Most of these short stories will be involving characters belonging to myself and my good friend DragonClaw92, as well as events and inspiration from role plays, which is why they may not make a whole lot of sense to random readers. I wanted a place to keep these stories organized.

Short Story #3: Nokama and Vakama share a quiet moment while caring for a couple of sleepless children.

Disclaimer: Shane and Megan belong to DragonClaw92. Resa belongs to me.

Sleep well, Shane

Nokama stirred from sleep and opened her eyes. The calm Toa Sanctuary greeted her without much change, a glimpse of night sky from the balcony allowing a sheer wash of starlight into the dim room where she and her teammates camped. A couple of her Brothers snored gently, but the room was otherwise quiet and cozy, tempting her to fall back to sleep. But something just didn't sit well with her. Why did she feel as though someone needed help?

A hushed little noise roused her again and this time the sapphire Toa lifted her head to take stock of the room's occupants. The Sanctuary had a hospitable supply of plush sleeping pallets rolled away in storage in case a Toa seeking peace needed a nap – or temporary housing, as Nuju had observed – along with ample floor cushions, pillows and blankets. Comfort played a key role in the sanctuary. At first she did a double take, realizing Vakama's spot was empty, only to catch a peek of crimson armor out on the balcony where the Toa of Fire must have sought solitude during his well-known insomnia. Whenua snored and reclined against a cushion, his bulky frame almost not fitting on the sleep pallet beneath him. His young human charge, Megan, was cuddled under a thick blanket and encircled by pillows as well as Whenua's reassuring arm, sound asleep and snoring softly right along with him. But the blankets beside her were tousled and empty. The sound reached her again and Nokama realized it was a whimper.

Ah. The boy.

Leaving her sleep pallet behind, Nokama followed the noise, softly making her way over to the long conference table. She crouched, arching her brows curiously at the little hider. "Shane? Why aren't you in bed? What's wrong?"

The organic little youth sat with his knees pulled into his chest, wide eyes staring back at her from a curtain of ruffled black hair. Shane shook his head. "I-I want Megan … sh-she always comes for me when I have a nightmare. C-Can you … can you wake her up? P-Please?"

A frown tugged at Nokama's mask. "I think your sister's very tired too," she reasoned gently. "What with traveling across the city to find you and then back again. I'm sure she would come to you if she were awake and knew how upset you were, but Megan needs to sleep. So do you."

She regarded the shivering child and felt a pang of worry. "Can you tell me what's wrong? What was your nightmare about? Perhaps I can help."

Shane shuddered, closing his eyes tightly. His breathing came out rocky, and alarm bells went off in Nokama's brain. But instead of an explosion, the boy whispered in a shaking voice, "I-I was s-stuck inside the … th-the pod again."

Nokama inwardly reprimanded herself as she shut her eyes. She had forgotten about the horrors of the previous day, the memories buried under the peaceful environment and a need for sleep. Of course the lad wasn't over it. Neither was she, really. Never before had the unquestionable acts of the Archives stasis tubes ever seemed … questionable. Finding and rescuing Shane from induced slumber had proven a very tense situation.

She returned her attention back to the boy just as Shane's eyes opened and his balled-up form began to shiver some more. "I couldn't get out … I-I couldn't get out no matter how much I yelled and banged on the glass. I … I couldn't … couldn't get out … I-I was trapped!"

The child scrambled from his hiding place under the table and barreled into Nokama, clinging to her like a lifeline and burying his face in her torso, his frame shuddering with each gasping breath. "I-I'm scared!"

For a moment the Toa froze, a little surprised at the sudden ferocity of emotion, and then she was hugging the boy tightly and uttering gentle sounds to try and calm him down. "Shh, now. It's all right."

A low mumble made her look in Matau's direction. He was sprawled front-side down on his mat, face tilted and somehow leaning upward against a cushion in what couldn't be a healthy position. He didn't wake up, though. Shane's cries were semi-muffled with his face hiding in her armor. Nokama cast a look Megan's way, noting that the child stirred a little and whined in her sleep. The Water Toa frowned worriedly. She needed to help Shane calm down while trying to keep the rest of the room from waking. She imagined most of her teammates would be concerned but some might be a little grumpy at being awoken at such early hours of the night. The last thing Shane needed was more tension, especially from grouchy, hard-headed Toa.

Humming gently, Nokama made a decision. She gathered the little boy up in her arms and made for the doorway. Once they had entered the long, pristine hallway of the Coliseum the boy's cries turned into loud sobs and she began soothing him out loud again.

"It's okay, Shane. It's okay. Shh. We were always going to get you out of there, I promise. And we did. You're safe now, little one. It's okay to cry. You just cry, Shane. It'll be all right."

Shane shifted his head enough for Nokama to see tears streaming down his face as he clung to her and cried. The sounds were gut-wrenching and sorrowful, provoking a deep sense of protection from the Water guardian. They boy's frame shook and spasmed with the force of it all and Nokama held him tighter, both hoping for the little storm to pass while also suspecting he needed to get it all out. He probably hadn't processed the events from before enough, too busy with distractions and long journeys back through the island city. At one point Nokama began to hum again, lightly tilting her mask to rest gently against the boy's head of dark hair. She kept walking, the hallway lined with tall windows showcasing a still and serene night sky.

She walked until Shane's cries eventually lessened into whimpers and deep, shaky breaths. He leaned his head on her shoulder, completely tuckered out. Nokama peered closely at the boy in her care, a worried hum escaping her. His face was tear-stained and red, reminding her of a blotchy mask disease Matoran were subject to getting on occasion. But this wasn't illness and it baffled her. Whenua had explained the notion of humans crying to her, but it was such a foreign thing. And a little unsettling to see and hear.

"Are you feeling … a little better, Shane? Maybe just a little?"

Sniffling, Shane nodded. Then he shook his head instead. His little arms tightened their grip on her armor. "J-Just don't let 'em get me."

She hugged him all the more. "No one is going to get you."

"Are you sure?"

"Without question. They would have to get past six Toa Metru in order to do so." Nokama nodded at the grand windows. "Look, see how far away we are from the rest of the city right now, Shane. We're all the way up here, safe and sound. Only those with permission can come up this high in the Coliseum. And most of the world is asleep right now."

She smiled, softly nudging her mask against the boy's head. "Which is what you should be doing, too, little one."

"Not tired," Shane said, a bit of stubbornness making its way into his shaking little voice and it fleetingly reminded her of how his older sister sounded. He was starting to shiver and that just wouldn't do. It was a little concerning how easily affected by a change in temperature these armor-less little beings were. Nokama toted him back to the Sanctuary to fetch a blanket. If she guessed right, they might be able to join Vakama on the balcony for a spell. Perhaps a quiet chat with the Toa of Fire would help Shane's mind relax.

They entered the dimly lit, spacious room again, Nokama moving gracefully and silently, stopping only to select a blanket for her cargo to bundle in, when her gaze swept over a corner of the room and she paused. Nuju slept in a mound of snow shaped slightly like a chair, his Matoran friend Navak conked out on a pallet next to him, but the plush cushion and blankets the two sleepers guarded was empty. Nokama glanced over at the balcony and smiled slowly, hearing the hushed tones of two voices drifting over, one rich and calm, the other chirping and youthful.

"Mind if we join you?" Nokama asked, stepping onto the balcony. Shane shifted in her arms to blink at whoever else might be up in the middle of the night.

Vakama looked up. He was seated on the floor, back to the railing. Little Resa was admiring the vast and plentiful views from the Coliseum at nighttime, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders pooling at her feet. It was sized for a Toa, not a little girl.

The child offered Nokama and Shane a little shrug, grinning. "We were talkin' about stars. Nuju talks TO them but Vakama doesn't know how."

"Not really my field of expertise," Vakama said with a faint laugh. "I did, at least, manage to persuade Resa to let Nuju sleep. I'm sure he'd be all for reading the stars if he's properly rested some other time."

Nokama knelt, taking a seat across from her fellow Toa while she tucked Shane's blanket around his shoulders, but her gaze remained on Vakama. He was much more at ease than she was used to seeing him, but that was usually among the other Toa, during meetings or performing Toa-related duties.

When his lime-flame-colored eyes met her own did she realize she was staring perhaps a little too long. She blushed and quickly turned her attention back to Shane, who remained quiet. "There now. Comfy, little one?"

The boy in her lap shrugged about a little, pulling his arms free from the perhaps too-secure bundle Nokama had him wrapped in. He glanced up at Vakama and pressed a little closer against Nokama, uneasy even under the Fire Toa's gentle gaze. Vakama arched a brow at her, silently asking a question.

"Nightmares," Nokama explained softly.

Vakama nodded with a low hum of understanding. His mask tilted Resa's way. "Homesickness with this one."

Nokama quirked a knowing smile. "And insomnia with you, I imagine."

The crimson Toa actually flushed slightly. "Well, that's normal at this point," he remarked in a quiet, wry voice.

At the same time Resa moved past him, leaning toward the short, Matoran-height railing, only for Vakama to immediately shoot his arm out between the girl and the railing. He slowly herded her back to him, a hint of exasperation on his face as he chuckled, "No, no, I think that's enough time spent at the very edge of an impressive drop."

Resa faced him with a pout. "Why?"

"Because every time you go near it I have a mini heart attack. And I'm tired. So are you."

More pouting, accompanied by a yawn. "Nooo, but I'm not."

She was promptly booped on the nose. "Are too," Vakama smiled knowingly.

Whining softly, the little girl plunked herself down beside him with folded arms, but when the Fire Toa wrapped an arm around her Resa immediately tucked in close, enjoying the warm snuggles. Vakama glanced at Shane, the amusement on his face softening as he noticed the unsettled way the boy looked. "I have nightmares too, Shane," he admitted, gaining the boy's attention. "Almost … well, all the time nowadays."

Shane hesitated before burbling out a question. "What … what do you do to make it better?"

"I … I talk about them sometimes."

Shane buried his face against Nokama.

" … or sometimes I talk about other things so I'm not thinking about the nightmare."

Shane's head turned slowly. He nodded with a small sniffle, shivering as he wiped at his face. "O-Okay, I l-like that idea more."

Vakama smiled softly. "As do I. It's easier to do with friends, too. I've no one to talk to at home which can make it harder to deal with I suppose but never mind that." He glanced down at Resa then to Shane, then finally to Nokama. It made for an endearing little scene, the two elementals seated with the two children, consoling them and finding a moment's peace in doing so. "Now then … what shall we talk about?"

Resa looked up hopefully. "Can you tell a story?"

"I … I think?" the Toa answered awkwardly. "I'm not very good at stories."

Nokama smiled and thought a moment. "Do you miss your time spent as a mask-maker?"

The Toa of Fire's brows arched faintly and his smile turned a little wistful. "I miss the simplicity of my old life that came along with it, yes. It may sound repetitive compared to teaching a variety of subjects, but each mask was different. And … and I did take pride in my work, too. There was once this surly crafter who thought for sure I was using low-grade materials to shorten the time it took …"

As he drifted into his own memories, Nokama glanced to the bundled youth in her care. Shane had settled comfortably, his head leaning beside her heartlight while he listened to Vakama's calm voice. A gentle stillness seemed to have fallen over the balcony as he told his stories of the past, little snippets of his daily life as a mask-maker. She found herself listening with interest. He was so genuine about his past experiences.

Vakama had moved onto explaining about Kanohi reinforcement when Shane's breathing finally became steady, his eyes barely open as he slipped into almost-sleeping. Nokama inwardly said a prayer of gratitude.

Vakama looked down at the girl tucked under his arm. Resa's head was bobbing forward as the child rebelled against the spell of sleepiness. He smiled softly.

"Well, I suppose that's what my stories are good for: lulling my audience to sleep."

"Which I'm grateful for," Nokama whispered. Shane had finally drifted off to dreamland. How different he looked now, his youthful face peaceful in spite of the faint stains where tears had once traced his cheeks. Ever-so-gently, she brushed back some of his hair and the ghost of a smile crossed his face causing her heart to swell.

Vakama scooped Resa into both his arms. "This one's about to fall over," he said, chuckling quietly. Resa fussed a little and murmured something in protest, only to change her mind and snuggle close again. She let out a dreamy sigh and Vakama looked ready to melt. "They really are far too precious. And they trust us," he remarked softly, glancing at Nokama with wonder and worry on his face. "Mata Nui, we'd better get them home safe once this is all over."

Nokama grimaced lightly. Once this is all over. She would much rather not think about the fact they had deduced that the Dark Hunters had a hand in the childrens' appearance in their world, maybe even were looking for them.

"We will, Vakama," she said with gentle conviction. "We will … The future can wait just a little while longer. Right now we need to get these two and ourselves back to bed. We've a lot to do tomorrow. We'll need our rest."

Vakama didn't say anything, but the bittersweet smile on his face told her he didn't think he would be able to fall asleep as easily as the two kids. He carefully made his way back into the room with Nokama behind him, the two Toa returning the two humans to their beds.

Nokama crouched and gently lay Shane down beside his big sister. He'd barely begun to sink into the pillows when the older girl's arm wrapped protectively around him even as she continued to dream. Nokama rearranged their blankets, making sure the kids were tucked in from the chill of the night air. As Shane breathed a soft sigh, she couldn't help herself and reached out to stroke his head.

"Sleep well, Shane."