"Penny!"

Takua's heartlight pounded as he watched the red-haired girl sink to her knees from a distance, green eyes wide with terror and mouth hanging open uselessly. She clutched one hand to her throat, trying to will her body to breathe despite the lack of movement in her chest. Yang's eyes went wide in alarm as her friend went limp in her grasp, putting herself between him and Penny while cupping her quickly-paling face in both hands.

"Penny?" She said with growing concern in her voice. "Penny, come on, this isn't funny! Snap out of it!"

Despite the overwhelming aura of anger that came from the yellow-haired human, Takua took his chances and charged forward, racing at top speed across the plaza of Ta-Koro. As he came close he ducked under the fist that flew towards him, sidestepped the following kick, and grabbed one of Penny's hands in both of his. That same spark he felt on the beach jumped from his armored palms to her soft flesh, coupled with that same flash of green and gold. Immediately the color returned to Penny's freckled face, light returning to her eyes as she gasped so hard she nearly doubled over.

"Takua…" she whispered with a cough, looking at him pleadingly. "Please...do not leave me again...

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm right here," he said gently. "I'm right here…"

While Penny's mouth curled upwards and her eyebrows raised into an expression of joy, Yang's did the exact opposite.

"What did you do to her?!" she demanded angrily, grabbing the edge of Takua's mask and hoisting him into the air. She got back to her feet and shook him violently, leaving his tiny little legs to dangle uselessly over the ground. "What did you do to my friend?!"

The Matoran would have gladly explained everything, as soon as she stopped yanking on the one thing he needed to keep functioning. Fortunately, Penny had gotten her breath back to speak in Takua's stead, cupping Yang's mechanical arm in two organic ones.

"He did not do anything!" She looked up at Yang with pleading eyes. "Please stop hurting him! He saved me! I…"

Something inside Takua broke as he watched the girl's lower lip tremble and her eyes well up with tears.

"...I died, Yang."

The rage left the young woman like a fire being doused in the rain. "What...what do you mean you died? You said you fell, you said you managed to win..."

"I lied," panted Penny. "I did not want to hurt you when we reunited, so I lied about what happened. Cinder blasted Ruby and Blake into the void, and then...she tried to steal the Winter Maiden powers. I was hurt...and I did not have Aura to protect me…I bled out in Emerald's arms. I am so sorry..."

A thousand emotions all seemed to swirl in Yang's eyes all at once as the story sank in. The brawler let go of Takua's mask, numb with shock and oblivious to his rough landing. The pain of landing on his back almost didn't register - he was too absorbed in the sheer look of despair that overtook the blonde brawler's face, red eyes fading back to lilac as her hair ceased to glow.

"No…" Yang choked, tears running down her face as she shook her head. "No. No no no...that wasn't supposed to happen...no, you...we made you human...you should have gotten a chance to live…"

Penny finally pulled herself off the ground and used both of her arms to pull her sobbing friend against her own torso, nuzzling Yang's face into her shoulder and reaching up on weird misshapen feet. The curious Matoran tilted his head as he watched the strange ritual, observing Penny running thin fingers through Yang's hair and whispering things softly into her ear.

By this point, Vakama and Tahu had caught up to the pair of humans. Takua turned to face them, watching as the Turaga hobbled over using his firestaff as a mobility aid, while the glare of the fiery Toa kept the onlookers from getting too close.

"What happened?" asked the Turaga. "Is everyone alright?"

It didn't take Takua very long to recap Penny's newest encounter with death, and how it was staved off by his mere touch. Vakama furrowed his brow and stroked the long base of his mask, blinking several times as he pondered. After a few moments of pensive humming, he finally stepped past the multicolored Matoran and came closer to the pair of humans, gazing up at them with a tilt of his head.

"Hold still, child," said Vakama gently, raising a hand that glowed with pale orange light over Penny. The red-haired girl nodded tightly and stiffened slightly, but she still held to Yang as she continued crying. Eventually, he pulled his hand away, energy pooling between his fingers. "Interesting…"

Penny tilted her head. "What is it, Turaga?"

Vakama gazed at his hand, as if he was reading the green flame that flickered softly in his palm. "Your friend told me that your kind has an ability called Aura, which acts as an extension of their soul. It serves as both your armor and your reserve of energy, protecting your body and giving fuel for your Semblance. Is this correct?"

"It is," replied Penny. "And if that Aura is broken, the body is far more vulnerable and likely to be fatally wounded. That is what happened to me."

"I see…" The Turaga hummed thoughtfully as he waved his hand over Yang next. The shuddering human also seized up, though far less than Penny had. A second flame joined the first in Vakama's palm; he peered into the depths of both tongues of fire as they danced around each other in soft glows of green and gold. With a thoughtful hum he brought his hand closer to Takua, watching as the emerald flame grew larger than its yellow twin. When he pulled his hand away from Takua, it returned to its normal size, and when he drew it even further away, the green flame fizzled out entirely.

"...ah. Most fascinating," Vakama finally said as he willed away the other flame, though he seemed far more fatigued than he'd been a moment ago.

Takua immediately went to help the elder remain standing. "You figured it out? What did you do?"

"And how did you do that?" asked Tahu, his brow furrowing.

"We Turaga possess small traces of elemental power," answered the village elder as nodded appreciatively to Takua. "Not as much as that of a Toa, but more than a Matoran, though our reserve of power is obviously limited. I simply siphoned a small portion of Penny and Yang's Aura and used the energy to fuel my own flames, so that I could compare the two. I wished to see if there was a difference between their Auras - and indeed, there is."

Vakama looked directly at the small Matoran. "It is only a theory, but…I believe that Penny's Aura is now tied to your presence, Takua."

Yang pulled her face out of Penny's shoulder and wiped her eyes. "And what does that mean?"

"It means that if Penny was missing her soul upon arrival, it was granted to her again by Takua's touch." Vakama leaned against his firestaff for support as he spoke. "Thus, it stands to reason that his further presence is required to sustain it. This must be a side effect of Mata Nui's gift to her, for the breath of life is rarely returned to those who have already passed on...if Takua were to leave her side, it can all too easily be taken back."

Penny's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! You mean that Takua is like an external battery for my soul!"

"...I do not know what that is," admitted Vakama. "But if it helps you understand, then I suppose you can think of it that way. The connection the two of you share may grow stronger the more time you spend together, allowing you to be further apart...but I cannot say for certain."

The blonde's eyes, on the other hand, softened and teared up once more. "So you mean...she'll just die again if she's not right next to half-pint here?"

"That appears to be the case, yes," intoned the Turaga.

Yang blinked, then looked sadly at Penny. "So even if we find a way back...you wouldn't be able to come with us, would you?"

The green-eyed girl stiffened, her gaze falling to her feet. "I...I had not considered that…" she finally admitted quietly.

Another fresh wave of tears erupted as Yang squeezed Penny tighter. "...dammit. Dammit, why? It's not fair...it's just not fair."

"Fate rarely is," said Vakama morosely. "For what it is worth, I sympathize."

He tried to reach out to put a hand on Yang's shoulder, but she jerked away before the Turaga could make contact. Vakama nodded in understanding, stepping back to give the pair space. Takua watched as Yang seemed to rub her face into the cloth on Penny's shoulder, leaving behind dark stains that likely came from the fluid dripping from her eyes. Tahu narrowed his gaze at the display, though whether it was out of impatience or disgust was unknown even to the Toa of Fire himself.

After a few more minutes of holding onto the freckled girl as tightly as she could, Yang finally drew away and wiped her eyes. She took a shuddering breath, and turned back to the gate.

Vakama raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"Out," answered the brawler. "Need some time to clear my head, and get away from...well, all this. I'll be back later to help Big Red find his stupid masks. Maybe."

The Turaga's eyes widened behind his mask. "But, night is when the Rahi are most likely to strike. The bridges leading out of the village will be lowered soon. Ta-Wahi is dangerous - "

" So am I," snarled Yang, glaring back at the elder. "I'll be fine. Don't bother keeping the doors open on my account."

Before anyone else could say anything, Yang was already storming off. The inferno in her eyes wasn't as intense as it was before, but it still smoldered as she left the gate and disappeared into the hazy red glow of the lava moat. Tahu narrowed his eyes before stomping off as well, and Takua noticed that he was picking a very different exit than the one the human Huntress had just taken. Penny just sank to her knees again, burying her face into her sleeves and going motionless and still, clearly distraught at the bitter truth she'd just told her friend.

So much for Unity, Duty, and Destiny, Takua thought to himself with a shake of his head. How far are either of them gonna get if they ignore the first two entirely?

Vakama let out a deep sigh, caressing the forehead of his mask. "I hope that this visit was illuminating for you, Takua, and that you will forgive me if I take my leave. I am anticipating the arrival of another…I am not certain, but the stars have revealed a new prophecy, one which I still struggle to understand."

Takua looked at Penny, who nodded tightly, before he turned to do the same. "I think we've annoyed you enough, Turaga. Thank you for everything so far."

The Turaga let out a small chuckle. "I never expected to hear those words coming from you…no matter. Be well. You may stay in Ta-Koro for the night, but I do not recommend lingering for much longer beyond the morning. You may not remember what you have done...but the others do. Tread carefully."

And with that, Vakama bowed his head and stepped away. Takua looked around and watched as the other Matoran already went back to their tasks, all of them doing their best to avoid eye contact with him.

Well...all but one.

A Ta-Matoran with a triangular mask and yellow legs marched over, annoyance and judgement in his crimson gaze. He looked at Takua for a moment, pulled a blue metal square off his back, and shoved it roughly into the confused Matoran's arms.

"Here," he said with a low growl. "Take it. And don't ask me for any more favors."

Takua examined the strange object. "Why not? And what is it?"

The stranger scoffed. "It's your lavaboard, Kohlii-head. You know, the thing you told me to hold onto until you got back? And then you got yourself banished like an idiot? Just take it, and go. You shouldn't even be here that long - you know why." With that, the rude Ta-Matoran spun on his heel and left.

Takua held the slab of steel in his hand as he hung his head. "That's the thing, though," he muttered. "I don't."

He felt a pair of soft, warm arms wrap around his face and head, looking back at Penny with confusion as she subjected him to the same ritual she'd done for Yang earlier.

"Um…Penny?" asked Takua cautiously. "What is this? What do you call this?"

"This is called a hug, Takua," said the freckled girl quietly, rubbing her face against his mask. "It is something that friends do to make each other feel better, and when they want to feel warm inside." She paused, wiping away a tear. "Does this make you feel better?"

The memory-impaired Matoran pondered for a moment, before shrugging with a sigh.

"Not really, no. But I appreciate it all the same, Penny. Thanks."

Penny just nodded slowly and leaned against Takua, holding him close as the flames of Ta-Koro flickered around them.

Now this...was curious. Very curious.

The shadows were whispering, listening, observing every word being said on the island and relaying it back to them. All the villages of pathetic, scared little Matoran were abuzz with the news of recent arrivals. Beings who commanded the elements, who towered above the villagers...as well as something new and unfamiliar.

He knew exactly what the former meant.

Toa.

Deep in Mangaia, heard only by his Manas guards, he let out an annoyed huff. Six so-called heroes, united by one destiny...that destiny, of course, being his premature defeat and the awakening of the Great Spirit. Of course, the Toa themselves were no threat to him - if he desired, he could simply leave his lair and strike them all down himself, especially in their weakened state. But it was less the power of the Toa that worried him and more the hope they would bring, hope that would inspire their smaller kin and give them courage to fight back against his darkness. He had spent over a thousand years keeping them isolated, afraid, and complacent. He preferred the Matoran this way; it made them easier to manipulate, easier to rule. Easier to control.

And now that control was being threatened.

Fortunately, he had already included the Toa's arrival in his calculations. He was quite clever like that - he knew that sooner or later, heroes would be drawn to the island of Mata Nui to try and dispel his reign of shadows. It had just happened sooner than he expected...but no matter. All he had to do was move the timeline up. A few more Rahi attacks here, a few natural disasters there, and the Toa would have their hands full being the heroic idols that the Matoran saw them as.

Toa, he knew from experience, were remarkably simple creatures, despite their power. Dangle an innocent soul over the ledge with one hand while offering ultimate power with the other, and they would almost always choose to save the life of another. There were exceptions, of course - no being was perfect, aside from him - but that compulsive need to be noble and good was easy to twist to his advantage. So he was not worried. He was never worried.

But...what about the other arrivals?

The so-called Huntresses, the ones who seemed to slip into this world - his world - without his knowledge? The ones with an unfamiliar energy, an alien biology, and unknown motives? They did not have elemental powers or the stature of the Toa, but they commanded strange abilities all the same. One seemed to draw strength from the energy that struck her, another could bend multiple elements to her will using a new substance, and a third who was dead on arrival now drew breath and walked hand-in-hand with a particularly annoying Matoran.

If there was anything he could be certain of, it was that they seemed…weakened and demoralized from a mighty battle on their own world. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. Perhaps he could prey on their insecurities and fatigue to keep them out of the island's affairs, giving him ample time to study them and to ensure his plan proceeded smoothly.

They think they are strong enough to stand against the shadows of their world, he thought with a rare smile behind his mask. Let us see how they handle mine.

"So...what now?"

Blake looked up at Onua as he pondered her question, the lights of Onu-Koro fading behind them as they ventured into a side tunnel. The Toa of Earth hummed thoughtfully, tapping a claw to his mask (or his "Kanohi Pakari," as Blake now knew it was properly called) as he weighed his options.

"We could start looking for those masks the Turaga told us about," she added, pulling out her Scroll and bringing up the maps she'd snapped pictures of. Whenua had all but begged for them to take the stone tablets he had in his hut that detailed both the island of Mata Nui and the tunnels of Onu-Wahi, but the Huntress had insisted that just taking photos with her all-purpose communications device would be enough. (One Matoran, Nuparu, seemed quite interested in learning how it worked, but she wasn't sure if she had time to explain the history of photo capture.) "Or did you have something else in mind?"

Onua gave one more pensive hum, then he looked down at Blake with a smile beneath his mask.

"Indeed. I believe I have a promise to keep to a friend."

Blake blinked a few times before she realized what he meant - and who he was talking about.

"...oh. You…" she toyed with her hair nervously. "You don't have to do that right away. It's not the first time we've all been separated, being away for a little bit won't kill me."

"Perhaps not," responded Onua. "But it will weigh you down. I think it would be good for you to at least see them with your own eyes, to know they are well." He looked a little hopeful. "Besides...I am quite curious about these other Toa that Whenua described. I would very much like to meet them."

The Faunus laughed softly as she expanded her map. "In that case, our best bet might be to head to that big temple at the center of the island. What did the Turaga call it again? Bikini-something?"

"Kini-Nui," corrected the Toa with a gentle chuckle. "The Great Temple. If Whenua's legend is true, then the arrival of one Toa on its steps will send out a call to the others, guiding them to the same location. Hopefully my brothers will heed that call…and your Huntress friends come with them."

Blake tilted her head. "What makes you so sure they found some of the other Toa?"

"You found me," said Onua pointedly. "If your friends are half as crafty and resourceful as you, then they have no doubt done the same."

She chuckled softly. "Yeah…fair enough. I just hope that they all found someone agreeable. Ruby's friendly with pretty much anyone, but Yang…well, let's just say that it takes a certain kind of touch with her."

One that I'm quite good at.

Biting back the blush that threatened to rise, she hastily shifted topics as she panned with her screen. "It looks like Kini-Nui's pretty far away. I don't know how big a 'kio' is, but this map says there's a lot of them between here and there. It might be a bit of a journey, not to mention we don't know how long it'll take the other Toa to arrive once they get the call. You sure you wanna put off your hunt for the masks for that long?"

"If it means that I get to meet my brothers and you get to see your friends, it all will have been worth it," declared the Toa of Earth. "You helped me find what I was looking for, Blake - I wish to return the favor."

A smile crept up on Blake's face without her realizing it. This guy really is the real deal, isn't he? she thought to herself. A selfless hero, through and through. Unlike him. Unlike…

That damn crimson sword slashed into her memories once again, and she did her best to suppress it.

"Well, if you're sure…" she said aloud as she switched maps, "then we'll want to take this tunnel here. Supposedly it leads to the forest around the temple, but it's fallen out of use due to the Rahi attacks and structural instability. Between the two of us, though, I think we'll be fine. Should be about a day's journey, if we keep moving."

"Then let us begin," rumbled Onua. "You have the map, Blake - lead the way."

With a nod, Blake took point and started down the labyrinth of tunnels, feeling the footsteps of her very large new friend following her.

This guy is definitely no Adam, she thought. If anything, he's more like Sun…minus the recklessness.

And just like her golden-tailed friend, she had no doubt that Onua would follow her like morning followed night.

The rest of the night after Matau's tale was pretty boring, in Emerald's opinion.

Once the celebration concluded and the darkness of night fell in earnest, most of the Le-Matoran had retired to their huts to sleep off the cheer and festivities. A small skeleton crew of guards patrolled the skies on what could only be described as massive mechanical hawks, but for the most part the village slept. All except her, Lewa, and the Turaga himself, the latter of whom sought to educate the Toa and the thief on the masks they would be seeking, and the enemies they would be fighting.

While there were some interesting tidbits to the lecture - like learning that the big purple scorpion she fought in the jungle was apparently called a Nui-Jaga - it soon became more repetitive and dull than a lecture from Professor Port in Beacon. She struggled to keep her eyes open as the Turaga exhaustively covered the masks, trying and failing to keep all the weird-sound names and powers straight. After Matau stressed for what felt like the fifth time how dangerous the huge mosquito-like Nui-Rama were and how the Le-Matoran lived in fear of the flying monsters, Emerald couldn't help herself. She did the unthinkable.

She dozed off while standing up.

When she awoke what felt like a few minutes later, she found herself on a soft bed of leaves in the Matau's hut, with a blanket of moss over her shoulders. She cracked her eyes open just a little bit to see that Lewa and the Turaga were no longer there, the small fire pit snuffed out and a patch of the roof pulled away to let fresh sunlight shine down. Blinking to adjust to the brightness and focusing through the morning bird calls, her gaze tracked down to see a wooden plate of fruit laid out in front of her, complete with a carved cup of some kind of purple juice.

The sight was nearly enough to make her tear up. When was the last time she'd ever had breakfast? When was the last time someone had made breakfast for her? It wasn't much - just more of that fruit she found in the jungle yesterday - but the gesture spoke volumes about how Lewa and the people of the village saw her.

Is this what being…wanted feels like? She wondered idly. Like, actually wanted? Despite all his goofiness, does this Lewa guy actually...care about me?

She decided to file the thought later, to be unpacked when she wasn't still groggy and emotional. When her belly was full and her thirst was quenched, she exited Matau's hut to find the Turaga talking to the Toa on the edge of the platform. Several Le-Matoran were already hard at work around the platform, cleaning up leaves or fashioning disks out of wood. When Lewa's gaze tracked over to her, she gave a slight smile and walked over to the pair, waving at villagers who called out to her as she passed.

"Good lightdawn, sprout-leaf," said Lewa with cheer in his voice. "I trust you had a pleasant sleep-rest?"

"Mhm," she said with a yawn. "Morning to you too. Sorry for not being able to stay up all night with you guys - guess I was more tired than I realized."

"All beings must sleep-rest," said Matau with a hearty laugh. "Some more than others, it would seem. You must have gone without it for quite a while, for you to succumb so quickfast."

That's an understatement, thought Emerald, who chose instead to shrug. "So what are you guys talking about?"

"Just plan-making," answered Matau as other Matoran gathered nearby. "I have shared with Lewa all that I think-know. The rest, he must seek-find for himself. What do you remember from last dark-night?"

"Just about Makuta and how he put Mata Nui under some kind of spell," recounted the thief as she rubbed her eyes. "How he controls the island and all its dangerous animals, and how Lewa and the five other Toa are here to put him in his place. That about sum it up?"

"Indeed," said the Turaga with a nod. "Though before then, they must gather-seek the Masks of Power hidden across the island."

"Right, yeah, the, uh…Kanohi? Am I saying that right?" When she saw the elder nod again, she responded in kind. "Cool. So we go through the jungle, find some masks, meet up with the other Toa, and beat up a big bad guy to save the island." She let out a chuckle. "Sounds simple enough. When do we start?"

"Hold your Rahi there, sprout-leaf," chided Lewa. "If we're going on a hunt-quest, I need to make sure you can keep pace with me. I can't always rescue-save you, and I can't just back-carry you the whole time either. You'll need to spend some time learning how to navigate the bog-marsh before you join me on any Toa-hero adventures."

The thief scowled at the implication that she needed training to keep up, but bit back her annoyed comment. There was wisdom in learning to travel through the jungle by herself, even if she didn't want to admit it. "Okay. And where do I learn how to do that?"

"Tamaru and Radka are among the best leaf-runners in the jungle," offered Matau. "They will teach you."

Emerald grinned as she watched the female villager smile behind her trans-green visor. The Matoran with a green egg-shaped mask and a bright turquoise body - the one who ran away screaming at the sight of her during the party - shook his head in shock. "I will?"

"You will," affirmed the Turaga. "Unless you'd rather feed the Gukko-birds for your job-chore this week?"

Tamaru let out a loud gulp - or at least Emerald assumed it was a gulp - and sighed. "...I will teach you, maskless one."

"As will I!" said Radka, audibly pleased. "I am sure you will do great, tree-leaf!"

The thieving teenager rolled her eyes at the display. Cute. But I don't think she's my type.

"Alright, fine," she finally said. "On one condition. If we're doing this, I'm not stripping down to a loincloth."

Lewa tilted his head. "...what is a loin-cloth?"

"Never mind."

The morning sun shone down on Ga-Koro, making the waters of the bay shimmer and sparkle with light. Ruby sat on the edge of one of the massive lilypad platforms, her bare legs dangling in the waves and idly kicking as she stared up at the clear blue sky. Her brown thigh-high boots sat next to her, still drying in the tropical sunlight - along with most of her other clothes and gear, including her beloved crimson cape, the black fingerless gloves with matching bracers, and the many many pocketed belts she always wore. At the moment, the only things that were in a wearable state were the pleated red skirt and the black-and-scarlet corset; the mesh leggings and long-sleeved blouse she used to wear underneath were absolutely ruined by seawater, to the point where they nearly crumbled to dust after they'd dried out.

So she sat there, with bare arms and legs, feeling quite underdressed but unembarrassed. The Ga-Matoran didn't seem to mind her lack of modesty too much - they were more weirded out by the fact that she even had skin in the first place.

I guess it won't be an issue, Ruby thought to herself as she took a deep breath of salty air. It's nice and warm here on the island, so I shouldn't need sleeves or pants. After all that time in Atlas, I could use a little sun. Although I'd appreciate it if Penny's dad gave me a warning ahead of time, like "hey don't go falling into the ocean while wearing this, it's gonna wither away."

She mentally sighed. Of course...if he told us that, we'd probably have gone "Oh don't worry, we won't have that specific thing happen to us, we know what we're doing." And we'd be wrong about that. Just like we were about everything else.

Ruby pulled one leg out of the water so she could hug her knee to her chest. She knew that those thoughts that clouded her mind weren't the truth - at least, not entirely true. While they had mostly succeeded at getting most of Atlas and Mantle out of the doomed kingdom, that felt like it had been the only real victory during Salem's siege. Everything else, from the fall of yet another nation of Remnant to the fact that Salem most likely had half the Relics at the moment, spelled disaster for her world, and she wasn't even there at the moment to try and help. She couldn't even be sure that Weiss, Penny, and her friends from Team JNOR were okay - the first two had still been fighting for their lives against Cinder in the magical dimension formed by the Staff of Creation when she and Blake fell, and the rest were in Vacuo with a lot of scared, traumatized people.

And despite knowing that it was illogical, Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that everything that happened was her fault.

Every single call she'd made since her team arrived in Atlas had felt like the wrong one. Keeping the info about Salem's immortality and the Lamp of Knowledge secret from Ironwood had just given him an excuse not to trust them when he finally cracked under the weight of the world. Letting the teams split up to work on both short-term and long-term solutions to Salem's siege had just resulted in both of them being derailed from their original goals. Putting all her faith in a sincere message to Remnant for aid had just made it all the more heartbreaking when it seemed to fall on deaf ears, received by a terrified world at best and an uncaring one at worst. And even the solution for getting the citizens halfway across the world had just given Cinder and her allies a new angle of attack, one that had ended in her, Blake, and Yang all falling into an unfamiliar world while her friends and family thought her gone forever.

Was this what Ozpin meant when he once told her that being a team leader was both a badge and a burden? Was she strong enough to carry that weight, even when it wasn't hers to bear?

Had her old Headmaster truly made a mistake in choosing her to lead?

She didn't know. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. She wasn't even sure what she wanted anymore, except that all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry and escape the world.

Maybe Gali should have just let me drown after all.

Ruby blinked, surprised that her own mind would say such a dark thought. Instinctively, she knew it was wrong…so why did it almost feel right?

"Oh, you're already awake? I thought you'd be sleeping all morning, after that tale you told everyone last night."

Silver eyes snapped out of their thousand-yard stare and looked over at Hahli, who was walking over carrying a basket of long green grass and a sack of seashells. She flashed a smile at her Matoran friend, who returned it behind her mask as she took a seat on the edge. Ruby watched as the Ga-Matoran started pulling out handfuls of the plant and ran it over the rough edges of the shell, rubbing away flakes of green and leaving white fibrous material behind.

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you were a fisherwoman."

"I am," said Hahli. "I'm also a diver, a materials runner, and an assistant flax-maker. I'm not as good as some of the others are at one particular thing, so I just do a little bit of everything well enough to help out."

"So you just do odd jobs around the village, huh…" mused Ruby. "That must take a lot of time."

Hahli nodded. "It's pretty much my whole day."

"Do you do anything besides chores? Anything fun or interesting?"

"I sleep," she answered with a laugh. "Does that count?"

Ruby giggled, a delightful noise that Hahli soon echoed. The silver-eyed Huntress felt the dark cloud over her mind lift, if only for a moment, as the tension in her chest faded slightly. When was the last time she had truly laughed like that? However long it was, it felt far too long.

Eventually, the laughter settled, and Ruby watched as the rest of the village came alive. Ga-Matoran wandered out of their huts carrying metal fish, weaving with looms, or tending to their ships and huts. One particular group of tiny blue beings were shouting and arguing on a distant pier - she couldn't hear what they were saying, but they were all pointing to where a boat should have been yet clearly wasn't.

"Looks like Macku snuck out of the village at night again," said Hahli with a frustrated sigh. "Took one of Marka's best boats this time, too. Oh, Turaga Nokama is not gonna be happy…"

Sensing there was some drama there, Ruby was almost tempted to ask Hahli for more info, but ultimately decided against it. So instead she settled for watching the waves lap against her knee, wiggling her foot to try and shake out some of the numbness that was setting in. A school of tiny little fish swam closer, eyeing the submerged limb with hungry eyes.

"Careful with the Ruki fish," warned Hahli. "They're biters."

Ruby pulled her bare leg out of the water with a small nervous squeak. Hahli chuckled and grabbed some of the wasted plant matter, chucking it into the water and letting the wad dissolve into the water. The fish eagerly started nibbling on the floating green bits like it was feeding time in an aquarium, beady little eyes glowing brightly even through the surface.

"Don't worry, ones this small don't actually eat anything other than plants," she said warmly. "You can actually feed them by hand without worrying about being part of the main course, and Harake grass shavings are their favorite treat. It's the bigger ones with orange fins you need to watch out for - they have jaws strong enough to punch through solid protodermis." Hahli scooped another handful of shavings into her palm, then offered a small pile to Ruby. "Here, you wanna try?"

The silver-eyed Huntress hesitated for a moment, then slowly mirrored Hahli's actions and lowered a small mound of grass shavings into the water. Immediately the fish took notice of the new food source, swimming around her hand and chomping down on the bits of green floating in blue. She felt a strange sensation as the Ruki passed over her skin, which she assumed was the body of the creatures themselves - not quite organic, not quite metal, but something in between.

She let out a laugh. "It tickles," she observed.

"That's how you know they like you," said Hahli with a giggle of her own. "There's countless others like them in the infinite ocean around our island, yet these ones always find their way back here. The Ga-Matoran always try to live in harmony with the sea as much as possible - for although it feels cold and empty sometimes, there is always life within its depths."

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah…I can see why Gali likes it so much."

"Mm. Speaking of which…there's one thing I don't quite understand."

Her heart sank. She already knew what question Hahli was going to ask. "What?"

"Why didn't you go with Gali when she departed to look for her Kanohi masks?"

There it was. The same question that she'd been asking herself since last night, when she seized up even in the shallow waters that she and Gali waded through while leaving Ga-Koro for the open sea. When her head was a clear foot above the surface, yet she still struggled to breathe. When her legs felt as stiff as lead and her mouth was as dry as a desert dune once the waves lapped against her chin. When in the dead of night she scrambled back to the nearest lily pad of the village, clutching it as she panted and coughed and looked back to see the Toa of Water slip under the surface, never realizing she was now swimming alone.

Ruby hung her head in shame, just as she'd done on the long walk back to Nokama's hut, and let out a long tired sigh.

"I'm…not the strongest swimmer," she said after a moment of thinking. "I almost drowned yesterday, and if you or Gali hadn't been there…we might not even be having this conversation. Of all the horrors I've faced, all the monsters and evil people I fought back on Remnant, it was the sea itself that almost did me in. I guess I'm just…afraid of it. And I didn't want to let that fear slow Gali down. If I tried following her right now…I'd just get in the way."

Not to mention that even if I could swim well, there's not much I can do to help without Crescent Rose.

Another dark thought popped into her mind, one said with her own voice yet clearly not something she would otherwise think. True, her hand-to-hand skills weren't the best, and she still struggled without her signature weapon. But Ruby liked to think that she was at least somewhat capable even when unarmed - she still had her Semblance, as weak as her Aura was at the moment. And she still had her wits, her Scroll, and a bunch of Dust.

Still, she was cognizant enough to realize that her sudden fear of water and losing access to her weapon weren't the real issues.

It was just easier to say those things instead of admit she didn't feel like she deserved to be alive.

To her credit, Hahli seemed to sense there was more under the surface, but she didn't question further. All she did was smile and lay a metallic hand on her shoulder. "Well, don't worry. A few days in Ga-Koro should do you good. From the tale you told us last night, it sounds like you've been through much on your world, and we would be glad to shelter you as you recover from this storm. Maybe we can even build up your confidence in open water, so that when Gali returns, you can go with her to find your friends."

Ruby sighed and put on a smile. She remembered well how, after Nokama had informed her and Gali of the latter's quest to find the Masks of Power, she had recounted everything that happened in Atlas in one long sobbing screed. Her eyes were still sore this morning from how hard she cried last night, and while the Ga-Matoran clearly didn't understand everything she talked about, they were sympathetic all the same. The Toa of Water in particular did everything in her power to comfort the hysterical Huntress, even taking the time to learn how to gently ruffle Ruby's hair without taking her entire head off. It didn't completely disperse the dark cloud that hung in her mind, but knowing that the people of this strange new world cared for her made the nightmares at least a little more tolerable.

"Yeah…that sounds nice," she said with as much warmth and cheer as she could muster. "It's very peaceful here, and I'd love to stay for just a bit longer. Who knows? A little vacation here might convince me that there's no reason to be afraid of water after all!"

KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

A shrill, ear-piercing scream came from the distance, one loud enough to echo across the entire village. Soon it was joined by another, then another, and then an entire chorus of similar screeches. Every Ga-Matoran froze in place, and Ruby went still as a statue right along with them.

"On the contrary, friend." Hahli's voice was little more than a harsh whisper. "There are many things in the water to fear. And that…is chief among them."