(A/N): And now back to the Toa and Team RWBY! Let's see how they're handling the aftermath of that meeting back in Chapter 13…
"You're not upset about the other Toa splitting up, are you?"
Blake watched as Onua turned from the cavern wall he was tearing up with his claws, looking down at her as she stared up at him. Her fingers tapped against the edges of her Scroll, which currently displayed a map of the underground cave network with markers about the possible locations of Masks of Power. Apparently the surveys done by the Onu-Koro Mining Guild had found many strange items buried in solid rock, but none of the Matoran had the tools or the manpower to dig that far. With the Toa of Earth, however, it was no issue to excavate them...although Blake was curious why Onua had selected this spot, considering how far out of the way it was.
He pondered her question for a long moment, then sighed.
"I admit that I am disappointed, yes," he rumbled with a slow shake of his head, "but I am hardly surprised. It is quite clear that the others need time to grow into themselves and their roles, and to learn that Unity is the correct path for all of us. Perhaps I signaled for a meeting too early...but I do not regret doing so, for now I have at least met my brothers and sister. And regardless of how we Toa feel about each other, a reunion with your friends was clearly what you all needed - so in that regard, I am far from upset."
Blake faintly blushed and tucked a strand of short black hair behind her human ears. "...well, thanks. I appreciate it. I...thought I'd lost Yang when she fell into the void...it was good to see her again. Oh, and the others, of course."
"Yang was the one with Tahu, yes?"
The Faunus nodded. "We're partners."
"I see."
The digging continued for a short moment, before Onua in turn broke the relative silence.
"So...do partners always greet each other with that...gesture? Forgive me, I do not know what it was called."
Oh gods.
Heat rose to her cheeks as she looked down. I do not need to have this conversation right now, she mentally screamed.
"Um, well...we call it a kiss," she mumbled, far less confidently than she would have liked. "And it's not done between all partners, just...very close ones."
"A kiss," repeated Onua. "I see. What purpose does it serve? Is it some sort of energy-transferal process?"
More like a tongue-transferal process. Her mind instantly bit down on that thought. What kind of fiend had Yang turned her into?
"No, it's…" Gods, why was she blushing like a schoolgirl right now? "...it's a gesture of affection. Something that people who love each other do."
"Love?" Onua tilted his head. "What is…love?"
The lyrics to an overplayed pop song rose to the front of the Faunus girl's mind, unbidden. She shoved that thought away too.
"It's part of our reproduction process," explained Blake hastily, feeling her ears - both human and feline - grow hot enough to fry an egg. She looked up at her taller friend. "You know...romantic attraction, mating, courtship...that kind of stuff. It's how we organics make more of ourselves, though these feelings don't have to be for that purpose alone - like when it happens between two males or, in the case of Yang and I, two females." She hummed thoughtfully. "Don't the Toa and Matoran have something like that?"
Onua shook his head. "We do not. There are Matoran who 'pair-bond' with each other and express deeper feelings of affection than they do with others, but it is a purely social and emotional relationship. Unlike organic beings, we lack the ability or drive to reproduce. We are all crafted, built, and given life by the Great Spirit himself; why, then, would we need the power to create more of ourselves?"
On the one hand, Blake found it oddly comforting that even in his endless slumber, this "Mata Nui" cared about his people enough to stay and help them thrive. On the other...an existence without romance and love sounded lonely and cold to her. Not that she'd tell that to Onua - despite the lack of reproduction means, she could see that the Toa and Matoran had other, non-sexual based forms of affection, ones that were no doubt just as alien to her as hers were to them.
"That must be nice," she instead said diplomatically. "Having a higher being that actually cares about you."
Her ebon-armored friend tilted his head again. "That is...unusual?"
Blake sighed. "Let's just say that most of the problems our world faces are a direct result of our own 'Great Spirits' being colossally petty and vindictive, and leave it at that."
The Toa of Earth nodded and went back to digging, letting a natural silence fall between them again.
"I have another question, if you will indulge me."
No, I am not explaining the birds and the bees.
"Depends on what it is," answered Blake, bracing herself for the embarrassment that was sure to follow.
Onua looked down and pointed at the feline ears on her head. "I noticed that the others, your friends...they did not have 'extra parts' like these. Why is that?"
For a moment, Blake almost wished Onua had asked her about where babies came from.
She opened her mouth to speak, then paused. If she explained that she was a Faunus, the Toa of Earth would likely ask what that meant. If she answered that, he would ask why that was seen as unusual. And if she answered that, then Onua would almost certainly probe deeper into her people's bloodied past in a well-intentioned (if misguided) attempt to completely understand his strange new friend. Racism against her people, the White Fang, Menagerie, Adam Taurus...these were all cans of worms that Blake very much wanted to keep sealed for now, especially considering her audience and his ignorance on such topics.
Based on what she'd seen, Mata Nui was unlike Remnant in many ways, not the least of which was how the various types of Matoran interacted. Sure, they lived isolated from one another, but it was done out of necessity rather than bigotry. This island seemed to be a paradise free from the shadow of prejudice, and she didn't want to be the one who planted that seed. Besides, how could she respectfully condense hundreds of years of Faunus-human conflict and put it into terms that such a peaceful culture could understand? Too little detail, and she felt she would be doing a disservice to her heritage; too much detail, and she risked alienating or horrifying the curious Toa.
"I'm different," she finally said simply, and she hoped that her tone made it clear she was done talking about this.
It was hard to read the Toa of Earth's expression under his mask, but he seemed to understand he was broaching a sensitive topic. He simply nodded and focused on digging once more, raking compacted dirt and loose stone through his massive claws until he finally stopped. Blake watched as Onua poked and prodded through the rubble, eventually pulling his prize out of the earth - a dull-gray circular mask with a cluster of scopes on the left side.
She nodded in approval. "That looks like the one Kopaka was wearing."
"Indeed," answered Onua. "The Kanohi Akaku, the Great Mask of Vision…with this in hand, finding the other masks hidden under the island should be far easier."
"So that's why you wanted to find that one first," noted Blake as she consulted her picture of a crudely-drawn stone tablet. "To speed up the search."
"And to ensure we are aware of any dangers surrounding the other masks." Onua nodded in agreement. "Now...let us see beyond what can be seen by eyes alone."
The feline Huntress nodded as she watched the Toa of Earth place the new mask over his own, and prepared herself for the search ahead. No use thinking about what might have been, or in worrying about what was to come. All she could do was learn from the past and prepare herself for the future, and work with Onua to complete his Duty.
Blake just hoped that the others were doing okay with their respective Toa.
…seventy-two Tarakava…seventy-three Tarakava…seventy-four Tarakava…seventy-five Tarakava…
Stale air pushed its way reflexively through Ruby's pursed lips, floating in front of her face in clouds of bubbles. Silver eyes tracked them up to the shimmering surface just a few inches away, tantalizing her to stand up from the sloped seafloor and take a fresh lungful of sweet sweet oxygen. But as tempting as the offer was, she refused for a little longer, pushing herself and the limits of her lung power just that much further. It didn't matter how much her stomach contracted, or how badly her throat twitched. She was going to hold her breath for at least two minutes this time!
Glub.
…okay on second thought, maybe two minutes was a little too ambitious. Maybe ninety seconds? That felt doable. Ninety seconds, then she'd go up for air.
Ruby blinked a few more times and hugged her bare arms and legs tighter to her chest, trying to clear her thoughts and focus on counting the seconds as they went by in her mind. Eighty-one Tarakava…eighty-two Tarakava…eighty-four Tarakava…eighty-five Tarakava…eighty-six…wait did I skip a number? Which one did I miss? Better start back from eighty, just to be safe. Ugh. Eighty-one Tarakava…eighty-two Tarakava…eighty-three Tarakava… man I wish I could actually read my Scroll underwater…that way I could actually see the timer…eighty-four Tarakava…actually hold on wouldn't it be eighty-five by now - ?
"Mmbblgluh!"
Yeah, that was probably ninety seconds.
The rest of her air blasted out of her lungs just before she quickly stood up, pushing her face out of the water and into the breezy afternoon air. Ruby coughed and gasped and sputtered and wheezed, wiping her eyes and nose to try and stop the stinging sensation. When she finally could see without tears or saltwater blocking her vision, she looked down at the timer on her Scroll (which was no longer too blurry to read) - and took another gasp at the number she saw, which confirmed her mental count and then some.
One minute and thirty-seven seconds.
Ruby giggled and danced in the shallow water triumphantly, whirling around and showing the screen to the blue-armored figure sitting at the sea's edge. "Gali! Check it out - it's a new record! I held my breath for a minute and a half that time! And I didn't pass out!"
Usually, the Toa of Water would have been elated at the little rose's newest swimming-related milestone. But this time, all she did was look over at Ruby sadly, give a nod of recognition, then go back to staring at the distant waves. Gali's hands absent-mindedly grasped at another stalk of Harakeke grass, weaving it into another fibrous Kanohi mask that matched the five completed ones next to her. It didn't take a counselor to know that something was wrong, and Ruby had a pretty good idea of what was bothering her taller friend.
Poor Gali…she thought to herself, her face sinking back into the water and blowing bubbles dejectedly. All that arguing about why everyone should stay together, and the other Toa just decide to split up anyways. This was their first time meeting each other…and it was also their first fight. She needs to talk about what happened, but I don't think I can get through to her when she's like this. If only she had a distraction…
Ruby's silver eyes fell on the woven masks, and an idea struck her.
With a pulse of her Semblance she zipped over to the shore and snatched up her cloak and one of the grass masks, disappearing with both items into the underbrush. In the time it took for Gali to cry out in shock, she was already bursting out onto the sand with the leafy Hau held over her face and her red cape thrown over her head.
"Hey everyone, look at me! I'm Toa Tahu!" She made her voice as angry and harsh as she could manage, waving a stick around for comedic effect. "I'm big and mean and I like yelling at my teammates, even when they have good ideas! Rah rah rah, shout shout shout! Fire fire fire!"
Gali's face may have been hidden behind her own mask, but Ruby knew a smile when she saw one. Encouraged by the growing grin she swapped Tahu's mask for the others in turn, holding each one up to her face as she continued her charades.
"Ohhh, look at me, I'm Kopaka," she drawled while donning the Akaku, drawing out every vowel like an angst-ridden teenager. "I don't like being here because I'm just too cool for everyone else. I have the best mask and the best Huntress partner but I'm gonna pretend I don't care because I'm so edgy and detached and it's not a phase, mom."
Then she hung from a nearby branch by her knees, clutching the Miru while rocking back and forth upside-down. "Heee heee heee look at me I'm Lewa, the high-flying Toa of wind-air! I talk funny-weird and I like swinging through the trees like a monkey and I have all the attention span of a fruit-fly! I don't need any other Toa, I just need to feel the wind in my mask and the splinters in my hands! Hehehehehehe!"
Her stance widened when she wore the Kakama. "Howdy, y'all! My name's Pohatu, and I'll be friends with just about anyone! Sorry 'bout being late, pardners - I was too busy saving a dangerous and violent psychopath! Can ya really blame me, though? I can't just let a bad guy die in the desert. Where's the fun in that?!"
Finally, she held a fistful of Harakeke blades in one hand to mimic a claw, holding up the Pakari with the other. "Graaaaah! I. Am. Onua! I, uh…" Ruby's voice trailed off for a moment. "I like dirt."
The sound of Gali breaking into laughter was like music to her ears. Ruby grinned and retrieved the rest of her clothes, pulling her skirt and belts back over her hips while handing the masks back to her Toa friend.
"I know you're worried about the others," she said with a smile of her own, "and you've got every reason to be upset. But I trust my teammates to help them find their masks. Trust me - the other Toa are gonna be just fine."
At this, Gali's smile faded, and she turned away with another sigh. "That is…thank you for the comfort. But that is not what concerns me."
Ruby sat down on the sandy beach next to her, dipping her bare legs back into the water. "Then what is? Wanna talk about it?"
The Toa of Water hesitated for a moment, then finally let out another sigh. "I am simply…baffled by how short-sighted and foolhardy they are. They squabble like Ruki fish over a piece of protodermis, believing their own needs and wants to be greater than that of others. They have so much confidence in themselves, and so little in each other. Were it not for the Huntresses at their side, I suspect they would each swear to storm Makuta's lair all on their own - and some of them may even try to do that regardless."
Gali looked out at the waves again with a somber and wistful stare. "The Great Spirit sent for the six of us for a reason. If one Toa was all it took to save the island and her people, then only one would have arrived. How can we protect the Matoran, let alone awaken Mata Nui, if we cannot even remain together long enough to talk about being united?"
The silver-eyed Huntress put a hand on Gali's forearm, looking up at her with a reassuring gaze.
"Believe me, I get what you mean," she admitted quietly. "I love my friends more than anything, and I wish we could have all stayed together too. But you know that bringing a group like that together isn't a one-and-done thing, right? It's something you gotta keep working towards, something that everyone has to want. Heck, even we had to learn that - it took us a while to really figure out how to be a functioning team, and in some ways we're still learning."
Glowing yellow eyes looked down at Ruby, widening with surprise. "Really? From the way you speak about them and from what I observed, I would have thought your coexistence would have been a smooth one from its inception."
Ruby chuckled sheepishly. "I think I'll take that as a compliment." Then she shook her head. "But seriously, it was…messy, at first. Yang and Weiss were always butting heads, I had all the work ethic and commanding presence of a hyperactive child, and Blake…Blake didn't even trust us enough to let us know who she really was. Sure, we all came together during Initiation to bring down that Giant Nevermore, but it wasn't like that was the end of us learning to work together. That was just the start."
"I see." The Toa of Water tilted her head. "And how did you deepen your relationships with each other?"
"Well, we had to let ourselves be vulnerable around each other," continued the Huntress. "We had to train together and talk with each other, and most importantly, we had to trust each other. That's how we got to the point where we can read each other in a fight, how we can synchronize attacks with just a word…it wasn't enough that we were friends. We had to be teammates."
A wave of memories washed over her, memories of long training sessions that left them tired but triumphant, of late night fights and shouting matches that ended in group hugs and apologies, of movie nights and board game matches and study sessions and many many meals shared together. All of them brought a small tear to Ruby's eye, which she wiped away as she continued sharing her experience with the Toa of Water.
"And we all had things we needed to learn on our own, too. I had to learn how to be a better leader, how to step up and take responsibility for the people I was commanding in battle. Weiss learned how to warm up, Yang learned how to cool down, and Blake finally learned how to stop jumping at shadows from her past. Even when we got separated after the Battle of Beacon, we still grew and figured ourselves out through our own journeys. And when we all found each other in Mistral…it was a little awkward and rough at first, sure, but we became closer than we ever were before."
She still remembered how warm she felt, holding Weiss and Blake and Yang in her arms after so many months apart. It was a feeling she would never forget, not for as long as she lived.
"Maybe…maybe something like that has to happen for the other Toa, too," offered Ruby, wiping her eye once again.
Gali nodded in understanding, then let out another beleaguered sigh. "I do not doubt your words, little one. But I am worried that we may not have that kind of time. The people of this island have been under Makuta's shadow for a thousand years, and you…you have people who need you back on your world. I would rather not have anyone suffer the consequences while we take our own individual quests of self-discovery…"
"...but if you don't take the time to figure this out and rush in as a dysfunctional team, then you're going to fail, and people will suffer anyways," said Ruby pointedly. "I think the Matoran, and my friends on Remnant, would rather we all make sure this gets done right, not just quickly. Sure, I'm not suggesting we take it slow and treat this like some tropical vacation…but I'm not saying we need to treat it like there's a ticking doomsday clock over our heads, either. Being a team isn't something you can rush - not if you want a group that stays together after the war's over."
She smiled and leaned against the Toa of Water, hugging a blue-plated arm as she did so. "Besides…I trust my friends to help the Toa out with their own stuff. If anyone can make Tahu more level-headed, it's Yang. If anyone can help Onua be more decisive, it's Blake. And if anyone can convince Kopaka to pull that giant sword out of his butt, it's Weiss. If you want the Toa to trust each other, to trust you…then maybe you can start by trusting them. It's a two-way street, after all."
The sapphire-armored figure stiffened under the contact, and Ruby suddenly wondered if she'd touched a nerve. Before she could ask if she said something wrong, she found herself scooped up in strong biomechanical arms and pressed against Gali's armored chest. The Toa of Water's body was surprisingly soft, feeling more like streamlined armored fibers than pure steel - but that wasn't nearly as surprising as the fact that Gali was hugging her. She blinked a few times in surprise, then returned the embrace, stretching out her bare arms to try and fail to wrap around the Toa's wide frame.
"Thank you, Ruby," she intoned quietly. "You carry an enormous burden yourself, yet still choose to aid me with mine. You are wise - far wiser than you give yourself credit for."
"I have my moments," said Ruby with a soft laugh. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. "I just…wish I'd had more of those moments while we were fighting to save Atlas. Maybe we could have avoided all this if I'd thought with my head, instead of my heart…"
"Perhaps," admitted Gali. "Or perhaps your Salem would have found ways to win no matter what you did. Do not dwell on what was in the past - let it be like the ocean as it washes against you. Learn from it, draw strength from it, but do not lose yourself in its depths. Your heart is your greatest weapon, Ruby Rose, and the reason your team loves you so. I only ask that you not let it be corroded by shadows and darkness."
The silver-eyed Huntress let out a sob, no longer certain who was comforting who.
"Thank you…" she mumbled into her Toa's shoulder. "And…if there was one good thing that came out of all that…it's that I got to meet you."
Gali nodded, her arms protectively tightening around the young rose. "The feeling is mutual, little one. I am glad to have one such as you by my side."
After another moment of embracing, Ruby pulled away and wiped her eyes.
"Well, that was productive," she said with a choked sob. "But, uh…we probably should start looking for the masks again, huh? Are there any of yours nearby?"
The Toa of Water hummed, then nodded. "Indeed. According to Nokama, my Kanohi Miru - the Great Mask of Levitation - rests at the top of the tallest cliff in Papa Niho Reef. I believe it lies just north of here, where the earth meets the sky."
"In that case…" Ruby grinned as she reached for her boots and pulled them over her legs. "...we might as well grab that one while we're in the neighborhood, right? Come on - let's go get you your first mask."
Gali smiled under her visor, then raised her hands as she stood up. The waters pooled together and rushed towards the shore at her command before merging into a massive wave, one that obeyed her will and hers alone. Ruby's grin widened as she grabbed the rest of her stuff and climbed onto Gali's shoulders, letting out a cheer when the blue-armored figure leapt from the shore to stand atop the tidal mount. Wind and seawater billowed through her hair and cloak as she gripped tightly to her Toa, as the ocean carried them off to another part of the island for another adventure.
We may not be together, but we're still united, Ruby thought to herself. The other Toa will figure that out eventually. I know they will.
Tahu was not in a good mood.
He didn't even have a clear destination in mind as he stomped around the cliffs of Ta-Wahi, leaving burning patches of magma in his wake. His own thoughts seemed to burn in his head, hotter than the lands around him but far less sightly. His annoyance at the other Toa…that entire fiasco with the murderous Huntress…it all hovered around him like Hoto firebugs, harassing him and refusing to leave him alone for even a moment's peace.
The only silver lining was that the loud one hadn't followed him. If he was lucky, she would have chosen one of the other Toa to annoy. Maybe she'd go splash around with Gali, or kick rocks with Pohatu, or maybe even -
"Heyyyy! Slow down, Big Red! Where's the fire? Er…I guess the better question here is where isn't the fire?"
…of course.
He stopped in his tracks, more out of annoyance than anything else. This gave the organic Huntress that insisted on following him a chance to catch up, stopping at his side and panting as she doubled over. Her hair was even more of a mess than usual, one strap of her strange clothes was improperly secured over her shoulder, and (most alarmingly) several large bite marks lined her bare neck and trailed down her arm. She still wore that same insufferable smile, though, so obviously whatever happened to her wasn't serious enough to ruin her mood.
But her presence alone was enough to make his mood even worse.
"And what happened to you?" Tahu asked, raising an eyebrow beneath his mask. "You look as though you have been savaged by some wild animal."
For some reason, Yang's face turned very red. "Well I mean…that's certainly one way to describe what happened, although don't let Blake catch you saying that. She prefers the term 'Faunus.'" She laughed, then shook her head. "But never mind that. Where are you off to in such a hurry? Did you find the Mask of Speed when I wasn't looking or something?"
Oh, if only that were the case.
Tahu said nothing as he started marching again, hoping against hope that the loud one would get the message and leave him alone. Unfortunately for his mood, Yang continued to follow the Toa of Fire, walking lazily a few paces behind him and humming thoughtfully with her hands behind her head. The fiery, volcanic landscape of Ta-Wahi was usually a beauty to behold, but in his anger it was nothing more than a backdrop for his steadily-building rage.
"So, um…we gonna talk about what happened at Kini-Nui?"
He shot a warning glare over his shoulder, then kept walking.
"No, huh? Well, that's fine. I can talk for the both of us."
That was decidedly not what he wanted, and she knew it.
"The other Toa seem nice, don't they? Friendly, chatty, less prone to burning down half a forest? Except for that ice guy, he seemed like a bit of a dick. Although…there was something kinda cool about him, eh?"
His brow furrowed at the mention of that pompous Toa of Ice. He did not need this right now. He did not want this.
"Why not follow one of them, then?" Tahu snarled. "If they seem so much more pleasant than I, why insist on staying with me?"
"What, and miss out on your latest temper tantrum?" He could feel Yang smirking behind his back. "Please, this is comedy gold, watching you throw a hissy fit over things not going your way. Hell, if I had CCT access, I'd be filming this and posting it all over my socials. I can picture the video title now: Local Fire Toa Gets Pissy When Friends Call Him Out On His Bad Attitude. What Happened Next Will Shock You!"
Tahu didn't understand a word of what the Huntress was saying, but he could tell that she was mocking him. He growled and stopped in his tracks, whirling around to scowl at Yang and deliver a stronger nonverbal warning. She took it about as seriously as the last one, still wearing a confident smirk on her maskless face.
"Do not test my patience today," he growled. "You are playing with fire, loud one."
She scoffed. "You think I haven't been burned before? Come on, big guy. You can't just walk away from the problem, or the other Toa. What happened to all that talk of Destiny on the way over? About how it was up to you to lead them?"
His eyes narrowed. "Clearly, they do not want my leadership."
"And have you given any thought to why that might be?" Her smirk disappeared, replaced with a scowl to match his own.
"I have."
"Good, good, that's a good sta- "
"And it is because they are all fools not worth the trouble."
"...okay, see, that's like the opposite of what you're supposed to be learning here."
"What else is there to learn?" Tahu snarled as his annoyances with the other so-called "heroes" came to mind. "You were there, you saw them and their attitudes clear as day. So you know just how insufferable they are. Lewa can barely sit still for more than five minutes, Gali is so self-righteous and acts like she is so much wiser and better than the rest of us, Onua barely talks or says anything worthwhile, and Pohatu…"
He frowned, then sighed.
"...is fine, actually." Then his eyes narrowed once again as anger swelled. "And do not even dare to speak of that infernal Toa of Ice in my presence. Mata Nui…I have never met such an arrogant, self-absorbed, conceited, headstrong, egotistical waste of - why are you looking at me like that?"
Yang shrugged and shifted her stance. "Oh, no reason. Just thinking about an old story with pots and kettles. But this isn't really about them, is it?"
"It is entirely about them!" He swung his hand out for emphasis. "They refuse to respect me!"
"Cause you haven't given them a reason to respect you," said Yang pointedly, crossing her arms. "You can't just march in and expect everyone to follow you cause you shout a bunch. You have to earn their trust."
The Toa of Fire furrowed his brow as his anger burned to a fever pitch. "And what would you know of such things? You dare to lecture me, even in the face of your own failure? Your own lack of respect and trust in your leader is why you are here in the first place!"
Lilac eyes widened. Shoulders trembled. Even in his anger, Tahu felt his heartstone sink in his chest as soon as the unkind words left his mouth.
Yang bit her lower lip and took a deep, shuddering breath to conceal her emotion as best she could. Then she turned on her heel, marched over to a rocky outcropping, and squatted into a ball. While she didn't say anything or look at him, her silence was more concerning than anything else.
Speak to her. Do not let this fester.
Tahu mentally groaned and walked over to her, surprised to see some sort of clear fluid leaking from her eyes. He'd only seen her do it once before, when she was upset and holding the one called Penny, and while he didn't know what it meant then, he had a fair grasp on its mechanics these days.
"I…apologize," he said, laying an armored hand gently on her head. "That was out of line to say."
"Yeah, it was." Yang pushed his hand away. "And don't. Touch. The hair."
With a nod of understanding the Toa of Fire pulled his hand back, taking a seat next to her. She didn't look at him, but she didn't move away either. For a moment, only the splashing lava and roaring fires spoke for them.
"You think…you really think I don't know that?" Yang finally said after a long silence. "That I'm not constantly beating myself up over the fact that I messed up when it counted most? That I'm the one who pushed for the team to split up, when we needed each other more than ever? I didn't listen to Ruby…I didn't trust her…I kept thinking that I knew better than her, or Ironwood, or Ozpin, or anyone else in charge...and that got people killed. I'm gonna have to carry that weight for the rest of my life."
Tahu was about to offer words of comfort when he saw Yang wipe her eyes with a metal fist, shaking her head. "But that's my beef. My problem. And we're not talking about me right now - we're talking about you. And y'know what? If anything, that little outburst of yours just proves my point. You want the other Toa to respect you? Then you can't just keep yelling at them until they suddenly decide to tolerate you. That's not gonna get them on your side. I know for a goddamn fact that it's gonna do the opposite."
The Toa of Fire tilted his head. "You speak from experience?"
She leaned back and rested on her palms. "Yeah…I've seen it happen before, back at Beacon before it fell. Lemme tell you all about one of my classmates - a guy named Cardin Winchester. You in the mood for a story?"
He nodded. Part of him groaned at having to endure another tale from Remnant, but the rest of him knew better.
"You have my attention."
"Alright, but fair warning - this might hit a little close to home for you." The Huntress laughed humorlessly, then let out a long sigh. "Cardin was on one of the other freshman teams that formed after our Initiation. When he was made the leader of Team CRDL, it went to his head in a bad way. I dunno what his home life was like, other than that he apparently came from some long distinguished line of Huntsmen, but he'd bully and push others around all the time. And that included the other boys on his own team - hell, they probably got it worse than anyone."
Already Tahu could see the comparisons being drawn between himself and this Cardin person, and as much as uncomfortable as it felt, he stayed quiet. The look in Yang's eyes contained a tiredness that he only now saw, a wistfulness for her home combined with annoyance and regret for missing its less-perfect elements.
"I didn't see what went on behind closed doors, but I didn't have to," she continued. "The team was pretty much dysfunctional. Sure, they put on a front of being a bunch of 'dudebros' hanging out in the best Huntsman Academy, but everyone could tell they weren't really friends. They didn't fight well together, they didn't work together, and when the mask slipped you could see that they didn't even really like each other. The only reason they did anything was because Cardin told them to, and I guess they were too afraid to find out what'd happen if they didn't."
Crimson eyes narrowed. "So they followed him out of fear, and not loyalty?"
"Pretty much, yeah," said Yang as she idly kicked her legs over the cliffside. "Cardin thought being a leader was a badge, not a burden - a great power he deserved with no responsibilities on how to use it. That affected how he treated the guys under his command, and how well the team worked - or didn't work - together. He and his boys lounged around on missions and let others do the tough jobs for them, they tripped over each other during sparring matches, and they got into public arguments constantly. It all came from a lack of respect, from everyone. Cardin's own team didn't respect him, and he sure as hell didn't respect them."
"And what happened to him?" The Toa of Fire could only guess the ending of this tale was not a pleasant one.
Her eyes grew darker still. "When Beacon got attacked during the Vytal festival, when things actually got dangerous…the rest of his team turned tail and ran while he stayed to fight. I guess Cardin assumed they were right behind him, and he was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even realize they'd deserted him. No one's seen or heard from him since."
Once again, Tahu's spirits fell as his guess was proven correct. He sighed and shook his head.
"...my condolences, then."
Yang shrugged. "Eh, you don't gotta apologize - he was a real asshole, anyways. Always pushing people he saw as 'weaker' around, just because he could…there are probably folks who miss him, but I sure as hell ain't one of them."
She shook her head and looked up at him, wisdom swimming in her lilac eyes. "My point is, being a leader isn't just something you're given by Destiny or the Great Spirit or whatever. It's something you have to earn and work for, a title you constantly have to prove you deserve to carry. It's about more than just barking orders and making plans - it's about earning the trust of your team, and trusting them right back. They're putting their lives in your hands every time you lead them into another battle. It's up to you to remember that in every single fight, both on and off the battlefield."
Yang smiled wistfully with pride, looking down at her Scroll. "Those are all lessons that Ruby had to learn in her first few weeks at Beacon, and now? Now she's grown up into the strongest young woman I know, someone I'd follow right into Salem's lair itself. If you really wanna lead the other Toa against Makuta, then you're gonna have to learn this too."
Part of him wondered if he hadn't already burned that bridge into ashes, but the rest of him hoped there was still a chance to make things right. "And how can I learn this?" he asked, meeting her gaze. "What must I do to prove to them - and to myself - that I am indeed worthy to lead?"
The blonde brawler smiled and held up her mechanical fist. "You can start by trusting and respecting me, Tahu. Show me that you can lead me without bossing me around, and I can help you with that temper of yours. Help me live long enough to get home, and I'll help you find your masks. Deal?"
Tahu stared at the fist for a moment longer, before nodding and bumping his knuckles against hers.
CLANK.
"We have a deal, Yang Xiao Long."
The biting winds of a Ko-Wahi storm overwhelmed and overpowered Weiss, chilling her to the bone even through her borrowed coat. Snow swirled and built around her ankles, making every step feel like it was being taken underwater. Even Kopaka struggled to maintain his footing as he took the lead - and when a ten-foot-tall Toa had trouble standing up to the blizzard, what hope did someone like her have?
"Can't you just stop the storm with that power of yours?!" Weiss yelled over the roaring wind.
Kopaka shook his head as he readjusted his shield. "Not when the blizzard is this intense. Even my elemental powers are limited - I can't fight the mountain itself. There's a cave up ahead, though, one carved into the stone of Mount Ihu. We'll take refuge there and wait for the storm to die down."
That sounded like enough of a plan for Weiss, who focused on taking large steps to follow the Toa of Ice's footprints. She stayed as close behind Kopaka as she could, letting the ten-foot-tall armored warrior take the brunt of the rushing winds and biting snow. After what felt like an eternity of plowing through the blizzard, they finally reached a small Matoran-sized opening in a wall of stone. A few slices of the Toa's sword widened the entrance, and the heiress hurried inside.
To her relief, the inside of the cave was indeed much warmer than the world outside. Weiss had to guess it was partly thanks to its small and enclosed nature, and mostly thanks to the glowing orange object in the middle of the floor. A heatstone, she remembered Matoro calling it - a special stone that seemed to radiate warmth and light all on its own, allowing a wandering Ko-Matoran to set up a temporary shelter just about anywhere. Apparently, even ice-aspected Matoran could still freeze to death, and hideaways like this proved a critical role in staving off frostbite. From the assortment of empty bottles and dried Vuata Maca berries dangling overhead, she could only guess this one had been visited frequently.
"Huh," hummed Weiss. "Looks like we're not the first ones to use this place as a shelter. I wonder what happened to the Matoran who originally set this up?"
"I can hazard a guess," rumbled Kopaka, turning back to the mouth of the cavern. "Get yourself warmed up by the heatstone while I seal the entrance. We may be here for a while."
The heiress nodded, pulling her checkered coat down until its collar was level with her elbows and the hem reached past her thighs. Her newly-bare shoulders shivered as they were exposed to the elements, but better that than to sit on the snow and let the frozen water soak her skirt as she warmed up. She positioned the coat over a blocky mound of white powder, guided herself to sit carefully, and hunched forward to draw close to the heatstone. Kopaka erected a wall of ice in the mouth of the cave - one he could easily destroy as soon as the storm stopped - and walked over to join her, forgoing the seat entirely to sit on the ground so he could actually fit.
A bitter, deafening silence settled between the two, punctuated only by the dripping of melting icicles and the sound of their own breathing. Weiss's throat was tense and tight within her neck, and her eyes narrowed in frustration. She had plenty of choice words to say to the Toa of Ice following what happened at Kini-Nui, but in the face of an overwhelming blizzard she'd been forced to bottle them up. There was a time and place to have that kind of conversation, and the middle of a winter storm was neither.
But now that they were safe and survival was no longer an immediate concern? She uncorked that anger like a vintage wine and let it flow.
"So…it looks like we're really doing this again," said Weiss harshly.
Silence.
"I finally see my team, my friends, after thinking they were all dead or worse…and now we're all apart from each other again."
More silence.
"All because you didn't want to team up with the other Toa."
Unsurprisingly, even more silence.
She trembled as she balled her hands into fists. "Do you have…any idea how that feels? How much it hurts being away from them? I had zero reason to believe that anyone could survive a fall into the void back on Remnant, so for all I knew they were dead. My entire team, gone, just like that, and I was alone. And then…almost immediately after I reunite with them, after I learn that they're all okay and alive and that they're here…you cause a scene that makes the Toa split up, forcing us to do the same."
Icy blue eyes squeezed shut as emotion pooled into their corners. "I know that you don't like trusting other people, but would it really have killed you just to put up with the other Toa for a few days so I didn't have to leave them again? Why did you have to be the problem? Why did you…"
Weiss stopped herself before she could say something truly hurtful, as bitter memories and familiar voices echoed in her mind.
Why are you so bossy?!
Jeez, what's your problem Ice Queen?
Are you always this pushy, or is today just a special day?
As much as she wanted to stay mad at Kopaka for being selfish and unreasonable, she couldn't. Not when she'd been the same way not long ago. So she settled for muttering a quick apology and curling up into a ball, staring into the exposed heatstone as it radiated warmth and light yet not nearly enough of either. The Toa of Ice, on his part, continued to say nothing at all, and he stayed that way for another long and empty moment.
"I know I'm bothering you, but…I need to ask one more thing," she finally said after another terse silence. "You didn't…really mean what you said in front of everyone else, right? About how it was bad enough that you were stuck with me? You were just saying that because you didn't want to travel with the other Toa. I'm not…I'm not that much of a burden."
Weiss stared up at the silver-armored figure, feeling something warm pool in the corners of her eyes. "...am I?"
The look that Kopaka gave her was hard to read, but she felt a pang of cold shoot through her heart. Weiss buried her face into her knees, staining the cuff of her boots with tears.
"...it's okay to say it, if it is true," she said bitterly. "It wouldn't be the first time I've heard those words."
The many, many angry words of Jacques Schnee rose to the front of her mind, like a haunting specter. They were followed by numerous snide comments from Whitley, a multitude of drunken ramblings from Willow, and capped off with a collection of disapproving stares from Winter. Her entire life had practically been defined by people telling her she was a burden - what was hearing it one more time from a giant half-robot warrior gonna do?
And yet, when the Toa of Ice finally spoke, his words were not at all what she expected.
"It…isn't true."
Weiss finally looked up with tears pooling into her eyes, watching Kopaka stare into the heatstone. Each word was delivered with clear and firm conviction, yet it felt like his own throat was trying to close up before he could say them. It occurred to the heiress that these were words the Toa of Ice had likely never had to say before, that he was giving a voice to long-held thoughts, and even though he struggled, he still said what she needed to hear.
"You…are no burden, Weiss Schnee. Not to me, at least. You're strong, unyielding, and loyal. Human or Toa, these are all admirable traits to have in a companion. You're absolutely right - if you hadn't been there when the Kane-Ra attacked, I wouldn't have survived. It was wrong of me to say otherwise. I…apologize for my behavior."
While the words were a weight off her chest, his actions still painted a different picture. After all, it took more than one apology to make things right, and it didn't fix or address the core issue. Weiss knew she needed to probe deeper, to find out why Kopaka had even said such a thing in the first place.
"Then…why do you keep trying to push me away?" she asked as she wiped her eyes.
"I'm not doing it on purpose." Kopaka sighed. "Listen…I'm the Toa of Ice. You're from a frozen kingdom yourself, Weiss, so you know what that means: solitary mountains and isolated glaciers and cold, lonely nights. Everything on this island, in this world, manifests its element in some way; Matoran and Toa are no exception. If being warm and trusting of others was easy for me, then I'd probably be a Toa of Water instead. But I'm not. It's in my nature to be cold and distant - I can't change that about myself. Not all at once, at least."
The Toa of Ice stared down at his own palm, as frost gathered across his armored fingertips.
"Besides…who would willingly travel with someone who brings only ice, winter, and death? Because that's all my element is. That's all that I am. Cold."
And just like a snowflake in a frozen cloud, the heiress's own reflection crystallized in front of her.
The parallels between the Toa's story and her own were almost uncanny. Here was a soul isolated and forced apart from the world not because they wanted it, but because it was all they knew. Yet unlike her, where the isolation stemmed from an abusive father and a dysfunctional family, his seemed to come from a belief about his very nature. The other elements each had their own component for creating and maintaining life - even stone and fire, which provided shelter and warmth to those in need of either. But ice was cold and ruthless, stealing and sealing away plants and animals in its frozen depths. Only the desperate tried to turn fields of snow into farms and cities, and even they struggled to survive.
Was this why Kopaka wanted to get away from others? Was he afraid that he would bring nothing but the dark chill of death to any who followed him?
Weiss stared in understanding for a moment, then scooted over and leaned against Kopaka's armored shoulder. It wasn't nearly as cold or hard as she was afraid it'd be, and while she could feel the Toa of Ice bristle under the contact, he didn't pull away or push her back. She took his lack of resistance as implied consent, daring herself to wrap both her arms around his own. Kopaka looked down with a perplexed expression, as if he was trying to find a reason why she was using his limb as a cuddling supplement. Finding none, he turned his gaze back to the fire, giving no further protest as she yawned and felt the tension slip out of her weary muscles.
"I used to think the same thing," she mumbled as fatigue crept up on her. "That I would always be cold and alone. But then I found people who made me feel warm…I hope you can find that with the other Toa. And for the record, I happen to find ice to be very beautiful…when it's given the right shape."
The heiress was asleep before Kopaka could even finish sighing in resignation, but she caught one small phrase before she passed out. A single sentence, barely more than a whisper, yet hearing it made her heart glow with pride and warmed her dreams.
"...thank you."
The sound of the rushing river was the only ambience for Neopolitan as she sat hunched over at the very edge of the forest, a disassembled Hush laid out in front of her on a muddy riverbank. Next to her was the remains of a local biomechanical fish she'd caught with her own two hands, its meat slowly roasting over a meager fire and its metallic bones being used to repair broken parasol pieces. Whatever the metal in this world was, it was oddly pliable and workable, lighter than air yet stronger than steel. And after patching up the torn fabric on the body of the parasol - always carry a needle and thread for these exact situations! - her signature weapon was well on its way to being rebuilt after her encounter with the Toa of Stone.
If only her worldview and mental state were so easy to fix.
Tears welled up in the corners of mismatched eyes as she worked, forcing her to set down Hush and rub her face with a bandaged wrist. She wanted to be angry. Angry at Cinder for lying to her and manipulating her. Angry at Ruby for letting her live and humiliating her. Angry at Roman for dying and leaving her behind. Angry at herself for letting all of this happen. But the flames of rage had died out under the flood of emotions, and all that was left was sorrow. And unlike the sweet taste of revenge, this new feeling was nothing but bitterness. Her least favorite flavor.
While she waited for the spot-welds on the replaced rods to harden and cool, she pulled out her Scroll and swiped lazily until she found the last picture she ever took of her surrogate father. It was a candid surprise shot, taken without him knowing on the night of the Battle of Beacon, and it depicted him leaning over the weapons controls of a newly-hijacked Atlesian battleship as he turned the kingdoms' own cannons on their former owners. Even without realizing he was being photographed, he still looked incredibly photogenic; his red hair was slightly tousled under his signature bowler hat, his posture was cocky and confident as he leaned slightly against Melodic Cudgel, and he had a mischievous smirk that outshone the bags and bruises under his eyes.
Roman Torchwick had been a lot of things to a lot of people - a swindler, a thief, a public enemy, and a nuisance, to name a few - but to Neo he had always been an overflowing font of charisma and confidence, someone who could have nothing but snake oil in his pockets yet still convince you he held the elixir of life itself.
And now he was gone, and all she had left were memories and a well-worn hat. The world hadn't stopped spinning since that night. Everyone else had moved on, like he never existed at all.
Why couldn't she do the same?
"Ah, so that's where you went after you ran off."
She snapped her head up to face the source of the voice, eyes narrowing as the bronze-armored brute emerged from the underbrush. Neo's breath already hitched in her throat as she reached for the shattered remains of her blade, rising to her feet and holding it out menacingly. Pohatu merely raised his hands and shook his head as he approached, trying to make his stance less aggressive.
"Relax, Pebble," said the Toa of Stone with a soft laugh. "I've no intention of harming you…so long as you can promise the same. Can you?"
Her eyes looked him over, searching for weak points and hidden weapons in the armored frame, before she finally let out the breath she'd been holding. The blade fell to her side, and she knelt by the river's edge to pull her supper out of the fire. Pohatu nodded and took a few steps forward, looking down at the silent woman as she bit into the fish and chewed it as best she could.
"So…what was that all about back there?" he asked, curiosity in his voice. "You clearly had a history with Ruby and the others, but it did not seem like a friendly one."
Neo swallowed and groaned soundlessly, partly in response to Pohatu and partly because of how awful her fish tasted. She choked down a few more bites before she pulled out her Scroll again, searching for that last picture of Roman again to show the Toa of Stone. Orange eyes stared down at the hard-light screen with curiosity and intrigue, one that matched the vaguely cat-like mask their owner wore.
"Interesting…is this another friend of yours? One from back home? What happened to him?"
With a bitter frown she took the cooked fish in both hands and snapped its neck, hopefully sending quite a clear image. Pohatu seemed to understand that, at least.
"...I see. So he's gone, then. And you believed that Ruby was responsible?"
A nod.
"So you wanted to kill her."
A very resolute nod.
"Even though you were both lost and kios away from each other in an unfamiliar land, with no way home and no guarantee of survival."
…in hindsight, it did sound pretty dumb when the Toa of Stone said it out loud like that. With the extent of her "plan" laid out in front of her, she couldn't deny just how stupid and shortsighted it was. How stupid and shortsighted she was.
So Neo settled for curling into a ball, burying her face into her knees and weeping soundlessly.
Why?
Why did he have to die?
Why couldn't they have just taken over the Atlesian battleship and flown away together, leaving Vale behind and using their ill-gotten firepower to build a new criminal empire? Why did Ruby have to play the dumb hero and get in their way? Why didn't those stupid Grimm leave them alone during their fight? Why had she left herself wide open for that damn kid to outsmart her and send her careening off into the night sky?
And why had Roman died without even giving her a chance to say goodbye?!
Tears flowed down her face, mingling with the river below and staining her worn clothes. She could feel Pohatu looking over her shoulder, but she didn't care what he thought. She had turned to revenge as a way to give her mind something else to focus on, something to think about besides how lonely and cold and scared she was. Now that the prospect of violence was ripped away from her, she was forced to confront the grief she'd spent so many months burying - and it threatened to drown her until all she knew was sorrow and despair.
"...close your eyes for a moment, Pebble."
Well that wouldn't be hard. There were too many tears to keep them open anyways. She buried her face further into her arms.
Rumble rumble rumble…CRUUUUNCH.
The sound of stone sliding against stone drilled into her ears. She reflexively tensed up and braced herself, waiting for the pummeling of rocks that were sure to follow Pohatu breaking his promise. When the anticipated beating never came, however, curiosity got the better of her, and she opened her eyes just a crack to see the Toa of Stone raising a pillar from beneath the ground, humming and muttering to himself as he measured and carved out huge chunks of solid rock with his massive hands.
"Hmm, is this too much stone? No, no, I think it might be too little…let's see, if I use limestone for the base and shale for the detail, it should result in a more even - hey, no peeking Pebble! I mean it!"
With a silent yelp she turned around and covered her eyes again, letting the Toa work and talk to himself without being watched. Not that it was much of a secret what he was doing; it was obvious that he was making something out of stone, but she couldn't tell what was being made without stealing another glance. When she succumbed to the temptation to peek again, she was dismayed to find a ten-foot-tall wall of stone around Pohatu and his new project. Evidently he didn't trust her enough to not sneak another look…which, if she was being honest, was a completely fair assumption.
The sounds of stonework slowed, prompting her to try and pretend she had her eyes closed the entire time when the walls came down and Pohatu called out.
"Okay, now you can look!"
She turned, expecting to see nothing more than a pile of stupid rocks…only for her jaw to drop in shock.
There, standing at about the height of Pohatu's chest, was the chiseled form of a man. Not just any man, either - a man with a confident and cocky swagger about him, with a narrow cane in one hand as the other palm reached out to her eye level. His frame was blocky and rough, but it was recognizable all the same, and what little detail existed on the stone mostly served to replicate the iconic long coat and buttons. The face was blank and featureless, but that hardly mattered to Neo, whose mind was already projecting piercing green eyes and a mischievous smirk onto the cold brown stone. Before she knew it she was already walking up to the statue, more tears pooling down her face as she took the outstretched hand of "Roman" in both of hers.
"I take it you like it?" asked the Toa of Stone. "Turaga Onewa told me that Po-Matoran like to memorialize their greatest Koli champions by carving their likeness out of stone. I do not know what traditions exist in your world, nor do I know much about your friend, but I can tell that he meant a great deal to you. So it seems only fitting that some tribute exists for him, even in an unfamiliar land such as this."
Neo's lower lips trembled as she pressed her face against the stony hand, imagining warm flesh brushing across her cheek. A choked sob and a silent cry escape her lips, her eyes squeezing shut as an entire river poured from her face onto the statue itself. After a few more moments of nuzzling the palm she fell to her knees and grabbed his ankles, crying all over his shoes with shuddering breaths and heaving shakes. She knew it wasn't really Roman, that it was just a tribute made out of rock and rubble, but it still meant the world to her.
As did the fact that Pohatu made it, completely unprompted. Her attempts at being friendly towards him may have been a ruse, but he clearly didn't feel the same way about his actions towards her. Maybe…if he was willing to take a chance on her, she should try to take a chance on him.
Maybe.
For now, she was focused on giving her dearly departed friend the goodbye he never got but deserved more than anything. She rose to her feet and hugged him around the waist, dreading the moment where she knew she'd need to let go. She stood on her tiptoes and nuzzled her forehead against his, feeling the smooth grain of hewn stone rub against her skin. Finally, she took a deep breath and pulled the bowler hat off her own head, mustering all her emotion to set it on top of the statue's head before she slowly, regretfully, walked away.
She was ten steps from the statue when she looked back, and for the first time in what felt like years, a genuine smile broke out across her lips.
Goodbye, she mouthed, with an accompanying message in sign language for him and him alone.
Letting out one more sob as she turned away, Neo finished repairing her weapon and ate her modest supper, sitting in silence for a little longer before gathering up all her belongings. Pohatu stood nearby and watched her work, only approaching when she made to leave and looking down at her with glowing orange eyes. Though he said nothing, she knew exactly what he was asking; she nodded tersely before drying her eyes on her coat. When she was ready she walked around and climbed onto the Toa's back, holding tightly as the bronze-armored giant activated the power of his mask.
And so the pair sped off towards the desert as the sun set on Roman's River, bathing the memorial site in red and gold.