Author's Note: In this chapter, I've written about the concept that the Toa and Matoran can eat food, which I'm not entirely sure is canon. In my head, I think of their heart lights as a sort of battery that recharges over time, but they can eat food to regain their energy faster. One more chapter before I take a break and start working on the final chapters.

Chapter 18

While Pohatu began to relax, Kopaka was liking this arrangement less and less. The noise level was steadily increasing. The creaking, swaying ground was unsettling. And Le-Matoran kept coming up to him, bringing the noise with them and touching him. The Ko-Matoran never touched him. The Po-Matoran, though they gawked, didn't touch him. He quite honestly never met anyone as tactile as the Le-Matoran. When one particularly excitable Matoran gave Kopaka's leg a full body hug, he decided he'd had enough. He peeled the green leech off and stalked away from the impromptu party on the central platform.

Since all the inhabitants were gathered in one spot, the rest of the village was much quieter and more peaceful. Though darker along the edges, Kopaka chose to sit there and stare out into the dark jungle. His Akaku could only do so much at night, so he laid back and turned his attention to the stars. Nearly falling asleep right there, he heard creaking sounds of movement coming toward him and berated himself for sleeping out in the open in territory he did not know. He grabbed his sword and spun around, crouching. He sat back down when he saw it was only a Matoran.

"I am sorry, great Toa," he apologized, almost shyly. "I did not know you were sleep-resting."

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. And don't touch me.

The Matoran withered a bit at his harsh tone. Kopaka felt a bit sorry as the Le-Matoran stammered a bit before holding something out to him. He looked at the strange item, examining it with his Mask of X-Ray Vision. It was organic; the exterior was very dense but the inside was softer, almost liquid-like. And he had no idea what it was.

"It is an energy fruit," the Matoran explained helpfully, growing bolder when the cold Toa didn't say anything mean again. "I found it in the jungle today, before the Rama got us, and I want you to have it."

Kopaka recognized the Matoran now. It was the one with the wounded shoulder. Taking the offering, he asked, "What does it do?"

"You crack open the hard-shell and eat the soft-core."

"Why?" He was trying not to be rude, but he could not figure out the logic in consuming something like a fire does wood.

"It gives energy-boost," the Le-Matoran said, as though it should be obvious. "Don't you have any food-boosters in Ko-Wahi?"

"No."

"Oh, right, land of ice-cold." The Matoran smacked his forehead, looking embarrassed. He then bowed to the Toa. "Thank you ever-much for saving us, great Toa." He dashed off to rejoin the festivity.

Kopaka looked at the energy fruit and back at the energetic green beings, realization dawning on him. His energy replenished itself given time, and he believed it was the same for all the others too. But if one were to double their energy level with something like this, the result would be a stereotypical Le-Matoran. So that's what's wrong with them, he thought. Then he recalled never seeing Lewa with one of these, yet the vibrant Toa still had boundless energy. Or at least part of it. He decided to keep it. It could come in handy during a long battle.

The party seemed to finally be ending. The noise gradually waned, and the lights went out until only a few remained. Kopaka sought out Lewa. Sleeping out in the open in the dark wasn't an option, and he wanted some rest. The Toa of Stone was falling asleep where he sat, but Lewa was very awake and begging his Turaga to stay up later. The Turaga of Air must have been the one to break up the festivity, stubbornly denying the Toa's pleas.

"No," Matau said again. "Now show your friends where they may rest."

Kopaka found it odd to be referred to as Lewa's "friend" but he did not protest the Turaga's mistake. He settled for glaring at the Toa of Air, silently wishing to be anywhere else.

Lewa looked at the other two Toa as though he had forgotten them. "Sorry-oops, brothers," he apologized guiltily. Then grinning, he threw his arms around their shoulders. "Let me show you a real bed."


When Kopaka woke he didn't know what time it was. Though there were windows in the large hut they got to bunk in, they were shuttered and no light of any kind made its way in the room. Finding the darkness disturbing, he activated his Akaku. Outside, he could see Matoran out and about, so he knew it had to be daytime. He stood up, a bit reluctantly. He would not admit it, but he slept better that night than he could remember. The finely woven beds were stuffed with air-filled pods. Le-Matoran beds were, as Lewa put it, "softness." It dawned on him that this was the first time he actually slept on a real bed.

Kopaka opened all the windows, letting in obnoxiously bright light. They were Toa. They could rest when their destiny was completed. Lewa whined and covered his eyes. Pohatu sat up abruptly, startled awake. He squinted at Kopaka, shielding his eyes with one hand.

"What time is it?" the Toa of Stone asked.

"Time wasted," Kopaka snapped, thoroughly irritated. He hadn't realized how late it was until he saw the sun's position. It was late morning, nearly noon. He grabbed the moaning green Toa and pulled him to his feet. Lewa did not like this wake-up at all.

"What is your problem?" he demanded angrily, slapping Kopaka's hands off.

"We've wasted time and it's your fault."

"Enough, enough," Pohatu squeezed between the two, pushing them apart. "There is nothing wrong with getting enough sleep," he said to Kopaka before turning to Lewa. "And you didn't have to keep us up half the night either," Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, but I really need to get back to my village."

"Is there trouble in Po-Koro?" Lewa asked drowsily, stretching.

"It's that plague. It really has me worried." He looked at the ground for a moment before continuing. "I didn't tell you this before, but Onewa said the illness looks like the infection, the Makuta's sickness."

Lewa gasped. "No. Oh no, that is trouble-bad indeed."

Even Kopaka was troubled by this. "Your people are being infected?"

Pohatu nodded gravely. "Onewa wanted us out of the village because he doesn't know how it's spreading. But I can't help but feel I am needed there, and I don't want to hinder your quest."

"We will all go," Lewa volunteered.

"No, you should stay here, with your people," Pohatu advised. "You yourself said that Rahi have been attacking your village with more boldness."

"It would seem the Makuta is using our unity against us," Kopaka spoke up. "When we are together, we cannot guard the Matoran as we should."

Lewa and Pohatu looked grim and nodded in agreement. "You should go home too, Kopaka," Pohatu said. "You've not heard anything from your village all this time."

Kopaka didn't show it, but that observation shook him. What if something happened while he was off wasting his time with "unity"? What if his villagers had fallen prey to something foul like Pohatu's had? As soon as he was out of sight, he activated his Kakama and dashed home despite the obstacle heavy terrain.