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Italics: (Na'vi language or Jake's inner thoughts or narration)
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Now that Jake was completely ready, it was time for him to take the rite of passage every young hunter, or new in this case, needs to undergo. It was a day with clear skies in the Hallelujah Mountains of Pandora.

Jake, Tsu'Tey, and a few other young Na'vi were taking a path up one of the mountains. Each on their own Pa'li. The path up was narrow, making it hard for the direhorses to not accidentally let a hoove slip and let some rocks fall to the precipice.

Eventually, the group came upon a part of the path where they would no longer need to use their horses. There was a trail of floating rocks that were attached to vines, so that was the next part of the journey. Tsu'Tey, Jake, and the other hunters proceeded to dismount their Pa'li's so they could start to climb.

Learning to ride and Ikran, we call them banshees, is the test every young hunter has to pass. But to do that, you gotta go where the banshees are. Oo-rah.

"Za'u!" (Come!) Tsu'Tey instructed the young ones while Jake strayed off and looked up to see the path awaiting the group.

Soon enough, everyone was climbing their way up the vines with Tsu'Tey leading the group. It was treacherous terrain, but eventually, the group all reached the top of the floating rocks and when Jake arrived, he looked at Tsu'Tey for the next step. From what he could see, there was nowhere to cross or get to, so Jake was really confused at this point.

"Now what?" Jake asked, turning to Tsu'Tey. The future Olo'eyktan didn't say much but spoke in Na'vi to the other students. "Latsi!" (Keep up!) He said, preparing to jump onto the vines that were getting closer.

"Kivä ko!" (Let's go!) He said. When one vine was close enough, Tsu'Tey leaped and grabbed onto the nearest one. He was now hanging onto the vine and pulling himself off, prompting the other young hunters to do the same.

Jake was the last one, so when everyone was already climbing, he waited for the closest vine and finally jumped. He grabbed onto the vine and began making his way up, using every bit of strength that his muscles could give him.

As the men were approaching the test site where they were all supposed to choose their own Ikran and tame one, Y/n was riding her Ikran, Nana, up to the meeting place. Tsu'Tey had previously told her where the test would take place so she was making her way there as of right now

If she was being honest, on the way there, she began to think about Jake and their moment up in the tree near Grace's school. She was still angry at herself for not letting it happen, but it also made her realize that she did have undeniable feelings for Jake that she couldn't ignore any longer. You were deeply in love with him in a point of no return. He was the man you had been looking for, and you we're grateful for his existence every day.

What's sad is that after this test, she wouldn't have an excuse to be around him anymore and that saddened her, He would finally take the ritual to be part of the people and he would be free to be an Omaticaya Na'vi.

Y/n discussed her discomfort when she was at the Tree of Souls and connected her queue to one of the branches of the tree. Whenever she has a problem, Y/n turns to Neytiri or Eywa. This was a matter that Y/n wanted to talk about with her most precious deity, especially since she was the one who gave Y/n the sign that she was supposed to be with Jake, and not Tsu'Tey. Deep down, the connection you had to Jake ever since he arrived was something that would impact your future, but now, it was time to decide what it was you wanted.

After being able to pour her heart out to Eywa in the tree and relieving those thoughts off of her back that she wanted to confide in someone else, your hair glowed and Eywa's voice was heard in your head, then Y/n finally knew what to do. Once the ceremony of acceptance into the clan, he'll be able to choose a mate he'll be mated for life with, and she was sullen about that fact. If he picked someone else, she would have to live with the guilt of not doing something and telling him sooner.

Before she knew it, Y/n saw blue figures standing in an open cave that looked out the horizon onto the mountains. Pushing her thoughts about Jake aside, Y/n landed on the opening of the cave and climbed off of Nana. You turned to Tsu'Tey and the two of you gestured 'I see you' to one another.

Once you turned to Jake, you could see he was smirking playfully at you. His actions made you turn your face away, feeling your face heat up as you pretended to be fixated on something in the distance. Jake chuckled to himself seeing this, finding you more endearing with every second that he spent with you.

Tsu'Tey was passing by each of the young hunters, and Jake was at the end of the line. He was panting softly while using his bow as something to hold on to. Tsu'Tey got to Jake and smirked. "Jakesully will go first," He said, standing in front of him with authority.

Jake narrowed his eyes at Tsu'Tey. He knew that the warrior was just trying to spite him and wanted to see him fail first. Even so, Jake accepted that and started to walk towards the waterfall. He handed his bow over to Tsu'Tey and held onto it while he did his test.

Y/n sent a disapproving smile toward Tsu'Tey and started walking behind Jake. She didn't like how he was intentionally trying to make him fail and see him get kicked out. Indeed, Tsu'Tey did not like Jake, but at least she hoped that they could work things out and become brothers and allies.

While Y/n followed behind Jake, she could see him stretching out his arms and his back so that he was ready. The two of them walked along the narrow edge right behind the waterfall that led to the nest of Ikrans yet to choose a hunter. The rocks he walked on were slippery and wet, so Jake calculated his steps carefully.

When they reached the other side of the waterfall, Jake could see the Ikrans roaring and flapping their wings as a natural behavior. Jake suddenly felt very nervous and sensing this, you came closer to him and whispered in his ear so that they don't startle the banshees.

"Now you choose your Ikran. This you must feel inside" Y/n said, moving her hand so that it lay over his chest gently. She could feel his heartbeat going very quickly. "If he also chooses you, move quickly like I showed you. You will only have one chance, Jake" You said.

"How will I know if he chooses me?" Jake asked you, turning to face you with his amber eyes. At direct eye contact, you tried not to lose focus but you managed to do so anyway.

"He will try to kill you" Y/n answered, and Jake turned back around to face the Ikrans in their natural habitat. "Outstanding..." He muttered.

A few seconds later, Jake finally started to move forward and toward the Ikrans. He left your side and you moved behind him slowly but also gave him space so he could accomplish the test. The other young hunters and Tsu'Tey followed as well.

Seeing an unknown visitor, the ikrans hissed and growled at Jake while making his way through them. Many of them flew away as he got closer, so he knew those weren't the ones he was supposed to go after. He continued to walk through the crowd of banshees, making eye contact with a couple of them, but those eventually flew away as well.

Jake continued to walk down the ledge, that was until he came upon an Ikran that did not leave his presence. The banshee roared and screeched at Jake, but showing no fear, the Avatar tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth, showing his canine teeth as he hissed at the Ikran.

Seeing that the Ikran hissed back at Jake, showing no signs of leaving, Jake smirked at the fact that he had finally found the Ikran he was supposed to tame. Y/n looked in amazement at Jake. He was doing so well and she couldn't be prouder. He began to swing his rope in a circular motion.

"Let's dance," Jake tilted his head with a grin, continuing to swing his rope as the Ikran got in a defensive stance.

Tsu'Tey laughed at Jake and turned to the younger warriors. "Tìyerkup skxawng" (This moron's going to die) He laughed, earning a glare from Y/n, trying to tell him to stop doing that. Being put in a vulnerable position without support is the last thing Jake needed. You turned back to Jake, hoping that he relied on the skills you'd shown him to pass this.

The Ikran lunged at Jake, and he dodged it by jumping to the side opposite the banshee. As he did so, Jake was able to wrap his rope around the Ikran's mouth and snout, giving Jake the advantage to tame him. Jake then used this opportunity to jump onto the banshee's back, holding on tight as the creature thrashed, trying to throw him off.

Y/n's eyes widened, seeing as Jake and the Ikran started to get a little bit too close to the edge of the cliff. Somehow, this rallied up the other young warriors as they started cheering for him to continue how he was doing while Tsu'Tey stayed silent. Having a better hold on the Ikran, Jake started to hold down the creature's head and pulled it to be tightly pressed against its neck.

The banshee's body finally lowered to the ground and Jake was able to touch the floor again. He used all of his strength to hold down the Ikran as best as he could, given that its wings were flapping and thrashing, trying to get Jake to let go of it.

"Txopu rä'ä si, tsamsiyu!" (Don't be afraid, warrior!) Tsu'Tey yelled out to Jake, and all the while the other young hunters did the same.

"Make the bond!" Y/n yelled out to him, reminding him to connect their queues before the Ikran got loose again.

Jake listened to you and attempted to do as told, but while he did that, he let go of the Ikran's mouth. Jake tried to pull its antenna up to his braid to connect them, but the Ikran knocked its head backward and hit Jake square in his head. He groaned in pain and the banshee tossed him off, making him roll away to the edge of the mountain. Y/n gasped at this and ran over to the edge to help while Tsu'Tey laughed at what was happening.

"Jake!" You called for him in worry and concern. This was becoming so hectic.

Y/n looked over the edge where Jake was hanging off and sighed in relief to see that he hadn't let go and was still hanging on. A few seconds later, Jake pulled himself up with a grunt and hopped back on the Ikran's back with no hesitation this time. The Ikran roared in annoyance at not being left alone.

The two hunters were cheering for Jake, while you stayed off to the side and reminded him to make the bond before the same thing happened again. "Tsaheylu, Jake! Tsaheylu!" You said with anxiety and distress laced in your voice, feeling worried for him.

Jake at last was finally able to pin down the Ikran with his legs, using a military-style fighting method that he remembered. Once he grabbed his braid and the Ikran's antenna, he connected them, and with that, the bond was finally made at last. The banshee's eyes widened at the feeling of the bond.

"Stop!" Jake said with a strained huff, and the banshee, at last, stopped moving. He sighed in relief that he finally managed to do it. Y/n came closer to the two and started to calm down the creature in Na'vi. Jake released his legs from around the creature's head and crawled over so they make eye contact.

"That's right," Jake laughed tiredly. "Yeah, that's right. You're mine. Huh?" He chuckled, finally releasing the Ikran from its hold on the rope around its mouth. Then, Jake sat back on his newfound Ikran and the creature started to stand upward like it usually does.

Y/n quickly came over to his side and started gesturing for Jake toward the edge. "First flight seals the bond! You cannot wait" You said, pushing both Jake and his Ikran toward the edge of the mountain.

"Fly?" Jake asked, but accidentally commanded his Ikran to do so, and in no time, the banshee leaped forward and they were now on their way down. The two were spirling and spinning out of control, mostly because the Ikran cannot fly well without orders now that it is bonded. As they continued to fall, Jake held on tightly. "Goddamit! Oh shit!" He yelled.

The Ikran was spinning every which way, flying up to the side of the mountain they just jumped from. The Banshee attempted to cling onto it, but it failed, so Jake and his banshee were falling uncontrollably once again. Jake was letting out a yell that could be heard from above, so he held tightly to his Ikran's antenna, mostly to stop himself from falling to the precipe by accident from his Ikran.

Jake held a tight grip on his banshee while they continue to fall together. The ikran screeched loudly, feeling no sense of direction as Jake was landing on its back rather sloppily.

"Oh, shut up and fly straight!" Jake yelled out frustratedly. He grunted while panting, but then he felt his Ikran do as he told him to, flying more smoothly. Jake had a crooked smile appear on his face, so he sat up better on the creature, and his smile extended from ear to ear. He couldn't believe he finally did it.

"That's it. Bank left" Jake ordered, and the Ikran did as told once more. Now they were flying more smoothly, Jake was able to avoid mountains in his way and waterfalls too. His Ikran moved left just like he asked, so Jake sighed contentedly. "Level out! Ah, that's it" He muttered to his banshee, who followed the command.

Jake couldn't explain how happy he was at that moment. Y/n smiled at his accomplishment. She always knew he would be able to do it, and she never doubted in her mind that he couldn't do it. He has come so far, and now he was finally earning his place among the people.

The young hunters were watching this happen as well, cheering and waving over at Jake. They were so happy for him. Before they continued, Tsu'Tey huffed angrily and told the boys, in annoyance, to shut up. Tsu'Tey was disappointed that Jake didn't fail like he expected him to.

Y/n smirked at Tsu'Tey's reaction, then ran over to her own Ikran, connecting their bond. You dove off of the mountain while being mounted on Nana, soaring through the air to catch up with Jake and his new Ikran.

You yipped and hooted happily as you approached Jake, flying side by side with one another. Once he noticed your presence, he turned his head to look at you and a wide smile came upon his face as your banshees flew alongside the other.

"Hey! Y/n! I did it!" He yelled out to you with a wave and you chuckled fondly. Jake was so proud of himself that it was hard not to look away from the happiness that radiated off of him. He wasn't born a Na'vi, but he already looked like he had been doing this his entire life expertly.

The two of you flew around one another, throwing water at each other from the waterfalls you passed, flying by mountains, and meeting one other on the other side. He quickly grew to love being with you like this, and if it was possible, he would stay here forever by your side.

"Yeah, baby! I got this!" He cheered but got too excited to notice that he was about to fly straight into a floating mountain. "Oh, shit!" He exclaimed, quickly dodging the mountain and going another way to catch up with you. Even if he almost crashed, he didn't let his smile fade, showing how much he was truly enjoying himself at that moment.

I may not be much of a horse guy, but I was born to do this.

After flying for a while, you and Jake stopped by Hometree, leaving your Ikrans nearby. The two of you sat down cross-legged in front of one another on a large branch while talking about the experience you just had.

"I came like this. This you," Y/n exclaimed excitedly, pointing to your hand so he knew which was which according to what you were talking about. "Yeah, yeah..." Jake hummed with a smile, and he tried to pay attention, but his focus was on you and only you.

"I turn. I feel the wind. I turn very strong" You explained, maneuvering your hand in a way that represented flying in the Ikran. Jake nodded and added a few words of his own. "Look, yeah, see, I banked so hard," He said, joining in on your explanation.

-

After that day, Jake could officially fly his Ikran freely and was given a special headpiece for flying. The other hunters, along with you, Tsu'Tey and Jake, were now all riding in formation. Jake was next to you, while you, had Tsu'Tey on your other side.

Jake, while he focused on his flying, turned over to me and smirked before coming up with an idea. Jake steered his Ikran so that it comes towards yours, flapping its wings against your Ikrans wings, making you gasp with a laugh that came shortly after.

Jake smiled, infused with a smirk, and you couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably as you moved Nana to do the same to his own Ikran. The two of you laughed, catching the attention of Tsu'Tey who yelled at you two to cut it out. Instead, you and Jake looked at each other discreetly when Tsu'Tey wasn't looking and the both of you stifled a laugh.

The next day, Y/n and Jake headed over again to one of the branches of Homtree and called to your Ikrans to grab both. After doing so, the two of you raced one another and had a fun afternoon spending time together.

The two Ikrans dove downwards from the side of the mountain, and the two riders went straight down and whoever got to the bottom first was the winner. Y/n won, and Jake was a sore loser, but he quickly got over it.

Y/n herself couldn't believe that Jake would be having this ceremony in just a couple of days. He would be able to be free amongst the Omaticaya, and be part of the people after hard training and learning about the clan. Being with him alone would be a lot harder, especially since she didn't have an excuse to be with him, whether it was for a lesson or something else that she needed to train him on.

Y/n also knew that Jake was starting to wonder why and what it is that makes her hair glow the way it does, and what triggers it exactly. She had never really explained it to him. A part of her realized that maybe it didn't need explaining, and that it was something that needed to be shared at another time. She woukd find the perfect moment, just not now.

Now that she had begun to trust him more, she wanted to tell him this part of herself that only her mother, father, sister, and Grace knew about. She finally felt like he was an important puzzle piece in her life, so she couldn't wait to share it with him and everything about her she has been keeping from him since they met.

Y/n and Jake flew through the forest of Pandora up until the point they came across the Tree of Souls. Y/n smiled softly and her hair began to glow softly as it moved with the wind, creating an ethereal effect. She could feel the presence of Eywa intensifying inside of her, and in a good way.

Without losing your sense of direction, you closed your eyes and let the feeling wash over you as the two of you circled the tree with your Ikrans. Jake didn't say anything, but immigration connected the dots and understood that this was a sacred place.

Back at the small base, Trudy, Jake, Norm, and Grace were all huddled over the computer to see what Grace was explaining. Jake had come back from his link that day and told her all about what he saw when he was with you.

"The Tree of Souls. Or Vitraya Ramunong" Grace started, crossing her arms in front of her as she leaned back in her chair and everyone observed the pictures. "It's their most sacred place. See the Flux Vortex in these false-color images?" Grace pointed at the scans.

"Yeah, that's what messes up my instruments," Trudy stated with a scoff and a smile at the same time. She remembered how every time they pass through that place, her controls on the helicopter go crazy.

"There's something really interesting going on in there biologically," Grace started, looking at the pictures Jake had brought back with longing. "I would die to get samples. Outsiders are strictly forbidden. You lucky swine" Grace said with a chuckle.

Jake stayed silent. After he had explored that place with you, he knew that it was too important to let it be cut down just for human greed. Y/n had such a special connection to that tree that if they cut it down, it'd be devastating for the Omaticaya people.

He realized at that moment that he didn't want to work with Quaritch or Parker anymore, but he also couldn't turn his back on them either. He felt like he was in an impossible position at this point and every decision he made now would come with a grave consequence.

-

The next day, Jake got back into his Avatar body and since he was an official Omaticaya hunter now, he was participating in a special hunt that will feed the bellies of the entire village that very night.

There was a group that was cornering these rhinoceros-like mammals by the ground on their Pa'li's and others who were on their Ikrans, rounding them up by air to allow hunters to shoot and get a kill.

Y/n and Jake flew side by side as they reached the stampede of mammals. The pair hooted and yipped at one another to communicate, something usually done on hunting grounds.

Many hunters who were on their direhorses and were chasing these animals by ground, failed to let their arrows penetrate the tough exterior of the mammal.

Every time they attempted to get a shot, the animal defended itself and knocked itself into the hunter, throwing them off course and making the person fall off its Pa'li and onto the ground harshly. The spears thrown at these animals did not work either, because they immediately bounced off the outer skin.

These animals did have a weak spot that needed to be reached to kill them. Knowing this, Tsu'Tey came up to another one of the rhino-like mammals in the stampede and shot an arrow directly into the hole right by its head leading to the animal's brain, effectively killing it as it fell to the ground.

Having his eye on one of these creatures, and with you flying by his side, Jake aimed his arrow from his Ikran and aimed at the spot that he knew would kill the animal.

Once he let the arrow go, his shot went directly towards that hole in its head that leads to the animal's brain. After that hit, the mammal fell like a lamp and instantly died. After making his first kill of the day, Jake hooted.

"Hell yeah!" He exclaimed happily that was able to make such a clean kill, especially from his Ikran who he had just started to master.

"Hell yeah!" Y/n repeated what Jake said, a smile coming across her face. They both flew together, yipping and hooting, off to collect their kills to take back to the village.

-

I was a stone-cold aerial hunter. Death from above. Only problem is, you're not the only one.

Jake and Y/n were flying again a few days later, and Jake had become a big asset when it came to hunting for the clan. The two of you were flying together around midday and passing through a couple of mountains when all of a sudden, Toruk or The Last Shadow fly above you. Jake's eyes widened, making you look up as fear started to consume you.

"Dive!" Jake yelled out to you, and the two of you immediately started to go in another direction to lose the giant creature. It was coming right at Jake and you, stretching out its legs in hopes of grabbing what it could.

The claws of Toruk attempted to grab onto Jake's Ikran as they dove downward. Seeing as using its claws did not work, Toruk tried to take a bite out of either of the banshees or the riders, and it almost did, but you and Jake flew out of the way just in time. For some unknown reason, Jake started to wonder why Toruk was only attacking him. I mean, he was glad you were out of danger, but why was he only and solely after Jake alone?

Both Ikrans dove downwards in an attempt to lose Toruk off of their trail, but the giant creature did not give up its chase. Eventually, you and Jake reached the forest and tried to stay in sync to not lose one another. Y/n and Jake swerved back and forth between the trees and branches that came their way. No matter how many obstacles they tried to avoid, Toruk got through them easily and was now getting closer and closer.

"Go, go!" Jake shouted out to you as Toruk narrowly missed another bite from Jake's Ikran. They were separated for a few moments but eventually reunited and continued their chase together. "Follow me!" Jake shouted out to you and complied immediately.

Nodding at Jake, Y/n followed his lead and flew sideways through a mess of vines hanging from the trees. The Ikrans were able to get through easily, but Toruk was stuck behind. The giant creature roared in frustration and took off, leaving Jake and Y/n safe.

Nana and Jake's Ikran perched themselves onto the nearest tree, giving the two riders a moment to take a breather. You and Jake were panting breathlessly at such a rush of adrenaline so quickly. Y/n patted down her Ikran to make sure it was not startled, and Jake did the same with him, hushing it gently.

Jake turned his head and looked over at you. He smiled at you, grinning from ear to ear, prompting you to smile and laugh as you threw your head back. You both barely made it out alive, but for some reason, it made the two of you laugh.

When making it back to the village, there was a festival happening for such a good day of hunting. Everyone was happy. There was music, food, and good energy, and the villagers were having the time of their lives.

After joining it at the party for a while, Y/n led Jake over to the main room where he was first brought to when they met and was introduced to the clan. There was a pole with the skull of a Toruk on top of it. You gestured for Jake to come closer to see, and he did, observing every detail his eyes could see. Jake decided to approach it and then ran his hands along its sharp teeth, jaw, and skull.

"Our guys call it Leonopteryx," Jake said, and you nodded. "It is Toruk. Last Shadow" You explained, making Jake chuckle, given how ironic that name seemed to be.

"Yeah, right. It's the last one you ever see" He nodded with a small laugh. Y/n quickly climbed up to the rock that was holding the pole in which Toruk's skull is in.

"You know, my grandfather's grandfather was Toruk Makto. Rider of the Last Shadow" You said, beaming with pride. Jake turned to you with amazement and then back to the skull.

"He rode this?" Jake asked in disbelief, and you nodded with a small hum. "Toruk chose him. It has only happened five times since the time of the first songs" You explained, and Jake nodded in understanding.

"That's a long time..." He said, still in disbelief. "Yes. Toruk Makto was mighty. He brought the clans together in times of great sorrow. All Na'vi people know the story" You said, and then looked down for a second before looking back up at him in admiration.

You wanted to tell him how you felt, but who's to say that he won't feel the same way you do and it ruins what you have now? It's too risky. Y/n kept her thoughts back to herself and continued to admire Toruk with Jake up close.

Soon enough, Jake's eyes snapped open as he awoke back in his human body. After some time, both you and Jake headed to your hammocks for the night, and as soon as he fell asleep, he woke back inside his pod.

The ex-marine took a long and deep breath. His eyes flickered around his surroundings as he continued to ponder what his life is now.

Everything is backwards now. Like out there is the true world and in here is the dream.

Jake's pod opened and climbed out of it to move to his wheelchair. He looked at his thin legs and sighed as he moved one by one down from the pod. In no time, Jake knew what he wanted. This mission isn't something he wanted to be a part of anymore. He wanted to be with you. To have a functioning body. To live out the rest of his days in Pandora.

"It's hard to believe it's only been three months. I can barely remember my old life. But I do know what I want now. I don't know who I am anymore. Especially if Y/n isn't by my side" Jake said into the camera, spilling out his thoughts, knowing there wasn't anybody else around at that moment to hear him.

During these 3 months, Jake has grown a bit of a beard, so now he was in front of a mirror as he shaved and weighed out all of his options in his mind. He didn't know what to do. Selfridge refused to give them more time to get them to move, and it was just a matter of time before disaster struck on Homtree and the Na'vi.

That night, Jake sat alone in the empty cafeteria of the main base of the RDA. He had asked Quaritch if there were some things they could discuss now that the deadline was up and 3 months had passed since the mission will be over soon and the bulldozers were scheduled to hit Hometree soon.

"Haven't gotten lost in the woods, have you?" Colonel Quaritch said as he came into the room and Jake turned his head to face him. "Your last report was more than two weeks ago. I'm starting to doubt your resolve. The way I see it, it's time to terminate the mission." Quaritch said, making Jake's eyes widen a minuscule fraction. The Colonel set a chair in front of Jake and sat on it with the back facing him.

"No, I can do this" Jake insisted, hoping that they would give him more time. That's all he needed. Quaritch smirked as he looked at the ex-marine and chuckled at Jake's response.

"You already have. You've given me good, useable intel. This Tree of Souls place. Yeah, I got them by the balls with that when this turns into a shit fight, which it will." Quaritch started, and Jake sent him a fake smile as his jaw clenched, starting to regret giving his superior the scans and the location he took from the tree when he was flying with you the other day on your Ikrans.

"Now, it's time to come in. By the way, you're gonna get your legs back." Quaritch said, and Jake snapped his head up to look at the Colonel with surprise. "Yeah. I got your corporate approval. It's a done deal. Gonna have you on a shuttle tonight. I'm a man of my word" Quaritch said, not knowing what Jake was truly thinking about.

"I gotta finish this. I can't just leave," Jake started, his voice low and trying to sound convincing. "There's one more thing. Ceremony. It's the final stage of becoming a man. If I do it, I'm one of them. They'll trust me. Then, I can negotiate the terms of their relocation" Jake said, trying to look as confident as he could. Even if he truly didn't want to be a part of this anymore.

Not needing to hear anything more, Quaritch put his trust in Jake. The Colonel stood up from his chair and began to walk away. Before he was out of the room, Quaritch turned to Jake with a strict and stern expression. "Well, then you better get it done, Corporal" He muttered, leaving Jake alone in the cafeteria to ponder by himself again.

Even if Jake already knew what side he wanted to be on, this ceremony was his last chance to try and avoid a big conflict that will lead to disaster. What he had no idea is that Quaritch and Parker have been viewing all of his video logs, where he mentions the way he feels about you, so that was the last straw Quaritch needed to start to lose his trust in Jake, but he wants to see what he does to see if he's still on their side despite what he said on the log.

Later that night, Jake was back inside their small base in the Hallelujah mountains. There was a light plasma storm raging outside, so the scientists and Trudy took shelter inside while it passed. Jake was about to enter his pod and transfer to his Avatar body again, and then head over to his ceremony. After this, Jake would finally be considered one of the people.

Jake sat by the window at the base while watching the storm outside. Thunder and lightning could be heard in the background. He had told Grace what he wanted to do, but now she was pacing back and forth behind him.

"I can't allow it, you're just not strong enough!" Grace argued, trying to talk him out of doing the Ceremony. There was more than just the proclamation itself, but also the fact that he had to endure extreme pain and come out alive. Grace was certain it could end in his death and his work would be been for nothing.

"It's the last door. I'm gonna go through with it. You can help me or just get out of the way" Jake said, wheeling himself away from the window and towards the pod initializing.

"Will you just listen to me? Sometimes even the Na'vi themselves die in these vision quests! The venom takes you to the edge of death! And the psychoactive alkaloid in the worm, we have no idea what that will even do to an Avatar brain" Grace tried to convince Jake, frustrated that he wasn't listening to her.

"Initializing" Norm said as he started to start up Jake's pod and he arrived at the side of it to enter it. "You always told me that science is about not knowing!" Jake argued, gripping his hands onto the sides of the pod to pull himself and his legs up.

"Jake, no matter what you prove out there, you are still in here, " Grace said, kneeling to him, trying to get her message across. What he wanted to do was simply a suicide mission that he had no idea if he would come out of. "You're right here," Grace said, putting her hand on his shoulder and patting it.

Jake raised his hand and raised it to hold the one Grace had on his shoulder. "I need to do this. Just become one of them" He said, but that was just the last straw for Grace.

"Damn it, Jake! You can never be one of them! Our life out there takes millions of dollars of machinery to sustain. You visit and you leave. That's it." Grace explained, very exasperated. She knew her next words would go deep into his heart, but it has to be said. "You can never truly be with her," Grace said, and his face dropped at her statement, slowly breaking his heart apart and bringing him back to reality.

"Calibrating. 30 seconds," Norm said, turning to face Jake. The machine started to power up. He tried to pretend like he wasn't listening but it had become awkward for him, so Norm turned back around to the monitor.

Jake gulped and felt his throat start to close up. "You know why I'm here. Quaritch sent me" He took a deep breath and then revealed. Norm snapped his head back to Jake in disbelief. "What?" He asked, not knowing about this the entire time. He just thought Jake was another driver like him coming along.

"He wanted me to embed and blend in with the Omaticaya people. Find out a way to screw them out of their home" Jake said in shame, not proud of what he's done. He wants to undo what he started, but it was just too late.

"Oh, my God..." Norm muttered, turning towards the monitor. He couldn't believe he didn't know this the entire time. Everything that has happened in the last few months was starting to make so much sense for Norm.

"By deceit or by force, it didn't matter. If it was by force, then I was the best to do it" Jake said as he looked down. Grace looked at the ex-marine and sighed, taking one of his hands. "And what about now, Jake?" She asked.

"I'm not that guy anymore" Jake whispered sullenly, and Grace nodded. She knows how much he has changed throughout the last few months. None of this was fair on him. He just came here to do a job and realized how fucked up everything about this is.

"I know..." She said to him, nodding. She understood what he meant and it was so hard for Grace to see a close friend of hers be in such a predicament. Who would want this?

"If I tell Quaritch the truth, he yanks me out. And I never see her again," Jake started, and the simple thought of that just broke his heart into pieces. He began to feel his throat start to close and his eyes started to water. Jake choked on his words before he continued. "If I tell her the truth, then the clan throws me out. That's if they don't cut my heart out and show it to me first..." Jake said, feeling his voice break as he looked down and a few tears escaped his eyes.

"There's no happy ending here, Jake" Grace sighed, and that only made him feel worse. "They won't even understand what you've done" Norm added, turning to Jake.

"You know they don't even have a word for lie? They had to learn it from us" Jake muttered, and Grace nodded, feeling her resolve starting to break, seeing him in this situation.

"I taught it to them..." Grace added, remembering how her lessons with the Na'vi children used to be and how she'd teach them words and concepts humans use that they knew nothing about.

A few seconds passed before the ex-marine spoke up again. "They're waiting. I gotta go, I-I gotta go" Jake whispered, wanting to do this as soon as he could so he can try and at least get the Na'vi to relocate and nobody has to die.

Norm finished prepping the pod, then told Jake and Grace that the link was finally ready. Jake got into position and got comfortable on the pod. Grace leaned over him and placed a hand on his shoulder to say a few more words.

"Jake, you cannot bury this burden much longer" She reminded, wanting him to at least try to be rational about what he was about to do. Jake smirked, as a way to try and alleviate tension, and he responded.

"Ah, I'll be okay. Mo'at says an alien mind probably won't survive anyway" Jake said, winking at Grace and closing himself into the pod and ready to return to his Avatar body.

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Heyo! Im sure you all know what happens after this part in the movie lol anyway, this might be the longest chapter i've written. Right now its at 7k words- I can't believe it.

Anyway, I know I've been switching from 2nd to 3rd POV a lot, but I am still deciding if I'll use 1st POV for the rest of the story, i'll decide eventually so bare with me please shsjs

In other news, I go back to school on Wednesday, but don't worry, as I said, I want to stay consistent so expect at least weekly update now that there are a only a few chapters left in the story.

Also, let me know if you guys want to me to write a sequel for 'The Way Of Water'. I was gonna do it anyway lol but I wanna know if you guys are interested in that idea as well!

As always, don't forget to vote and comment because those really make my day. I Iove seeing and replying to them :,) They make me happy

See you guys in the next one! <3

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