Amnesia- Matoro's memories have been, in a sense, reversed. He has no memory of his 1,000 years on Mata-nui or as his Turaga's translator. But, instead, has his memories of when he was on Metru-nui; before he was sealed in a matoran sphere.
(Many great-thanks to Mazula for this plot bunny!)
Knock knock knock... Knock knock KNOCK... "Damn it all, Matoro, we're going to be late!" Nuju only got more of his translator's soft snores. Sighing in exasperation, the Turaga of Ice reached into his robes and pulled out the spare key. That boy is solucky I let him off as easily as I do on this kind of thing.
In truth, Nuju was more concerned about his boy's health than if they were late. Ever since Matau pulled that stupid "joke" yesterday Matoro had been feeling a bit dizzy; and he had a right to be, he was hit in the head with a pail of swampy mud!
Sure, Matau had apologized profusely, claiming that the mud was supposed to pouron the victim, not the whole pail fall on the unfortunate one's head. He had even personally escorted the translator to the local healer, a death-glaring Nuju on his heels. The healers had said Matoro had a mild concussion. Nuju grimaced, remembering how Matoro had vomited on the healer's floor and the dizziness that accompanied the head injury. I just hope he is feeling better today...
The Turaga slowly opened the door then shut it with a soft click. He sighed, allowing a smile to creep up on his kanohi at the sight of Matoro on the bed, curled up with his stuffed Kavinika. The boy just looked so cute and innocent with his soft hair dangling over his peaceful face.
Nuju shook Matoro's arm gently. "Matoro, its time to get up." Matoro groaned and turned over, pulling the blanket over his face, "I don't want to go to the knowledge tower today, papa, too early..." Nuju blinked, he had never expected Matoro to ever call him "papa", of all things!
Ignoring what was obviously a slip of the tongue, Nuju persisted in waking the boy. "Matoro, are you going to wake-up any time soon? We're going to be late."Matoro sat up now, clutching the doll and rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Papa, where's my mask?" the boy asked, looking around with squinted eyes."Right here, Matoro; and why do you keep calling me that?"Nuju wiped the lenses in the Akakau with a spot on his robes before handing it to his translator.
"What else would I call you, pa-..." Matoro froze mid-sentence after his mask was in place, allowing him to see clearly; surprise written on his kanohi. "W-who are you, w-where's papa?" Matoro squeezed the kavinika tighter to his chest in his unease. "W-w-where a-am I?"
Nuju was bewildered, what was Matoro talking about? "You're in your house, Matoro; and you really couldn't have forgotten who your Turaga is, now could you?" Matoro tipped his head comically, making his feathery white hair spill over his shoulder. "I'm s-sorry, turaga, b-but I thought the o-o-only turaga here was Dume..."
Nuju blinked a few times before something seemed to click. "Matoro, do you know where you are, right now?" The young Ko-matoran thought for a bit, chewing on the end of a finger, "I-I'm in Metru-Nui, r-right?" Again, Nuju blinked, "OK, and how old are you, Matoro?" Matoro looked confused as he answered, "I'm twenty-two and a h-half?"
Oh, this is just great!Nuju thought, sitting down heavily onto the bed next to his translator. He thinks he's twenty-two and in Metru-Nui again! How did this happen?Nuju's mind suddenly went to a few instances the previous day after Matau's "joke"...
"Are you sure we are going the right way?" Matoro asked, turning around in the kavinika sled to face his elder and away from the falling snow. "Of course I'm sure, we always go this way; remember?" The boy got a strange look on his kanohi. "oh yeah, guess I forgot... "
X
"Matoro... Matoro?" Said young man finally looked over his shoulder and jumped a bit. "Oh, Turaga, I'm sorry; did you need something?" Nuju came up and rested a hand on Matoro's shoulder. "No, no; just wondering what you were looking at." Matoro looked back out the window, a strange smile on his kanohi. "Just the mountains, Turaga, I don't remember them being quite so beautiful..."
Turaga Nuju's thoughts were disrupted when he felt a tug on his sleeve. "T-turaga, a-am I in t-trouble for something?" Nuju found tears had welled up in the Ko-matoran's eyes. "No, no, you're not in trouble!" But this didn't seem to make anything better as Matoro wiped his eyes on his pajama sleeve and whispered, "w-when do I g-get to see p-papa then?" And there went the metaphorical dam, tears streaming down his face as his body wracked with quiet sobs.
Nuju wasn't the touchy-feely kind of person, like most matoran, but he would do almost anything for Matoro. So, a moment later found the Turaga holding the boy in his lap as he gently rubbed the boy's back. "It's all right, Matoro, everything is going to be fine..." What am I going to do now? Matoro thinks he his a child again! And I don't think I'm exactly up to raising him again! Then another thought crossed Nuju's mind; how was he going to hide Matoro's "condition"?
Surely the Matoran and Toa would get suspicious about Matoro's inevitable ramblings about a city that supposedly doesn't exist. And what would the other Turaga think? Or Dume! The old Turaga of Fire might just insist on Nuju's poor translator staying in Metru-Nui with him! It'll be a cold day in Kharzani before I let Dume take my little boy!
But what else could Nuju do? If he told one of the other Turaga they would surely tell Dume... Wait, I know of onethat wouldn't dare... And Nuju began to formulate a plan that might just end him and one of his brothers into trouble with Dume. But, what Dume didn't know wouldn't hurt him. At least, Nuju hoped it wouldn't.
OK, so there was the first chapter! Hope you people liked it! Read&Review?