Author's Note: Alright, this chapter is a bit grim. It deals with the Frostelus attack on Lhikan's home island and there is some death. Ye be warned. Other than that, a special thanks to Saya Moonshadow for letting me use her character.

Disclaimer: I understand that Bionicle does not belong to me and probably never will. Toa Natay belongs to Saya Moonshadow. However, Toa Sicar is mine.

Four: Running

Toa Vakama sat on the front of the ship, sculpting the final touches on the mask he was making. It was by far his greatest accomplishment, making the Mask of Time, and he should have been celebrating his achievement. But he couldn't even break a smile. How could he when he had failed all of Metru Nui? Even as he sat there, Makuta was draining energy from the city and the Matoran were all asleep underground. The Toa Metru had been forced to take only six Matoran in spheres and run in hopes of finding someplace safe. They didn't even know where they were going.

"Nuju's right," Vakama muttered, setting aside the mask to cool. "We're doomed."

"I believe his words were 'There's a possibility of failing,'" someone said from behind. Vakama turned to find Turaga Lhikan walking towards him.

"Turaga Lhikan," Vakama greeted.

"Mind if I join you?" the Turaga asked.

Vakama smiled. "Please, do."

Lhikan eased himself down beside the Toa. "So, why do you think we're doomed?"

The Fire Toa shrugged. "Well . . ."

"Well . . . ?"

"Well, Metru Nui is being destroyed, for one," the young Toa started. "Its heart is in an eternal slumber, and we're running away. I don't see how we're going to win."

"You've lost faith."

"We weren't very good Toa," Vakama said miserably. "I especially wasn't."

"Vakama, I want you to listen to me very carefully." Vakama turned to look at the Turaga. "Being a hero isn't about wining every battle you fight. It's not even about fighting. Sometimes, the best heroes have to run."

"You never ran from anything," Vakama pointed out.

"Wrong. I've run many times, Vakama. I ran from Nidhiki and Krekka. I've run away from Dark Hunters, I've run from the Morbuzahk more times than I can count, I've even run away from my duties every once in a while."

"But . . . I don't understand. Running doesn't seem like something you'd do."

Lhikan looked out upon the choppy waters of the Silver Sea. "Sometimes running is the best thing to do. I'd probably be dead right now if I hadn't run from some of my enemies. You're right, I don't like to run, but sometimes . . ." He drifted off, the bobbing of the Vahki transport reminding him of something that happened a very long time ago. "Sometimes, you have to. Sometimes, you need to run, to continue the legacy of a friend, to continue fighting for what you believe in," he finished. "Vakama, I'm going to tell you a story, one that I've never told anyone else. Listen carefully . . . ."

---------------------------

Lhikan called upon his elemental power, careful not to call too much. He was running low and fire was in high demand. It was strange how the Frostelus decided to attack when there were extremely few Fire Toa on the island; it was almost like they planned it that way. A small but very hot fire ball appeared between Lhikan's palms. Twisting his hands, the ball began to spin and he threw it, sending the missile directly through the hand of a Frostelus. The Rahi screamed as the fire cut through its extremity like butter. The sound was piercing as the Rahi stumbled back and away from the brown Toa it was about to crush. Lhikan ran up to the Toa and patted him on the back.

"You okay?" Lhikan asked over the noise of battle.

The young Stone Toa wiped the sweat out of his eyes, nodded a little shakily, and smiled at the Fire Toa. "Yes. Thank you."

Lhikan smiled. "No problem." Giving the brown Toa one more pat, Lhikan ran on to the next Toa in need. This time he took out his swords, put them together, and threw them. They cut across an arm of the Frostelus and gave the Water Toa enough time to shove her spear into the Rahi's chest, effectively killing the beast. Catching his swords, Lhikan spotted Toa Sicar.

"Sicar!" he yelled, jumping over bodies and rocks to reach his friend. "We can't hold up much longer! We need to retreat!"

"We can't!" Sicar shouted back, wrenching his large mace out of a Frostelus' side. "They've destroyed all the boats! We're stuck here!"

"What?" asked Lhikan, reaching his mentor. "All of them?"

"They're smart, yeah?" Sicar asked bitterly. "They knew they could trap us here, so they did. Lhikan, down!" He jumped into a pit in the ground pulling the young Fire Toa with him. Several Rhotuka spinners flew overhead, each one exploding where it hit a few bios away. The two Fire Toa crouched in the pit for a moment catching their breaths. "Rookie," Sicar scolded, smiling. "I thought I taught you to dodge oncoming missiles."

"I was about to." He grimaced at a pain in his leg and looked down. One of the Rhotuka spinners had grazed his calf, burning away a good part of the flesh.

Sicar had dropped his weapon and was already pulling out gauze out of his first aid kit. "That doesn't look good. How bad does it hurt?"

"Not enough to keep me out of the fight," Lhikan assured, lying through his teeth.

"Kilas is dead," Sicar mentioned, starting to wrap the gauze. "It's just you and me now."

"Two Fire Toa aren't enough to stop the Frostelus," Lhikan said. "What are we going to do?"

Sicar finished wrapping and sat there thinking for a moment, and then seemed to nod at himself. "Come with me." He put away the first aid kit and his mace, grabbed the young Toa's arm, and jumped out of the hole, pulling a limping Lhikan behind him. Dodging blasts of ice and other elements, and swerving around bodies they made their way to the docks. There, Sicar let go of Lhikan, jumped down into the rocks along the shore, and began searching for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for this." The older Toa pulled out a small wooden boat, barely big enough for a Toa. "It's the last boat. It was protected from the Frostelus by the rocks. I want you to get in and go."

"What?" Lhikan asked, hardly believing his ears. "Leave the fight? Never!"

"Two Skakdi stole something very important just before the Frostelus attacked, a tablet called the Makoki Stone. I need you to find it and hide it somewhere safe," Sicar replied, pushing the boat into the water. "Now hurry before the Frostelus find us here and attack."

"What's the stone do?"

"I don't know. Maybe it doesn't do anything. All I know is a lot of Toa gave up their lives protecting that Stone."

"You're just saying that. You want me to run because you don't believe you stand a chance against the Frostelus!"

Sicar glanced up but didn't say anything, instead finding two oars and putting them in the wooden vessel.

"You've given up. You think the fortress is doomed. Sicar, you have to let me stay!"

"You can't fight any more. You're hurt and need medical care we can't provide."

"It-it's just a flesh wound! I can still fight."

"No you can't, you can barely walk. Even if you could I wouldn't let you. You have great potential and you can't waste it by dying here."

"Sicar, I can't run—"

Sicar pulled out his mace. "Look, we don't have time to argue about this. Do I have to use this on you? I'll knock you out if I have too."

"I won't leave you! I'm not abandoning my duty just because—"

The older Fire Toa pressed his forehead against his weapon as Lhikan expressed his outrage. "Listen to me, Lhikan. Just listen!" he said through gritted teeth.

Lhikan quieted down.

"I don't like this any more than you do. But everything and everyone has a time to die, yeah? No, don't speak, listen. Every city must crumble, every civilization end, and every hero must fall. Most times you can pick yourself up. Often you pick up the pieces and move on. But sometimes you just have to accept that it's time." Sicar climbed back onto the dock and pointed to the boat. "Get in."

"But why don't you come with me?" Lhikan protested

Sicar smiled. "The boat's too small. Besides, I have a duty to this island; I can't leave while it's in danger. But you don't have to stay. This battle is the fortress' downfall, but not yours. You need to keep on going, for me and everyone else here, yeah? Promise me."

"No, I won't promise! There's still a chance we can defeat them— "

The older Toa grabbed Lhikan's shoulders. "Promise me!" Sicar yelled with surprising force. "Promise me you'll live, Lhikan!"

Lhikan saw the desperation in Sicar's eyes and lowered his own. "I-I promise," he choked.

"Good," he sighed, letting one of his hands drop. Lhikan gazed at the remaining hand on his shoulder. He looked up as Sicar spoke again. "You're going to be a great Toa someday Lhikan. Remember me, yeah?"

"Yeah," Lhikan mumbled, getting an awful feeling in his stomach. "Good luck, Sicar . . . and Mata Nui protect you."

Sicar smiled gently. "Don't worry about me. Just watch out for yourself, yeah?" He gently pushed Lhikan into the boat.

Lhikan stumbled down and once in the wooden vessel he turned back to his mentor. "I'll come back. I'll get help and I'll come back, Sicar! Just hold out till then!"

"I'm sure you will. Just remember what I've taught you. Now, go. Mata Nui protect you, Lhikan." Activating his Mask of Strength, Sicar pushed the boat into the water, then shoved as hard as he could, the force driving the vessel some bios away before Lhikan even knew it had happened.

"Sicar! SICAR!!"

Sicar flashed Lhikan a grin, raised his hand in farewell, and than ran back into the battle, smashing the leg of a Frostelus with his mace as he passed it.

Lhikan watched as the force of his mentor's push took him further and further from the island, the fortress becoming disappearing into the distance.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Lhikan opened his eyes to find a bright blue sky looking down upon him. He sighed and sat up, careful not to rock the boat he was in too much. Glancing out at the ocean he found still no sign of land, or other ships, or even birds, there was no sign of life anywhere. Just . . . water. Lots and lots of sea water.

He lay back down on the blankets that had been placed on the bottom of the boat. Much to his disgust they were still damp from last nights storm. It had only been about a day and he was already feeling as if he had been alone for years. 'Now, come on Lhikan,' he thought to himself. 'You have to keep going. You have to keep moving for Sicar. You need to get help.' He sat up again and picked up the oars and put them in the water. Having no sense of natural direction he picked a random spot on the horizon and started to move the boat towards it. With each stroke and splash of the oars he thought to himself, 'Row, run, row, run, row, run,' over and over again. That was all there was to him now.

Some time later he stopped for a bit and rubbed his aching chest. He licked his dry lips and swallowed thirstily, realizing how long he had been without water. Now would be a great time to be a Water Toa, he thought. Sighing, he reached out to grab the oars when his right hand knocked the paddle into the water. Lhikan gasped and made a dive for it but only succeeded in knocking it further away. "No!" He watched as the oar drifted further towards the horizon feeling as if Mata Nui were against him. Picking up the other oar, he almost threw that into the water as well but remembered what Sicar had said about anger. Instead, he scanned the area again, thinking if he was extremely lucky, he might close to land.

What he saw wasn't land but was something just as welcome. Lhikan laughed with relief as he carefully stood up and waved at the distant boat. "HEY! OVER HERE!" he shouted, waving wildly. Worrying they hadn't seen him, Lhikan sent up colored streaks of fire. Slowly the boat turned and made its way over to the stranded Fire Toa. The large, metal boat pulled up beside him. An orange and yellow Toa of Power Scream, probably not much younger than himself, came and leaned over the side. "Hey. Need a lift?" she asked.

"Y-yes. Please."

"Alright then. Come aboard." She held his hand out to him and the Fire Toa took it, allowing her to haul him up on board. He hadn't realized how exhausted he was until then. "The name's Natay," the Toa introduced. "You?"

"Lhikan," he said finding his voice. "Listen, I don't want to sound rude but my island is being attacked and I was sent to get help. So if you could drop me off at the nearest island with Toa, I'd much appreciate it."

"Yeah, of course. I just came from an island with a good group of Toa. I'm sure they'll agree to help and I'll come along too. What island is being attacked?"

"The island fortress."

The Power Scream Toa eyes widened. "Wait, the island fortress? The one with the Toa academy?"

Lhikan nodded. "You've heard of it then."

"Yeah I've heard of it. I trained there! Who's attacking it?"

"Frostelus, a whole bunch of them. We were outnumbered and caught off guard."

Natay growled. "Stupid Rahi. Alright then, Lhikan, I'll tell you what we're going to do," she said, already running to the sail and releasing it. The cloth snapping in the wind, she turned towards the steering wheel. "We're gonna make a quick run to that island I told you about, drag the Toa on board, leave a message for the Turaga to get more Toa, and head to the fortress. With the wind being what it is . . . ." Natay scribbled some calculations on a piece of paper then looked up to Lhikan again. "We should be teaching those Rahi a lesson in no time."

Lhikan watched in awe and gratitude as Natay ran about the deck, pulling here, tying something there, and finally taking the steering wheel and spinning it around. The Fire Toa stumbled a bit as the boat sharply turned to face the opposite direction. "Anything I can do to help?"

Natay shook her head, her gaze still steady on the sea ahead of her. "Nope, not right now. Besides, you don't look too good. Are you hurt?"

"Not badly," Lhikan said, mentally checking over himself. "It looks worse than it is." He self-consciously rubbed some of the dried blood off his armor.

"Mhm," Natay said, looking dubiously down at his bandaged leg. "Want me to take a look at your leg? I'm no medic, but I know first aid."

"I'm fine," Lhikan insisted, turning his body a little so the white gauze was out of sight. "Really."

"Okay then. There's food and water down below deck. There's a bunk bed there too. Get some rest and I'll wake you up when we reach the island with the Toa, okay?"

Lhikan nodded. "Thank you, Natay. I owe you a great deal."

"Don't worry about it," she said, glancing down at him with a smile. "I would have gone as soon as I'd heard anyway. Now go below: captain's orders."

The Fire Toa saluted and stumbled below deck. He blinked against the darkness, hobbled over to the water container, and guzzled thirstily. Gasping for air, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then gazed around for the bed. Finding it, he walked over and lay down, gazing up at the ceiling and closing his eyes. "Help's coming, Sicar," he whispered. "I'm coming."

XXXXXXXXXXX

When Toa Natay had returned to the island only hours after leaving and explained that the famous island fortress was under attack, all the Toa on the island immediately prepared to go help. In less than an hour they were sailing towards Toa Lhikan's home, prepared for battle.

The blue Turaga watched worriedly as the young Fire Toa limped across the room and limped back again. She had insisted on coming too and seeing to Toa Lhikan's leg before it got infected. She had changed the bandage, had an Ice Toa to make cold compresses, and dabbed some antibiotic ointment on the blisters. Everything had gone well until she had told the Fire Toa that he would have to stay on the boat. The argument had been long and might have lasted the whole trip if Toa Natay had not interrupted and informed Lhikan that while he was on her ship he would take her orders and she was ordering him to stay on board. They had come to an agreement: Toa Lhikan would stay on board if Natay would specifically look for a Fire Toa with a mace named Toa Sicar.

They had reached the island fortress about half an hour ago and Toa Lhikan hadn't paused in his pacing since.

"Please, Toa Lhikan, stop that walking. It would be best if you lie down and let your leg heal," the Turaga pleaded.

"Sit down?" Lhikan asked incredulously. "My friends could be out there dying right now! Forgive me if I'm a little anxious."

"Pacing won't help them. The best thing that you can do is rest."

Lhikan sighed, frustrated, sat down on a bed, and jumped right back up and continued to walk the length of the small room. A few minutes later the door to the cabin opened and Lhikan's head shot up. He rushed over to the steps as Natay came down, slightly dirty and pale.

"I'll take my leave now," the Turaga said, slipping past the two Toa as Natay sat down on the bed and motioned for Lhikan to do the same.

"Well?" he asked, sitting. "Any news of Sicar?"

Natay tapped her fingers on the side of the bed and said, "I . . . it's hard to . . . It's hard to find specific people out there. The bodies . . . I mean, there's not a lot left. The fortress is completely in ruins, barely a wall standing. We . . . haven't found any survivors."

Lhikan felt his heart freeze.

"The good news is the Frostelus didn't survive either. They beat 'em good."

"Yes, but I want to know if you found proof Sicar's . . . if he escaped or . . ."

The orange and yellow Toa fidgeted for a moment, and then looked at Lhikan. "I was able to find this," she said quietly, pulling out a large mace. "I'm sorry."

Lhikan took the mace with shaking hands. He recognized it; he'd recognize it from a hundred bios away. His thumb traced over the ordinate flames carved into the blades. "We met because of this mace," Lhikan said casually. "I was commissioned to carve the fire on the blade. He was so impressed with the work he came to congratulate me." He scrapped off some blood, allowing the flames to be more prominent and continued talking with a shaking voice. "When I turned into a Toa he was the first to congratulate me and immediately offered to be my personal mentor. He—he was hard to train with, but that's what made him great. He knew what your limits were and didn't allow you to slack. But he was also kind and funny and . . . ." Lhikan gave a sobbing laugh. "And he saved me. He knew . . . he sent me out in that boat . . ."

"Look, we're still searching under rubble and such. Just because we haven't found anybody yet doesn't mean—"

The Fire Toa shook his head, taking a deep breath and composing himself. "N-no. I don't think so. He—" Lhikan gulped a sob. "He knew it was his time. I just wish . . . Mata Nui, I was so stupid! What was I thinking, letting him stay? He should have gone, not me!"

"Now, cut that out!" Natay admonished. "From what you say, he did that to save your life. Is griping about it any way to repay him?"

Slowly, Lhikan shook his head.

"Right. Now, I suggest you stop thinking of it as running. You went for help, not fleeing because you were a coward. You did what was necessary and more importantly, what was right." She stood up. "Now, I have to go back out there. The Turaga wants you to rest so I'm ordering you to lie down and try to sleep."

"I want to help; can't I come and search with you?"

Natay looked over the tearful Toa, knowing how much turmoil he was in. "Tomorrow." She walked over to the stairs. Turning back, she added. "I really am sorry. He'll be remembered." She then jogged up the stairs and out onto the deck, closing the door behind her.

"Yes, he will be remembered."

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"You see, Vakama, you're not running away. You're simply moving on, doing what's right. So Metru Nui falls. Remember Vakama, Metru Nui is just a city: a bunch of buildings placed strategically on a piece of earth. The important thing is that the heart of Metru Nui lives on. Save the Matoran's lives and nothing else matters."

Vakama sat stone still, the Mask of Time cooling beside him. He finally managed to say, "Lhikan, I'm so sorry. I had no idea . . ."

Lhikan smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "It was years ago and you have nothing to be sorry for. Toa Sicar died bravely protecting his home and his Matoran, and will be remembered as a great hero. That's the best thing a Toa can hope for. Best now to focus on the present."

Nodding, Vakama looked out towards the Great Barrier looming in front of them. "Yes. We're still stuck with the problem that we have no idea where we're . . . go . . . ing . . ." The Fire Toa trailed off as something happened in his mind. His surroundings dulled and Lhikan watched intently as Vakama stared off at something no one else could see. After a few moments, just when Lhikan was about ready to call for help, Vakama blinked. "Follow the light," he said softly.

"What?"

"Our destiny lies beyond the Great Barrier," the Toa said confidently. "I'm sure of it."

Lhikan smiled. "There, see? We're no longer running. I'll go tell the driver our destination."

A/N: Once again, a big thanks to Saya Moonshadow for allowing me to use Natay. This is the last chapter I plan on doing for this story. I'm turning my attention to a bigger project so I'll finish this up with an epilogue unless I am struck with inspiration in the next two days. In the meantime, I'd love to know what you think of this chapter. Review please!