question my sexuality,” she just smiles, running her delicate fingers along your jaw, humming. “I was… ugh, if I tell you please keep it a secret?”
“Of course I will,” she runs a thumb over your lower lip, leaning towards you so you can inhale her sweet scent. “We’re friends I won’t betray that.”
“It was some dumb hope for Satoru,” she sighs as you shut your eyes. “I will not be disrespectful to his relationship, I swear.”
“I wish you would I hate that little bitch,” you laugh softly and open your eyes. “I know you wouldn’t. Did you ever think Satoru liked you back?”
“No, not more than a friend,” Shoko almost laughs, you and Satoru are the most clueless people she’s ever heard of.
She can’t wait to rub it in his face one day that she kissed you first.
“Hmm, purse your lips just a bit,” you do that and she presses hers on yours, soft and sweet like cherry from the red lolly, you let out a soft little sound and Shoko pulls back. “Press yours against mine.”
You lean closer, pressing your lips more firmly against Shoko’s, gasping when her little pink tongue darts along the seam of yours, letting her in the warm recesses of your mouth. Your hands gently rest on her waist, your tongue tentatively moving back, as her hand entangles in your hair and tugs, your soft little moan should be embarrassing but it escapes anyway.
Shoko can kiss.
She’s so soft and sensual, you copy her moves a bit and commit them to memory, flustered and warm, when she pulls back and just a trail of saliva drips between your lips. She smiles at your pretty, dazed expression, pressing another kiss on your lower lip and nipping it with her teeth.
“You’re a natural,” she murmurs, you’re still dazed as fuck from her, soft brown eyes glinting all mischievous. “You allright baby?”
“Y-yes um, you’re just really hot?” She laughs a bit, before she takes that lolly pop and brushes it on your lips.
“Suck,” you obey immediately. “Mmm, good girl.”
“Shoko!” Are you into women!?
You’re into her.
“You’re so cute,” you hold the lolly and suck it again, earning her pleased expression. “Good practice?’
“Very,” you clear your throat as your tongue swirls the candy. “Aww you’re my first kiss!”
“I feel very special, Satoru missed out,” at the mention your heart races just a little bit. “But Suguru seems like he really is interested?”
“He does, and I like him,” you admit, trying to focus on the now, the way the candy tastes, Shoko walking next to you again as you both sneak into class.
You would at least give this a try, and work on just being a friend to Satoru Gojo, even if that hurt.
*****
“Hey,” Satoru is alone when you meet him at the restaurant, phone in hand as he smiles up at you. “Sarah is runnin’ late.”
“So is Suguru,” you sit next to him in the circular booth, your thighs brush against his and you scooch away a bit, heart racing in your chest violently. Why can’t you just be normal around him? “How are you and Sarah doing? I’m sorry if I seemed like I was prying the other day.”
“No, no, you didn’t,” he trails off a bit, fidgeting with his phone, flipping it in little circles in his hand, a movement he’s done for years with various objects. Something you’ve noticed he does when he’s nervous, which isn’t too often. “You like Suguru, huh?”
“I do,” you blush now, looking down. “I guess you could say I had a crush on both of you.”
“What?” You look back up at him, seeing his brows raised, lips parted. He’s wearing this dress shirt that has no right fitting him like it does, tailored like all of his were to fit him like a glove. You struggle not to notice how buff he’s gotten, the muscles visible under the thin white.
“Well might as well admit it,” you’re so lying, a crush was not the word for him. You had crushes on Suguru and now – Shoko – but Satoru? That was obsessive, undeniable love. Irrevocable in the amount of nights you’ve laid there and wrote poems for him, songs, journal entries. But at least this gets some of it off your chest. “I guess puppy love.”
“Puppy love,” he trails off, you pull up the menu nervously as the waiter comes over.
“Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Could I get a glass of blush?” You ask, they ask for your ID which you show, and feel Satoru’s gaze heavy on you. “What is it?”
“You drink wine?”
“I have had a couple glasses before, much better than jungle juice,” you nudge him with your shoulder playfully, he doesn’t laugh. “I made it weird! It’s okay if you didn’t crush back.”
God you’re so fucking wrong.
He can’t even stand your scent, your proximity, the way the lights are hitting your pretty face right now. His gaze drops from yours for a moment, flickering down to the soft sweater you chose, the way it falls off one shoulder, softly moulding to your pretty body. The way your collar bones are just begging for his mouth, breasts rising and falling underneath soft wool.
He brushes a lock of your hair that’s fallen over your shoulder, before catching himself and snapping back up to meet your eyes, hand falling. You’re staring at him with dilated eyes and parted lips, ones he’d die to feel on his own – but he has to lie and act like he feels nothing for you, that it was some ‘crush’ like you felt.
How paltry that is to say.
“Toru?” You ask softly, as he clears his throat. “I said too much.”
“No, no of course I crushed on you,” you flush all cute underneath his gaze as he tries to retain some normalcy. “How couldn’t I? Who didn’t?”
“Oh, who did! Silly, you’re too sweet.” You playfully push at his shoulder before pausing, fingers touching his arm carefully.
“Suguru did, clearly,” he murmurs, you smile softly. “Lots of boys did, you were just too shy to really see.”
“Maybe so, but I know all the girls crushed on you!”
“Yeah why wouldn’t they?” He brushes his hair back, feigning ease and confidence, it works – you laugh.
He aches when he sees it. Nerdy little laugh, you snort when you don’t try actively not to, and fuck it’s precious.
Sarah is his girlfriend – if he keeps repeating it, maybe it’ll sink in.
“You um…” he opens his mouth, then closes it. He tries again, his voice coming out rough and quiet. “You… uh…”
“What’s wrong?” You tug at your soft sweater, frowning. “It’s kinda a dress I guess? A sweater dress. I had nothing fancy, ugh! You think Sarah will say something?’
“She… you…” He wants to say you’re fucking beautiful.
How can he? Without being disloyal, without making shit more confusing than it needs to be, but how can he not reassure you? A friend he’s had his whole life, closer to him than family, now he’s awkwardly sitting here and can’t even let you know that you’re lovely, achingly lovely to him.
He clears his throat, smiling as if things are normal. “You look… nice.”
Nice.
“Oh, um thanks,” you smile at that, but he already knows – the word is weak, a pale imitation of what you are to him.
Nice, fucking nice.
What he really wants to say he can’t. “Very uh… nice.”
“Thanks, Toru. You don’t look so bad yourself, but you always look handsome.” You say softly, his jaw clenches, struggling to keep it together.
“I… I mean, your outfit is fine, and your face…”
“My face?”
“It’s fine…” You frown now, and he curses internally.
“My face is fine?”
“Yeah I mean – it’s…” Fuck he’s ruining it all. “You’re so pr-”
Just then, the chime of a bell cuts through the awkward fumbling of Satoru Gojo, the restaurant door swings open and lets in the cool air. Both of you look to see Suguru walk in, his eyes darting around as he swipes off just a bit of snow from his jacket. The weather has been insane lately.
He smiles and walks up. “Hey, sorry I’m late,”
“No, you’re fine!” Suguru smiles, sliding into the booth next to you, eyes darting across your face as you lean over and hug him.
“Wow, you look so beautiful.”
“Oh Sugu,” you giggle and cover your mouth all cute, as Satoru watches his best friend tell his other best friend what he wanted to say, with ease. “You don’t have to say all that.”
“Well you do, so…” He kisses your cheek, Satoru wants to bash his fucking head on the table and knock himself out. “I love that color on you.”
“Thank you,” Satoru sees Sarah walk in next, in a slinky dress that fits her snatched little waist, tits out, thighs out. You frown when you see her, suddenly looking down at yourself.
She has on Gucci and red bottoms and you have on old navy.
Of course you just look ‘nice’ to Satoru, he has her.
“Oh don’t you look quaint,” Sarah says to you when you all stand to greet her, you suddenly feel mortified, as her fake grin widens. “You must have left your clothes back home! I could see if I have anything from last season that may fit.”
“Oh no, don’t worry,” you feel tears hit as she laughs, kissing Satoru right on the mouth, arms wrapped around his neck. Satoru pulls back, tense as he looks down at her.
“Be nice,” he mouths, she laughs.
“I am!” She whispers in his ear, nipping it and running a hand down his chest. “Mmm, if I be nice will you fill me up later?”
“Sarah,” he pulls back and glares just a bit, she’s not like this when you’re not around – she’s clingy, but she goes so fucking far when you’re here. “Have a seat, we should order.”
“Sarah you look so pretty,” you say then, trying to be friendly, she smirks at you.
“Of course I do.”
You blink, Suguru snorts next to you, a hand resting on your thigh that Satoru can see, the action making him itch to yank his hand off, a toxic, fucked ass thought. He’s unreasonably jealous when he has no right to be, especially with Sarah running her hand up and down his thigh, too high to where he has to pause her, making her pout at him.
“Satoru…”
“Please behave,” he murmurs, you hear him though, focusing on Suguru and the menu now.
“What do you want, princess?” Suguru asks, you get flustered at the name.
“Princess?” Satoru asks, Suguru looks at him and smirks.
“She is one.”
“You don’t call me that!” Sarah’s so fucking loud people are all looking at her from everywhere.
“I call you baby so,” he kisses her nose, she giggles obscenely loud. “It’s good to have you all here, my oldest friends and my girlfriend. I want you all to get along.”
“Oh we are already besties, right?” She asks you, all you can do is manage to nod, remembering the mean words she whispered the other night, when the drinks come over. “Aw, my fave! Satoru!!”
“Of course,” she kisses him dead ass on the mouth again, making everyone uncomfortable, claiming him for her own.
Yeah, you get the hint.
“Want me to order for you?” Suguru offers softly, you smile thankfully and nod. “Got it.”
The dinner is… as fucking awkward as a dinner could be, Sarah is so much over Gojo it’s actually ridiculous to anyone around, her thigh slung over his as she sips her wine, making him feed her from his fork. He tries to disentangle himself, to talk to you and Suguru, but the moment he ignores her she’s back on him, whispering in his ear, fingers trailing across the buttons of his dress shirt.
Luckily, Suguru is the perfect companion, he’s so funny and with him you can almost ignore just how badly everything is hurting you. He offers you a little bite of his food on a fork and you take it nervously, letting him wipe your mouth with his thumb as you chew, eyeing Satoru whose gaze is currently locked on you, since Sarah is engrossed taking selfies with her phone.
Perfect opportunity to make his friend jealous.
Suguru will enjoy this too much, he admits, you do look fucking pretty and he’ll love kissing you, if Satoru doesn’t see reason soon maybe Suguru would actually enjoy you too much. But he knows that connection you all have, and he knows that this would give him his best friends back, make them happy. Kissing you is just a fun little bonus for what really needs to happen.
Suguru tilts your chin up then, and Sarah is babbling on, his eyes see Satoru in his peripherals, knuckles white as his fists clench his slacks, Suguru smiles just a bit before whispering in your ear. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”
“Oh,” you lick your lips again, remembering your lessons from Shoko, a hand on Suguru’s chest. “Yes, I’d like that.”
Suguru lowers his mouth and captures yours, kissing you softly, you sigh into his lips, letting him slip his tongue in teasingly, it’s not obscene like how Sarah just fucking licks her tongue around Satoru like she’s in a hentai – it’s delicate and passionate. You fall into it, remembering how to move your mouth, hearing Sarah’s little snicker and ignoring it.
Suguru and Shoko both kiss way too good, you’re barely able to keep up without feeling dizzy, when he pulls back and presses his lips on yours again, smiling down at you. “Sugu…”
“Too much?” You shake your head as his fingers dance across your cheek, when Sarah shouts Satoru’s name.
“Satoru!?”
“What?” He manages to rip his eyes off the two of you, the way his heart is ripped in half seeing you with anyone, how fucking dumb of him.
“You’re staring.”
“Well my fucking friends are kissing okay? Maybe it's different for me?” He manages to say, she laughs then, standing up. “Sarah…”
“I’ll find someone to pay attention to me.” She stomps off and Satoru sighs, covering his face as you watch her dart over to the bar, bending over and flirting with the bartender there.
“Satoru,” you whisper, a hand holding his now, he looks at it and swallows, before his eyes meet yours, and he sees your lips swollen from Suguru’s kiss. “You don’t deserve to be treated this way.”
“I was staring,” he admits, voice breaking a bit, holding your hand for just a moment before he pulls back, leaving your hand still tingling from his touch. “She’s worried I give you too much attention.”
“Oh,” you manage, seeing her now leaning forward, tugging the bartender to her, Satoru scoffs, running a hand through his hair. “That’s just…”
“I need to leave,” he looks at you both apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
“No, of course,” he leans forward and brushes your hair back, swallowing as if he’ll say something, hand gripping in your hair for just a moment before he stands up, rushing out. Sarah notices and drops her act, running out and screaming his name, leaving you with Suguru.
“Jesus christ,” you whisper. “What is going on with him? Since when does he take being treated like that?”
“I don’t know,” Suguru admits, frowning when he catches sight of her rushing after Satoru, pretending to trip on the fucking sidewalk so he has to turn and help her up. “Fuck she’s so obvious.”
“Not to him,” you watch as he helps her and she’s crying, a spectacle really, all of the restaurant is murmuring. “She just kisses people when she’s mad at him?”
“Worse,” Suguru admits. “She’s been… I hate rumours but…”
“But what?” You look at him now curiously, he runs a hand through his dark locks. “She’s done more?”
“I’ve heard she’s hooked up with people at parties, I don’t know how true it is. Now she’s talking she’s on the pill to him and –” You’re blushing, Suguru pauses. “You’re not experienced, huh?”
“No,” you admit. “I made Shoko teach me to kiss so I wouldn’t suck for you.”
“What now?” He smirks. “That’s hot.”
“Sugu!” You cover your face and he chuckles, a hand brushing up and down your back gently. “Don’t tease me.”
“I could tease you,” his eyes are all glittery when you peek between your fingers at him. “You’re too cute, how can I not?”
“Silly,” you sigh and look out the window, seeing her dragging Satoru for a kiss, your heart hurts so badly you almost feel sick. “Oh.”
“Yeah she uses her… fuck charms? I guess, and gets him back every time.”
“I wish he could see he’s worth more.” Suguru sighs.
“Yeah, me too. We uh, should finish our meal, yeah? Get your mind off it.”
“Please.”
****
“Get off me,” he shoves Sarah and she scoffs, chasing him to his car as he wipes her kiss on the back of his hand. “You’re ridiculously rude, I can’t even believe you fucking disrespect me like that.”
“You were gawking at that basic bitch.”
“Don’t dare fucking call her that,” he turns around and scowls at her, nails pressing into his palms. “Don’t talk about my friend like that.”
“I’m sorry, okay!?” She is flapping her fucking arms, he’s trying to get in his car and she’s literally blocking his way.
“I’m done with this, with you, get out of my way.”
“Satoru I just love you, and you were staring at them! What should I think!?”
“Then talk to me, don’t kiss strangers, then me? No thanks,” he tries to gently move her when she just sinks into his drivers seat. “Get out.”
“Not until you forgive me!”
“I’ll just uber home.” He walks off and she’s chasing him again, until he feels like he can’t breathe.
His entire life his family has always forced shit on him – the perfect girl, the perfect this, be amazing at that. Sarah was from the family they chose and he just so happened to like her, be attracted, it surely was ideal when he knew he’d have to run the business in a few years. Fuck he thought he loved her.
Was this love? This anger, this hurt, the constant panic in his heart that he’ll fuck it up and she’ll retaliate?
It can’t be.
His eyes catch you snuggling in the booth with Suguru, and he’s paused for a moment, the pain clutching at him.
That should be him.
“Please just talk!” She’s in his view now, he closes his eyes, looking down when she’s cupping his face. “I’m scared to lose you, Satoru, to her. I see how she’s looking at you, how close she sat. Can you blame me?”
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” he curses as her tears fall. “You constantly act like this, I have to wonder if all those rumors are true. You in bed with men.”
“I would never!? You’re all I want, god I just love you so much – I want to marry you, have your Gojo heirs.” She’s sniffling, covering her stomach with his hand, he jerks it away. “Satoru please, just forgive me.”
“I need to fucking be alone, just let me go,” she hugs him tightly and he sees your eyes catch his in the window, your frown glaringly apparent, your words ringing in his ears over and over.
That kiss with Suguru won’t stop playing in his head – be happy for you both, let you both be together, Suguru would be good to you. To the girl the most important to him, no one is better. Fuck, Suguru looked happy too, he has to respect that, Sarah wasn’t right in her actions, but he did want you – he was jealous.
Satoru was terrible, hurting you, now Sarah was hurt.
“Please just let’s make up, I’ll be nice to her I swear,” she tugs him down, kissing him even though his lips are firm, unyielding. “You know I just do this because I love you so much, it makes me crazy.”
“The excuse is old,” he murmurs, his heart not even in it, his heart is ripped in half from seeing you.
Sarah was just adding to his depression.
“Let’s just be together, just us. I’ll make it up to you, I swear! And I’ll do something nice for your friend, okay? I’ll really try.” He sighs now.
He always lets her back, just to fucking hurt him again.
“Please truly try to be kind, I will not forgive you again,” she smiles all bright like nothing happened – a talent of hers. “You’ll apologize to them both tomorrow.”
“I will, I swear!”
*****
“I’m so sorry,” Sarah says to you and Suguru the next day at campus, you both sort of look at each other, then at Satoru, who looks exhausted. “Truly! I was not myself yesterday.”
“You should apologize to Satoru,” you say then, she gasps as you glare right at her – not the sweet thing she’s used to. “You disrespected him, humiliated him, you didn’t do shit wrong to me.”
“Listen you little-”
“Sarah,” Satoru stops her, she looks at him and then blinks these tears that hit on command.
“I should apologize, oh Satoru I know the man you are,” you throw up in your mouth a bit. “I will never disrespect you again, just as I know you won’t.”
She scowls at you, and you scowl right back, no fake smile for her. “That’s bullshit, you’ve done it twice in front of me. Do you even know the man you have? If so you’d never do that.”
“I do know who he is,” she steps up to you, too close now, making your tummy twist in knots. “I know him intimately. We have been together a year, and he’s not even seen you.”
That hits.
“He barely brought you up.”
You step back, the pain seeping through, Suguru wraps an arm around you now. “He sure the fuck did, if you ever did more than try to suck his dick you’d know.”
“I need to go,” you whisper, Satoru steps forward, his brows drawn together.
“That’s not true, I swear I didn’t just not bring you up,” he whispers, Sarah laughs softly. “I have.”
“Barely to me,” she gasps. “Oh wait, I'm so silly. He brought up his ‘sister’ all the time, but he doesn’t have one. That’s you! Please, let’s just start off better, okay? I’m just… possessive of my Toru.”
Toru.
She calls him that?
Little fucking sister.
You knew it but fuck.
“Can we go?” You ask Suguru, who glares at both of them now, before nodding, turning you around. Satoru calls out your name and rushes towards you, as Sarah shouts for him.
“Please,” he touches your shoulder, you turn to him now, and Suguru pauses, looking between you both. “Just a moment.”
“She’ll kill me.”
“She won’t,” he looks at his friend. “Just a moment.”
“You need to get it together, Satoru,” he says before he walks off, and you see Sarah stomping over.
“I don’t feel like fighting, I suck at it and these glasses are new.”
“They’re pretty on you,” he blurts out, you look at him in confusion now, his hands are on your shoulders, stepping closer – too close. “I should have told you that you looked beautiful too, yesterday.”
“No, you don’t need to,” it’ll just hurt more. “Satoru I don’t think we can be friends if she’s like this, she’ll just hurt you more, and seeing you in pain?” You blink back tears and fail. “That destroys me.”
“Sweetheart…”
“No, please,” you sniffle and cover your face, sobs wracking your frame, breaking his heart, not knowing what to say. “We can’t be friends and I should have known, it’s hard f-for a girl and a boy to be. But god I’ll miss you, so much.”
“Don’t say that,” he tugs you to him now, hugging you tightly. “Don’t say that, I can’t lose you.”
“I’ve not been here for a year, she’s right,” you sniffle and inhale his scent, lingering in his embrace for too long before you step back. “I have just brought you stress, made her hurt you more.”
“You haven’t.” His eyes are glimmering with his own tears, you feel your throat constrict as you realize it.
You can never be his friend, you’re just too in love, and it’s clear that Sarah has him wrapped around her finger.
“She won’t be mad if we don’t spend time together,” you sigh and touch his cheek, smiling sadly. “I’ll always love you, Toru. I’ll always be here, but we cannot… actively be friends with her around. It will only hurt us more.”
“I-”
“She’s coming, just let her know I won’t be around, okay?” Satoru barely is able to speak when you rush off, hand entwining with Suguru, looking sadly back at him.
The boy you loved, now you can’t even have as your best friend anymore.
don't come for Satoru in my comments again, he's gaslit and sad I stg
also hope you enjoy - I will need to get taglists together in a few!
Takes place in the Kinglor Forest before the introduction of the Sarentu Tamtay, the battle against the Sky People, and the Resistance.
You’ve been recruited and assigned by the RDA as a PhD linguist to help the Marines and Scientists to better understand the Na'vi. You are to study the Aranahe, a traditional Na'vi clan that is known for their silks and dyes. Sounds peaceful, no?
The Aranahe have had their fair encounters with the Sky People, but not many Dream Walkers. Until they’ve found you.
Satoru finds you on your search to find the Navi clan, almost killing you, you speak their language trying to explain your appearance and mean no harm. Satoru has never seen a dream walker before and takes you to hometree to decide your fate.
༄
Chapter 2 - elusive
You didn't particularly like the fact that you had to be accompanied by a Marine into the jungle, especially with a whole gun in his hands.
“You should lower your weapon; we’ll never find the Na’vi with you waving that thing around,” you scolded. It was bad enough that these beings were elusive and hard to find; the stupid AMP machine could scare them off, or even attract them for the wrong reasons.
“Sorry, Doc, Sargeants orders.” He said lazily.
You sighed through your nose and kept walking. At times, you attempted to walk a little further from him, hoping to catch something, anything, with your senses. You were dazzled by the beautiful colors of the jungle, so much green and bright colors. Your tail swished with excitement. As you walked along, you couldn't help but feel so free. Your eyes scanned the brush and canopy, hoping to catch something moving, yet there was nothing but the irritating sound of the AMP close behind you.
You stopped when something seemed to be moving along the bushes. You followed the disturbed brush, your pace a little faster, until you caught up to it. Was it a Deer? It resembled it, except it had frills on the side of its head that spread open when you caught up to it. Its skin was a gorgeous green color with a cream underbelly, sporting accents and patterns of dandelion yellow. Your ears flicked back as the deer-looking thing hissed at you before jumping off. It was beautiful nonetheless, as a smile crept to your face.
The hike towards, who knows where, was beginning to feel never-ending, and your excitement in finding any trace of the Aranahe was slowly beginning to dim. It was expected, though, that they were hard to find, and the RDA labs seemed to have very little information about them. You pulled your backpack off your back and set it beside you as you found a tall enough root to be a perfect chair. You rummaged through your pack and pulled out the binder the biologists allowed you to take from their lab. Flipping through the pages, there were polaroids and sketches of different things. Some are sketches of arrows, as well as pictures of different baskets and materials found around the forest. Nothing very useful, but could potentially help tracking them to some degree. As you flipped the pages, you found a picture; it seemed to be a small Aranahe boy with dark hair, two earring on both his ears, his bow aimed at the person who took the image. They resembled the Omatikaya people, though they seemed to use paint on their bodies more often.
Closing the book, you looked in front of you, taking in the jungle. As your attention moved upward, you could see that the canopies were impressive in size, almost covering a good portion of the sky. Neon pink, lantern-like organisms clung to the branches of the giant trees; perhaps they were part of the tree. You scanned the large trunk and spotted giant platform-like fungi spiralling upwards to the branches above. They were beautiful. Pandora was beautiful.
Longing hit you almost like regret. How much you missed when the Earth was green back home. Due to human greed, what was once beautiful now sits helpless and sick with no way back to full recovery. Machines and artificial intelligence run the world now, making the lives of humans ‘easier’ yet more miserable.
Deep in thought, you had no clue you were being stalked. Satoru’s tail flicked in anticipation as he crept through the brush, in an attempt not to make his presence known. He crouched and moved with his four limbs, his body moving along the daples of sun that managed to break through the trees' canopies to feed the plantation below. His bow and quivers were strapped behind him, and he began to reach for one as he observed you further. His ears flicked forward as he took note of your clothing and how, uncanny, you looked. Something about you just didn't seem right. Alien. Not just by your looks, but by how you moved, as if not relying on your senses to navigate the jungle.
His movements were slow and concise, keeping him undetected. Ears tilted back as he pulled along the string of the bow with the arrow, his tail stretched behind him to keep him balanced in place as he was on one knee, ready to shoot. But just as he was about to let go, he felt heavier vibrations coming from the ground, his tail flicked as his ears moved around to spot the source of this change, all whilst lowering his aim from you. The AMP that was following you finally caught up to where you were.
“I wouldn't wonder too far, doc.” The man said, “Place gives me the creeps. We should head out soon before the sun goes down.”
Satoru grimaced in disgust; the Sky People. Of course. Putting two and two together, if a Na’vi and a Sky person were together, then that would mean that you were a Dream Walker. He's never formally seen one, but he remembers his mother speaking about them once before. He aimed his bow once again; it wouldn't be his first time killing the sky people and their machines, though a dream walker was new. In a quick and precise move, he aimed towards the AMP’s weak spot at the center of the machine and landed his arrow right through it, killing the man inside in seconds.
You stood up quickly as you saw a long arrow strike right at the center of the AMP that was supposed to be your guardian. Your ears perked up, and your tail flicked relentlessly behind you at your state of panic. Before any other coherent thought formed in your mind, you ran as fast as you could. Satoru was just about to aim for you when he put his bow down as you began to run. A small smirk tugged at his lips, a chase, how fun. He followed you gracefully, more curious now than with deadly intent. You were very clumsy, the way you crashed into every bush and how your tail, rather than support you, was slowing you down. Satoru couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The Sky People were so pathetic.
Satoru pounced as he effortlessly caught up to you, throwing you to your back as he skillfully pinned you below him, a long dagger placed just below your chin. He hissed as he stood over you, large canines bared before you.
Your ears flicked down as your large eyes displayed clear fear. “Rutxe! Ke fìtseng ne pung nga!” you pleaded.
Satoru’s tail flicked, and his facial expression seemed to relax into a more, almost disturbed expression. His ears still folded back as his tail swished behind him.
“'upe lu nga.” Satoru hissed. “Pefya lu tsal tsa'u nga plltxe my ftxì.” He further pressed his dagger against your neck, forcing a plea from you.
“Rutxe! Oe za'u nì'aw za'u tsonta nume!” you pleaded. “Rutxe..”
You attempted to slow your breathing, hoping that if you relaxed, so would he.
Satoru didn't believe you. He looked at your clothes in disgust. It reeked of sky people. Though this, you didn't seem to carry any weapons on you, and by the looks of how you ran off, you weren't much of a threat.
Your ears remained folded, “Oe rä'ä tspang, oe nume.” You attempted to reach for your pocket, earning a hiss from Satoru.
“mawey, mawey rutxe.” You said meeting his blue gaze. You pulled out a notebook from one of your pockets in your cargo pants, revealing the notes you’ve taken in the five months you’ve been here. There were multiple translations and even descriptions of bodily expressions written down. Na’vi used their ears and tails almost like a language as well, further amplifying their emotions.
Satoru couldn’t read it, for he didn't understand human language very well due to the low exposure to their clan; however, he could read your translations in his language. There were multiple random words in sections that seemed to relate to each other, almost like a dictionary of different categories.
“oe nume.” You whispered, trying to de-escalate the situation.
Satorus curiosity had been piqued. He knew that he couldn't trust you, but if you weren't here to kill, then what were you here to learn about?
“'upe lu tsal fula nga nìrangal tsonta nume.” Satoru said, looking down directly at you. He took note of your pattern, your eyes, and your facial features. It was so odd to see someone so much like him and yet nothing alike.
“Teri nga,” you said.
Satoru tilted his head before finally getting off of you, crouched by your feet. You sat up and met his gaze. He had gorgeous blue eyes that resembled the bioluminescent waters of the jungle. Hair as white as the snow. He was a soft blue with slightly darker patterns littering his body, just like you, though you were a little more of a darker blue than he was. His bioluminescent freckles glowed where the sun didn't cast its rays, revealing a swirl and a beautiful line of dots in his face that traveled down his body. You took note of the bow and arrows strapped behind him and his colorful attire. It seemed he favored the colors blue and purple.
Surprisingly, it seemed that your years of work had truly paid off, because you understood him, almost as though you were speaking English.
“I mean no harm, I just want to learn, to see the world you do. I study the languages of many people, and I want to learn more about your language and communicate. I hope to build a bridge between the Na’vi and Humans.” You said sincerely. “I want to learn.”
Satoru hesitated, “Sky People do not learn, they cannot see.”
“Teach me to see.” You said. You were begging for this opportunity. “ We can bring peace to both our people.”
At this point, the sun had begun to set, and the forest seemed to grow more lively. It was quiet, but it wasn't awkward. The hostility that once was had now vanished. Satoru thought for a moment. The clan would scold him for even speaking with this dream walker, but what if teaching you to see was a way to stop more RDA from coming? He slowly crawled back over you, your ears folding back in a slight panic as your head moved away from his face, which seemed to inch closer. He raised his dagger over your neck again, as you held your breath, the sharp edge of it pressing against you. As much as Satoru could spare you, he knew that he really shouldn’t.
“You do not belong here.” He hissed, but before he delivered the final blow, he sensed a pure presence. His expression seemed to relax as his folded ears perked up gently. You took note of this as your eyes caught a white flower above both of you. They floated like jellyfish, slowly and delicately. Your eyes perked up as well, and your cat-like eyes flickered between him and the organism. Satoru also looked up and followed the woodsprite as it landed on top of his dagger. Perplexed, he lifted the dagger away from you up to his eyes. You watched in awe at the interaction. You’ve overheard the scientists go on and on about these organisms, which they called woodsprites, saying that they were sacred to the Na’vi. Oh, how lucky you were to be experiencing this.
“What are they?” you said softly.
“Pure Spirits,” Satoru answered.
The woodsprite floated away, both of you watching it float up to the now dark canopies, the only light being the bioluminescence of the jungle.
Satoru was not tsahik, but he knew this could be a sign from Eywa herself. He looked back down at you before putting his dagger back into his side.
“You want to learn, yes?” Satrou said.
You nodded a little too eagerly, but you did.
“Then you must come.”
He moved off you and tugged at you to stand with him. “Come.”
“Going! Going!” you replied as you rose as well. He was definitely taller than you, almost by a foot or so. He tugged on your hand and prompted you to follow him. He was much quicker on his feet and graceful while you… Well, you weren't as great at moving around. Your tail kept getting caught in the different brushes and leaves, while you almost tripped over thick roots in the forest floor.
“You are slow.” Satoru scolded as he turned to your direction as he waited for you.
“I'm sorry, I’m not used to this,” you apologized before tripping over yet another root, making you fall into the arms of the Aranahe warrior. He caught you, a slight amusement in his gaze.
You smiled sheepishly before straightening yourself up quickly.
“Skxawng,” Satrou muttered before turning and strutting on deeper into the jungle. Guess Na’vi could be sassy. Your ears folded in embarrassment as you continued to follow him.
It was not too long before you made it to the Aranahe Hometree. It was huge. The tree towering over any building ever built on earth. It was also much bigger than most other trees in the kinglor forest. “Wow..” you breathed.
Satoru, now walking slower, waited for you by the tree entrance, the Na’vi standing guard eyeing you as if you were the strangest thing to ever walk on Pandora, and to them, you were. Some Na’vi weren't aware of Dream Walkers, making you look like a nightmare.
You felt self-conscious as you traveled deeper into the clan home. The inside was just as magnificent. Clan members on either side of the tree walls, mixing various colorful pots of dye, some weaving multiple silks or setting them up to dry. You caught the gaze of many clan members, most of them in fear. Looking up, you could see giant canopies of silk full of color, purples and pinks, as well as yellows. They were so beautiful. You also caught sight of some Na’vi sitting above, enjoying a couple of berries and fruits. It looked peaceful.
“Why does a dreamwalker stand upon us?” a voice rang. You turned to where the source came from. A woman stood beside Satoru, only a couple of inches shorter than him. She walked cautiously before you, scanning you up and down as she circled you. Feathers were decorating her hair, and a stripe of purple paint dyed over her eyes as white lines were painted on the sides of her face.
“She wishes to learn, mother.” Satoru said, “There’s been a sign from Eywa.”
Mother. This was the male Na’vi’s mother, the Tsahik…which made him next in line for the position of clan leader, Olo’eyktan.
“Sky people don’t learn, Satoru. I've told you this before.” She scolded before touching your kuru. “Demon blood.” She mutters.
Your ears fold down as your tail settles behind you. You don't dare move under the gaze of the tsahik. She leans closer to your head, sniffing you and taking in your scent before she stabs you with a needle, making you hiss.
She watches you as she tastes the blood. “You wish to learn,” she said finally. “If this is the will of Eywa, as my son says, then it will be.”
The Tsahik turns back to Satoru, “You will be in charge of her. Perhaps in teaching her our traditions, it will influence you to stop changing them.”
You saw how Satoru’s ears folded away as his tail flicked. What did the Tsahik mean by that?
The Tsahik turns to you once again, “What are you called?”
Upon revealing your name, the Tsahik is in shock that you speak the Na’vi language fairly well. Still more on the choppier formal side, but still impressive.
“How is it that you speak Na’vi?” The Tsahik said, her tail swishing behind her.
“I study languages to preserve them and educate others about them.” You said, now looking up to her. “I've studied your language for a long time. I want to know more, so I may teach more.”
The Tsahik gave a nod, “Then learn well.”
With that, she was gone, leaving you and Satoru together, the eyes of the clan still on you. His tail flicked with annoyance, “Come, I'll show you where you must stay.”
Your ears were still folded by the tense environment left behind by the conversation. You noticed the body language of whom you now knew as Satoru, his tail flicking left and right, his ears folded slightly back, and a small pout. It was like a language; you took a mental note to jot that down in your notebook later. Following the warrior, he led you to a tunnel that connected many rooms, each for the clan to sleep in. They were spacious and large, and many members were already getting comfortable. Some children were running around while their mother scolded them, while other stared at both you and Satoru.
“That Satoru, always bringing trouble wherever he goes.” One of them had said.
When your gaze fixed on satoru you could tell he didn't care much about their comments. You wondered why so much of the clan seemed to scold him, while others seemed to love him. He was handsome, or well beautiful… not to mention he was the next clan leader. It only piqued your curiosity more about him. It was only then that you remembered seeing an image in the lab that looked like him. Perhaps you'll look into it when you return to your real body.
For now, you must sleep, as you are now living two lives on a gorgeous planet.
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A/N: hey yall! Finally got some satoru action in the story! Hope you enjoyed :) lmk what yall think so far !
translations:
Rutxe! Ke fìtseng ne pung nga - please. I'm not going to hurt you
'upe lu nga - what are you
Pefya lu tsal tsa'u nga plltxe my ftxì - how is it that you speak my tongue
Rutxe! Oe za'u nì'aw za'u tsonta nume - Please! ive come only to learn
Rutxe - Please
Taw Na'vi rä'ä nume, ayfo tspang. Tspang le'aw - Sky people do not learn, they kill. kill only
Oe rä'ä tspang, oe nume - i do not kill, i learn
mawey, mawey rutxe - calm calm please
oe nume - i learn
'upe lu tsal fula nga nìrangal tsonta nume - what is it that you wish to learn
