CHAPTER 23

       For Na'vi, death was not the end. It marked a new beginning. But nonetheless, it was always sad for those left behind.

When the Sullys arrived at the rocks after eclipse had come to an end, 'Kanu's family had left to give them space. Everyone expect 'Kanu herself, that was. Without him having to say so, 'Kanu knew that Lo'ak wanted her to stay and she was not going to leave him.

'Kanu and Lo'ak both had their arms wrapped around each other as they watched Neytiri and Tuk crying over Neteyam's body. Hearing the sounds of Tuk's whimpers had brought tears to 'Kanu's eyes for the millionth time that day.

Jake used his knife to cut off the remainder of the cuffs from Kiri's wrist when Spider swam up to the rocks. When he had made it onto the land, he stood up, taking heavy breaths to steady his pulse. Truthfully - 'Kanu had not even realized that he had been missing up until then.

"Monkey boy," Kiri said as she saw the boy. Spider walked over to them and Kiri placed her hand on his chest in a way to greet him. The two smiled at one another as Spider placed a hand on top of hers. 'Kanu could not help but suspect that there was something going on between the two.

Suddenly Jake made Spider turn to him by placing his hands on both of the boy's shoulders, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Spider replied and Jake brought him in to a hug.

'Kanu let go of Lo'ak and nudged him toward his father. Lo'ak frowned at her but took an awkward step toward Jake. When Jake turned his head to look at him, he pulled him closer, "Come here."

It was the acceptance he had longed for.

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"Where is Lo'ak?" Kiri asked, looking around her. Everyone had relocated back to the village and were now getting painted up. That evening they were to watch Neteyam be laid to rest with the ancestors.

Neytiri sighed sadly before she pulled a cup of white paint closer to herself, "'Kanu, could you please find him?"

'Kanu - who had been sitting among the Sully family for some unknown reason - perked up when she heard her name. When she looked down at the bowl of paint that Neytiri offered her, she nodded and accepted it.

"Thank you," Neytiri said with a soft smile. 'Kanu smiled back, even though everyone could tell there was no happiness behind either of their eyes.

'Kanu got to her feet and walked past the exit of the Marui pod. Lo'ak had been missing for a few hours now, and no one had wanted to go find him. He must have been mourning his brother. She had a good idea on where to find him though, and now getting him ready had become a quite urgent matter.

When she made her way through the village she barely noticed the sorry looks the villagers cast her. She was set on ignoring them. Everyone knew about the friendship between her and Neteyam. It had caused quite the stir when the Sullys had first arrived on their island.

If those were the looks she was getting, she hated to think about the pity filled expressions directed at the actual family of the boy who had passed.

'Kanu walked past the many houses in her journey to find Lo'ak. In some she was able to see a happy family. A family that had all their children - not one missing. A family like hers. A family unlike Lo'ak's.

When she clambered over the roots that hid away a small part of the beach, she was careful to not spill any paint. The sun was out and the subtle breeze swept back the loose strands of hair that always managed to escape her braids. Her eyes settled on Lo'ak standing along the shore, throwing pebbles into the ocean and then watching them bounce on the surface.

'Kanu placed the bowl on top of the root, balancing it on the curved wood. She then sat down and slid to the ground, turning to retrieve the bowl again.

Lo'ak seemed to be unable to hear her approach. He was so immersed in what he was doing or then merely distracted by his thoughts. When 'Kanu arrived to stand next to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Lo'ak flinched at the contact, surprised by the suddenness of it. 'Kanu had been right - he had not heard her arrive. When he turned his face to see her standing beside him, she offered a small smile which he returned.

When his eyes fell on the bowl in her hands that smile slipped.

'Kanu sighed and crouched down to place the bowl of paint in the sand. When she'd done that, she turned her gaze on him and reached for his hands. Lo'ak looked down at her sadly, but placed his hands in hers and sat down opposite of her when she had tugged at his hands.

"You know you have to do this," she spoke softly.

Lo'ak nodded, "I know," he said.

'Kanu reached her hand out to smooth out the crease that had formed between his brows. She knew that watching his brother being placed at the bottom of this ocean would make it all so final. She knew it was why he was avoiding it. But she also knew it had to be done in order for him to heal. "Let me paint you," she spoke as she dipped her hand into the paint.

Lo'ak only nodded as she brought her hand down to his face. He closed his eyes when her cold fingertips made contact with his forehead. He had not been able to rest for even one minute since last night, but now he felt himself relax as her fingers ran patterns down the center of his face. From his forehead to his chin and back.

'Kanu painted a stripe down the middle of his face. She did it so many times that not a single dot of blue skin peeked through where the line was.

She had been so concentrated on her work that she had not realized it when he opened his eyes once again to watch her. When 'Kanu finally sensed his gaze, she met his eyes and blushed. She was determined to not be distracted, "Look up," she said quietly. Lo'ak complied without a word and angled his head toward the sky.

For some reason his silence made her more nervous.

They had not yet spoken about the kiss they had shared, and 'Kanu grew nervous about the possibility of that conversation taking place right then. She had expected them to talk - just not for another few days. But as it turned out, the Sullys had wanted her to be a lot more involved in Neteyam's burial than she had thought she'd be allowed to be - and that also meant being close to Lo'ak sooner than she had prepared herself to be.

'Kanu ran her hand down from his chin to his chest, making the stripe on his face continue lower. She would pause every now and then to get more paint on her fingers and during those breaks she would meet his gaze.

"Stop staring," she finally mumbled.

"No."

'Kanu looked back up at him in surprise. Lo'ak lifted one of his hands from his lap and reached up for her hers. The paint from her fingers coated some of his but he did not care.

She gazed back into his eyes, waiting for him to speak. When he did not, she pulled her hand free and placed it in the bowl, covering her palm in the paint, "Let me finish your paint," she said shyly.

Lo'ak found it amusing. She was always so confident and had been rather straightforward since the first time he'd met her. Now she could not prevent herself from flushing as he kept his eyes on her.

Lo'ak said nothing as 'Kanu pressed her hand on his chest. Creating a handprint at the end of the line. She let her hand linger there for far longer than it had to.

Lo'ak was the one to break their eye contact, "I'll paint you," he finally spoke, dipping his hand into the bowl.

'Kanu held his wrist, "Only family," she reminded him.

"You were his sister," Lo'ak whispered and withdrew his hand from the bowl.

'Kanu bit her cheek to prevent herself from crying as she let her hand drop and merely nodded when he reached for her face with his paint covered hand.

Lo'ak held the back of her neck with his other hand as he drew a stripe running down the middle of her face - identical to his.

Now that she was the one being painted, she could understand why he only stared at her. There was nothing else to look at - but why would she even want to look at anything else? Her eyes trailed up and down his face as she took in every little detail. His eyebrows would furrow as he concentrated. She smiled when she saw that he had real eyebrows, not just patterns like her and other Na'vi. He had humanlike eyebrows - and other's could find it odd or call it a sign that he is not a true Na'vi, but not 'Kanu. Just like his hands, she found this detail to be endearing.

Because she liked his little differences - she frowned when she saw him coating his hand with the white paint. He covered his palm and fingers with the paint - leaving out only his pinky. The finger that set him apart from others.

"What are you doing?" 'Kanu asked him quietly.

Lo'ak looked up at her as she took his hand into hers, dipping her fingers into the paint before coating his last finger as well. She let go of his hand when she was happy again.

Lo'ak took a hold on her wrist and held her hand up, holding his own next to hers in comparison. "It is weird," he said, looking down at his little finger.

"It is not," she sighed, "We can't all be the same."

Lo'ak smiled softly before lifting his hand up to create a handprint over her chest. Once he'd done that, he pulled his hand away to admire his work, but frowned whenever his eyes landed on the five fingered handprint.

'Kanu smiled and held up her hand. Lo'ak sighed before placing his hand against hers. She smiled at the sight while he hated it. He was happy to have inherited some of his fathers traits, but he hated that they set him so apart from others. Unlike his father, he was not some glorified war hero that everyone looked up to. He was just him and nothing more.

'Kanu laughed silently as Lo'ak wriggled his little finger to amuse her. She then pulled his hand down with hers - out of the way so that she could see his face. Lo'ak grinned as he leaned in, brushing his lips over hers lightly.

'Kanu smiled softly into the kiss, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck. When she had responded so willingly, Lo'ak could not help but lean further in, leaning against her so that she supported his weight as his hands snaked around her waist.

With a light laugh, the two fell over. When Lo'ak pulled back reluctantly, he was met with 'Kanu's smile. They had not talked about the kiss - the first one or this one. They had not decided what they were. But it also did not matter.

As he gazed down at her, only arms length away from her face, he realized he loved her. It did not matter to him if she did not love him back - he just wanted to be allowed to love her. He would be happy with that.

They would have a long time to sort all that out. For now they had to focus on what was coming up.

They may have thwarted the sky people, but they would be foolish to think that was the last of them. They would keep coming back for them.

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A/n:
I cannot write romance omfg- I'll get better at it some day, I promiseeee