From Start To Finish

A/N: I'm back, with a longer chapter then last time!

…

WHOOT!

I own nothing

Warnings: Language, violence, and MAN!SEX

Summary: AU. Har/Tsu. Immortal Master of Death Harry, now named Jayden, meets the magical, thriving world of Pandora. What's a mostly-insane magical-entity to do? SLASH.

R&R

Chapter Five:

Lessons Taught Are Lessons Learned

I woke from my doze at dawn, and took a long, scalding shower, humming softly in pleasure at the feel. Once done, I got out and dressed, and simply watched my guardians sleep peacefully. I had been right; they couldn't answer my question properly. Though, Jacob had suggested it had something to do with tsaheylu. I agreed, and had asked Eywa, but she found amusement in telling me, basically, that when the time came, I would know, and then asking me why I wanted to know…

I'd promptly stopped asking, and she sent me the impression of laughter and warmth.

Now I sighed, stretched, and made my way to the lab. I had a few hours to kill, and was looking forward to seeing what information Grace and Norm had gotten while I was off "playing with the natives" as Quaritch would probably call it.

I didn't like that man.

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(U_U)

EVIL BUNNY PREVAILS!

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Grace came in, blurry-eyed, two hours later, and promptly tested me on my knowledge of the Na'vi leaders. I answered everything correctly, pronouncing the names right and giving a prompt, easy description, never looking up from the sample I was studying. She grunted, pleased, and drank what was probably her eighth cup of coffee, black, with enough sugar it could probably be classified as a syrup as opposed to a liquid…

"What's your opinion of Tsu'tey?" She finally asked me, curious. I hummed.

"For a warrior, he's very impatient," I said, turning to Norms notes and kindly correcting the spelling of a word for him. "He also dislikes us with a passion, hates us, even. He hate's Jake more then me, probably because of how close Jake is going to have to get to Neytiri. He thinks I am a pathetic, weak waste of space that doesn't have what it takes to be a Na'vi warrior… Oh," I looked up with a bemused little smile. "And he doesn't like mud." Grace blinked.

"Really?" She asked, fascinated; I nodded, chuckling silently.

"I was tempted to throw some at him, just to see if he'd cringe and hide from it, but I'm not Jake," I deadpanned, blinking serenely. "Can I tell you something?" She nodded, smirking, amused. "My Avatar body can be very frustrating. Its emotions are all over the bloody place, and fluctuate like crazy." Grace was smirking even more now.

"That, Jayden, is the mighty thing called puberty," she drawled, chuckling. I frowned, tilting my head.

"Is it really?" I asked. "How the bloody hell do teenagers deal with the damn thing, then?" I asked, honestly bewildered. She grinned.

"By telling themselves 'it only happens once'," she deadpanned; I blinked.

"But I'm going through it twice," I told her. She nodded, patted me on the shoulder sympathetically, and set about getting everything ready for Jake and me for when my friend got his paraplegic-ass out of bed. As if reading my mind, the doors slid open, and he wheeled right in, blinking sleepily at me as he rolled to a stop at my side. He watched me type calculations on the computer with one hand without looking at it, while studying Norm's notes intently, and snorted.

"I forgot you were a scientist," he admitted; I looked at him, fingers never stilling and smiled slightly.

"I take that as a compliment," I told him; Max appeared with two cups of coffee, Jakes black, my own with whip-cream and loads of strawberry syrup. The two other males staring at me with morbid fascination, I drank my concoction, using the cup to hide my smirk. The only reason I drank my coffee like that was to see the looks on their faces each time.

In minutes, my coffee was done and I went back to copying Norm's notes onto the computer for him. He came in, and sleepily, gratefully thanked me, gulping down some strange-colored protein shake as Grace came over to nag Jake and me into eating some scrambled eggs and bacon. We obeyed, though I had to switch typing hands in order to do it, and eat neatly with my left hand. Grace shook her head but set another cup of my kind of coffee next to me. I sent her a warm smile, finished my food, drank my coffee, and finished the notes in ten minutes.

"Done," I announced, pushing back from the desk as Eric and Jacob came in. Immediately, Jake shoved the last bite of eggs into his own mouth, and we moved to our respective Pods. I slid into mine, and waited as my guardians went through the motions and stuck the new IV into my other arm. I laid back, relaxed, and watched them inject my potion. I answered their questions patiently, and watched the Pod-lid close with the coffin's thud. Closing my eyes, I took steady breaths…

And was sucked down the Rainbow-Tube.

Morning, Brother, Eywa greeted me warmly, sending pictures of the sunrise, painting the clouds beautiful colors as flocks of Banshee's (Ikran as the Na'vi knew them) flew through the sky. I sent her the sounds of soft sighs, pictures of gentle smiles.

Beautiful morning, Sister. Sending me a pleased thrum, she slid me into my other Rainbow-Tube, and I was sucked down it and into my other body. Opening my now-gold eyes, I blinked blurrily and yawned, stretching silently.

Today was going to be interesting…

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( *;* )

(U_U)

EVIL BUNNY PREVAILS!

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After breakfast, Tsu'tey led me and a group of slightly younger Na'vi to what could only be called an Archery Range. I frowned slightly, eying the bow he'd all but shoved into my hands with a quiver of unpoisoned arrows. He then told us all we were to shoot the targets, before he set about correcting our stances.

I have never held a bow and arrow in my life that I could remember. It's safe to say, I had the most corrections. And Tsu'tey took pleasure in snapping at me whenever I got the stance wrong.

Beginning to get truly irritated, I blinked when, instead of Tsu'tey's rough, harsh corrections, smaller, kinder hands helped me correct my stance. I looked, and saw that the boy next to me had decided to take pity on the Dream-Walker and help him, and sent him a small, grateful smile, before concentrating. I focused down the arrow, drew the string back to my ear, muscles straining, and, after a second more of aiming, released it.

I managed not to yelp when the string snapped against the skin on the inside of my wrist, grimacing as pain lanced up my arm. It wasn't the first time since this lesson had started, after all. My arrow hit the dirt just infront of the target, which wasn't good, but was much better then my previous tries. Growling, I pulled out another arrow, and took the stance again, remembering where the boy had set my arm and moving accordingly. Tsu'tey paused and glared at me, looking me over critically, before walking over and kicking my feet a few inches farther apart. I bit back a growl as he also shoved my drawing arm up a bit, and pushed my bow-holding arm at a slightly-more awkward angle.

He paused when my wrist was exposed, and I didn't look at him as his fingers touched the nasty, lightly bloody marks there with surprising gentleness. I ignored it, and carefully drew back on the bow, and he immediately removed his fingers to correct me hold, making me pull back a little farther. My head was beginning to feel a little light, and I'd have to stop to eat a Sweet Fruit after this shot.

~"Aim with the wind,"~ He ordered me, scowling, and I took a deep breath, tilted my bow a fraction so the arrow was angled slightly against the wind, and fired. The string again grazed my wrist, and my ears twitched, but my eyes were locked on my arrow as it flew forward…

And struck the very edge of the target, hanging there pathetically, but staying there.

Feeling satisfied with that, I carefully lowered my bow as my body began to shake, and reached into my bag to absently pull out a Sweet Fruit, biting into it as I watched the other boy's shots hit the targets nearly dead-center almost every time. Nothing to boost morality like proving you're better then someone you hate, I thought, a bit startled by the surge of bitter jealousy that curled through me. I frowned, then shook my head, quickly ate my Fruit, and, still chewing my last bite, lifted my bow to continue.

This went on for hours, and I continued well after the other boys and Tsu'tey had left for lunch. I finished the last of my Sweet Fruit, and swallowed my frustration as my shaking, weak hand refused to grip the string properly.

~"Come on,"~ I hissed, blinking my vision clear. I had managed to hit the target more often, but never near the center, and I was going to do that before I let myself rest. Stubbornness and determination flooded me and, taking a deep breath, I pulled back on the string with all my failing strength, trying to focus on the seemingly-moving target. Growling, I realized how stupid I was being, allowing my bodies hormones to control me, and shakily relaxed my arm. I unnotched my arrow and set it into my quiver with badly-shaking fingers, before carefully lowering myself to the ground and putting my face in one hand, trying to calm my shallow breathing.

A hand on my shoulder had me flinching, and I blinked, vision foggy, as someone offered me something round and pink. Recognizing the scent of a Sweet Fruit, I weakly took it, and tiredly took a bite, eating it slowly and carefully, eyes closed, as I sensed the person settling next to me, and heard the creaking of a basket. As I finished the Sweet Fruit, the shaking settled a little bit, but I still felt weak and dizzy. Another was immediately pressed into my hands, and I nearly dropped it as pain lanced up my left arm, making me hiss, but I grimaced through it and, eyes still closed and breath still a bit shallow, I focused on eating the Fruit.

Once it was done, I cautiously opened my eyes, and saw that everything wasn't nearly as blurry as before. A little fuzzy at the edges of my vision, easily ignorable. I accepted another Sweet Fruit, and nibbled on it as I turned my head and looked at my provider, blinking slowly in surprise.

Kirrir reclined next to me, leaning back on his hands, and watching the sky, expression inscrutable. The large basket next to him was filled with Sweet Fruit, nearly overflowing with the delicious, energy providing snack. I cradled my fruit in my right hand and swallowed my bite, sighing softly as the last of the dizziness, shakes, and foggy-sight went away.

~"I See You, Jaa'dyn," the Na'vi said quietly, turning his head to eye me; I gave him a small smile.

~"I See You, Kirrir. Thank you for the fruit. I was in need of more, and had run out."~ He nodded, then his gold eyes landed on my bloody, bruised wrist, and he frowned lightly. I looked at it, and smiled wryly. ~"The bow-string does not like my flesh, and seeks to tear it off,"~ I informed the warrior; he hummed, reached over, and gently dragged a finger down the injured flesh. I hissed softly, wincing as my tail curled tightly and my ears pinned. He murmured softly, rummaged through his basked, and pulled out a clay jar and some strange, bandage-looking material.

"Let me see," he ordered in English, I obediently turned, continuing to eat my fruit as he opened the clay jar and spread an even, thick layer of yellow, cool-feeling cream on the wounds. I sighed softly in relief as the pain faded to half of what it had been, and gave him a grateful smile. As he began to wrap my wrist and I reached the last quarter of my fruit, the boys I had been training with and Tsu'tey returned. When he saw what was happening, my teacher flushed, obviously embarrassed, but lifted his chin at the dark look Kirrir sent him. I finished my fruit and wondered if I should get another, when the option was taken from me when Kirrir all but forced one into my hand. I smiled, bemused, but obediently began to eat it when he gave me a small, stern frown.

~"I will be right back,"~ He told me, standing and gesturing for Tsu'tey to follow him. Ears twitching back in what could have been unease, my teacher did, and I was left to be surrounded by the curious boys. The one who had helped me earlier crouched next to me and touched my bandage in concern, and I smiled at him after swallowing a bite of fruit. He searched my face, then nodded, seeming pleased with something he'd seen in my expression, before he sat next to me and pulled a small shish-kebab from the pouch-like bag that hung from his side, and handing it to me.

~"You need more then that,"~ he said calmly, nodding to the Sweet Fruit. ~"You must get strong, so that when we become warriors together, we may spar, and I need not worry of breaking you."~ I blinked, took the Hexapede-and-vegetable-kebab, and bared my teeth at the challenging grin he sent me.

~"I thank you, then,"~ I told him. ~"Though it is not me who need fear breaking,"~ the other boys laughed and I smirked along with the boy, before carefully eating the shish-kebab. By the time that, and my Sweet Fruit was finished, Kirrir and Tsu'tey had returned, both scowling with lashing tails. The boys quieted, tails and ears quivering with wariness as they eyed the tense warriors, and I let my tail tap the boy next to me lightly in the leg as I pushed myself to my feet.

~"I have gotten better,"~ I told him, lifting my bow and plucking an arrow from my quiver. I gave him a placid smile that showed a few too many teeth. His eyes widened, then narrowed as he grinned at the challenge, scrambling for his own bow and arrow. Thoroughly distracted from the tension-filled adults, the other boys scrabbled to get good places to see the little challenge, two running out to pull all the arrows from two of the targets, bringing them back to fill our quivers.

~"Speed or accuracy?"~ The boy asked; I pursed my lips.

~"A warrior needs both,"~ I shot back, smirking at the excited quivering to his ears and tail. I wasn't sure I would win this little challenge, but it would be fun. Shifting so that I could grab arrows better, I glanced at my wrist with a small frown.

~"Hold a moment,"~ I said, and calmly switched arms, knowing that doing so would probably greatly lower my chance of winning, but I didn't want my wrist any more damaged then it was. Quickly, I took up the correct position, mirrored now for the opposite hands, and tested the feel of it by pulling my bow string back with my injured arm, after setting my arrow back into the quiver. The wrist ached dully, but didn't protest too badly. Nodding, I sent the slightly wide-eyed boy a small, placid smirk.

~"Ready?"~ We both snatched up an arrow and set it against the string.

~"Ready,"~ He said; we shared a look from the corner of our eyes, and focused on our targets, pulling the strings back to behind our ears. My body shifted, arms tilting to the positions Tsu'tey had kept smacking and shoving them roughly into before, only opposite now that their roles had reversed. My own ears quivered at the high-pitched, mosquito-whine of the bow-string's tension.

~"Now!"~ We both barked, releasing our arrows and immediately reaching for the next ones as our arrows flew. No pain rose from my right wrist, I was glad to say, and I was proud to see as I notched my next arrow that my arrow had hit nearly dead-center. Ha! No time for mental cheering, though. I pulled the string back, aimed, released, in milliseconds, and was pulling on my next arrow, movements sliding into a smoothed, practiced grace as my body picked up the familiarity I'd pounded into my head the last eight to ten hours.

The cheering of the other boys went unheard. My opponents soft curses as, in his haste, his string snapped his own wrist, went unnoticed. All I heard was the soft snick of the arrow clipping onto the string; that zzzing as the string was pulled back, and the deep twuuung as it was released. I didn't see anything but the target, the wind's movements occasionally shifting leaves a different direction, forcing me to shift accordingly. I was focused, totally, and my entire body seemed to be at peace with itself, content, one…

Until my reaching, steady hand found no more arrows in my quiver.

I blinked as my peace, the harmony I'd found, came to a screeching halt. My ears pinned back at the sudden noise of the boys cursing and egging their friend on, and I dropped my eyes to stare blankly at my empty quiver, frowning, confused at the sight as my mind scrambled to explain what it meant. Turning my head, I watched my young opponent shoot his last arrow, and realized as I watched his chest heave, sweat pour down his own, that my body was in much the same condition. Slowly, I sat down, gasping for breath that I didn't know until just then that I needed, and managed a triumphant grin when he flopped down beside me.

~"I won the speed,"~ I managed to gasp out; he nodded, wincing as he rubbed his bruised wrist gingerly.

~"It will not help you if you're accuracy was off,"~ He shot back; I nodded, flopping onto my back with an explosive sigh, eyes closing. Groaning, he laid down next to me, and I opened my eyes half-way when feet stepped next to my head. Tsu'tey stared down at me, face blank, eyes guarded, and I couldn't help but realize that this was the first time that day I hadn't seen some form of sneer or scowl on him.

~"Who won?"~ I asked him, feeling tired. I heaved myself up, and absently caught the Sweet Fruit Kirrir tossed me as he began to put the rest of the ones from his basket into my bag, which had been sitting nearby. Tsu'tey was silent a moment, just watching me, then glanced towards the targets.

~"It was a tie,"~ he said; all the boys and I groaned, grimacing. ~"Otyn has the most accurate hits. You have the better speed, and not once did you drop your bow,"~ he added, with the smallest hint of grudging approval. Otyn, my opponent, flushed darkly and I felt a startling flush of pride flood me. Turning, I took Otyn's arm and silently eyed the wound from the bow-string. It was not nearly as bad as some of my own, but it was not a nice, light wound either. I glanced at Kirrir, and he obligingly passed me the clay pot and bandages he'd used on my own wounds. I flashed him a small, grateful smile, and carefully applied the cream to the wound, before wrapping it. That done, I sat back with a smile.

~"Next time,"~ I told him, eyes glinting. ~"I will beat you."~ His eyes widened, then narrowed as he grinned. Without conscious thought, our arms snapped together, hands locking on the others forearms in a warriors shake, and we nodded.

~"Don't make promises you can't keep, Jarhead,"~ he ordered me; I smirked.

~"I never do, Omaticaya,"~ I shot back. I think it's safe to say that I had a friend in Otyn, if only one of those that's also a very competitive rival, but still…

A friend…

After that, Kirrir left, and Tsu'tey had the other boys try their hands at a speed and accuracy challenge, so he could evaluate them. Otyn and I sat on the sidelines, my now full bag against my side as we relaxed, watching the interesting sight. It was rather impressive, when you were on the side-lines…

A rustling sound next to me had me turning my head, and blinking at Na'ney when he snuffled at me, rubbing his feelers in my face. I chuckled silently and turned, pulling him lightly out of the bushes. The Tapirus showed no problem with sprawling in my lap and wriggling, begging for a scratch, which I obligingly gave to the amusement and curiosity of Otyn. The younger Na'vi reached over and joined me in spoiling my little friend, almost immediately finding the Tapirus's favorite spot on his neck. I snickered softly.

~"He's going to follow you around for a while now,"~ I told the boy; he gave me a confused look, and I stopped scratching Na'ney. Immediately, he was out of my lap and wriggling and rolling and rubbing against Otyn, begging for a scratch, and making the boy laugh, startled. Tsu'tey glanced back at us with a sharp frown, and I shushed Otyn with a small smile, making the boy duck his head. He continued to scratch Na'ney's neck, though, and the Tapirus sighed gustily, eyes closing as he slumped limply against the Na'vi's legs.

When the boys finished their challenges, Tsu'tey sent them back to Hometree with orders to practice and meet him at the Range in two days, at the same time, like usual. Na'ney, like I had told him, followed an amused Otyn like an infatuated puppy. Once they were gone, I turned my calm, placid gaze on Tsu'tey, who scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, looking strangely defensive.

~"Kirrir has told me I am a bad teacher,"~ he said after a moment of silence. I blinked, ears and tail twitching sharply in surprise. Well, I certainly hadn't expected him to say that. Maybe say something derogatory and unnecessarily mean, but, not that…

~"He says,"~ my teacher continued. ~"That I try to teach you like you are worthless of teaching, when I should teach you like you are a student. I think he is mistaken."~ He gave me a scowl, and waited, obviously, for an answer. I tilted my head and frowned slightly, a little confused. Did Tsu'tey want.. Reassurance? That was strange…

~"Well?"~ he snapped, glaring, now. ~"Am I a bad teacher?"~ I sighed, wondering, briefly, if I would have to deal with this strange insecurity daily or if it was only when it came to teaching that he had it.

~"I think,"~ I said calmly, quietly. ~"You are a good teacher to those you want to teach."~ I fell silent, blinking placidly at him, as he impatiently waited for me to continue. When I didn't, he snarled, and paced, furious.

"Explain!" He snapped in English; I sighed, looked around, and walked a little ways away to perch on a fallen tree.

~"Did you know you have yet to say my name, even once, since we've met?"~ I asked him suddenly; he blinked, pausing, confused. ~"And just now, when you started talking, I was surprised. Because you did not start out calling me a name or saying something cruel to me."~ I crossed my legs and set my chin in my hands, my elbows on my knees, and watched him with a small, sad smile.

~"To the other boys, you taught them with quiet words, gestures, careful movements when their stances were wrong,"~ I continued calmly, and ignored his looked of blank realization. ~"To me, you yelled, hit, snapped. You called me names, made fun of me, and made me feel I was stupid and unable to do anything right. But I kept working at it, and ignored what you said, because I knew you were not mad at me, but mad at my people, and though unfair of you, I understand."~ I stretched, sighing as I stood, looking down at him from my vantage point.

~"You are impatient to a fault, Tsu'tey,"~ I told him calmly. ~"You expect me to know things Na'vi children grew up on, and get frustrated when I don't. I am not Na'vi, and whenever you remember this, you get even angrier, and you take it out on me. You must have patience, Tsu'tey," I told him quietly, calmly. ~"The Nantang does not throw their pups into the Yerik herd and expect them to bring down the biggest buck. They start with showing the pups how to walk, then to run, how to use their teeth and claws, and only then do they show them how to hunt."~ I turned, and hesitated, looking back, and gave him a small smile.

~"You are a good teacher, Tsu'tey,"~ I told him firmly quietly. ~"You just need to learn some things first, before you can become a better teacher."~ So saying, I jumped down, and padded into the foliage, moving towards the general direction of Hometree, in a direction that would take me a while longer to get their. I had a feeling Tsu'tey needed some time to think, and, as I climbed up into the trees and padded along a thick branch, I smiled slightly.

Maybe he'd learn a few things himself.

Humming, I followed a path Eywa suggested, and smiled as I soon found myself with company in the form of a familiar female Viperwolf. She yipped at me, and moved ahead of me a bit, turning to the left just a fraction, and I left her herd me away from the path to Hometree. After a bit of running, we were joined by six more Viperwolves, and I grinned as I ran with them, until we were leaping down form the branches and into a clearing.

Once I entered it, each Nantang began to glow, spots almost totally alike in every way, with a difference thrown in every now and then. Smiling, I felt my own spot shift accordingly and begin to glow in the shaded clearing, and, after a few minutes, the glowing died down once pack was recognized and accepted. Immediately, the pups surged from the den they'd been hiding in, under a large dead tree. There were fifteen in all, three of which were the ones I'd met before. Four looked nearly that age, about to join the pack in hunting, and watching me with curious, glowing green eyes.

I hummed and sat down to be accosted by an overly-playful pup that had a strange, lighter-gray splotch on her snout. I let her tackle me, and chuckled, rolling with her as he siblings immediately joined in, barking and yipping and hissing happily. After a few minutes, I just laid there on my stomach, smiling softly as the pups wrestled on my back, occasionally and accidentally scratching. The one I'd nicknamed Mother came to lay next to me, licking and nipping at my hair, careful with my braid. Her own neural-whip reached for my queue, the nerve filaments reaching curiously, and I carefully moved my arm and cautiously connected them. She cooed and I let my head fall on the grass, assimilating, as she licked my face with a new tenderness.

She had done this hundreds of times, with every member of her pack, with every pup when they'd come of age. In a way that I couldn't quite understand, the Nantang always knew where one another was because of it, especially the newer members, after they created Tsaheylu. I was suddenly connected not to just Mother's mind, but a little bit to every mind of the adult members of the pack, even the ones hunting miles and miles away. And I realized that we humans had made a mistake. There weren't many different packs of Viperwolves running around in small clusters. It was one, massive pack, split into small sections, like a state has counties. And all of them were connected through this, the bond…

It was one of the most amazing things I had ever had the pleasure of being a part of, and I shivered as my queue unconnected, yet I remained connected to that massive, collective of separate beings. It wasn't as sharp, or as clear, but it was still there. It was almost like being connected to Eywa, surrounded by the souls and consciousnesses of those passed, or when I concentrated on my Magics and just felt every Life and Death that happened, to a cellular level. This was different then those, though, because those were apart of me, of whom, what, I am, what Eywa, my Sister, is.

This was being apart of another creatures collective, willingly, and welcomed.

A family.

Swallowing, I rolled over, knocking the startled pups off my back and sending them rolling. I settled on my side, staring at Mother, who truly was like my Mother then, and swallowed again. Carefully, I leaned forward, and set my face against her neck in silence for a few moments, breathing in her scent, and she crooned comfortingly, her neural-whips caressing the sides of my head.

When I returned to Hometree before dinner, the Viperwolves made sure I got there safely. I ate in silence, not even humming, and ate quickly, before bidding Tsu'tey a distracted goodnight, as well as a slightly-concerned Jake, before I climbed up to the hammock branch. Once there, I followed Eywa's directions to the same Pod I'd used the night before, and slid into it, before I closed it around me and slid from my body. Eywa kept me with her for a few minutes, merely holding me with the sensation of warmth, with no words between us, only affection, before putting me back into my human body.

Being a Na'vi is confusing.

Being an Immortal is tiring.

Being a Viperwolf is just plain strange.

A/N: There, a longer chapter for my loverly reviewers!

R&R