A/N - Hey all! Sorry for the lateness! Even when I got off my first term I was busy at home over the holidays. So… yeah. That's my excuse. Any ways, I have a new chapter for you all, so there's that!

Also, I'm back in my second term, so again FF will be taking a backseat. But I'll do my best to get chapter 8 out for you sooner rather than later.

And in other news… my family adopted a new cat! We brought him home from the shelter in late October (Sparks was NOT impressed)… and it turns out that the new cat (we named him Scamper) is a Maine Coon. Yep, my Dad unknowingly adopted one of the LARGEST domestic cat breeds on the planet! He has WAY too much energy! I'm surprised the Christmas tree survived…

So, that's everything I'll give you now. I'll cut the chitchat and let you wonderful readers get on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle. Only my OC and the current plot.

If there was one thing Emma hated and feared more than spiders, heights, and scorpions, it was the dark. Ever since Pohatu had left her at the Onu-Koro tunnel, she had been making her way down, using the writing on the wall as a guide. But even with a lightstone in hand, the natural darkness of the tunnel seemed to wrap around her, like it was trying to suffocate her-!

The girl forced the unwanted thought from her mind. She couldn't think like that now. Holding up the lightstone higher, Emma glanced down the tunnel. It stretched downwards in a gentle slope, before it vanished from sight. Looking at the writing on the wall, she knew that she was getting close to Onu-koro.

At least, I hope I am. Emma thought to herself. I'm still having trouble with the phrases and the older spelling. She was, however, grateful that even though the letters and words of the Matoran language were pronounced differently from English, that the more common spelling was almost the same. Almost being the key word.

Just then, a skittering sound was heard nearby. Emma whipped her head around, eyes going wide and her right hand reaching back to grab her spear. The girl looked around slowly, but even with the lightstone she could not see what made the sound. Suddenly, her Danger Sense went off like a shot, and Emma whipped around.

Her scream echoed throughout the tunnels as her lightstone shattered on the ground.

His head snapped up, his two toned green eyes wide before they narrowed. The almost-nine foot tall, black and grey form slowly rose to his feet, one hand resting on the wall of earth.

"Toa?" A smaller form at his feet asked, a tone of concern in his voice.

The larger form rumbled. "Remain here little one, I must investigate something." And like that he was off, racing down another tunnel.

The further down the Toa ran, the darker it seemed to get. But he ignored that, his eyes naturally adjusted to the darkness of the underground. He knew what he had heard, and no matter how faint, a scream was a scream.

It wasn't long before he could hear the sounds of a commotion, and the distinct sounds of a rahi.

The Toa quickly slid into the tunnel, and even in the near pitch-black he could see a massive, crab-like form standing over a smaller being. His green eyes narrowed angrily. "Leave the little one be, Mana!" He lunged forwards, and slammed one of his tools into the rahi's side.

The Mana Crab screeched in anger, but the Toa acted faster. He slammed both his Quake Breakers into the ground, and the earth under the rahi exploded upwards. The Mana screeched upon being hit, but surprisingly took off down the tunnel in a retreat.

Sighing, the Toa stood to his feet, turning to the smaller form. Something crunched under foot, and looking down he saw the remnants of a lightstone. The smaller form whimpered, and he left the shattered pieces behind to check on her.

"It's alright now," he soothed, gently touching her arm, "the Mana is gone."

She blinked at him, her eyes not adjusted to the dark like his, but she must have recognized his voice. "O-Onua?'

Now that he was closer, the Toa realized who this was. "Emma?" He rumbled in surprise, not expecting to see the human girl and honorary Toa down here.

However, before he could ask what she was doing down in the Onu-Wahi tunnels, the girl lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his middle and crying. For a moment Onua was confused, but then it dawned on him — she was scared.

He gently rubbed Emma's back, rumbling reassurances as she cried. "You're alright, it's gone."

But the girl kept crying, only shaking her head and clinging tighter to him, pressing her face against his armour. Now the Toa was further confused, but when he glanced over at the shattered remains of the lightstone, Onua wanted to hit his head on a wall. The girl wasn't just scared of the Mana — she was afraid of the dark.

Sighing, Onua gently picked her and her dropped bag up, and began to make his way back to his Koro. It was now that the Toa was reminded that while Emma may be an honorary Toa, she was still a child. A child who was scared of the dark.

"It's alright now," Onua rumbled gently to the girl clinging to him, "Onu-Koro is just ahead."

Sure enough, the tunnel was getting lighter the further they walked, and the Toa could already begin to make out the sounds of its residents. Emma raised her head a little, turning it to look ahead through tear filled eyes. The girl had not said a word since the Toa of Earth had found her, instead choosing to cling to him like the glowing ferns that grew on the tunnel walls, all while crying silently. Onua smiled gently, reaching up and wiping a few tears from her eyes. "See, we're almost there."

Emma looked up at him, her arctic blue eyes big and watery from the crying. "R-Really?" She whimpered, her voice small.

The Toa nodded. "Yes, and there is plenty of light there."

The girl relaxed at that, letting her head rest against his large chest. "Thank you…" Her soft words drifted up to him, and Onua smiled. "It was no problem." He rumbled, gently rubbing her back.

Already, the Toa could feel his protective instincts rising to the surface, demanding that the little one in his arms be protected, and that the things that scared her be driven away. He gently pushed the instinct back, knowing that there was not much he could do about getting rid of the darkness, but he agreed with the part that wanted to protect her. While Emma was an honorary Toa, she was still a child, and while in his territory she was under his protection.

It wasn't long that the two exited the tunnel, and entered the massive underground cavern that held the Village of Earth.

Onu-Koro was certainly a sight to behold for Emma, as her eyes took in everything. From the massive stalactites and stalagmites that were dozens of yards long, the massive pillars of rock rising from floor to ceiling, to the lightstones and glowing plants that were everywhere, and the buildings both build on or in the earth itself. Matoran were bustling about, mainly consisting of Onu-Matoran, but a few spots of brown, blue and even some white were visible.

The girl slowly unhooked her arms from around the larger guardian, who gently set her feet on the ground. Already their entrance had been noticed, as some of the nearby Matoran made their way over. The Matoran looked excited to see Emma, and Onua was happy to see the girl relax as she greeted them.

However, there was something nagging at the back of his mind. Why was there a Mana Crab so deep in the Onu-Wahi tunnels, and why did it go after Emma? Something wasn't right.

"…and these garnets were dug from at least a couple bios from an old lava tube located beneath the mountains."

Emma nodded her head, listening to the Onu-Matoran in front of her explain where each of the minerals were found.

"And these-" he gestured to a small pile of blue-ish gems "-sapphires were found near the outskirts of the Wahi."

"So what are you going to do with all these gems?" The girl asked curiously, looking at the different crates filled with the minerals.

The black and grey Matoran smiled at her. "Well, the majority of these minerals, mostly the gems, will be shipped to Po-Koro, where they'll be carved and shaped. The rest will go to Ta-Koro, to be made into tools, machine parts, and Kanohi masks." He explained, picking up a scroll with writing on it: a chart. "In fact- hang on…" He then rummaged around his desk, muttering something about misplaced charts and "cross-wired bolt-headed" assistants. "Oh… this will take a while…" he groaned to himself.

Emma, seeing as he was going to be busy for quite a while, bade the Onu-Matoran farewell and slipped out of his workshop, not even bothered by his half thrown wave in response. She knew that she could come back later.

Once outside, the girl could see the different Matoran bustling about, with the miners bringing in freshly mined rocks such as protodermis ore, lightstones, and other minerals. In the distance she could see the Onu-Koro Market, which was only rivalled by Po-Koro's. Nearby were the sounds of the engineers working away on tools and other objects.

The constant hustle and bustle was… nice. Calming, even.

"Enjoying the view?" A familiar, aged voice asked. One that Emma had wanted to hear.

"Brother!" She smiled, turning to kneel and hug the shorter form.

Whenua chuckled, gently patting her back. "Sorry I did not greet you sooner. Nuparu needed my advice on a few ideas he had."

Emma nodded in understanding. "I understand… I missed you onu-ani."

The Turaga gently pressed his forehead against hers. "And I missed you as well, little gi." He murmured softly.

When he pulled back, there was a small smirk on his face. "I've heard that you've been looking at all the different minerals being mined. Interested in rocks?"

The girl flushed. "Well, uh… I just like rocks." At a look from him, she sighed. "I really, really like rocks."

Whenua laughed, gently patting her arm. "Well then, you are in the right place. In fact-"

"Turaga!"

Turning, the two saw an Onu-Matoran run up. "Turaga, Commander Onepu is requesting your presence at once!"

Emma gently patted her brother's shoulder. "Go on. They need you, and you know I'll be staying in your hut tonight."

Whenua sighed but nodded. He turned to follow the Matoran, but before he did he turned back and shook his staff at her. "And you'd better stay out of trouble. Don't think for a moment that I haven't heard about those shenanigans you got into, especially in Po-Koro!"

Emma's jaw opened and closed, but no words escaped as she tried to process what he just said. When she did finally process it, Whenua had long left with the Matoran. Emma groaned, running a hand down her face, but even then a small smile flickered onto her face.

"At least he didn't bonk me on the head or lecture me."

It was late when Whenua returned to his hut — well, it was hard to tell time so deep underground, but there were a few vents for letting out fumes that were not contained by the chimneys that also let in light from the suns. So with that, when the light of the suns vanished it was considered late. He knew his little sister was inside, as the fireplace was already lit to ward off the natural coolness of the Koro at night.

"I apologize for coming in so late, but Onepu's issue needed more attention than I initially thought and- oh." The Turaga stopped when he took in the sight before him.

Laying face down on the floor, out like a light, with a few scrolls surrounding her, a tablet, and an old pen, was Emma.

Whenua quietly moved over, picking up one of the scrolls, and he had to stifle a chuckle. The girl had apparently been practicing her writing, and judging from the line scribbling off the page, she had dozed off mid-sentence. Moving as silently as he could, the Turaga cleaned up the mess, before he then gently scooped up the girl. It was a little awkward, and he was more than grateful for his natural strength. All Earth-Elemental Bionicle were naturally stronger than other elements, and as such he was able to carry heavier objects more easily than his siblings. However, the Turaga noticed how… light the girl was. Even though Emma was fully organic, he knew she was well muscled.

Whenua sighed, pushing the matter from his mind. He was probably reading into this wrong, as he had no clue what the healthy weight of a human her age was. He gently laid her out on a spare cot, and draped a blanket over her. The Turaga smiled a little when she mumbled in her sleep, curling up and making almost a purring sound. He gently stroked her cheek, his smile growing more fond as his little sister subconsciously leaned into the touch.

A yawn escaped him, so he decided to call it a night as well.

It was the loud scream that woke him up.

Toa Onua was out of his Suva in a shot, racing through the massive cavern towards where the wail had originated. He quickly discovered that the cry had come from Turaga Whenua's hut, and he could see that there was already a small gathering of Matoran surrounding it.

Onua gently pushed his way through, and crouched to enter the hut. "Turaga?" He rumbled, only to stop at what he saw.

On the floor, Emma was curled up against the Turaga, sobbing softly and her eyes squeezed shut as tears slid down her cheeks. Whenua had an arm wrapped around the girl, gently consoling her and trying to calm her. He did look up, however, when Onua entered. "Toa Onua." He greeted quietly.

"What happened?" The Toa asked softly, kneeling down next to the two, ducking his head to keep it from impacting the ceiling.

Whenua sighed, gently rubbing Emma's back as the girl whimpered. "A night-terror, I'm afraid." He said. "And those are unfortunately common for her."

Onua felt a pang in his chest as he heard that. No child should have to suffer from such obviously horrible dreams. "May I?" He asked, reaching out.

Whenua nodded, a bit reluctantly, but relinquished his hold, letting the Toa gingerly take the shaking girl into his arms. Emma whimpered pitifully when she was pulled away from her brother, but upon being held by the larger form she curled into him, crying softly. Onua gently sat back, having a much easier time cradling the girl than his Turaga given that he was larger.

To be honest, he wasn't sure why he was doing this, but it felt right. Maybe it was a part of being a Toa — a protector. Even though he could not recall life before the island, he could have sworn that he had done something similar in his past.

Another whimper escaped from the child in his arms, and Onua gently rubbed her back, rocking a little. It seemed to do the trick, as after a while Emma's cries slowly died down into faint hiccups. She had buried her face into his silver chest armour, and one of her hands subconsciously clutched the top edge of it.

"'M sorry 'm sorry 'm sorry…" she mumbled through her hiccups, "I wasn't fast enough… not fast enough… never fast 'nough…"

Onua's heart clenched when he heard that, and he looked over at Turaga Whenua, who looked saddened. Catching the Toa's eye, he sighed. "She had a terrible childhood," the Turaga of Earth said softly, running a hand down the girl's head, "one I would never wish on even my worst enemy."

As much as the Toa wanted to ask more, he knew that Whenua was not saying much as to keep Emma calm. And it was a good thing as well, as the girl started to cry again after hearing that little bit. It took awhile for the two of them to calm her down again, and a little longer to coax her to go back to sleep.

Onua sat on his rarely used cot, and leaned his back against one of his hut's walls with a sigh, looking down at the small form gently cradled in his arms. Mata Nui… what has this child gone through? He thought silently to himself, rubbing the girl's back a little when she whimpered in her sleep.

The other villagers had long since dispersed, heading to their own huts for the night. Turaga Whenua had taken some persuading to be reassured that the Toa could watch over Emma for the remainder of the night. The Earth Toa could have easily gone to his Suva, but he was unsure of how the girl's body would react to the concentrated elemental energy from his Nuva Symbol, being that she did not possess an element of her own. So, he was sitting in his rarely used hut on the outskirts of the village, keeping an eye on the Turaga's little sister.

I wonder how they met… Onua thought silently to himself, adjusting his grip a little on the girl. He could have easily laid her down and simply kept an eye on her, but Emma had managed to fist the edge of his chest armour, and even in her sleep refused to release it. The Toa did not wish to disturb her, so he left her be. She must have left an impact on the Turaga, as they adopted her as their sister…

There was the other thing that had puzzled him since he first arrived on this island. To his knowledge, only Toa, beings of different elements, called each other brother and sister. Yet, the Turaga of the island interacted with each other as though they were siblings. Emma was even called an 'honorary Toa' by them. It was almost like the Turaga had once been…

Onua shook his head. No, it wasn't possible as far as he knew. This was probably just one of the many things he would never understand about the Turaga.

A small sound came from the girl in his arms, and the Toa of Earth looked down. Emma's eyes were twitching, and she started whimpering. Gently, Onua began to rub her back, cradling her closer and rocking her a little. He shushed her softly, murmuring reassurances. It took a while for her to settle back down, and thankfully she didn't wake.

His heart went out for the girl. No one should have to suffer such nightmares, especially one so young. Thus, Onua spent the rest of the night ensuring that the girl- no, the child in his arms slept soundly, silently warding off any night-terrors.

When Emma awoke the next morning, the first thing that she noticed was that she was not laying on her cot. For one, it was far larger than the one she was used to sleeping on. There was a blanket laying on top of her, tucked around her sides and a folded blanket was tucked under her head akin to a pillow. Blinking open her eyes, she found herself in a sparsely filled hut, one that was built for someone far taller than herself.

The girl pushed herself up, letting the blanket settle around her waist. A large yawn escaped her as she rubbed her eyes, blinking the sleep out of them. She could hear the sounds of Onu-Koro outside, though the sounds were a little more distant, like wherever she was further from the Koro-Centre than her brother's hut had been.

Confusion filled her mind, however. Last she remember, she had been inside her brother's home. Why was she no longer there? Had something happened? She struggled to remember.

Emma looked at the inside of the hut, taking in the shelves that contained only a few items, a couple of containers, a small woven basket, and some rocks. A lightstone sat on the small desk next to the cot, giving the interior a faint, but welcoming orange glow.

Then, the curtains of the hut shifted, before a larger form entered. Bioluminescent two toned green eyes blinked in surprise, before a small smile formed on his mask. "Good morning Emma." The Toa rumbled softly.

The girl blinked, before it clicked. She was in Onua's hut! "I'm sorry!" She yelped, moving to get up. "I-I'm sorry if I-!"

A large hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Emma, you have nothing to apologize for." Onua said softly, kneeling before her. "What happened last night was something that you had no control over."

Emma just stared at the Toa, now very confused. "B-But-! H-How did I-?!" She held her head, whimpering softly,

The Toa, seeing how distressed she was getting, pulled the girl into a hug. It pained him how she stiffened at the contact at first, before relaxing as he rubbed her back soothingly. "Emma, I brought you to my hut so I could keep an eye on you. I don't need the same amount to sleep as you do, because as a Toa can I naturally go longer without it. And as long as you are within this region, you are under my protection, so giving you comfort and a feeling of safety during the night was no problem."

Faint sniffles escaped the girl. "R-Really?"

Onua smiled, holding her closer. "Really." He rumbled softly.

Emma started crying into his armour, and the Toa of Earth continued to rub her back soothingly. The girl was in need of a good cry, so he had given her a shoulder to do so on.

He was patient, waiting calmly for her sobs to die down. Once they did, Onua gently let her lean back, and wiped a few stray tears from her eyes. "Better?"

The girl nodded a little. "Y-Yeah… thank you…" she smiled up at him a little.

The Toa smiled back, before gently helping her stand. "Come, Turaga Whenua is waiting for you."

Emma perked up at the mention of her brother, and eagerly followed the massive Toa out.

"Emma!"

The girl raced forwards at the sound her name, and embraced the black Turaga. "Brother!"

Onua watched as the two hugged. He could see the bond between them, as Whenua gently cupped her face in his hands, talking to her softly. Emma laid her hands over his, saying something back in an equally soft tone. Then, the two pressed their foreheads together in a display of pure sibling love.

The Toa turned and walked away silently, feeling as though he was intruding on a private moment. A part of him was a little envious of how strong her bond was with the Turaga, her adopted siblings. If only he could have that strong of a bond with his brothers and sister…

Emma looked curiously at a cart of unactivated lightstones, gazing at all the different colours. Most were yellow or orange in colour, though she could see some blue, red, as well as a few other colours mixed within. She couldn't remember if lightstones came in more than one variety or not, but seeing what she was seeing, she figured it didn't matter.

Eventually, the girl wandered away from the cart, and aimlessly walked around the market. She glanced at the different stands and the minerals being sold and traded, idly taking a few moments to look before moving on. Emma moved out of the way of an ussal crab pulling a cart and its Matoran owner, turning and walking backwards as she did. But when she turned to face forwards, she let out a yelp as she walked into something.

"Whoa there!" A familiar voice chuckled, a large pair of hands gently catching her shoulders. "You may wish to pay attention to where you are walking."

Emma blinked, then glanced up and yelped in surprise. "Onua! I'm so sorry!"

The Toa laughed, gently squeezing one of her shoulders. "It's alright. Accidents happen." Looking around, he chuckled, a knowing look in his eyes. "Interested in rocks I see?"

The girl's cheeks flushed red. "Um… I guess…"

"Is that so?" Smiling, Onua gently wrapped his massive arm over her shoulder, and began to walk with her. "How would you like a tour of the mines from where these rocks come from?"

Emma's face brightened with surprise. "Really?"

He grinned. "Of course! You have an interest in rocks! It would not be fair for your stay here to be without a tour of Onu-Koro's mines!"

The girl couldn't stop herself from grinning back. "Thank you!"

Onua chuckled, and guided the girl to where the miners were mainly clustered. "First, the closest mine located to the Koro is the Great Mine. There is where the majority of the ore is mined…"

Emma listened for the next long while, following the larger Toa of Earth around the different areas of the Onu-Koro Mining system. Watching the miners working away on mining the different minerals with varying techniques was neat in the girl's opinion, but her focus was more on the actual minerals being mined.

Onua didn't seem to notice, not that Emma minded. She could hear the pride in the Earth Toa's voice as he talked about the techniques.

He definitely cares about his village, Emma thought, listening as he enthusiastically talked about how careful the Onu-Matoran had to be when mining heatstones, the pride in his voice as he talks about them is so clear…

Her head lowered, her bangs hiding her eyes from sight. I wish I could talk the same way about my home, but I can't. Even with my Mom and friends, I just…

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Onua laid a hand on her shoulder. "Come, you must see the-"

"Toa!"

Girl and Toa turned as a Matoran ran up to them, looking panicked. "Small Mana Crabs are attacking some miners in the outer tunnels!" He pointed behind him. "The newer ones!"

Onua was the first to spring into action, and took off in the direction the Matoran had pointed. Emma scrambled after him with a yelp, pumping her legs to keep up with him.

However, it wasn't long before the girl lost sight of the larger Toa as she attempted to keep up. Her lungs and leg muscles began to burn, so she was forced to slow to a stop and lean against a rocky wall to catch her breath. Then, the girl realized that she was in a tunnel… and that she had no idea where she was.

Oh shit… Emma's face paled. She was lost, alone, in the semi-darkness of a tunnel…

The honorary Toa nearly jumped out of her skin when a bellowing shout followed by loud screeches sounded from nearby. She took off towards where the sounds of fighting were now echoing from, her heart beginning to race. She skidded into an open passageway, lit with lightstones. There, she saw Onua fighting… more Mana Crabs! There was a whole swarm of them! Granted they were smaller than the ones Gali had told her about, but still! These creatures were dangerous, and it took the whole team to defeat them, and that was against full sized ones!

Emma threw herself into the fray, grabbing her kohlii staff and smashing the side of one crab with the hammer end. It screeched in pain, and two more crabs turned to her. One snapped at her with its claws, but the girl jumped away. The other tried to rush her when she landed, but Emma side stepped and swung the hammer at its unprotected back. It screamed, falling to the ground.

Everything became chaos after that, with girl and Toa fighting against the Mana Crabs. A few downed crabs lay on the cavern floor, and the two fighters were beginning to wear from exhaustion. But they stood their ground, glaring at the remaining rahi.

The crabs chattered amongst each other, before spreading out.

Onua and Emma tensed, watching them. Faster than the two could react, the crabs turned… and smashed the remaining lightstones!

The girl felt her heart freeze as they were plunged into pure darkness. Panic began to take hold, her body beginning to tremble and a whine building in her chest. Dark dark dark she couldn't see…!

Onua turned his head, his eyes designed to allow him to see in the darkness. "Emma?" He rumbled softly, well aware of the crabs slowly moving in.

The girl was shaking, her form curled in and tense. Her eyes were large and filled with fear, and she looked ready to bolt.

The Toa of Earth felt his eyes widen as he remembered. The girl was afraid of the dark! Cursing to himself for forgetting, he shifted so that his body was between the now-terrified child and the Mana. A low rumble built in his chest as Onua glared at the advancing rahi.

He would not let them pass!

Emma pressed herself against the wall of the tunnel as screeches and the clanging/scraping sounds of metal on metal rang out. She could hear Onua grunt every now and again as he fought, and she knew that she had to help, but…

The honorary Toa squeezed her eyes shut, holding her arms tightly over her head. It was so dark! She hated the dark! It pressed around her, all encompassing and suffocating. She could feel the darkness… feel how cold it was! She trembled, a whine building. Dark dark she hated the dark!

Emma jumped in alarm when there was a loud crash that shook the tunnel, followed by a roar of pain. She head snapped up, and although she couldn't see a darn thing in the darkness she could feel from the vibrations and shout that Onua had been overwhelmed, and from the hissing-clicking that the Mana were closing in.

The girl realized that if she didn't do something, Onua could be… no!

Taking a deep breath, Emma forced herself to stand, grabbing her Kohlii Staff in a tight but shaky grip. She listened carefully, and tried to follow the sounds of the rahi. She could hear them chittering, and the sounds of their claws clacking against one another. She was scared… but her fear of losing her friend was bigger.

Then, she heard Onua groan in pain. With a sudden burst of courage, the girl charged forwards with a loud yell, swinging randomly. The hammer of her staff hit a crab, as she heard the sound of metal on metal, felt the reverberations through the staff, and there was a loud screech. Emma swung at random, yelling and just putting as much force behind each hit as she could, feeling the hammer slamming into metal shell after shell. She kept swinging and yelling, not realizing that at one point she was no longer hitting anything, until-

"Enough." The girl yelped at the hand placed on her shoulder, swinging around to attack. Her staff was gently grabbed from her grip, and held away from her. "It's alright now. They're gone."

Emma blinked wildly, her scared and spooked stance slowly loosening. "O-Onua?" She asked, her voice shaking.

She felt the hand on her shoulder gently squeeze, and pull her close. Emma immediately latched onto the Toa's form in the dark, shaking. His larger arms gently wrapped around her, picking her up and holding the girl to his chest. His larger hand gently rubbed her back, and the girl hid her face against his chest, her fear beginning to overwhelm her again.

Onua just held her close, tucking her Kohlii Staff day safely in his subspace. Focusing his earth powers, he sealed the tunnel the small Mana had retreated down, making a mental note to tell the Matoran to stay away from this area until he could inspect it further. Then, he began to make his way back up to the main tunnels, gently holding onto Emma's still shaking form.

But even as he walked at a steady, decent pace, the Toa was in a fair state of shock. He had seen her swinging at the Mana crabs in a scared, fearful but protective way. She hadn't noticed, but Onua had seen the power behind her swings. Despite being a small and purely organic child… she had swung so hard that she shattered the armour on some of them. Even though these Mana were smaller — much smaller than the ones he and the other Nuva had fought as Toa Mata — they were still a challenge. And yet, Emma had driven them off on her own, without being able to see them.

Or had she? Onua felt a scowl form on his face. The Mana were the Makuta's personal rahi… and before they had retreated they seemed to have gotten some sort of signal. Were…Were they sent by him? The Toa wondered, stepping out into another tunnel, one that was partly lit. But why send small ones? And why did they pull back like they did?

The Earth Toa didn't like this. There was something off. Something very, very off.

The Makuta stood before one of the glowing green pillars, his hands behind his back. His small Mana crabs had returned some time ago, having done what they were meant to do. "So, you have gotten stronger…" he rumbled to himself, a hand drifting to his shoulder. He could still recall the day she had managed to injure him… her, a small, pure organic creature. A child.

But while it was humiliating, it also gave him an idea. One, that given her closeness to the Toa, both former and present, may lead to his victory. If she survives. The Makuta thought to himself with a dark smirk. He always had a backup plan for his plans.

"Master?"

Turning, the dark being looked down upon his kneeling servant. "What is it?"

"I discovered them buried in snow and ice." The servant gestured over to several rounded forms with a clawed hand. "I believe that they may be of use to you."

A dark laugh rumbled in the Makuta's chest. Oh yes, they would. "Prepare them for their next task then. We shall use them instead of more Muaka."

The servant bowed his head. "Of course, Master."

When Onua stepped into Onu-Koro with Emma in his arms, they were met by worried Matoran. Most fell silent when they realized that the girl had fallen asleep in their guardian's arms, and those who did spoke spoke in low tones. After assuring that yes, they were fine, nothing serious, and telling one of the miners to spread word to stay clear of that tunnel, the Toa made his way to his Turaga's hut.

Whenua met him just outside, worried when he saw his littlest sister in the Toa's arms. "What happened?

Onua sighed, laying Emma down on the cot she slept on and tucking a blanket around her, before stepping outside. "You see…" he then went into detail about what happened in the tunnel.

When Emma woke up, it was slow, but the girl instantly noticed that she couldn't see anything. Her mind, fuzzy and tired, began to panic, having flashes of being in a fight and in total darkness. Her breathing started to get out of control, eyes large and flickering about wildly.

She began to thrash, only to fall off something with a cry. The girl found herself tangled in something, which made her panic even more. No no no-!

Light filled her vision, and footsteps echoed off the earthy floor. "Emma! Emma calm down!" A familiar voice exclaimed as she cried out, trying to thrash away from the hands trying to touch her. "It's alright now! You're safe…"

Emma shook, blinking her eyes wildly. She knew that voice… "W…Whenua…?"

The Turaga sighed as the girl stopped thrashing, her blue eyes slowly focusing on his emerald ones. "It's alright little sister… you're safe."

The girl stared at him for a long moment, before bursting into tears. Whenua gently untangled her from the blanket, and pulled her into a hug. "Shh… you're safe now… the rahi are long gone… you're back in the village now…" he soothed softly.

Emma clung tightly to her brother, burying her face into his shoulder and tears streaming hard. Whenua hugged her tightly, rubbing her back soothingly and murmuring softly words of comfort. His heart aches as she cried, once again that his little sister was still a child, even with what she went through, she was still young… vulnerable. Honorary Toa she may be… but deep down at her core she was a hurting and deeply pained child.

When her sobs finally quieted, Whenua gently pulled back, cupping her tear streaked face with one hand. Emma sniffed miserably, shakily wiping her nose with the back of her jacket sleeve. "'M s-sorry… I-I can't s-stay here a-anymore… I c-can't…"

The Turaga of Earth felt saddened, but he understood. Gently, he laid her forehead against his, stroking her cheek softly. "I understand little sister… and if you want to leave tonight… I will help you pack."

Emma made a soft, pained sound, tears streaming. "I don't wanna leave… but I can't take the dark anymore…"

Whenua's heart clenched tightly, and he hugged her close again. "Of course little gi… of course…"

Emma just cried into his shoulder.

"So you're leaving?" A familiar voice rumbled softly.

Emma glanced behind her, a few bios away from a tunnel to the surface. "Oh, Onua…" she shifted the grip on her sack strap, "yeah… I am…"

The Toa laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Then allow me to be your guide to the surface."

The thirteen year old stared at him in surprise. "But… what about Onu-Koro?"

Onua smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder a little. "The village will be fine… it has survived this long without me… it can survive a few hours more."

Emma blinked at him, before smiling. "Thank you."

The Toa of Earth smiled broadly at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they walked into the tunnel together. The two made small talk as they walked, the larger guiding the way.

"Going to Ko-Koro huh? A little chilly if you ask me…" Onua chucked.

Emma sighed. "I'm not a big fan of the cold… but Nuju's one of my brothers and I have friends there." She smiled whimsically, fondly recalling memories of the icy village's beginning. "We'd have snowball fights… and then when we'd get to cold sit by a fire with a warm drink, wrapped in blankets and listening to stories…" she giggled a little, "and one time, ko-ani pranked us by using his mask to levitate a cloth. We thought it was a ghost… poor Matoro fainted from fright…"

Onua listened as the girl spoke fondly of what were obviously memories of her time on the island a thousand years ago. Though he never knew Turaga Nuju to be a prankster…

The girl sighed, glancing around the tunnel lit only by the lightstone. "I can't wait to get back up top… feel the warm suns again…"

Onua chuckled. "Not a big fan of being underground?"

Emma made a face at him. "No. No I do not!"

The Earth Toa let out a bark of laughter, patting her back.

Emma couldn't help but laugh as well, and the two continued on their way towards the surface.

A/N - Viola! Finished this latest chapter!

So, late Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Hope you all had a good vacation and a Happy New Year! I know I did… because I got a new phone! My parents got me an iPhone XR! I will admit I had a ten minute freak out session before fainting, then freaking out again.

But yeah… I'm just over the moon with shock. I thought that if I was going to get a new phone, it would be an 8 or something, not an XR.

*coughs* Anyways, nothing else to say really, except that can anyone guess what the servant found? Heh heh… kudos to those who can! (Though I may have made it too easy…) And what's Makuta planning now? It's not good… but I think you know that!

And poor Onua… so close yet so far!

'Till next time all!

Next Chapter - A Frosty Scare