A/N: The pa'oite (Pa-oy-ee-tey) is a made-up reef clan

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It was the next day and surprisingly the bruises were halfway healed, thank God for the fast Na'vi healing time, so you could leave the Marui but, stayed clear of the water. You would go to say hi and hang out with your tsurak, other than that there was no need to venture so far out. You watched as everyone was bustling around taking down the decorations for the Tulkuns and putting up more festive ones. Was there another celebration? For what? You have been put out of the loop and, for some reason that stung not being told from Ronal and Tonowari. You frowned at that train of thought taking a deep breath. There was no need to have this sudden anger when you were having a peaceful time.

"Your face is going to get stuck like that." You turned thinking it was Ranari or someone coming to tease you but, gasped seeing it was Norm. His grin was as wide as yours.

"NORM!" You jumped him right then and there and he not being prepared toppled over with you on top of him your tail wagging wildly. "When did you get here?! Oh my God, I missed you! How have you been?" You sat up straddling him with a big smile, eyes big waiting for him to respond. All he got out was a chuckle sitting up and bringing you in for a tight hug. You squealed hugging him back the two of you rocking side to side. You missed this, you missed him, and you guys got along so well, the two of you always did.

"Hold on tight." You did as instructed as he stood up still holding you. Once he was standing he leaned forward forcing you to lean back with a giggle. He was doing this on purpose because he knew-word from Jake- that some of the Metkayina took an interest in you and would be hella jealous but, won't say anything. He also knew Jake loved her and wanted to make Jake jealous for the fuck of it especially since he was watching. Riling up Jake is too fun to pass up at times. "You've gotten thicker? Looks good on you, you're healthy." Your ears turned back looking off to the side catching the eyes of one of Ranari's friends who glanced over at Norm to glare at him. Uh oh. You turned back to Norm seeing that he noticed the Na'vi glaring at him. "Does he like you or something?" You frowned a little at that train of thought.

"Nah, he's trying to make up for treating me like shit. Who knew it took dying and coming back to gain basic respect." You were bitter about the whole thing allowing Norm to wrap an arm around you in comfort. "I can't help but, to feel a bit bitter you know? I know Jake had it just as hard but, from the jump he had Neytiri and his charisma allowed him to flow easily. We both had it hard but...I had it harder and still do." He never knew the extent of just how hard you had it. Hissed at, made fun of, tail pulled, getting into constant fights, that you always won cause fuck that, the works. At least the children loved you everywhere you went regardless of what their parents may have felt toward you. It was nice being loved and accepted by people.

"You know you can talk to me if you feel you can't talk to anyone else, right?"You looked up at Norm to see he looked at you with sincerity "I mean it. You never talk to anyone, Jake brings it up all the time that you care so much about everyone around you but, not enough for yourself. You have to learn to care and protect yourself or there won't be anything left of you to give." You never could get over the fact that he knew what to say all the time. "Please Y/N. No one wants to see you kill yourself because you don't believe you're worthy of love." He was hitting a little too close to home and it was making you uncomfortable. You nodded feeling unwilling tears pool in your eyes. You watch him panic a bit his free hand hovering over your face before it drops.

"I, uh, catch you later. I know you're staying for a few days." You felt the urge to cry grow stronger and stronger wanting to run. You glanced up at Norm who looked worried but, you shook your head and took off to the beach missing how a pissed-off Ranari was watching the whole exchange and saw you upset and running away from the demon. He stalked his way to the guy making sure to bump his shoulder hard, hiss at him, and go in the direction you ran in. You looked like you were going to cry.

You were trying to run and get to a secluded part of the woods where you can scream and cry. When was the last time you felt this urge to scream and cry? A very long time and it was long overdue. It was a build-up of emotions and even though Norm didn't say anything wrong per se it was enough to push you over the edge you've been teetering over precariously. Honestly, you were one compliment or insult away from losing it and you just happened to have lost it with Norm. Tears were falling freely from your eyes now and when your heart felt like it was going to come out of your chest you fell to your knees and screamed. You screamed with all your might until you tasted blood at the back of your throat ignoring the way the little birds went scattering. Your heart was pounding in your ears, so much distraught you didn't hear the person who dropped to their knees behind you.

"Ma' ompin syulang." You turned with a gasp, ears folded back ready to run not knowing anyone was behind you but when you saw it was just Ranari that was it for you. You threw yourself on him and he grabbed you in a vice grip falling to his butt, to lean against a tree and pull you into his lap. You cried you screamed, you hit, you said how much you hate it here, how unfair it is, how hard you try and it's never good enough, frustrations and expectations while being here, anything regarding the Metkayina you told him in between sobs and cries. He said absolutely nothing just holding you and placing kisses and wiping away the tears on your face whenever you pulled away. His heart hurt seeing how much pain you were in but, the more heart-wrenching thing is how well you hid it. No one had a clue and he just happened to catch you.

"I hate it here. Sometimes I wish Eywa kept me." His entire body froze up at your conviction, panic seizing him. He pulled you away as gently as he can but, still firm to stare at you.

"I want you here. I need you here. I send a gift to Eywa every day since she blessed us with your presence for a second chance. I am truly sorry for the way you've been treated. I am sorry for treating you less than others. You're amazing, I'm undeserving of your affection and I will beg and grovel at your feet if it means you can forgive me. I'm desperate for your forgiveness. I'll hunt, make your food, weave baskets, make your clothes and jewelry anything to make you smile even if it's temporary. I can't do that if you're not here so I need you to stay here. Please. I'll keep you safe this time, I promise. We can hunt, we can do things together, anything let me just make it up to you." He was rambling but, everything he said was true. There's so much he should have done, so much he needs to do. He will never be good enough until he gets your approval and even then he needs to approve of himself. Your head was still foggy as you struggled to meet his eyes and gather your thoughts.

"...You're a nice person Ranari. You really are...Only if your friends can keep being nice." His friends would try to tease you in a friendly matter, but it was still too sharp and it wasn't always grinning, it was snarling at times. They weren't trying hard enough for you.

"I'll keep them in line, they are adults but I will make sure they act like one. The children have no problem accepting you, they have to as well." You nodded snuggling yourself back in his embrace and he allowed it. It was silent for a few with you enjoying his company and wanting affection. He was your soulmate so you can get it from him.

"After Ronal gives birth I will talk to her." He winced but, agreed with you nevertheless. He loves his sister to death but, she was too headstrong and always said and did things before thinking causing issues that she was too stubborn to admit that she started. Their parents said this about her all the time. "Are you upset that I am your soulmate?" He stood quiet contemplating how to answer that. He was going, to be honest, but, be careful not to hurt your feelings any more than they already were.

"I knew since you washed up on our beach. I felt it in my chest because the Metkayina strongly believes in Eywa's will when it comes to soulmates. I knew but, I also grew up with a mom who accepted and loved everyone and a traditionalist dad." You nodded your head to show you were listening to him. "I was fighting with myself from day one when Ronal and Tonowari accepted you even though you weren't planning on staying for long at first I thought it would be okay to know you and get close which I did. However, my friends are more traditional than I am and didn't like that you were a half-breed, a fake Na'vi." You flinched at that and he was quick to bring you in impossibly closer to him and press reassuring kisses along your forehead and your eyebrows. "That is what we used to call you and I would ignore how it truly made me feel, I allowed my pride and ego to guide me to treat you like shit. You never deserved it and I will always regret treating you the way I did. I was never truly disappointed with you being my soulmate, I just was an skqxwng whose ego and pride were too much." It was silent for a few until you spoke.

"I never knew much about having many soulmates until I started asking around, asking other na'vi and that's how I discovered you were my soulmate." Ranari took in a shaky breath but, said nothing. "I was so happy, I thought I can have someone to understand me here with the Metkayina but, it was all so confusing... When I was with Eywa she spoke with me about everything and at first, she wasn't going to send me back but, she changed her mind and she was going to send me back with no memories but, that would have been too cruel she allowed me to have them all. I wanted all my memories... She told me I can have up to ten thousand platonic soulmates, about 20 romantic soulmates and I can have roughly a thousand or under for familial. I never gave it too much thought despite it running through my head with a bunch of other things. " You had calmed down significantly and now you were just comfortably leaning on Ranari who never stopped rubbing your back and his other hand squeezed and rubbed your hip with an occasional kiss to whatever skin he can get to including your ears. "It sounds like a lot and it is but, when you compare it to the millions of na'vi all across Pandora it is a small number."

"Do you have more than just me?" You thought about telling him but, decided to be honest with him this time. He took your moment of silence as confusion "I mean have you met anyone before me? On your adventures or with the Omaticaya people?"

"Of course, In this clan though? I don't know but, in all the other clans I stayed at over the years yes I do." His ears stood forward in interest "It's been 17 years almost 18 since I've been here on Pandora and I stayed at 15 clans, two of them being reef clans and now the Metkayina is the third and the longest one I've ever stayed at." Your tail swayed contently behind you hitting his legs here and there.

"What are the other clans? Did you like them? How long did you stay at each?" You smiled at him seeing his genuine interest in you. It was nice.

"The Olangi, the Omaticaya obviously, the Tayrangi, the Tipani, the Kekunan, the Ta'unui, the Tawkami, the Tomac'ta, the Anurai, the pa'oite, the Huyuticaya, the Li'ona, the Ni'awve, the Hulanta and finally here. I wanted to see if I can go see the Li'ona clan but, I'll save that for the future." You caught his eyes again this time holding eye contact "I never stayed more than a year at them. The Tipani, the Tawkami, and the Kekunan were the most fun I had surprisingly and they were very welcoming. The Tipani and Kekunan remember me from fighting and the Tawkami remembered me for my love of animals and Pandora's forest... I really hate the say it but, the worst clan I've ever been with so far is tied between here and the Mangkwan. The Mangkwan accept outcasts and thought I was making a mockery of them by wanting to understand and explore them, I stayed there about two weeks because they were horrendously cruel, and mean." You shook your head, body shivering from remembering.

"You never have to go back so it's okay ma Y/N." You sitting sideways on his lap now laying against him your face in the conjecture of his neck and shoulder. "I'm sorry that we were so bad." It bothered him that you really didn't have a good experience here and that he was part of the reason no matter how small it may have been.

"No, I don't and I appreciate the fact that you guys are trying to make up for it." You brought a hand up to run through his hair that was out of its bun. It was curly and he had a lot of it. "All the other clans were good, every clan has bullies, and people who accepted me which is fine. Regardless, I learned something and earned friendships... It's funny, the only clan that wasn't affected as much by sky people was the Tawkami, and the few that tried I drove those humans out. I killed them because the Tawkami is so peaceful and doesn't have warriors, I didn't want them to die. None of them. That's how I got this scar." You sat up facing him this time and pulled down your loincloth in the front a bit to show the long c-section-like scar.

"How..." Ranari found himself running light fingers across it, it tickled but wasn't uncomfortable for you anymore.

"I was saving the Olo'eyktan and for whatever reason one of the avatars thought we were mates and he tried stabbing me to make sure I never have children but, I moved so instead of it going straight through it sliced me." Ranari hissed pressing a protective hand over it.

"No one has the right to take that away from you. You love children so much and they love you. You would make a wonderful mother one day and I wish to see it." You allowed him to touch it some more, cussing the sky people as well before he pulled away watching you put your loincloth back on right. It was silent, a comfortable silence with his hands resting on your waist.

"We should head back before they send scouts." You both chuckled but, he agreed to get up and helped you up but, his hand never left yours. The two of you walked slowly back to the beach and before you separated he turned to you planting a quick kiss on your lips.

"Nga yawne lu oer, oel ngati kameie." Your tail wagged wildly, returning the sayings and kissing him on the cheeks and then the lips. You're so fucked, in a good way. How were you going to break the news to the others and convince them to mate you also? Only Eywa can tell.

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Let me know what you guys think so far. Once this book is done I plan on writing a prequel to this, all the adventures Y/N went on and stuff that happened during the 16 years of peace before the sky people returned.