'Well now look what you did.'
Of all the times the voice could have started talking, Vakama could have sworn this was the worst timing ever. It was bad enough that Nuju was going to try and kill him, but adding the Hordika made it ten times worse. "Nuju this isn't exactly a fair fight. I'm sure we can talk this out... right?"
"Talk it out?" Nuju growled, a feral gleam filling his previously normal seeming eyes. "You want to try and just talk this out?! Oh no, no it's far too late for that." A mirthless, vague sounding laugh escaped him as the icy Hordika studied Vakama. "Too many lives lost to do that. No, I don't think talking is going to do anything here. And if you won't fight back, then so be it!"
"Nuju wait!"
Vakama was barely able to shout before being forced to dodge, Nuju's blades nearly grazing his tail as he jumped to the side, cloak snagged and torn by the weapons' jagged edges. The Hordika in his mind growled angrily as he scrambled out of reach. 'He'll kill jus if you don't do something, and talking isn't going to save you.'
He knew what the voice wanted. He knew that, the moment he complied, the ensuing fight would likely be one of the most violent and dangerous he would ever take part in. Death was at an all-time high risk, and there was no knowing which one of them would be doing the killing. However, as it was Nuju was out for blood, and quite possibly lapsing out of his own sanity; nothing but fighting back would keep Vakama alive. It was a risk he would just have to take.
"You want a fight, Nuju?" He asked, sliding back into his mind and allowing ferality to take control. "So be it!" Lunging forwards, Vakama took a swing at his former Brother, claws extended and ready. Nuju barely had a chance to dodge out of the way, lashing out with one of his swords and nearly hitting the crimson Hordika's arm. Again and again they darted and dodged, a deadly dance in which one wrong move would spell utter disaster for either of them. A storm began to build, drawn to life by the conflicting temperatures as the two Hordika fought, both determined but neither able to be first to stain the snow.
In the end, Nuju drew first blood, managing to clip Vakama's tail with one of his swords. Not even close to fatal, but certainly enough to make Vakama cry out in pain. His feral counterpart growled angrily afterwards, causing him to lunge at Nuju in a reckless charge, gambling his own speed against his opponent's. Luckily for him, Nuju was caught off guard, thrown to the snowy ground and left with several gashes to his arms, courtesy of Vakama's claws. Taking advantage of the moment, the red Hordika grabbed for one of the swords, claiming it as his own while pinning Nuju with one of his clawed feet. Raptor-like talons bit into the pale one's chest, deep enough to draw blood, yet too light to kill. Sword held to Nuju's neck, Vakama growled darkly. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't just kill you and be done with it."
The icy Hordika didn't answer. It was only when Vakama felt the ice shards dig into his grounded foot that he realized his mistake. Scrambling to try and get off, the red Hordika nearly found himself falling over, his foot and now his knee fully encased with ice. Already he could feel the cold seeping through his scales, shards of the crystalline prison digging into his flesh as it progressed up his leg. In mere seconds it was up to his thigh, and try as he might, he couldn't move is leg from where it was placed. Ferality caved to panic as the Hordika retreated back in his mind, Vakama's sane personality fully in control once more.
Nuju winced as he pushed himself to his feet, a hand moving to his bloodied chest as he watched the ice progress. "Cold, isn't it?" He asked, almost sadistically, a hollow and bitter smile barely visible on his face. "Knowing your death is imminent, and having no way to stop it. Having to spend your last moments suffering, knowing that any attempt to beg for mercy is going to be ignored, and any scream of pain is going to be enjoyed rather than pitied."
By now the ice had crept over Vakama's hips, spreading down his other leg as shards continued to form and dig into his frame. "N-Nuju please!" He half gasped, half pleaded. "Do you even see what you're doing?!"
"Of course I do." The Hordika of Ice snarled. "I'm showing you what it's like for the people you killed. Showing you how they suffered at Roodaka's hand, begging for mercy where there was none to be found."
Ice was now working its way over Vakama's chest, the red Hordika abandoning the sword he held as he frantically clawed at the ice, hoping he could break it off. By now his legs and tail were completely frozen over, the shards in his skin expanding and drawing a strangled yell from him. "D-do you really think I wanted that to happen?!" He choked out, teeth gritted as his struggling slowly stopped, put to an end by the steadily moving ice. Even his own body heat was failing now; if something wasn't done soon, it would be the end for him, killed by the one person he had hoped would understand.
That was when it came to him. Nuju had given him exactly what he needed in order to retaliate. "You know what Nuju?" He asked finally, struggling to keep his voice as unshaken as possible. "Fine. Kill me. Stoop to that level. Break what you stand for. Put yourself on Roodaka's level and see how you feel. I may have been involved, but at least I didn't stoop that low by my own choice. I won't carry the guilt of someone else's actions, not when I know it wasn't my fault. Just know that you will have no such justification when I die; the only one you will be able to blame is yourself."
Nuju didn't seem to care, not at first. The ice had nearly encased Vakama's whole neck before it stopped moving, the ice shards within soon shrinking back. Flecks of blood patterned the frigid prison as the twenty-eight year old came to the full realization of what was said. The feral gleam in his eyes faded as he taped the ice, shattering it and catching Vakama as he collapsed, his whole frame trembling. Nuju grimaced, holding the younger Hordika upright as he started for the outskirts of Ko-Metru. "What was I even thinking..." He scolded himself. "I... I'm glad you are back, Vakama. If you weren't, I.."
The weaker of the pair shook his head, trying to warm up again as he responded. "But you didn't, and that is the fact that matters. C-Can I tell you what I came for now?"
Nuju opened his mouth to reply, but a chorus of clicking and whirring from all around them cut him off. A low growl rumbled in the pale Hordika's throat as he looked around, icy eyes narrowing as the outlines of several Visorak became visible. "It will have to wait." He remarked finally. "We have unwanted company present."
Vakama gave a shaky nod, biting his lip as he tried to will himself to heat up. "Th-that's fine by me. I'll see what I can do to-"
"No." Nuju replied, shaking his head as he quickly counted how many of the arachnid Rahi were visible. "Let me handle this." Even as he spoke, the temperature began to plummet. Snow at the Hordika's feet began to swirl and rise, hardening into hail stones as they spun in a vortex around Nuju and Vakama. AS the storm grew, chunks of ice hurtled from the frigid tornado, smashing like miniature cannonballs into everything around their point of origin.
The scale-ridden Hordika shivered violently as the temperature dropped. Already he could feel numbness setting in, his vision blurring at the edges and starting to darken. He was getting too cold, he knew that quite easily, and even his voice seemed to have trouble making sound. "N-Nuju...?" He swayed dangerously as he pulled his cloak as tight as he could. A faint cough, and a wisp of smoke, escaped his lips as he stumbled, struggling to maintain the consciousness he was quickly losing. Without any response from the pale Hordika, Vakama felt his legs give out, his world a darkening blur as he collapsed. He didn't hear Nuju's exclamation, didn't feel the impact as he hit the ground, didn't even see the Rhotuka begin to fly. Everything simply went black...
V^V^V^
"Vakama?"
His whole body ached, protesting at every minor shift and twitch he tried to make. Eyes unwilling to open, the twenty-six year old made a feeble moaning sound, his head lolling pathetically to the side. A livelier groan came when something, or someone rather, prodded him in the ribs. "What...?" He mumbled vaguely, his body still arguing as he opened his eyes.
A sigh of relief resounded quietly above him. "Thank Mata Nui you're still alive. I thought I killed you." Nuju's bleary face slowly came into focus as he leaned over the fire user. "How do you feel?"
Vakama squinted up at him. "Like Karzahni... what did you think I would feel like?"
The pale one huffed in mild annoyance. "Well at least you're alive. While the rest of you wakes up, why don't you tell me what-"
"Where are we?"
Nuju frowned at him. "Le-Metru. I wasn't going to carry you all the way to Ta-Metru. Why does that matter?"
"We're on the wrong side of the island. The opposite side we should be on."
Nuju's frown threatened to become a minor scowl. "First you charge recklessly into the coldest place you possibly can, and now you want to go to Ga-Metru? Are you actually doing something, or just trying to find a way to die?"
Vakama shook his head as he forced himself to sit up. "I have a reason. I've been finding ways to make everyone go there. We need them to regroup so we can be rid of Roodaka for good."
Nuju thought on that for a little while. "I won't even ask why you picked there of all places. Who do you still need to find?"
Vakama had to pause and think that through carefully for a moment. "Gali, Pohatu, Whenua, and Onua. Though..." He grimaced. "I don't really know where to even start looking for them. I figured I would just eventually find them if I searched long enough."
The older of the pair groaned. "Because wandering aimlessly always goes well..." He sighed, absently rubbing his chin in contemplation. "... You go back to wherever you sent everyone else, I'll find the others."
"What?" Vakama asked, blinking in dumbfounded confusion. "Why? This is my job; I'm the one who scattered them, I should be the one to go find them."
"Don't be stupid." Nuju replied, dismissively waving his hand as he turned and started walking. "You have something much more important to do."
Vakama stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The pale Hordika paused only long enough to glance back at him, a wry smile on his face. "How else are you going to apologize to Nokama? Have fun Brother; you will have some grovelling to do. Try to be done by the time I get there." That said, Nuju turned his back and walked away, leaving Vakama staring and sputtering. After all...
How was he going to argue that?
