Chapter Five: Sibling Rivalry

The other Toa just stared. Lewa tensed, heartlight beating rapidly. Had he done the right thing by admitting that?

He examined his siblings one by one. Tahu looked blank, eyes wide in surprise. Gali was toeing the line between annoyed, indifferent, and sympathetic. Onua smiled at him and gave thumbs up. Pohatu seemed apologetic, head turned down in shame. Then he looked at Kopaka.

The Toa frowned. Oh no. Kopaka.

Everything was all going to be for naught, just because the ice-spitter didn't believe his brother to be a capable fighter. A snarky comment. A dismissive gesture. Coldness. However he expressed it, Kopaka was going to be annoyed. Somehow.

Unfortunately, Kopaka chose to smile. A slight beam, since the Toa had proclaimed his intentions not to let himself go fully. It didn't matter, though, since he immediately opened his mouth to speak and ruined everything.

"I… can definitely understand, brother."
Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"Yes, I can. He has been constantly belittled and mocked because of his immaturity. It is not fair to him. He wants to change. I know for a fact… because he told me."

"WHAT?"

The Toa shrugged. "How is it so hard to believe?" He thought back to the said moment, in a Karda Nuian stalactite resting from the battle below.

The Phantoka had been recovering after the Makuta had given them and the Av-Matoran a sound trashing when they tried to rescue their shadow brethren. It had been fairly late into the affair, and the Toa were tired (and as a result, much more open about their feelings. Much more than usual, anyway.)

Lewa raised his head up a bit and turned it to his brother. "Y'know, you didn't seem to be giving me and Pohatu much backup sky-below. What was up with that?"

No answer.

"Seriously, ice-brother. I need to learn-know. It's important."

Kopaka raised an eyebrow. "Important? How?"

The Toa squeaked and raised a hand. "Nothing you need to current-know!"

"Lewa."

Lewa sighed. "All right." Obviously a bit uncomfortable with the ragged stone floor, he rolled over. "I-I've been trying to better myself. You know, since you guys always rag on me and all."

"Rag?"

His brother smiled. "Just a bit, yeah. I have a theory as to why, but I doubt you'd listen…"

"I would!" Pohatu called.

"Yes, I'm sure you would," Kopaka mumbled. "Lewa… I do not know why exactly the others would do such, but I am pretty sure it confirms your theory." He sighed. "We think you're a bit inadequate. Childish and immature, unable to fight alongside us, not fit for such a destiny."

Much to Kopaka's surprise, Lewa beamed. "Knew it!" he hissed, pumping his fist. He noticed Kopaka's expression and wrinkled his mouth. "Yeah, I know, you'd thought-expected me to pause disbelievingly and cry in anguish. And I did." His brother raised an eyebrow again. "It was a pain, the first six months or so. The quest for the Great Masks and the Bohrok invasion were the worst applications of our duty, by far." Lewa grinned. "Heh. 'Duty.'"

"Lewa, that is-"

"Childish. Yes. Anything of substance you'd like to add?"

Kopaka frowned. "Go on."

"Thank you." He cleared his throat. "I thought you of all people'd know why it sucked so badly. The way I see it, everyone thought I was being too wild and crazy and hurting everyone's chances of beating Makuta. That is… kind of true, but we did get the masks, right? And 'defeat' the shadow? My thoughts and actions may have been a bit different, but they still got us through in the end."

"They were a bit foolish, you have to admit… but that is otherwise true."

"Hey, buddy, I wasn't too good with vine-swinging back then. Anyone could have made that mistake." Noticing Kopaka's apathetic look, he continued, "The pond? I just hated water. The refusal to work with anyone? I thought I could go alone. That was shown to be not true, but…"

"I do not see how this is relevant to your issue, but continue."

"I had an problem. It was ignored, for a good cause, but I don't see why Tahu didn't even acknowledge it." He hung his head. "It was the worst with the infected mask… Everyone thought I was stupid enough to get everyone killed. Even you." His demeanor quickly changed, though. "But hey, at least I'm talkin' to you right now, right?"

"Yes."

"Come on, ice-brother, you're killing me with your responses." He mimed a dramatic death, shaking and holding a hand to his heart. Kopaka had to smile a bit at that. Only a pixel, though, so as not to ruin his character.

Then Lewa's image changed again. "Then the Bohrok attacked, and the Toa were completely on edge… That would be okay, again, except I think they still didn't trust me not to hurt myself. Not even when I was able to get out…" He bit his lip. "I've told you about the Krana, haven't I?"

"For the sake of the story, no."

His brother let out a snort. "Please, Kopaka, not now." He immediately went back to biting. "The Krana… The Krana was the worst. It preyed on my feelings, using them to destroy everything I loved. Now, I know what you're thinking: 'What about the infected Miru, brother? Didn't it prey on your emotions too, perhaps even more? How could this slime-slug do anything?'"

"It was a Bohrok construct, and was thus being used by Makuta as well?"

"Good guess", Lewa whispered. Then he scowled. "I'll tell you how. The Bahrag wanted me to become one with the swarm. They picked apart my mind and made me feel inhuman. Makuta, while his goals were similar, only wanted me as a pawn, and nothing more. That was why he simply warped my mind rather than allowing me to stay."

Kopaka's eyes widened. "You mean… You were not under control while wearing the infected mask?"

"I was, actually. Just not fully."

Tanma glared at them from his sleeping point. "Who cares? It's a mind controller. Just can it already."

His partner grinned. "Not quite, Tanma… there's still quite a bit left to go. Want to hear some?"

"No thanks. I'm fine right up here in this incision, where I'll be immune to these stupid epics."

"Suit yourself." The Toa turned back to his brother. "It changed my thoughts for the worse… made me think I was a servant of Makuta, made me want to hurt my friends." He offered a small smile. "But that's not important. See, the Krana, on the other hand, changed my actions. Things I could control, rather than couldn't… No, you're right, light-brother, I'm getting off track. I should get to the point." He sighed. "My toa-brothers and sister didn't trust me again… and I had a pretty good reason as to why I had done what I had. They just wouldn't take it, since they thought I was insincere… sorry, I'm not boring you, am I?"

"No. This is invigorating. Keep going."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Seriously. Continue."

Lewa smirked. "Nice to know we're heart-bonding over some crummy Toa-angst." He frowned and continued. "I think the whole Bahrag thing was a factor, too. They thought they would use me as blackmail to ruin everything… thank Mata Nui that didn't happen, but it seemed like a legitimate complaint at the time. At least it was forgotten once the Bohrok-Kal came in… yes, the splitting of the Toa did happen, but that was more… er… your fault then mine. Much-sorry." He coughed to get rid of some dust that had clogged his nose. "Then things were okay, at least until we had to go to Voya Nui. Then I felt foolish again… and then the whole reawakening thing happened. That was all right; but now we're in Karda Nui, and I just heard you complaining to Pohatu about my brush-run with Icarax, and I thought maybe it was an issue again…"

Kopaka smiled. Actually smiled. "Not really, no."

"But I'm waxing rhetoric about nothing in particular… Aren't you disappointed?"

"No. You have been rambling, that is true, but it feels like proper rambling. You have never talked about your feelings this much before, haven't you?"

Lewa grinned sheepishly. "Well… not exactly…"

The icy Toa raised an eyebrow. "Onua?"

"W-what? No… t-that's not…"

"Relax, brother. Your secret is safe with me. Just understand this, in return: you may act like a child, even you know this, but we Toa love you all the same. Your personality and actions would never change this. Some may not show it, but they do have affection for you, somehow or someway."

"Even you?" Kopaka felt an elbow dig into his arms.

"Yes…" he sighed. "Even me. I will rescind it if you continue to hurt me like this, however."

Lewa grinned. "Aww. C'mere, you big pansy." He held out his arms in glee and pulled Kopaka down from his sitting position.

They had begun to get into a big tickle fight, which Kopaka preferred not to remember, adorable as it was; it was not that he didn't want to be seen as a pansy, but that he didn't want specific people to know. The thing wasn't really anything to make a fuss of, but the Toa knew some people would greatly overreact if they found out he had acted like he had.

The others were, again, speechless. Even Lewa. He obviously hadn't expected Kopaka to memorize their talk in such detail. The Ice Toa paused, waiting for some sort of response.

"Heh. Biggest load of crap I've ever heard."

Not the kind of reply he was looking for.

"I'm not going."

"But you must, vestal. The Monastery cannot hold you any longer. You will be free to go off on your own, choose your own fate."

"Excepting the one I've already been given," the first voice mumbled.

Light was falling on the Mother of Solomon Monastery, a central fixture in the village of Azarath. Monks and nuns came here to practice their creed, a refined version of the magic that had become prevalent within the Azari line. The voice, belonging to a girl named Rachel Roth, had been brought to the monastery as a child, after her mother had lost her in a run-in with the Cult of Blood. She frowned at the illicit thought, murmuring some words to push it out of her head.

She had recently turned 14, and as custom, the monks were letting her (more like forcing her) leave, giving her the freedom to travel to any place in the magical realm. If it were up to her, she would have stayed at the Monastery to refine her magic skills and teach them to the young, but alas…

It wasn't really the monks' fault that the decision was so abrubtly made, anyways. They could not take care of her any longer. A sudden influx of refugees from Ankh-Morphok had stretched their duties thin, and as it was she was old enough to fend for herself. Rachel frowned. If only she wasn't being sent off with the curse on her back…

No need to dwell over it now. The other voice, the property of Father Bedlam, a high priest of Azarath, had apparently heard her remark. "Raven!" The girl sighed. She wasn't too fond of the name, but it was tradition to give new practitioners Azarathian names if they hadn't any. "That fate cannot be worried over forever. When it happens, it happens." He sighed. "You must understand: there is more to your life than one simple birthing condition. Having travel privileges will allow you to realize this."

"But Father," Rachel moaned, "what good will that do? I'm not too much of an admirable person as is. Going to other places isn't going to change that."

Father Bedlam smiled, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You have not tried it yet, have you? Trust me, Raven. This will be a great life-changing experience." The smile became a smirk. "I trust you do not know of my own travels?"

Rachel suppressed a grin. "No, Father." (In truth, she had already mind-read him, but that wasn't something she wanted the man to know.)

"Well, I can tell you that they were something to die for." He chuckled. Looking up at the sky, he clapped Rachel on the back, straightened himself up, and began walking to the door. "It appears breakfast will dawn on Azarath soon. You should get going."

"Yes, Father."

The priest turned back to his protégé. "Good luck, my pupil. The worlds beyond Azarath are much to fear, yet they are much to marvel at the same time."

Rachel began packing up her belongings, placing them in a small pocket dimension. She pulled on her charm belt and donned her blue cloak. Gasping in realization, she turned and ran out the door.

Humming an old song to himself, Father Bedlam walked to the Town Hall. "Yes, she will do well, alright. I know it for myself- Ack!"

Raven had charged up to him and was now hugging him, burying her face into the folds of his robe. He smiled and returned the gesture. It was not often that his pupil showed any signs of emotion, and when she did, it was usually something to be proud of. From the looks of it, this was one of these times.

They stayed like that for a few seconds before pulling out. "I am surprised nothing broke that time," the priest smirked.

"Shut up," his friend snapped. "I wasn't in control those times."

"I'm sure you were," he retorted. He held out his hand in a handshake, Raven taking a while to repay him. "I must go 'for real' now, as you young ones say. Farewell, Rachel," he called as he trotted away.

Rachel beamed. "Farewell, Father."

Her moment of happiness quickly dulled. Where was she to go? How was she to get there? The high priests had said she should just imagine any world in the magical realm, but she had no idea what that entailed. Should she visit Hogwarts? Narnia? Lawrencia, even? Her choice had to be a logical one. Something that was realistic while still having fantasy in the foreground. Something that she could look back on later and not fill herself with regret. Something like…

Earth.

Yes. That was brilliant. She knew many of her colleagues had enjoyed seeing places like it, and that her mother had been a fairly regular tourist of some areas… and when the time came for her destiny to be fulfilled, she would not be so attached to it so as to cry herself out over destroying the whole-

No. It would not do to get flustered. Azarath metrion zinthos, she muttered, keeping a nearby light from exploding. The destruction of objects after feeling strong emotions was definitely an aspect of her magic she had to learn to control. It didn't matter much now, but when she got to Earth…

Maybe it would be a problem. Maybe it wouldn't. Either way, she had to go before somebody raised an issue… it would be a great life-changing experience, as Father Bedlam had said. She sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, and focused, a subtle black aura forming around her.

Using a kind of magic like hers was complicated. From what she could tell, her powers could only be messed with when she was completely emotionless, which was why she had worked to repress them (it had alienated the other children, but it was worth it, if only to keep her curse out of the spotlight.) She also had to keep an air of relative concentration and have a good motivation for doing so. Functioning with such rules had been a pain, but to finally get a good grip on them last year had been a great relief.

She thought of the place she was to visit. Earth. Round, green, and… blue? The weather is good. Many people live there, mainly humans. There is a sizable proportion of magic, but most do not pay heed to it. I will need to spawn in a… She paused. Where should she spawn, exactly?

She thought back to her childhood. When she had still been around her mother, the woman had taken her to a bigger town, which she called a city. The place was big, with huge metal towers, winding paved roads, and many mechanical objects. Its aesthetics had pleased Rachel so much it was one of the few good memories of Arella she had kept in her mind.

Yes. A 'city', then. I will spawn in a city… preferably the one I went to as a child. I wish to see the towers and roads again. Take me there.

The aura grew stronger before exploding into bright white light, her eyes flashing open to become the exact same colour. Her mind screamed, unwilling to be warped so easily. Repressing this feeling, she forced herself to be taken to this city on Earth, filled with awe and wonder…

Azarath metrion ZINTHOS!

And then she was gone.

Kopaka just glared at Gali. The Water Toa was behaving significantly out of the norm today. Had she eaten too many Thornax fruits? Was Tahu forcing her to act so strangely? He did not know. Either way, Lewa was right in calling her out.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"You heard me, Toa. It's a load of crap. I know enough of Lewa to understand that he wouldn't tell someone like you anything."

Kopaka scowled. "Despite what I just told you?"

"Yeah yeah," Gali replied, rolling her eyes. "Probably some sappy fluff the poor guy made up to make himself feel better."

That was enough. Lewa was stupid, true, but he didn't deserve to be mocked like this. Nobody did.

"You take that back," he snapped, pointing a finger at his sister.

Pohatu put a hand on his friend's arm. "Kopaka…"

"Sorry, brother. I will not stand for this any longer."

"You wish to incite disunity among us? Even after what you have done before?"

The Toa sighed. "If only to squash the rude, then yes."

Gali scoffed. "Ha, ha, ha. Looks like Stoney's tryin' to protect his friend… ain't going to help you when I can drown you like this." She held up her Nynrah Ghostblaster for emphasis.

Tahu looked at his heartmate wearily. "Gali!" he warned, staring into her mask. "What is up with you today? Are you sure you are well?"

"The Great Ocean did no harm to my psyche, pretty boy," Gali smirked. "If anything did, it would have to be the tidal crabs. Cheeky little piraka who can't seem to figure out when a Toa wants them to let go."

The leader just gaped at her.

"Aw, I'm just jossin' with you," she giggled. "I'm really just calling something to importance. Kopaka should not have insulted the Turaga like that. He knew it was coming and he knew I was going to lash out at him." She leered at her rival.

"Is that so?" he muttered.

"I would think so," Onua replied, seemingly having regained his hearing. "Gali is right, brother. While the Turaga have no place in making our decisions for us, we are not entitled to demean them like this. It disrespects our duty."

"Wouldn't expect you to have an opinion like that, brother," Pohatu noted.

"And I wouldn't expect you to disagree with him," Kopaka scowled.

"Hey! Hasn't it happened before?"

"Name one incidence."

Pohatu frowned, deep in thought. "Uuh… not many that I can remember…"

Gali giggled. "I would've expected that from you."

The Stone Toa frowned at this. Then he leered. Then he smouldered.

"Why, I oughta-" He screamed with rage, hands leaping out to possibly crush his sister. Onua stopped him, though.

"There is no reason to do that, brother."

"She's being stupid! What happened to her whole 'we must stick together' spiel? Mocking and insulting us like this isn't going to help that!"

"But to strangle her in return? Surely there are better methods of calming her?"

"I'll show you 'calming her,'" Pohatu growled.

"Brothers," Lewa called. "No need to worry-fight. This was supposed to be a joy-reunion, like the Chronicler explicitly-"

Oh. Pohatu had tackled Onua to the ground. This wasn't going to end well.

Tahu facepalmed. "Brothers! Lewa is right, on both points." He smiled a bit at his brother. "We should acknowledge him and stop fighting." Frowning when he saw the tacklefest continuing, he trudged up to them, kicking them a bit with his foot, and said, "Immediately. As in now. Right this minute." When it would not even stop with that, he fumed, sword flaring a bit, and finished, "Finish this now or I will be forced to burn you."

A large human squeezed himself into a car. Turning one of his fingers into a key, he quickly turned the ignition and started the car. Breathing hard, he raced down the road he had previously been sprinting along.

The human, a male who for the moment preferred to remain nameless, had just dashed out of his parents' house for reasons he wanted the Chronicler not to explain. It seemed any enlightenment on his character would end up being too offensive, and the male simply wanted to focus on getting out of there. Well, his town, anyway.

It had been a tough road, he reflected. Being a famous sports star and athlete, he had suddenly crashed a car one night and lost most of his body. Desperate to save his son, the male's father had given him cybernetic parts to replace the broken areas. The procedure had worked, but the male and his family had been threatened by many sinister operations as a result, so the cyborg had decided to leave to let his parents feel safe. He mentally slapped himself. Hadn't he told the Chronicler those were the reasons he had told him not to explain? (The Chronicler replied that they were important insights on his character, and leaving them alone would have negatively impacted it, creating a stereotype, which he wished to avoid. The male seemed to be okay with that.)

He pushed down on the acceleration pedal, bioorganic feet speeding up the car even further. A good distance was put between him and his house before he realized: where was he to go? He didn't know of too many places that would accept a biomechanical man. Gotham, Metropolis, Star, Central, Keystone… His organic eye widened in realization. What about Jump?

Yes. Jump City, or Jump as it was usually termed, was well known for being tolerant and even accepting of diverse people. While this aspect often attracted those on the wrong side of the path, they were for the most part taken care of with no problem. Heck, there was a giant science lab and two universities. He had every reason to go there. Even if I don't have that much money, he mused.

Turning onto the nearest highway entrance, Victor Stone grinned in anticipation. Jump it is.

"And what will that do?" Onua hissed. "My brother is obviously too preoccupied with beating me up to care," he let out as Pohatu clocked him in his chest armour.

Lewa covered his mouth with his hands, too anxious to react to anything; then his friend raised a ball of dirt, intending to shut his opponent up. And then he snapped.

"Don't you touch him!" he jeered, throwing himself onto Onua. Blinded by the Air Toa's iron grip, the biomech was not able to control his powers very well and ended up dropping the ball...

All

Over

Gali.

The belligerent did not have much of a response at first, blinking in surprise. Soon she began to twitch, eyes beginning to glow. The damp feeling of mist filled the air. Finally, her body shook uncontrollably, eyes now gleaming a brilliant yellow. The Toa raised an aqua axe and spoke.

"How. DARE. YOU!"

WHUMP.

Gali had also thrown herself into the ring, slashing her axes at Lewa. Jets of water splashed in his eyes, which were soon closed tightly. The room began to grow very humid. Growls and grunts radiated along the walls, floors pounding repeatedly. Waves of water, stone, and dirt flew through the air, threatening to stain the cleanliness that was a Toa Nuva's adaptive armour. Kopaka couldn't take it anymore.

As a wave hit him on his chestplate, he activated his Akaku, searching for some sort of weakness to exploit. An admirable endeavor…

SPLOOSH!

If a glob of dirt hadn't exploded and disabled his eyepiece first.

He groaned, shoulders sagging in defeat. Then he adjusted himself into a battle stance.

"I will not take this debauchery any longer. It is toxic and deplorable." Glaring at Gali, he continued, "I know it has been said much before, but that was the last act of malice. The final straw."

Then he hurled himself onto the Water Toa, and the battle raged once more.

The two shapes Koryand'r had seen before, now clearly identifiable as fellow warriors, were conversing on what seemed to be the proper taming mechanics for a "Scarabax." She giggled softly. The environment may have been new, but its people still acted the same.

Tahu, Toa Mata of Fire, raged. This meeting, or as Lewa termed it, reunion, had not gone as planned. The Toa had intended to catch up on things with his brothers and sister, sit them down, calmly tell Lewa of the Turaga's order, and work on a plan for what to do now that they were all together. Somehow an unscrupulous force had ruined that, and quite wholehandedly too. There was no way he could separate them now, unless he…

Oh no. He was not doing that. His brother would never… He sighed. Screw it. A leader must do whatever it takes to keep his team together, after all.

He slammed his foot down on the floor, dislodging some parts of the floor. Four heads interrupted their banging and turned to him expectantly. The Toa harrumphed for good measure, a fifth turning as well.

This wasn't going to be easy. But he had to.

Tahu walked up to Lewa. Bending down, he reached through the pile of bodies and found that of the emerald Toa. Swallowing hesitantly, he gingerly lifted up his brother's chin until lime-kissed eyes were meeting his dazzling pink ones.

"Tahu? What're you…"

He leant in, keeping his body close to Lewa's. Heartlight flashing rapidly, he flung out his arms and

SLAP.

The sound reverberated everywhere, causing a ringing sensation in everyone's ears. H'ssiah clasped his clawed hands over his head, eyes widening as he realized the noise had not come from any of his buffoons, or troops for that matter, but from a nearby construct. The Lieutenant focused his eyes on the source of the ringing, slits tensing as they worked.

It appeared to have originated in a house. A quaint affair, small in area but having large ceilings. Tiny glazed windows dotted its walls, reflecting images of the squadron. A circular door lay ajar, allowing silence to be heard.

What were these Agori thinking? They had to be insane to let others know of their intermaritial fights like this. ssiah exhaled but quickly inhaled when he realized it could be something else-

The Rutan'gah? Here? It couldn't possibly be. There was no way a pitiful little shack could hold her destructive power.

And yet… The thought appealed to him. The people here were a little dense, yes, but they couldn't be completely stupid. The environment wouldn't allow them to be. If the slave had somehow found an Agori family who welcomed her with open arms, responsive to her plight, they would quickly…

Would quickly…

They would notify their protectors. Glatorian, he writhed. No doubt they would come to their aid, thrusting the army back and eradicating Gordania's chances of gaining standing in the Galactic Coalition. He couldn't allow it. There wasn't even a possibility of it, as the King and Queen had been on his posterior from day one to keep something abnormal from happening. Any missteps would result in his vaporization. No doubt.

H' frowned. This couldn't happen. A Rutan'gah could not escape its captors. Calling on his troops, he marched, then jogged, then literally ran to a dune behind the hut.

Chapter Five!

Comments:

1. The flashback is to 2008, in the middle of Shadows in the Sky (Bionicle Legends #9.) More specifically, it takes place right after the scene where the Toa meet the Shadow Matoran for the first time (I think. I haven't read the book in a while.) Hope it was some nice fluff!

2. Raven and Cyborg! I kept their origin stories reasonably intact but changed some minor things to differentiate the story a bit (I'm not sure if the Azarathians were ever that nice to Raven. That is Arella who she's trying to forget, by the way. Also the Cyborg scene sucks sorry.)

3. The slap scene is pretty much a big shoutout to Green Devil's fics (LIME-KISSED EYES.) They're a bit ridiculous at times, but can get to be quite good.

Read and review!