-
Italics: (Na'vi language or Jake's inner thoughts or narration)

*Mature Content Warning*  (Very Mild)

Before starting, I want to give thanks to Phasergal999 for helping me develop the first few scenes of this chapter! Go check out her stories, because they deserve so much love!
-

Y/n dipped her fingers into a special paint that is made for this occasion. You grabbed a bit with your hands and painted lines all over Jake's body. You were almost done with the lines of his face, and when you finished, you dragged your fingers from the groove between his lips and his nose, then down his chin.

While you did this process, Jake couldn't keep his eyes off of you. As you worked, he was completely entranced by your eyes and everything your beauty had to offer. He had been staring at your lips the entire time, but the moment you painted over his lips, he immediately locked his eyes onto your eyes. He didn't even blink, and he didn't want to, at least knowing that if he did, he would risk missing details about you that he loves so dearly.

The two of you have grown closer these last few months, and you cared about one another deeply. The doubts you had were simply if he liked you as much as you liked him, but for Jake, he doubted if he could be honest with you without breaking your heart in the process.

The Na'vi say that every person is born twice. The second time is when you earn your place among The People forever.

The first thing Jake needed to do before the ceremony is go through a ritual. Which is the one that Grace warned him about, saying that he wasn't strong enough to withstand it.

Jake was now walking down to a section of Hometree that was shaped like a spiral and every clan leader of the Omaticaya sat in a circle, waiting for Jake to arrive. There was music in the background and a drum beating at a slow pace to set the tone.

Mo'at, Eytukan, Tsu'Tey, and Neytiri were all sitting in the circle as Jake came closer and sat right in the middle of it. Y/n, who was trailing behind him, walked over to sit beside her sister. As the ritual began and Jake took a deep breath, Mo'at stood up and blew a special, almost translucent, powder into Jake's face.

"Oh wise worm, eater of the Sacred Tree. Bless this worthy hunter with a true vision" Mo'at chanted, holding a piece of wood. She then reached inside it and pulled out the worm as Jake opened his mouth to receive it. Once it was in his mouth and he swallowed the worm, the entire circle began to chant.

It was now Eytukan's turn to stand up, and he did so as he grabbed a scorpion from inside a traditional vase and brought it over to Jake. The Chief grabbed the scorpion by its tail and held it over Jake's shoulder, effectively making the insect bite the Avatar. At the sting, Jake hissed in pain as the chants continued.

Jake cried out and thrashed in pain, feeling like his body and brain were about to explode. His vision started to blur and distort. He endured it as best as he can while he received his vision. It was only a few more seconds until the ritual was over, and if he came out of it alive, he'd be considered part of The People at last.

What Jake saw in his vision baffled him. He saw Toruk, the same creature they were being chased by not too long ago. He also saw destruction, fire, wastelands, and other horrifying images that he had no idea where they came from. Eventually, his ritual was over and the visions stopped abruptly. It was only a few seconds later that Jake realized that he had made it through it and passed.

After it was over, Jake panted softly as he felt the pain slowly start to subside. He felt someone grab onto his arms gently to pull him up, but then looked up and realized it was you. He gave you a weak smile, while you reciprocated ut with a proud one. You helped him leave the spiral room to head out to where the rest of the tribe was at. As everyone saw Jake coming, the clan started to rise to their feet.

Grace was present on this occasion as well, given that she was allowed to be a part of the ceremony now that she was welcomed back into the clan. As the commemoration continued smoothly, Jake stood in the center of a crowd of Na'vi while Eytukan gave him the speech that welcomed him to the Omaticaya tribe. Y/n, Neytiri, and Mo'at were standing in the center with Jake as well.

"You are now a son of the Omaticaya. You are part of The People" Eytukan proclaimed, being the first to place his hands on Jake's shoulders. You smiled at Jake, moving your hands to place them onto his chest and his arms, feeling the same spark you've always had since you met him, while he gave you a small smile and then turned back to look at the Chief.

Mo'at was next to place her hands on Jake, and then Neytiri and, lastly Tsu'Tey. Soon, everyone in the clan was making contact by putting their hands on each other's bodies, sealing the connection Jake now had with the Omaticaya people. As this happened, Grace stood a few feet away watching this happen.

She couldn't help but let a few tears fall from her eyes as she sniffled with a smile on her face, her heart beaming with joy for Jake. She couldn't believe he did it. He went through with it and came out alive. Grace could not express how proud he was of the Marine, seeing how far he's come.

Later that day, it was now nighttime, so you and Jake were now running together through the forest. The bioluminescent lights gave their moment such an ethereal feeling, that it was too pretty to look away. The two ran past a large branch, and through the river that they liked to swim in from time to time.

Y/n wanted to show him one last spot and introduce him to another important part of, not only her life but all of the Na'vi. You were now taking him to the Tree of Voices to seal and concrete his connection with The People and Eywa. It's an ancestral place where Eywa's presence could be felt more than ever. Y/n's hair glowed every time she came by this place, and it reminds her of how strong her relationship with Eywa is.

As the two of you ran, Y/n led Jake to the small gathering of bioluminescent trees. You suddenly felt a tug on your tail, so she whipped around to see Jake smiling playfully. Y/n laughed and grabbed his hands, taking him through the crowd of fan lizards that were floating all around him. They emitted this light that had colors varying from yellow, red, pink, blue, and green. It was a beautiful sight.

You couldn't help but turn to admire Jake in the corner of your eye while he marveled at the lizards. You wouldn't say it out loud, at least not yet, but he was the most handsome Na'vi man you had ever seen. Your eyes only showed love and longing towards Jake, and you truly wanted to tell him how you felt. He had come such a long way from the man you found in the forest fighting for his life, and you wanted him to know how special he is to you.

"Come, come..." Y/n giggled, holding one of his hands with both of yours and pulling him into the site. Y/n sighed with a smile on her face as she walked through the path of sacred trees. With each step you took, the ground below you glowed beneath your feet. You extended your arms as you sideways while walking through the path, feeling the glowing vines pass and caress your skin gently.

Jake followed behind you as well, extending his hands out to run his fingers through the vines. He had never seen anything like this before. A somber thought reoccurred in his head, knowing that these would be torn down soon by the RDA. He pushed the thought to the back of his head and continued to follow after you.

"This is a place for prayers to be heard," You started, grabbing a couple of the vines and pressing them close to your face. "And sometimes answered" You continued with a soft smile coming across your face. After a few seconds, you grabbed your braid and connected your queue to the vine, you closed your eyes and inhaled deeply, and let the voices of your ancestors ring through your head while your hair started to glow intensely.

"We call these trees, Utraya Mokri. The Tree of Voices. The voices of our ancestors" You said softly, but loud enough for Jake to hear. He then grabbed his braid and connected it to a couple of vines. Jake's eyes dilated a little from the feeling of the connection, but he could hear the voices of the people dear to him.

"I can hear them..." Jake whispered, and you smiled at his words. This was a special moment for him, and there were no words to describe how happy you were to see him connecting with Eywa and the nature around him. Y/n eventually let her braid go from her vines and walked over to Jake, placing a hand on his shoulder and another on his back. This movement sent shivers down his spine.

"They live, Jake. Within Eywa..." You said to him, and he turned to you with a soft smile. A few seedlings started floating above you, keeping a distance, but still close enough to show that they are there. "You're Omaticaya now," You added, moving your hands to gently press them against his chest, feeling his heartbeat as he remained looking at you.

He moved one of his hands to put it on top of yours. "You may make your bow from the wood of Hometree..." You started, moving your gaze away from him nervously as you turned around and walked away from him. What Y/n was about to say was something that would define everything for them at that moment and it made her heart race uncontrollably.

"And you may choose a woman," You added, continuing to walk while seeing a seedling of Eywa float down and onto your extended hand. You exhaled softly, preparing yourself to continue. The presence of the seedling made her nerves ease a bit, but it still didn't calm down the wave of emotions you were masking. Your ears dropped down in sadness, which didn't go unnoticed by Jake, before continuing.

"Ninat is the best singer," You started, remembering the woman from the village with the voice of an angel. Y/n would understand if Ninat is the person Jake wanted to be with. You would find a way to accept it if that's what he wishes. He was an Omaticaya now after all.

"But I don't want Ninat" Jake muttered softly, and a small but quick smile came upon your lips after hearing this. But you knew better than to get your hopes up. Y/n blew gently on the Eywa spirit, making it float away.

You suddenly felt Jake walk forward to the point he was standing behind you and could practically feel his body heat. Your cheeks heated up and refusing to make eye contact. "Beyral is a good hunter..." You continued, still not turning around, moving your head sideways just a little bit with a small smile.

"Yeah, she is a good hunter," Jake said, and your eyes widened as you quickly turned around to face him. Y/n felt panic and heartbreak seep into her bones.

That was not what she was expecting him to say. Seeing your facial expression change, Jake chuckled softly and started walking toward you. You were frozen where you stood, but he walked forward until our faces were only centimeters apart.

"But, I've already chosen," He whispered, lifting one of his hands to hold your cheek and to rub his thumb against your cheekbone. "But this woman must also choose me" Jake finished, and a smile came upon your face at the realization of what he meant. Now she knew he finally felt the same she did.

"She already has..." You spoke softly, feeling his fingers caress your hair. You and Jake smiled at one another, then he started to lean down and you leaned forward. You closed your eyes in anticipation and at last, Jake's lips captured yours in a soft kiss for the first time.

Jake parted from the quick kiss with you. His and your eyes opened to look at one another. Nothing was said for a few moments while Y/n and Jake looked at one another. "I chose you the first night I met you," You whispered, and then Jake smiled and leaned down again to kiss you again, and this time, those sparks returned once more. His lips were soft and gentle.

You felt his other hand wrap around your waist and pull you closer to him so that you were pressed against one another. Y/n hadn't noticed since she was so immersed at the moment with Jake, but her hair was glowing intensely, but not in an overwhelming way, but it was a soft light that illuminated every aspect of her that he already loves so deeply.

After kissing for a few more minutes, you and Jake separated for a moment before he held onto your waist and helped you sit down on the bed of moss beneath you. Y/n sat on her knees, as well as Jake, and they both reached behind them to take their braids over their shoulders. The tendrils of both of their queues revealed themselves and they reached out to one another as if already sensing the need that they held for each other.

Before joining their braids, Jake looked at Y/n for a moment, as if asking if she was sure that she wanted this. He wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to. You sent a smile his way, telling him that it was alright, and you brought your queues together as the tendrils intertwined and lit up at the contact.

Once you bonded, Jake closed his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh at the feeling, while you closed your eyes and gasped softly. Y/n was immediately bombarded with the immense love and adoration that Jake held for her.

She has never felt love like this from anyone before. You opened your eyes to see Jake already looking at you with a soft and loving look. He was staring deep into your eyes before taking his hands and placing them back in their rightful place on the sides of your face, then pulling you in for a passionate and deep kiss.

Your lips did not leave each other's, and neither of you could stop either. Jake's mouth moved in sync with yours, holding a rhythm that you could keep up with. As soon as your lips met, it felt like they were meant to be there the entire time. They fit perfectly against each other and they didn't want it to be any other way.

Shivers ran down your spine as Jake treated your body and everything about you as if it was made of glass or porcelain. He moved his lips from yours and started planting kisses everywhere. Your nose, forehead, cheeks, down your jaw, the corners of your mouth, behind your ear, and anything else he had access to. The sensation felt too good, and once again, neither of you wanted it to stop.

Jake took a step forward and grabbed your hips, holding you upwards so that your body is up against his and his arms wrap around your waist. He left a trail of kisses down your neck and your collarbone while you rubbed your nose against his forehead with your eyes closed, taking in the sensations he gave you.

Jake suddenly stopped what he was doing and you looked down at him, painting softly and placing your hand gently against the side of his face. His eyes trailed around every aspect of your face has, not hiding his longing facial expression as he looked at you like you were the only woman in the world.

"Y/n..." He started with a pause, and you nodded at him to continue, running your hand back to run it through his braided hair. "I love you. So, so much" He breathed out, making you smile brightly down at him, caressing his face with your thumb as he did to you. "I see you..." He finished, his words making you beam down at him.

"I see you, Jake. I love you, too" You whispered back at him while looking deeply into his eyes, letting a small laugh of contentment leave your lips. You leaned down to his ear, your warm breath softly brushing against it, making him shudder. "I am with you now, Jake. We are mated for life..." You whispered, leaning over to kiss the top of his head lovingly.

Eventually, the night led to many things. Jake lay you down on the ground as he hovered over you. You looked up at him and wrapped your arms around his shoulders to pull him down for another kiss. The two of you moved as if you'd done this a million times, and your bodies fit together perfectly like you were only meant for each other and no one else.

Before the night could escalate into something more, Jake separated his lips from yours, leaving them swollen, to look down at you and sent you a look that was asking for permission if he could proceed. If he hurt you or violated you in the process, he would never forgive himself. He wanted you to feel special, loved, and respected like you deserve to be.

You looked him in the eye and nodded with a smile. You nodded, reached down to grab his hand, and moved it down your body, giving him the go-ahead he needed to continue. After clothes were taken off, you and Jake spent the entire night together solidifying your love for one another under The Tree of Voices.

After spending the night together, you and Jake laid together on the ground. He had his arms wrapped around you while one of them served as a pillow for your head, and you had your arms wrapped around his torso, curled up in each other's arms. Your hand rested on his chest, feeling him peck your lips and then your forehead lovingly. Eventually, the two of you fell asleep with the feeling of comfort and love.

Eventually, Jake's eyes snapped open and he was still in the pod, back in his human body. He looked around before remembering what just happened, then let out a deep sigh.

What the hell are you doing, Jake? He thought

-

It was now the next morning, and everything was serene and peaceful. The creatures everywhere were chirping and chattering, the sun was beaming, and all was okay. Y/n was now asleep in Jake's arms. He was now behind you, with an arm draped over your side and your head resting on his arm as a pillow. His head was tucked in the crook of your neck comfortably so his breath fanned lightly and softly against your skin.

All of a sudden, Y/n felt a shooting pain reach her head making her gasp and grasp her head in agony. Her hair began to glow intensely, even in the sun's rays. You opened your eyes to hear and see that RDA machines and bulldozers were coming right your way. The headache pain was becoming unbearable and your hair did not stop glowing either.

Y/n got up in a crouched position and then stood up to see the bulldozers coming closer, tearing down through the trees and heading right toward where you and Jake were. Tears brimmed in your eyes, both at the scene of The Tree of Voice being torn down in front of you and the pain of your headache that was becoming excruciating with every passing second. Y/n turned to look back down at Jake, who was still unconscious in sleep, and you began to shake him desperately for him to wake up so they could leave, or they would be crushed by the bulldozers.

"Jake! Ma Jake!" You cried out to him through the pain, shaking his body desperately. "Please! Wake up!" You yelled, seeing as he was showing no signs of waking up.

Back at the base, Jake was only just getting ready to go back into his link. He couldn't wait to go back to you, but Grace insisted that he at least eat something before he went in.

"Don't forget your phase interrogation" Norm reminded Jake while he climbed into his pod to link himself back to his Avatar. "No, no, the middle button," Norm told him, sitting and wheeling himself on Jake's wheelchair.

"Jake! You gotta eat something" Grace said, walking into the room with a plate of scrambled eggs and some water.

In the forest, Y/n was having no luck in getting him to wake up. "Jake! Jake, wake up! Jake, please!" You cried, ignoring the pounding pain that your head was causing you. He wasn't going to wake up any time soon, but you also couldn't leave him here to be run over by those machines. Y/n stood up and began to wrap her arms under his to pull him backward and out of the forest. It wasn't easy given how heavy his body is, and you were running out of time.

"Don't make me force-feed a cripple" Grace chuckled while Jake positioned his body onto the pod and she handed him the plate. "Grace, I don't want...hey!" Jake argued, seeing her shut down the pod and the link altogether.

On the other hand, trees continued to fall and the forest was being plowed through with no mercy at all. The headache pain was not helping your case at all. As another tree fell, you stumbled and the log almost fell onto Jake's legs and crushed them, but you pulled him back just in the nick of time.

Jake sat in the pod after eating and wolfing down the scrambled eggs as quickly as he possibly could. Grace chuckled as she headed over to the computer to initialize the link.

Trying to get Jake's body out of this place, you tried to haul him over this fall tree trunk on the ground, forcing yourself to go over it first before bringing him over it. Your anxiety was through the roof, and your brain kept convincing you that you both wouldn't get out of this situation alive. You refused to leave Jake stranded here to die. He was your mate, and you'll protect him with everything you have.

In the distance, the bulldozer was continuing to approach closer and destroy everything that was in its path. There were soldiers in Ampsuits carrying guns and weaponry to defend themselves from the Na'vi if necessary. At this sight, you began to panic even more and continued to try and pull Jake out of there.

Meanwhile, as soon as Jake swallowed his water and his eggs, he handed the plate back to Grace and he laid down on the pod while Norm set up the link monitors once again. "Okay, I'm done. Let's go" He urged impatiently.

"And when was the last time you took a shower?" Grace asked him, she lifted his shirt a bit and scrunched her nose at the smell. "I don't need a shower" He insisted.

"Jesus, Marine..." Grace said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. She then started to prepare the pod and started initiating the link quickly, seeing how much Jake wanted to go back.

"JAKE!" Y/n screamed at him at the top of her lungs both in pain and agony, and she knew she wouldn't be able to drag him for much longer. Her resolve was slowly starting to fade, and she felt like giving up. She didn't have as much strength left with the pain she was in.

Once the pod closed, Jake shut his eyes and he felt his consciousness be transferred to his Avatar once more. When he woke up again, everything was blurry for a few seconds, but he could see you hovering over him with a distressed look on your face, urging him to wake up from his sleep.

He was confused for a few seconds, but that was until he saw the bulldozer getting closer to them and continued to plow through the trees. Knowing what to do, Jake stood up and pulled you behind him and the trees didn't land on you. Trying to get the bulldozer to stop, Jake ran toward the machine while he jumped up and down, waving his arms around.

"Hey!" He yelled, trying his best for the camera on top of the bulldozer to see him so they halt the machine. "Stop! Stop!" He said, waving his arms around to get their attention.

Your eyes widened at what he was doing, so you cried out to him. "Jake!" You screamed for him, but he continued to stand right in front of the destructive machine. Your headache wasn't getting any better, if anything, it was only getting worse and your head felt like it was about to explode. It was impossible to focus on what was happening, especially since you were starting to feel disoriented.

"Go back! Stop!" Jake yelled, not noticing how the camera on top of the bulldozer rotated to pan down onto Jake and you. This image was showing up right at the main hangar of the base of operations in the RDA.

"Hey, boss" One of the employees who was manning that bulldozer called for Parker. He was controlling the bulldozer from a remote control, and after seeing Jake, he slowed down the machine and eventually stopped it while Selfridge walked over to him. Your headache stopped momentarily because of this, giving you a moment to breathe and compose yourself from what just happened.

"What?" Parker said, walking over to his employee with a bag of chips in his hands. "I got a native doing the funky chicken here. He's blocking my blade" The man said as Parker leaned down to look at the monitor.

"Well, keep moving. He'll move" Parker said, talking with his mouth full of chips. "These people have to learn that we don't stop. Come on. Go, go, go" Parker said, moving the controls of the bulldozer for his employee, making the machine start again.

"Jake! We have to go!" You said to him, holding your head in pain. Jake took notice of this and his heart wrenched in torture at seeing you suffer. He walked over to you, holding your face with both hands as he rubbed your hair with his fingers to try and ease the pain. "I'm so sorry, darling..." He whispered to you.

Before he could continue to comfort you, another tree fell nearby, and that was your queue for both of you to get out of there. Jake grabbed your hand and led you somewhere else. "Go, go!" Jake urged you as he led you to a safe part of the forest that hasn't been touched yet by the dozers and machinery.

"There, see? He moved" Parker said, pointing at the monitor and seeing that nothing was blocking their path anymore.

All of a sudden while the two of you ran, Jake let go of you and told you to run as far away as you could. Before leaving, he kissed your cheek and ran towards the bulldozer. You gasped at his actions, seeing how dangerous this was. You wanted to desperately go after him, but you needed to stay back.

After the bulldozer started tearing through the trees again, your headache returned and your hair dimmed in light but in a flickering manner. It was like it was lighting on and off.

You turned back around towards the forest and away from the destruction but stopped and hid near the forest, trying to see if Jake would make it back to you alright. You saw that when he ran back to the bulldozer, he jumped onto the side of it and made his way up by climbing. Once he was at the top of the machine and in front of the cameras, he grabbed the nearest rock and started to smash the cameras.

He was angry. Very angry. He couldn't believe the RDA was going through with this. He had imagined this perfect morning after the night you'd had with him where he woke up next to you and proceeded to tell you how beautiful and special you are to him.

He couldn't believe they were tearing apart your home with no mercy, for putting you in agonizing pain, and for not being considerate of such a sacred place for the Omaticaya. He was feeling all sorts of emotions all at once, but it was mostly just anger and frustration that he couldn't put aside and now he knew he wanted to protect this forest with his life if it came to it.

Seeing, what the RDA thought was just another Na'vi, destroying the cameras, the employee manning the bulldozer widened his eyes in shock. "Woah, Woah, Woah, Woah! Dude, dude! No! Oh, I'm blind..." He said, seeing each of his screens start to go black with no signal.

Unknown to Jake, there were soldiers on the ground who were coming up behind the bulldozer. They heard smashing and saw Jake, who they didn't know was his Avatar and started shooting at Jake. The soldiers just thought it was another regular Na'vi.

Seeing that they were shooting at him, Jake stopped hitting the cameras and dropped the rock. He ducked down and started to make his way down the machine. He leaped off it when he was close enough to the ground and ran away from the gunfire that was being fired at him. Jake was trying his best to find you when he ran into the forest.

"Jake!" You called out for him, trying to find him. Your hair began to glow brighter when he was starting to get closer to your vicinity. "Y/n!" He called back for you, and when you heard his voice, you followed the sound and found him, jumping into his arms. You wrapped your arms around his neck while he wrapped his around your waist.

Eventually, he let you go and inspected you to see if you were okay. "You're not hurt, are you? Anything broken?" He asked with concern, seeing you had tears streaming down your face and you shook your head. When he knew that you were alright, he grabbed your hand and led you away from all of the chaos and destruction.

As you and Jake ran away, Tsu'Tey arrived at the scene with many other Na'vi warriors right behind him. They were all stunned and pained at the sight of the damage the RDA did to one of their most sacred places. Tsu'Tey was enraged, so he huffed angrily and headed back to Hometree to warn the others.

While you and Jake hid, you were sobbing as he cradled your head close to his chest. Feeling anger bubble up inside him again, Jake slammed his fist on the tree they were hiding in. He continued to hold your body against his, knowing your paint wouldn't be stopping for a while and he wished he could make it go away.

Back at Hell's Gate Tower, the RDA base of operations, the employee who was manning the bulldozer and had his cameras smashed, was having him go back to the footage before they got destroyed. This time, both Quaritch and Parker were present to see what happened.

"Freeze it right there," Quaritch asked, seeing Jake's Avatar in the footage they were looking back on. "Scale-up. Enhance" He asked, and suddenly, Jake's face was clear in the footage.

"Son of a bitch..." Parker muttered in disbelief, seeing the ex-marine's face in the very footage that destroyed their cameras, which only meant one thing. "Unbelievable," Selfridge said, while Quaritch stood up and walked away from the monitor and towards the exit.

The Colonel had anger and betrayal boiling inside of him. At the revelation, he walked out of the room demanding orders. "Get me a pilot!" He spat, and a soldier who was nearby immediately complied. "Yes, sir!" They said.

-

Please tell me I didn't mess this up- This was my first time writing ANYTHING like this, so please bare with me if it wasn't very good- I hope you guys liked it tho :,) I tried so hard to make it good for you all shsj

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think this was around 5.6k words. This book only has a couple chapters left but I'm already planning the sequel so I'm excited!

I also love the nickname "darling" :,) I find it so cute and endearing, and it usually means that when someone calls you that, they love you and care about you very much, so that's why I added it to their dialogue <3

Before I forget, remember to vote and comment because they make my day and I love reading all of them! <3

-