Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle. The word "Frell" in this chapter isn't made up by me, I found it in Resurrected Dark Angel's story and in Renz's story. Is someone's got complaints, tell me.

Back to Metru Nui

The Toa Leehar stood on the peak of the mountain, their back turned on the blue sea, the one that the Toa Nuva hadn't noticed because of the fog. Uhat stared at the swamp in front of them, which was being slowly lit up by the rising sun. There, Tahu and the other Toa had just disappeared.

"Don't we follow them?" asked Auno.

"No," answered the leader of the Leehar. "They know too much. They'll be more careful now, we'll never reach them."

"That Ko-Ihar is nearly dead," snapped Utahop, who had just been unfrozen and was in a bad mood. "They won't be able to move fast! I say we run after them!"

"What for?" asked Ilag. "They'd just escape from us again!" The pretty Leehar never raised her voice, unless she had to get some reason into Utahop.

"We can't let them go!" protested Utahop.

"Your desire of revenge is what brought us to this point!" shouted Auno. "We should have killed them in their sleep!"

"This is no time for fighting!" hissed Akapok. "The Toa will be on their way to Metru-Nui by now, and we must make sure everyone knows about their deal."

"Which deal?" asked Uhat, raising an eyebrow.

"The one with Makuta,"

XXXXX

"Gali, stop that!" shouted Onua, as Gali tried to free herself for the umpteenth time.

"Then let go of me!"

Tahu was thinking seriously of shouting a couple of things in Gali's face. After he had tied her up, she had started pleading him to let her free, asking him why he was doing this and other stuff. After a while, he had turned to Thau and asked him to get them to the nearest Tikohl. Then, he had set off after the red Ihar, telling Onua to take care of Gali. After a while, she had stopped screaming, and had stayed silent during the whole day, while they walked in the marsh, and he was thankful for it.

For, even though he didn't want to admit it, he still cared for Gali.

And he hated it. Gali was a thief, a bloody, dirty thief, nothing more. She stole things that other Matoran had earned with patience and hard work, just because she didn't want to or didn't have the skills to work to earn them. Just this was enough to give him a reason to hand her over to the Vahki! Without counting that he knew very little about her before she jumped into his life, and he was sure that there was something dark about her, or she wouldn't have become a thief.

But at the same time, he hated that he hated caring for Gali. He wasn't Kopaka, he wasn't Mr. Cold or anything, and he didn't want to be. Yet, maybe it would have been better if he was.

"Gali leave that!"

Without counting all the other problems, starting with the "Toa" Leehar. They had managed to make everyone believe they had defeated the Visorak, when they were actually cowards. Cowards that had gone over on Makuta's side, cowards that fought them because they were scared of what Makuta might do to them if he ever came back. Yet, they had gained everyone's trust, thanks to the fact that they were good liars.

But there was more. Until that moment, Tahu had never realized completely what it meant being a leader. He knew it was a great responsibility, but he had never realized how difficult it could've been.

Now he did.

As a leader, all responsibilities laid on him. They had to act fast, but, for the first time, he had no idea of what to do. It was more than jumping into danger without thinking this time. The Toa Leehar were smart, and any tiny mistake could have meant failure. Just like years before...

"Guys, we have to find a place to rest," came Pohatu's voice. "I don't think Sirkul will make it if we don't."

The Ihar, another problem. They were more than simple Rahi, they couldn't be tamed, they could just become friends, and it was clear that Kida had been an exception, none of the Ihar could've lived on Metru Nui. At the same time, it was clear that they couldn't leave them on Miko Nui, to be defeated by Makuta. What to do with them?

-We can't stop in the middle of the swamp!- protested Thau. -We have to keep on walking until we reach some hard ground!-

"We've been walking all day!" protested Lewa.

"Shut up!" hissed Kopaka.

The others, another problem. Not all of them were Toa Nuva, in fact, Kopaka and Takua weren't Toa at all! Kopaka had somehow found out how to make the Ilsao work without blowing up the place, so he could make up for his lack of powers, but Takua had not. Gali was a Toa Olda, but without her powers. Onua and Lewa were Toa again, and had their powers, and he and Pohatu were Toa Nuva again, but only Tahu had his powers. Neither of them had their Toa Nuva tools back, and what was worse, none of them had any idea why.

Then the Ilsao, that they still didn't know how to control (with the exception, maybe, of Kopaka and Onua), but that could have meant the return of Makuta. Their past as rebels, how to tell the others about it? The mystery of the Vahki and Lhikan. Who could they trust and who not? What else were the Turaga hiding them?

Too many problems, too little time, and Tahu, as a leader, had to take each decision. He knew that every wrong one could mean a disaster, and that if they failed, the Matoran would have faced a danger far worse than Bohrok, or even Rahkshi. They'd have to face Toa.

-We can stop here- said Thaukon. Tahu looked up. They had reached a rocky zone, and as usual, it was full of thorny bushes. After cutting some of them out of the way, the Toa settled on the hard earth, leaving the Ihar to take care of Sirkul.

"How much to the Tikohl, Thau?" asked Tahu.

-A day to reach the tunnel entrance and then half an hour to reach it- answered the red Ihar.

"WHAT? We took four days to get to that mountain!"

-We had to take the long way to get there, otherwise we would have lost ourselves in the swamps- explained Thau. -Besides, the swamps aren't that big, they're just hard to cross.-

"You know," said Pohatu. "Of all Ga-Matoran, Gali would have been the last one I would have though of as the thief."

"Yes," said Onua quietly, releasing Gali's hooks. "I agree."

"Which reminds me," said Pohatu, turning to Gali. "How did you solve the riddle in first place?"

"I didn't," answered the blue Toa. "It wasn't a riddle to be solved. It was just to make us remember. The last line: Don't forget who you are, brought back to me a couple of old memories."

Tahu looked at Gali, "Don't you dare escape this night," he said in a tired, but firm voice.

"I won't", answered Gali. Tahu stared at her for some time, then he turned to Onua and whispered something in his ear. Onua stared at him, then nodded slowly, and Gali had the bad feeling Tahu had just asked Onua to keep an eye on her.

XXXXX

Jaller was standing outside of the Ga-Metru temple, staring at the tower that stood at the center of the island. Just like once the Coliseum could be seen from every zone of Metru Nui, now that strange, hexagonal towers was. That weird tower, with only six windows at the top of it, more like a jail, than like a house.

"You're worried for Takua, aren't you?" asked a sweet voice from behind him. He turned around: Hahli.

"Yes," he murmured. "First the Toa, now the Toa Leehar, everyone disappeared to that strange island. Miko Nui, I think."

"You forgot about Kida," said Hahli. "She disappeared too, a day after the Toa Leehar." She frowned. "Do you think something happened to them?"

"I hope not," said Jaller, but in a tone that told Hahli that he was more worried than it seemed. She put a hand on his shoulder, and looked at the tower with him, lost in thoughts.

Suddenly, there was a loud, clanging sound from beneath the temple. They both spun around, and Jaller took out his small dagger before entering. The stone on the floor, underneath which was the secret passage was still in place, but voices could be heard, and the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. Jaller took one step towards the stone, and suddenly, it was pushed out of place.

"Gah!" he screamed, more for the surprise than anything else. Then Uhat jumped out of it, shortly followed by the other Toa Leehar.

"It's you!" said Jaller, relieved. "Where are the others? What ha-"

"Bring us to the Turaga," interrupted Uhat. "We've got a problem."

XXXXX

The next morning came much too early for all of them, but they had to reach Metru Nui as fast as they could. Sirkul felt a bit better, but they had to find something for his leg. In the end, Kopaka managed to use the Heerole to freeze it in place, so it wouldn't move. Before they set off, Tahu handed the remaining Ilsao out to all of them. Except Gali.

"What about me?" she hissed.

"No, Gali," said Tahu. "You're not gonna have it for long anyway."

Gali sighed. "What are you gonna do with me?"

"What do you think?" asked Tahu harshly. "We'll tell the Turaga, and then they'll decide."

"Right," snapped Gali. "So you won't have to worry about what happens to me, after all, it's the Turaga's decision."

As an answer, Tahu grabbed her and tied up her hooks again, then they set off for the transporter again.

While on the way, Kal run up to the lead and barked something a Thau, who gave her a short look and sped off a few feet in front of Tahu. Then she started walking besides Tahu, staring at him. For some time, he ignored her, then, finally, he turned to the blue Ihar.

"What do you want?"

-What are you going to do with Gali?- she asked.

"What do you think?"

-You can't Tahu! You can't! She's you sister!-

"She's not my sister!" he growled. "She's just a thief, she deserves it!"

-You're gonna regret this!-

"I won't"

-Why not? I know you've got lots of problems, but that isn't a reason to let someone else decide,- said Kal.

"It's my duty to tell the Turaga," he said simply. understanding what she meant.

Your duty tells you to inform the Turaga, but what does your heart tell you?-

"What?"

-Before you decide, look into your heart, Tahu.- said Kal. -Look into your heart.-

With that, the blue Ihar trotted back to the end of the group, leaving Tahu confused and worried.

The rest of the journey proceeded in silence. They went through the swamps and across a wide river (that the Ihar told them to be the same one Takua had fallen in), and late that evening, they finally reached the tunnel. They decided to stop there, instead of running to the Tikohl straight away. Some of the Toa tried to control the Ilsao, but the only one who really knew how to use them was Kopaka. Maybe Gali too, but Tahu had refused to give her the Shilara. That night, Tahu didn't ask the other Toa to take turns and guard Gali. He knew she wouldn't escape without having the Ilsao first.

Before falling asleep, Tahu's last thought was that, no matter how hard the Toa Leehar had tried to silence them forever, they had failed, and tomorrow the truth would've been uncovered.

Or so he thought.

XXXXX

The next morning, the Toa woke up even earlier. They wanted to get back to Metru Nui as fast as they could, to tell the Turaga. Now that they were inside the tunnel, going forwards was easier, and soon they reached a Turaga-sized, glowing stone. The Tikohl. Pohatu turned to look at Thau.

"Now what?" he asked.

-Now someone touches the Tikohl, gives in the two codes and touches it again- said Thau.

Pohatu nodded, stepped forwards and touched the stone. Just like the first time, he received a slight electric shock. Without bothering, he looked down at the Tikohl, and saw how it raised slightly from the ground, to reveal the numbers 0-9 engraved at the bottom of it.

"So, uh... what's the code?"

-The code of Metru Nui is 0 9 2 7 0 3...- said Nairof.

"0... 9... 2... 7... 0... 3... right," said Pohatu.

-And the code of that Tikohl is 9 3 5.-

Pohatu nodded and gave in the last three numbers. Then he placed his hand on the Tikohl again.

He had barely removed his hand, when the Tikohl started to change color, faster and faster, until it was impossible to say which color it was glowing.

"GET READY!" shouted Tahu. For the second time, Pohatu felt a strange force invade the room, then a flash of blinding white light filled the tunnels, so that he couldn't see anything.

When it was over, Lewa found he was lying face-down on the floor. Strange, last time he had fallen unconscious. Oh well, not that it really mattered.

He looked up... and saw a way too-well-known Rahkshi tool just an inch from his face. Behind the staff, Awel was grinning at him.

"Hi, 'Toa-Hero'," he said. "It's a pleasure to see you didn't wrong-turn."

"What...?" started Lewa.

"So," said Uhat, smiling triumphantly. "You thought you could get away with what you did, didn't you... traitors?"


Sorry it took me so much, but this chapter's been so difficult to write... besides, we share one computer in three, so, yeah, well, just guess.

Another thing: I've been getting reviews about the Toa being OOT and about sequels. I don't mind about the OOT reviews, I knew they'd come. But what goes for the sequel stuff, I'm not sure there will be a sequel. I havent got anything planned, ya see. I've been thinkin' about it, but there's nothing scheduled.

Now to my reviewers... WHAT? 104 REVIEWS? Whoa! That must be a record... -checks- yeah, it's a record. THANKS A LOT! I didn't expect this to have so much success. I hope someone else reaches these standards (and maybe beats them). Oh, since we're on the topic fanfics, I'd like to recommend a few:

A Change in the Wind, by Slythergrl2004 (update soon please;-)

Bionicle: The Marin Sagas, by Resurrected Dark Angel (it's probably the best-written fanfic for old Bionicle fans)

Demon Travel, by Diablo Cat (for all daydreamers)

Adventure on Metru Nui, by starainbow12 (Sonic and Kingdom hearts fans only!;-)

Mata Nui High School, by The Wolf Angel Princess (Warning: Gruesome)

Dark Spiral, by Tahalli (why did you stop writing it?)

The Everbinding Tales, by not-a-hacker (too confusing, just great!)

There are more. These are ONLY the ones on the first page, except A Change in the Wind, that's my favorite.

Now back to the thanks...

fred: WHAT? of course there'll still be Ihar in the end. If not the clan, then the other ones that live on Miko Nui! I know they aren't mentioned in the story, but that just has to do with one of my bad writing habits (I concentrate too much on the plot).

Regrem Erutaerc: Yeah, I forgot to mention that his brother disappeared because of a thief, just in case i cant find where to put it in the last chapters.

ceestar: hehe, the next chapter will be broke up even more! more Kopaka, I know, I keep forgetting.

ToaMaster: Yo! Okay, no Aaron in CA (too bad...). what i mean to say is that our styles are completely different, thats why I cant find a spot to put Aaron in the story, besides, i dont know him well enough. no, the reason tahu acts like that has to do with his past-self. his brother disappeared because of a thief, so tahu hates thieves, thats something that stuck. I dont think there will be a sequel.

starainbow12: okay... 1: i dont know who the legisters are, 2. your sisters story doesnt explain much, 3. thanks for reviewing CA, 4. who said they're not gonna trust her again?

slythergrl2004: chapter 10 not in work, works start after i finish this, story finishes in three or four chapters, maybe more, next chapter be updated more quickly. Me talking stupid.

Haze Nuva: YAY! Your back! why arent you writing anymore? what happened? I WANNA KNOW!

Lhikanliveson: new around here? i know, not exactly the same as before, in particular gali. she s always been the thief, and her thief-self has been hidden for so much time that now it comes outta her. swearing and stuff follow. (N: gali always hated utahop because of her past)

not-a-hacker: I like what im reading in your story too! thanks.