Chapter Seven
It took a few hours to reach Ga-Koro from the underground tunnels, to almost running into the Toa of water. It took a while to explained to his comrades what had happen, and to see if the Turaga of water and the Toa of water would be able to help the human child. After that it took a while to get over to the village of Ga-Koro to get the Turaga, and to head back into the tunnels that lead to Onu-Koro late at night. When they finally reached to the earth village, and into Turaga Whenua's hut. All three of them were beyond shocked to see the young human girl laying on the Turaga of Earth bed coughing up a little more blood. "Where exactly is the pain?" asked Tuarag Nokama as she came to Aiko's side.
"When I found her all she said was that her body hurts" answered Onua in a sad tone.
Turaga Nokama Started placing a hand on the human girl head, then on her chest, and when she placed her hand on the human stomach the girl flinched. Turaga Nokama carefully removed the down to her waist, and pulled up Aiko's dress to see a huge black and blue bruise on the girl stomach. "She is lucky that the black spear spirit did not punched her at the chest" the Turaga of water said with a sigh, "if it did then she would've been dead in a instant."
"So will she be able to recover?" asked the Toa of Light with a hint of worry in his voice.
"We will see in a few days" Turaga Nokama replayed as she looked at both Onua and Takanuva, "but for now I need to get to work on healing… so I must ask the both of you to leave so we can get to work."
Without another word the Toa of Earth and Light left Turaga Whenua's hut, and decide to go off mining (well more of Onua dragging Takanuva off to the mines). Once there Onua started to mine like his life depend on it, and Takanuva just watched him. 'Onua is defiantly taking this really hard' Takanuva thought to himself, 'if only I've been here sooner, then this wouldn't of happened.'
"How long?" Onua asked as he still continued to mine.
"How long what?" Takanuva ask confused by his elder brother question.
"How long did he planned on sending Aiko on this dangerous quest!"
Takanuva was silent for a moment, and thought when back when Tahu decided to let Aiko leave Ta-Koro. After he thought about it for a few minutes it hit him like a stick hitting a rock. "It must've been after our last meeting, and after I mention that Aiko kind doesn't live as long as we do…" 'so this is basically my fault.'
Onua stopped mining to ponder on what the younger Toa had just said to him, and turned around to face the Toa of light with a good chance of anger in his eyes. "And I suppose you suggested to turn her into a Toa without considering the danger that these spirit spear carrier!"
"Onua I didn't know it was possible to turn a human into a Toa, and how can I suggest that with no knowledge of these spirit spears?"
Onua was going to say something, but stopped and sat down instead with a heavy sigh. "I haven't seen her in such pain since that one time" Onua said with a low shaky voice.
Takanuva didn't need to ask what the elder earth Toa mean. For he knew what he was referring to, and thought back to ten years when Tahu never allowed the human girl not only out of his sight, but also to never leave the village of Ta-koro.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten years ago near a lava river in Ta-Koro.
"Aiko" said a happy Tahu, "where are you?"
Just behind a big rock hide a giggling five year old human girl who was playing hide and go seek with the Toa of fire. Her messy black hair just hardly covers her face, and her bright colorful dress (that was made by Turaga Nokama) that was just over her knees would've had anyone spot her in a instances. The girl crawled around the rock just as Tahu was about to find, and she heard voices coming towards where her and Tahu were playing. "Looking for someone brother?" asked gruff voice in which Aiko recognized to be Onua's.
Tahu placed a finger to his mouth, and signal his stone brother to go around the rock where the little human girl hide. "Well I thought Aiko was behind this rock" Tahu started to speak with a winked to his brothers and sister, "but I guess she must've went back to Ta-Koro."
It took a good amount of will power for the little girl to not giggle so she would not be discover by the Toa. "Ah, thats just too bad" Pohatu started to speak as he crept right behind the little girl unnoticed, "and here we thought to see that cute little smile of hers."
"Or to revive-give a hug" Lewa said trying to hold back a laugh.
Aiko slowly peeked over to see all but one Toa precent, and wondered where was the Toa of Stone. Her thought question was answered as she was lifted up facing the a smiling Toa of Stone. "Got ya you little cutie" Pohatu said as if he had just caught a wonderful prize.
"Hatu!" Aiko giggled as Pohatu embrace her in a hug.
Hey what can they say she only five years old, and some of there names were hard to say at time. But never the less they all loved seeing the human girl smiling as bright as the morning star. "Hey Pohatu Brother" said Lewa as he came towards him and the little bundle of Joy, "don't try and hog-take her all day."
The Toa of Stone just rolled his eyes at the young Toa of air, and handed him the little girl. "My little one your sure have gotten a little bigger" Lewa said as he hugged the human girl.
"She certainly has been getting bigger by the passing year" Tahu said arm crossed and smiled.
"Not bad for being raised by a hot head" Kopaka said in his icy tone.
"Paka" Aiko said as she tried reaching out for the Toa of Ice.
Kopaka looked at the human girl, and even he couldn't resist the cuteness she bears. So he walked over to where Lewa was, and took the human from his arms. Aiko wasted no time in giving the Ice Toa a hug before wanting to go over to the remaining Toas. Once when they all gotten to hug the human girl they started the meeting while Aiko played a goat like toy. For the most part they discus the update in each Koro, and any information on a paticeler human who's name will never be mention. As they Toa's continued with the meeting Aiko started running around the same rock where she had hide, then she started to run off a little way from the Toa, but stayed within their eye sight. She kept on running with her goat like toy in her hand, laughing, and twirling around. Until she tripped, and unfortunaly her right Knee landed in a vey small pool of Lava.
The Toa's were just about done with their meet when suddenly the hear a scream. Tahu turned around only to find Aiko a good few feet away, and dashes off to her. When he reached her he was shock at what he saw, 'no' he whispered to himself as he bent down to the little girl that was crying her head off.
When the others arrived they had now shared the same shocked, but none was to be compared to the Toa of Fire. For what they saw before them was something they hopped to never to see from the human child. For upon Aiko's right knee was horribly burnt, and she was bleeding really bad. Whats worst was that look on her face when Tahu picked her up, and started to head for his hut. "Tahu" Gali finally spoke as the Toa of fire continued walking.
"I've should've kept a closer watch on her" Tahu said with a sad tone in his voice, and with that the other Toa's fallowed him back to Ta-Koro with all the villagers and Turagas in shocked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the present
"It actually took her at least a few month before she could walk again" Takanuva said in a sad, "I guess Tahu never could forgive himself for what happened, and thought he could keep her safe within the walls of Ta-Koro, or at least in the hut."
Onua thought for a moment before getting up, and heading back to the village. "Well no use in looking at what happen in the past" he said in a sad voice, "what matters is trying to help Aiko to be a little stronger."
Takanuva just looked at him confused, "and how do you plan on doing that when that spear almost killed her?"
Onua stopped and looked back at the Toa of light, "leave that to me." and with that he continued walking back to the Village of Onu-Koro.
With in the next few day was mostly focus on stopping Aiko from coughing up blood, healing her stomach, and for the human girl resting. Until the day came when she was finally given the okay to get up and try to get back to her normal self again. When Aiko left Turaga Whenua's hut with Gali behind her (most likely to make sure Aiko didn't fall), and the young human girl was greeted by the other two Toas. "How are you feeling Aiko?" Takanuva asked with a little worry in his voice.
"Fine" Aiko replayed with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"That's good" Takanuva said giving a sigh of relief.
Onua didn't say anything as he examine Aiko from top to bottom, making sure she doesn't collapses anytime soon. But he could't help but took notice that sad tone in her sweet voice, and if he could take a good guess at what was bothering her, he pretty well be darn sure to do any thing in his power to make her day a lot better. "Aiko sweetie" Onua spoke in a almost seriouse voice, "will you come with me for a moment."
Aiko fearing where this might be going walked towards the mighty Toa of earth, and they both went off into the tunnels leaving behind the other two Toas behind. As they walked their was utter silent between the two, until after a minute or so had passed did Onua finally stopped and looked at the human girl. "Aiko" He began looking down at the human girl, "I just want to say that…"
"I'm sorry" Aiko said suddenly hugging the now shocked Toa of earth.
"Aiko" Onua said blushing with the sudden event that just took place.
"I didn't mean to wonder off like that" Aiko said close to tears.
Onua just looked down at the young human girl for a moment, and smiled. "I know you didn't mean to sweetie" he said as he embrace her, "but we'll discuss that later… right now I'm going to teach you something that will help you to out smart your opponent."
"H-how?" Aiko asked looking up at the Toa of Earth.
"Well" Onua began, "he maybe faster and stronger, but that doesn't mean he's smarter... If you could use your surrounding to out smart him, then the next time you face him you'll be sure to win."
"You really think so" Aiko said with her eyes beaming with hope.
"I know so" Onua said with a smile, "but its going to require a lot of special training to get your body into shape, and you got to do exactly as I say okay."
Aiko let go of the Toa of earth a smiled at him, "okay Onua!"
"Good, cause training start now."
With that the long hard train begun, with lots of running, mining, and learning her surrounding. Though there was a few times that the human girl wanted to give up, Onua was right there to give her a little push to continued. Before they know it days had passed, Aiko stared to feel a little stranger, a little faster, and much more wiser. But as the days went by, the more closer it came to the mark that the spear spirit date was to come, and Onua only hope that his training he gave her was enough.
Then one day Onua, Gali, Takanuva, and Aiko decide to go for a walk in the tunnels, after Onua over worked the human girl in. All went well, until something stirred in the tunnel, and before the Toa's knew it they found themselves trapped in some sort of force field leaving the human girl all alone. "So human" said a calm heavy voice, "are you ready to fight me once again?"
At first Aiko was scared at the present of the brutal spear spirit, but mustered up some courage to say yes. This seemed to cause Gali and Taka to worry, and Onua tried his best not to worry about the human girl. 'Don't be scared Aiko' Onua said to himself, 'just remember what I taught you about your surrounding, and you'll be fine.'
"Then your fate is sealed" the calm voice said revealing himself, "and this time, I will kill you!"
Just before the black spear could land a move on the human teenager, Aiko as quickly as she could dogged the attack, then quickly went into the nest small hole she could find, and hide there. The black spear went over to the the same hole, and tried all his might to reach down into the hole to grab the human meat bag. What he didn't know was that that same hole had an exit that was right behind him, before anyone knew it the human girl got out of the other hole, and jumped onto the black spear back. "That'a girl" Onua said out loud.
Both Gali and Takanuva looked at their rather brother, and wondered if this was the sort of thing he taught her to do. Their attention was brought back to the human girl, and the black spear being. "Get off of me you blood killer!" the black spear spate as he tried to get his arm out of the hole, but was failing undoing so.
"Ah, is someone a bit cranky" Aiko said to the black spear as she placed both hands on each side of his ribs, "well, we're jet going to fix that now won't we."
Before both the Toa and the black spear being knew it, Aiko started to… tickle the mighty spear being? "N-no" the black spear bing plead as he tried to hold back his laughter, "p-plea-se s-s-stop that!"
Gali looked at the Toa of Earth with a questionable look on her face. "Don't look at me," Onua said to his sister, "I didn't taught her to do that."
At that point, Takanuva started to laugh a bit, before both his brother and sister looked at him, and wondered if he was alright. "She's doing the same thing, Tahu does to her, whenever she gets cranky," Takanuva said and laughed some more.
After about ten to fifteen minutes of tickling later, the black spear being was now trying to breathe normally. Aiko finally got off of him and went around so they both were looking at each other. "So did I win?" she asked the spear sprite.
The black spear spirit finally got his breathing right stared at the human girl in the eye and said, "outsmarting an opponent like was rather impressive, but the tickling was not."
"On the contrary" Aiko began, "I could've took a rock and threw it at you, but I figure that would just kill you, and it would be against the Toa code to kill without reason. So I thought tickling would've been better."
The black spear being was shocked at what she had said and made him think for a moment. 'Maybe I was wrong about these humans' he thought, "maybe there are some good ones out there like her.'
"Alright," the black spear spirit said, "I can now see that you are worthy enough for my strength, but next time when in a real batter… there is no tickling."
"Okay," Aiko said with a smile.
"And one other thing" the black spear pulled the human towards him so he could whisper to her, "I do believe there will be someone in your life who had started having feeling for you."
"What do you mean?" she asked a bit confused.
"You'll find out when your a little older" the black spear being said as his body started to go into her.
Before Aiko could ask him what he means he was gone in a flash. This only got the human girl even more confused and was a little mad at the spear spirit for getting her confused. "Aiko," said the voice of the Toa of water as she embrace Aiko in a big hug like a worried mother
"Gali" Onua said as and Takanuva came towards the two girls, "Try not to accidentally kill her."
Gali let go of the human girl and smiled at her. "You did very well Aiko," said Gali.
Aiko smiled at the Toa of water, and before long they all headed back to the village of Onu-Koro. There they told the two Turaga's what had happened back in the tunnel. After some time had passed Aiko became very sleepy and was sent off to bed by Turaga Nokama. Soon after that all of Onu-Koro were calling it a day and started to head for their huts. Once when everyone had fallen asleep, all was peaceful in the great village of earth. But not too far off from the village, stood a tall shadowy figure who was staring down at a particular hut, where a human girl was sleeping in. The figure stood there what seemed to be forever until he smiled. "Soon my dear child," he said not taking his eyes off the child, "once when your task is done… Daddy will be there to take you away, and a Toa you shall become."
Without saying anything else, the strange figure had vanished in the darkness of the tunnel and left no trace of his existence. All was once again quite, with only the sound of sleepy villagers down below. But the Turaga's couldn't help but wonder where will the human girl go next?
