Wham!
After walking across the Great Divide, Kaze skidded over the Jungle Region's outskirts. He ignored his aching cheek, and the shocked Maram and Rhem, to face Voriki. "So, she told you."
"What do you think?" spat Voriki. His right fist shook upon meeting Kaze and Maram, and after punching the former. "I know you don't like working with us, but really?! Zala was helping you find the fragment and you blew her off like that!"
"Like that's worse than what happened afterwards." Kaze's retort didn't soften Voriki's anger. Kaze's eyes darted to Zala, who hid behind Voriki and almost blended in the shadows of the looming, lush trees.
With a tired Protector of Earth on his back, Rhem stepped in between the conflicting parties. "Uh, isn't this a bit much, Voriki?" Voriki and Kaze's glares forced him back. "Okay, never mind."
Kaze gestured to Zala. "If she has a problem, she should say it herself."
To Kaze's surprise, Zala put a hand on Voriki's tense shoulder. "Voriki, it's alright," she said quietly. "It's… it's in the past now. And we have a mission to do."
Unsurprisingly, Maram said, "Zala is right. Whatever happened, we must put it aside."
Resting his spear on his shoulder, Voriki agreed with Zala and Maram. "Alright, but as long there won't be any more problems. Right, Kaze?"
After the half-snorting Kaze relented, Voriki turned into the Region of the Jungle. The rest followed, Rhem and Zala explaining to Maram how they had brought Protector Hanu to rest after a quick encounter with the Earth Guardian. Kaze, trailing behind, blocked it out with the urge to fire at Voriki's back.
The march wasn't long as Kaze initially thought. Voriki's punch took him down a notch and kept him on the ground instead of flying over it. His feet squished uneven patches of dirt and grass, and the crying urdaks lingered overhead. The latter was a sign that the five Toa were close, proven true when they arrived by the shadow of Vizuna's Tortoise.
The animal's humming notified its tenants of the Toa's arrival. As cries rang above, the tortoise's head slowly slinked down to meet its new guests. "Sheesh!" Rhem commented from below, "I don't want to imagine living on that. I mean, seriously, how can anyone do that?!"
"Don't worry. It's not that bad," Zala assured. Once the tortoise rested its head on the ground, she petted its nose gently. "Are you okay, big guy? Have you been resting well?"
One by one, the Toa got on the massive head. Except for Kaze, who was prey to the tortoise's glaring pupils. Glaring back, Kaze flew alongside other Toa's 'ride' and joined them at the top.
Kaze felt the Jungle Tribe's stares over the next few hours. Whispers, ranging from "... why is here?" to "... can we trust him again?" to "... don't go near…" and "... report anything to the scouts,"-had pushed him to the edge of the gigantic shell. He was away from most of the tents and alone until Zala joined him. With enough space between her and Kaze, she used her new scythe to peer over the edge without falling off.
"Hanu's up now," Zala said, though Kaze never asked. "Ruka's healers are applying all their healing medicine on him… well, trying anyway. He doesn't want anyone near him now other than us." Kaze's glare killed Zala's giggle and forced her eyes down. "... I didn't know Voriki was going to hit you. I... I just wanted to tell somebody… After what Makuta made me see, I had to-"
"Where are Voriki and Maram?" Kaze asked. He need not hear what Zala was to say. He had seen it himself, after all.
"They're scouting for any sign of the Guardians. If you go, you can still join them. It should be alright, despite..." Zala's silence betrayed her belief in her own words. Then, she said, "Well, you don't have to stay. Protector Ruka's back. She's in her brother's tent if you want to see her."
"Why?"
"Maybe… it might help..." At Kaze's raised eyebrow, Zala said, "I know things seem bad, but… it can't hurt to try…"
After meeting Zala's pink eyes, Kaze went into the Jungle Tribe. Part of him couldn't believe he listened to Zala. Then again, the Toa of Shadow was different than when he chewed her out days ago. Not mature. A little understanding, maybe.
Frowning at the thought, Kaze stomped past homes once covered in vines-under his watch-until he reached the one most familiar to him. An urdak laid inside, its whimpering head on Ruka's lap. The frost on its wings gave Kaze an idea what happened, but the Jungle Protector explained anyway as she stroked her ride's head.
"Got a bit close to Hunarr's men. Poor girl got hit badly… Okil gave her, y'know. Ten seasons ago. Said he never need one, since his legs ain't good… I think it's his only gift to me…" Ruka whispered. Her pleading eyes met the Toa of Air. "Say ya find him…"
"No," Kaze said. No need to sugarcoat it. Hunting Uram had left him the same as Ruka's urdak. Only the urdak had been worse off, physically speaking.
Ruka hung her head. "You think I'm weak, right? Everyone does… They think Okil's the real leader 'cause his spies does the work. I ain't blame them. I can't protect my people, let 'lone my own brother. I can't even keep Ignar's or Torren's men off the border long."
Kaze's hands became fists. Weak. No words could banish it or comfort Ruka. Facts were needed, not promises. To produce any facts, Kaze needed power. He had seen Maram use the Fire fragment. If only he had…
"Watch out!" came from outside, and Kaze sidestepped a sickle cutting into Okil's tent. He and a surprised Ruka stepped out to follow Rhem's sickle, and the long chain attached to it, as it returned to the Toa of Time.
Turning from applauding children around him, Rhem said to Kaze, "Sorry about that! Just getting the hang of this new weapon. Keela really did good work with this one."
Hearing Keela's name banished Kaze's idea from his mind. He wouldn't stoop so low… yet his gaze lingered on the bronzen half-mask. "Uh, is everything alright, Kaze?" Rhem asked, then Kaze aimed. Everyone followed the arrow until it turned a leftover vine into ashes. Having phased back into normal space-time, Rhem shouted, "What's the big idea?!"
"A little show. That's all," Kaze grunted, gesturing to Rhem's gaping audience. He turned to leave Ruka with the children.
"Alright, what is your deal?!" asked the following Rhem, who groaned at Kaze's silence. "First, Voriki's giving me the silent treatment and now you! Look, I don't know what happened, but clearly it was something big."
"You don't know anything," Kaze said as he returned to the spot where Zala was.
"Maybe but that's in the past, right? Wouldn't it be easy to let it all go? You know, forget?"
Kaze ignored Zala's worried look. "Kaze-" she said, but the Toa of Air whirled to the Toa of Time.
"Clearly Zala didn't tell you everything," Kaze growled at Rhem, "It must be easy for you, to not even know a thing or to have no memories, but it's not for the rest of us. We have to hold onto those memories. And I remember everything."
"But Voriki doesn't seem to care! So, what's bad about forgetting?" Rhem argued against the wind rising with Kaze's voice.
"Because it means to forget why we're here! How can I forget when I was-?!"
"Weak," Kaze heard in his mind.
Kaze stopped, his vision blurry. When he saw Rhem again, Kaze also noticed the crowd he gathered. Zala froze, as she did when Kaze first yelled at her. The tiny crowd of Jungle Tribesmen, Ruka included, left their toppled tents, and they watched worryingly in case "their Toa" betrayed them again.
Now, Kaze felt a new emotion: guilt. Guilt for not listening to Zala. Guilt for not resisting Makuta's control. Guilt for not stopping Uram. Guilt for…
A boom Kaze, Zala, and Rhem turned from each other, and the gathering crowd. A trail of smoke rose in the distance. The blaze underneath grew bigger and closer every second.
"Aren't Voriki and Maram over there?" Rhem asked. Then, he blurred after Zala, who hopped into the jungle alongside the flying Kaze.
Heat first struck Kaze upon his arrival before the rising flames stopped him mid-air and had him look down. Before him, the Fire Guardian marched on and lit entire trees aflame with its molten claws. The thick greenery as ash-covered clearing reminded the hovering Kaze of then. Of…
"Woah!" said Rhem, who appeared atop a branch next to Kaze. "How can we even stop that?"
"We should find Maram and Voriki! They can stall the Guardian!" said Zala from another nearby branch. Kaze, not willing to wait, pulled his arrow back. "Kaze, no-!"
The arrow, though incinerated in seconds, caught the Fire Guardian's attention. Kaze flew to the side, expecting a fireball. A burning tree trunk flew instead, pushing him aside and crashing in the very trees Zala and Rhem stood on. Tumbling through the air, Kaze barely saw them fall as he himself crash-landed onto the jungle's burnt ground.
A push of air slid Kaze back from an approaching wall of flame. Behind it, the Fire Guardian marched to the Toa of Air. Not wanting to be prey, Kaze got to his feet and fired at the trees. The six energy arrows on each formed a massive energy net entrapping the Guardian to give Kaze. The net stayed on, even after the monster tore through the tree they held onto. The flames stayed too, zipping across the ground and toppling enough trees to block Kaze's escape route.
Lightning struck, and two more Toa landed before Kaze in a showering of flaming splinters. "Are you alright?" Maram asked, sword in hand and shining at Kaze's grunt.
Voriki asked, "Where are Rhem and Zala?"
"Right here!" said Rhem after appearing at the trio's side with Zala. Seeing the Fire Guardian, he asked, "Uh, any ideas?"
"Find its weakness, then take it out," Kaze responded and summoned another arrow.
"First thing we've agreed on!" Voriki eyed the Fire Guardian about to break free. "Get ready!"
The flames and their freed Guardian rushed at the Toa. It caught Kaze's bait of an arrow, passing the two groups of Zala/Rhem and Voriki/Maram for the flying Toa of Air. Kaze buzzed around its swipes-going right, then left, then up and over the Guardian to retreat to his allies. "Now!" Kaze shouted, and his arrows flew with Voriki's lightning bolt.
The Fire Guardian's feet left smoldering trails as it skidded back under the barrage. Under Voriki's orders, Rhem rushed the stalled monster. Kaze flew alongside the blurring Toa of Time, the former using his energy net to trap its head. Rhem swung his sickle, the attached chain long enough to circle around the Guardian's feet. Even Zala had joined in, jumping onto a nearby outgrown root to catch the chain on her scythe while Rhem himself caught his weapon by the sickle and kept it steady with the Toa of Shadows.
"On me!" Voriki shouted, charging with Maram.
The mid-air Kaze shot another energy net at the Fire Guardian's torso, tripping it over Rhem's chain. After falling back with a thud, its body rose against its restraints only to fall again from Voriki's bolt. Then came a light beam from Maram's swinging sword. Though he looked away with the other Toa, Kaze saw Maram-still exhausted from facing the last Water Guardian-limping towards the light bathing the Fire Guardian.
"I've found its weakness!" Maram exclaimed. "The left shoulder! Underneath the-!"
The Guardian's long and freed claw knocked Maram's light aside, Maram and Voriki with it. Kicking Rhem's chain off, the Guardian's feet flung the Toa of Time and Shadow. The same chain caught Kaze's bow, dragging him after-and crashing by-Zala and Rhem.
Kaze raised his mask from the ground in time to see the Fire Guardian running back the way it came. Every new step left a burning line of fire in its retreat. Heat and flames fanned out, almost covering its escape. Even then, Kaze got up and summoned another arrow to fire.
"A little help here!" shouted Rhem, entangled in his own chain with Zala.
Kaze put them aside. The Fire Guardian was still in range, and he could take the shot. Maram could easily dispel the flames.
"Maram is out!" Kaze heard Voriki by a groaning and prone Toa of Light, marks in his chest.
Again, Kaze put it aside. By now, the Fire Guardian got a lot more distance. The flames covered its being, hiding from Kaze's sight. He could still fly-
Kaze leapt from a falling log engulfed. The spreading flames forced the Toa of Air further back in the direction of Zala and Rhem. "It's getting too hot here!" Zala said after slipping an arm out.
Voriki batted more burning trees away before they crashed on him. "The flames are getting out of hand! If we don't stop them, they'll strike the tribe!"
Kaze's body froze against the heat. Again, people he was meant to protect would suffer. He could hunt down the Fire Guardian, but it wouldn't stop the flames. The barely conscious Maram, the distracted Voriki, and the tied-up Zala and Rhem couldn't do so. He couldn't be a hunter. Not now.
Dispelling his arrow, Kaze pulled Rhem's weapon enough to free him and Zala. "I'll take care of it!" Kaze said, rose off the ground, and spun to draw on his power.
Kaze also drew the currents which sucked at the flames. First, they drew in a few fiery lines from close by. Then, several tendrils from the surrounding trees. Then, tendrils were a swarm from the jungle itself, all converging on the spinning Toa of Air. Only until they completely engulfed Kaze did he fly up.
And up.
And up!
The gathered flames flickered behind Kaze's ascent. He kept the flames circling around, even as they scorched him. When he passed the treetops, leaving the Toa under, he at last let go.
KABOOM!
The red ring of fire waved off Kaze. He hadn't seen it disappear or realized his searing pain. Not when he fell back down. He only noticed someone grabbing him mid-air, then the sky blurring-
-as he suddenly hit the jungle floor. After gazing up the trees, he glanced at who saved him. "You…" Kaze croaked to the Toa of Time.
"It's okay!" Rhem told Kaze then over his shoulder. "Hey! I got him!"
In seconds, the masks of the other Toa, even a conscious Maram, hung over Kaze. Seeing their concerned-and grateful-glances, he felt calm. Almost at peace, despite his burns. Yet, the feeling vanished when the darkness took him. In it, he saw the same scene when Makuta forced him to wear that mask. With the scene came the same word:
"Weak."
The low and booming voice raised Kaze's eyes from the body he cradled in his arms. More laid all around him, each a friend who trained him into the hunter he was. Yet, they all fell to the heavyset warrior looming over Kaze.
"A shame you didn't join me. You could have been a fine maker," the warrior said, his green eyes glaring behind a horned mask. "Then again, you were always weak."
The warrior's raised mace was the last Kaze saw before surging energy engulfed them both…