Chapter 23: Reunion
Chapter 23: Reunion
They would have had the possibility to get through the temple and then directly to the hidden passageway but now the Piraka knew about it, it wasn't the best idea any more and so they just followed Onua and Pohatu who went the way they wanted to go first with Tupua if they hadn't met with Reikuta and Lewa in between.
“Guys, you still haven't told how you survived the Piraka attack and why they haven't found you afterwards”, Tahu said. He was still carrying Lewa but Rui alternated with him from time to time. The Toa of air was a light weight but over the time he got heavier too. Onua had offered to take him but Tahu didn't want him to. The ebony Toa might have been stronger but was still wounded.
“I might be wounded but that doesn't mean I'm helpless.”
Could Onua read Tahu's mind or was he just answering his previous question?
“Pohatu was standing right in front of me, so he took most of the blast”, the ebony Toa continued.
“Not that big problem”, Pohatu added, “I still was at full health.”
“He was knocked against me and we were sent flying deeper into the woods. And as I couldn't think of any other way to escape I just dug into the ground. Maybe the Piraka saw the hole, maybe not. I don't know. But I don't think so. It was too dark and Pohatu tried his best to close it behind him.”
They now walked up a little hill. The landscape got hillier the closer they go to the entrance to Onu Aro.
Onua groaned. “Climbing was easier without that wound.”
“Shall we rest a little bit?” Rui asked. “There are some other of us who would need the same too.” He had come over to Tahu and slightly patted Lewa's cheek to see if he would react but had no success.
“Behind that hill I can remember some fields”, Pohatu answered, “The plants are high enough to hide between. They will give us shelter for a short time.”
On Mata Nui great Harakeke fields near Ga Koro were usual so Tahu had awaited the same but the sight he had when they reached the top of the hill nearly took his breath away. It was like he was looking down at a sea of gold. The grey sky with just a few sunrays falling down and the rocks of the black valley with a slightly green glow above it made a great contrast to the golden fields.
He didn't know plants like that. Harakeke was blooming red and not golden.
For a few seconds he nearly forgot the world around, just stared at the picture in front of him, wondering how a now cold and cruel world could still be so beautiful from time to time.
Then he noticed that the others were standing a few meters away from him waiting for him to follow. He heard Rui shouting his name, asking what took him that long. He already knew these fields because he used to live near them for years. Same counted for Zaktan, except that he didn't know it that long because he hadn't been on this island for years. Onua and Pohatu had wandered through them before. They still admired the beauty but weren't as overwhelmed as Tahu.
The fiery Toa slowly shook his head to get out of his thoughts again, then continued on walking, followed the others right into the fields of gold.
~~~***~~~
“It's only for a short time”, Pohatu sighed when he sat down, “maybe two or three hours. More time we won't have.”
They rested somewhere in the middle of the field between the higher plants. If they sat down no one outside could see them.
“He is still sleeping”, Rui noticed as he looked after Lewa who was lying on a kind of bed made of the golden plants, his head placed on Tahu's lap.
“Will he be alright?”, Tahu worried, “I've never seen an attack like this on him before. What could this be.”
“For Guardians it's usual. At least for the ones who are Toa too ... With exception of Tupua. From time to time I can attack like that too when I feel very, very angry, frightened, desperate, whatever, let's say when I have very strong feelings. But I never had an energy outburst like that. No wonder if he's exhausted.”
Pohatu helped Onua clean his wounds a bit, Zaktan tried to make a bandage out of the plants. All Tahu and Rui had to do was sitting and watching Lewa's breath.
“You know we haven't seen anyone of the brothers for a longer time now.”
The ruby Toa looked around as if he was awaiting to see one of the Ikuta walking through this field.
“That's strange indeed...” Onua now looked a bit worried too. “We haven't hit Reikuta that hard. Just to keep him away from Lewa... What are they planning?”
Zaktan swayed his head. “Hard to say if they're planning anything ... Even we Piraka didn't see them often ever before.”
“But before it looked more like they were nearly hunting us.”
“Not just you.” The Piraka looked over to the sleeping emerald Toa. “They were more after the last Guardians. And now I think they will be wherever Tupua is.”
“I hope he's still alright”, Tahu sighed and therefore earned an unbelieving gaze from Rui.
“I thought you don't like him.”
“Well, it's just because he's the last key to ... But ... Who do I want to fool actually... I don't want him to have the same fate his other Guardian colleagues had. The ones we never even had the chance to try to safe them. He may be strange but now after all I think I overreacted a bit at first.”
Lewa gave out a groan and pressed himself closer to Tahu but still didn't wake up.
“We should get moving as soon as possible”, Onua finally spoke up.
“You're still wounded”, Pohatu complained.
“I'm too”, Zaktan helped the ebony Toa. “But do you really think the enemy will care?”
“How far away are those caves by the way?” Tahu asked.
“Just about half an hour ... behind those fields ... you can already see them if you stand up.” Onua waved his hand into the direction he meant.
Rui looked over to his sleeping brother. “We don't know when he will wake up ... can be in a few hours ... can last for days ... let's get moving now and wait for him to wake up during our journey.”
~~~***~~~
Lightstones gave their cold light, let shadows dance over the rocks.
“We're near Onu Aro”, Tahu whispered. “Onua, is it possible for you to dig around the city?”
“Yeah, can be made. But why?”
“I don't want you to see this”, he looked down to the sleeping emerald Toa in his arms, “I don't want him to see this.”
“Which direction do I have to dig?”
The ruby Toa risked a short gaze at the end of the tunnel. “Right. We better take these lightstones with us.” He nodded up to the yellow shimmering stone, Onua didn't need any light. He could see in darkness as others could in daylight. A bit disturbing during nights when he wanted to sleep.
Lewa gave another slight groan.
“Is he awakening?” Rui held his lightstone closer to him. The air Toa tried to blink away the sudden brightness. “Lewa ... Lewa, can you hear me?”
Something that sounded like “Ahoe” came back.
The mix looked up to Tahu. “I don't know what he wanted to say but I guess it should have been an answer.”
Lime-kissed eyes slowly flickered open.
“Do you feel better again”, Tahu asked with a slight smile.
“Ari au...”
The ruby one looked at him surprised. “But... why? Why do you feel sorry?”
“Not able to fight any more ... again ... blacked out just because of a bit of energy ...”
“Don't think something like that. You've saved us all. And no one could have stand that mass of energy.”
It didn't work. Lewa turned his head to the side, lime-kissed orbs started flickering.
“Hey, we're all going through the same, lil bro”, Rui whispered and gently stroke over his cheek. “It isn't weak to fall, it's weak to give up at all. And you haven't given up when you decided to free the Matoran, you haven't given up when you convinced Zaktan to go with us, you haven't given up when you attacked our enemies and saved us all from death.”
“And believe me”, Onua's voice sounded from ahead, “we're all feeling as awful as you do but not all of us can show it.”
A little smile went over the airy Toa's face. “We'll find this Emerald and then defend it directly ... and defeat the Ikuta. Heart-promise.”
“Guys, we've made it through”, the ebony Toa shouted back, “there's a tunnel behind.” He dug a bit further and looked through the hole to see if there was any danger around. “And there is a door...”
“What?” Rui shouted. He rushed over to Onua and looked outside too. “Mata Nui, we're standing nearly in front of it. How's this possible.” He shook his head. “They would have never been able to catch him...”
Lewa lifted up his head a bit. “We're there?”
Onua kicked away the last bit of earth. “Looks like it.”
They were now in the hall Tahu and Rui saw earlier behind the cracked wall.
And again they could do nothing more than sit and wait. Lewa had now finally gotten up and kept on walking between the door and where the others were sitting.
“Why have protection thingies fallen? Where's Tupua? Can't hardthink ... head's grounded ...”, he bubbled again and again.
The others shared unsure gazes but didn't stop him. Maybe it was better for him when he could let everything out.
“Why aren't you open?! I want to defend you!” the emerald one suddenly shouted and gave the door a kick. The short pain in his foot got him back to his senses. He let himself fall down beside Tahu and leaned his head against the fire Toa's shoulder.
“I'm so tired of this...”
Ruby fingers gently stroke over emerald cheeks. “Me too... I only once thought I was a warlord and can't live without fights ... but this is already too much ...”
“Guys ...”, Rui laid his hand on Tahu's other shoulder. “This door ... it started glowing ...”
The gap in the middle of the door shone emerald green and it became brighter and brigher as if it was trying to burst out.
“What is this?” The mix slowly got up. “It ... it feels strange ... so much energy ... and still...”
Lewa closed his eyes and turned his face up to the ceiling. “If you feel the same then it feels like we're dying and there's still a last defiant struggle of our survival instincts.”
“Does that mean ...?” Pohatu sounded unsure.
“No”, Rui slowly shook his head, “I don't think we will die ... or at least we won't die for now. It's just a funny feeling. As if we're getting and loosing masses of energy the same time.”
“And there's another mighty source coming closer”, Lewa said.
As if it had just waited for this sentence purple smoke shot out of the floor.
“Tupua, I said you shouldn't do that. Transporting so many people. I tell you, one day it might kill you”, Sasha's voice was heard.
The Spectre had sunken to his knees but immediately tried to get back up again even if he was still standing a bit wobbly.
“Had to be”, he panted, “ I had to get rid of too much energy. That would have killed me earlier.”
“So strong?”, the blue Matoran asked. “I mean, I feel strange too, but not like I need to loose or gain energy.”
“Gali! Kopaka! Finally you made it!”
The emerald Toa shot forward and now the others were able to get closer too.
“Hell, that took you a long time”, Pohatu laughed, “We thought you will never come again.”
“It was just a bit of a fight but as you can see we made it through it alive”, Kopaka answered.
“Except your shoulder.”
“Nothing to speak of. As long as it heals.”
Meanwhile Tupua had stepped closer to the door. How it might open he had no idea but maybe his energy could do the rest. He placed his hand on it. The green light grew stronger. For a short moment everything disappeared into light. As it got darker again the door was gone. Instead they looked into a long hallway. Signs were carved into the walls.
“Alright now”, he turned to the others, “This might be where our journey ends.”
