A/N: Here ya are, darlings, first post of the year!

Duckie - Coyo is emotionally strong, whether she believes it or not. I wasn't sure what happened to her father until I started that scene and, my gosh, my heart. They got more ahead of them, too...*gets you a cup of coffee for the long haul*

Sciencegal - Coyo tries to act better than what she is. She and Mike have that in common. *pats babies*

D - Ah, yes, I know it's a load LOL. Do enjoy! Leo needed this own adventure. :D

CHAPTER 26: COMPLETE

Huitzilopochtli ran a finger over his sister's cheek. It was hot and he glared at the Languu responsible. "You should not have let Coyo—"

'I convinced Coyo to do this, actually,' Zaddir interrupted. Her pinpoint eyes lingered on the two bodies laid unconscious outside Intzalan's entrance, shifting only when Izel huffed.

"Our village is not an option," the skinhead said, "the Elders would want an explanation, even Nenetl."

'And they cannot enter Ihiyoyahualli,' Zaddir added.

Huitzi's eyes narrowed further. "Because you acted without permission."

'We accepted the risks,' Zaddir countered. Her veins of light seemed to glow brighter in the dusk.

"We?"

'Huitzilopochtli, this was our choice. I…I begged them. If we three remained disconnected, if our energy cycle were not complete…'

"Zaddir," Izel said, "I understand how you can fool the Elders. I have done it for years. But the Quizzinteyo? How have you kept them ignorant?"

The Languu stiffened. 'I blocked myself.'

"As in, broke away from the hive?"

'Temporarily.' Zaddir's multi-voice lowered until Huitzi heard little more than his sister's voice. 'I wanted to help. Leonardo's pain was deafening. Like Coyolxauhqui's had once been.'

"Mozallo is dangerous," Huitzi said. "Coyo should have never given you her burdens, and she should have kept Leonardo away."

'I agreed to Coyolxauhqui's plea because her people would rather her loss be weaponized, not eased.'

"Loss is an excellent motivator in war."

'Coyo is not the kind to be motivated by negativity.'

"Kindness in war—"

'Is her way. Why must you force change instead of accentuating what makes her human?"

"Uh"—Izel's voice cut through the tension as she waved—"hi, sorry. But back to our Ayotl and Chieftain. You said they were stuck in their shared consciousness?"

The Languu nodded. 'It is a world built by their memories when they…lost themselves. Mainly by Coyolxauhqui.'

"You lead them there," Huitzi added. "Why not lead them back?"

"Languu are forbidden from entering an unwilling mind, Idiot," Izel said with puckered lips. "A Machixquich should know better."

'He does. Yet he hopes it is a rule, not nature. Forgive me. Their fear has built strong walls. Were I to pry, I risk destroying their minds.'

"Now that concerns you?"

Zaddir met the man's hard stare, her Yolloyo vivid behind her pit eyes.

"What is done is done," Izel cut in. She sighed, sat cross-legged near Leonardo's and Coyolxauhqui's heads, and then stroked both their temples. "They are on their own?"

'Yes,' answered Zaddir. 'Whatever paradise or hell they have created will be theirs to face. And to return, they must connect their psyche without me.'

"Which means what, exactly?"

The Languu shared Izel's frown; Huitzi sensed it. 'They must open up, surrender themselves. Otherwise, they will wander forever.'

How long had Leonardo been staring into space? Just long enough to realize the clouds ran below the Milky Way stars like a foggy sea? Or not long enough that he overlooked the massive tree silhouette that stood out in black against the super-sized moon?

It resembled Huelihca yet grew yards away from the cliff side as if it were weightless in the humid air. On its furthest root sat a small figure. Leo recognized the outline of wild hair instantly and followed the steep path that led to Coyolxauhqui's side.

"Coyo?" he asked. His voice echoed, but against what? Only an empty yellow-purple galaxy surrounded the cliff and tree. "Coyo, are you okay?"

"Coyo sorry," Coyo whispered. "She lost control."

"You aren't the only one. Can I sit?" The tribeswoman remained motionless yet something inside Leo convinced him it was what she wanted. He seated himself beside her, somehow comfortable despite the lack of an ocean below his feet. Or any ground, really; the bottom faded into the fog-clouds. "What is this place?"

"Huelihca."

"No, I mean where are we? What happened after…after…" Leo could recall nothing more than flashes and paralyzing sensations. "Where's Zaddir?"

"I do not know. Our minds pushed her away."

"So we're, what? Trapped in limbo?"

Slowly, Coyo shook her head. "When—when the memories overwhelmed me and Zaddir could not help, I thought of the one place where I felt safest."

"Okay. Then, why am I here?"

"What were your thoughts at the time?"

Leo's eye ridges drew close. That, too, he couldn't recall.

"Maybe I brought you here," Coyo continued. "I"—her fingers gripped her forearms—"I did not want to be alone."

"Yeah," Leo almost laughed, "me either."

The mutant trailed off into a lull that was neither silent nor still. He felt a subtle breeze that left Huelihca's leaves untouched and heard chirps and howls from unseen rainforest animals. He swallowed thickly, focused on the full moon until Coyo grabbed his arm.

"Are you Leo?" she asked. "The real Leo?"

"Last I checked."

"You are speaking Nahuatl."

"I am? Because I hear you speaking English. Just a lot better than before."

"Like with Zaddir."

"Yes."

"Odd."

"You said it." Another lull reigned, broken by Leonardo's sigh. "So, how do we get out? Of this place, I mean. We can't stay. We—we were helping Zaddir. She needs us to complete the cycle, right? I—I—I'd say we're pretty bonded."

"Mozallo means more than being in one another's head. It is about hearts, spirits."

"I don't know what that means." Coyo let out a long breath before straightening, and Leo found her subdued expression unsettling.

"Zaddir once warned that if fear consumed me, my head would prevent my heart from accepting her," she said, solemn. "We—Coyo failed. She disappointed Zaddir. Like she does everyone else."

"Doubt Izel would agree." Leo nudged the tribeswoman with his elbow, although her frown remained.

"Coyo jealous of Leo. She cannot save who matters most. She cannot cure Omipalan or madness. She must watch her family slip away."

"Coyo—" Leo stopped himself. What could he say? It wasn't so bad? That'd be a lie.

"Leo?" Coyo's whisper echoed through the humid air. "You saw everything?"

"Y—yeah. Izel. Huitzi. Your"—Leo cringed—"parents."

"I killed my father."

"You defended yourself. What other options were there?"

"Knock him out? Put him in a safe place? Let Zaddir help."

"He didn't want help."

Coyo glanced aside, eyes downcast at the rolling fog. "Because I could not convince him. Both he and Mantli died so disappointed in me. Teachcauh will be no different."

"Your older brother—"

"Is disappointed. You sense it through Coyo, do you not? Huitzi wishes she were like Mantli. But I am not. I am—"

"Not Tacapantzin, either. You're Coyo. Who says that's a bad thing?"

"Whole tribe. Mostly, Elders."

"Well, they're wrong." Coyo's head jerked towards the mutant so fast she almost hit the hand he placed on her shoulder. When her brows lifted, her eyes met his, their golden irises glossy with tears. "Usually, I'm my own worst enemy," he added. "I tend to bring myself down because I have high standards for myself. And my brothers, at times. That's my cross to bear, the reason I'm in the Amazon. It's been hard these last few months, and to think you took me on when you had this burden already. Coyo"—Leo's hand lifted to the side of the tribeswoman's neck—"you have lost so much yet still smile from the heart. That takes a strength I'm jealous of. Unlike me, you haven't let loss shatter you."

"But it did," Coyo whispered. "If Leo really saw everything, he would know Zaddir helped."

"A wise leader knows when to seek help. Just as you did with the Pesto Chieftain."

"The alliance failed."

"So try again. When you set your mind to something, you don't give up. You didn't with me, and I gave you reason after reason to let me rot."

"Leo was hurting."

"As you have been. And your people. Listen"—Leo's hand lifted higher, his thumb running along Coyo's unsteady jawline—"you're strong. Everyone has a model they aspire to, but you haven't let anyone change you. That isn't selfishness. You haven't abandoned them. And they need you."

"No. They need someone worthy, someone—"

"You don't have to be worthy to help others, just willing...Huh." Leo formed a lopsided smiled, remembering Paige's words. "I was told that once. Think I'm starting to believe it. You should, too."

"I am scared, Leonardo," Coyo spoke in a small voice that thickened the air. "What if they are right? What if I lead the K'ekchi to extinction?"

"You'll never know without trying. And they need you to try because as things are…you'll wind up extinct." He made a fair point; Coyolxauhqui knew it. The tears in her eyes fell as she wrapped her arms around the mutant. He stiffened, his throat swelled tight, yet he wrapped an arm around her waist, careful not to place his hand down too low.

"Coyo sorry," she whispered against his plastron. "Leo has been through terrible things as well. Those Black Lotus monsters."

"We've talked about my problems before," Leo grumbled. "And I get the feeling you'll want to talk about them in full detail. Later. Right now, we need a way to leave."

"I do not know how."

"Zaddir told us. Not with words. It's weird. I—I feel it. One of us is holding back." Leo looked down at where Coyo hid behind dark, curly hair. "My trauma is recent. I've been muddling through it all year. Yours is older. Not much older, but it was shocking living through it again, wasn't it?" The tribeswoman trembled, urging the mutant closer. "I don't blame you for being affected. I'm not disappointed. Okay?"

Coyo made eye contact long enough for Leo to notice their inflamed veins in the moonlight.

"We have to go back," the mutant added.

"To reality."

"Yes."

"Can we wait a while longer?" the tribeswoman croaked.

"Coyo—"

"Please. I want to play a—a—a song with you. Here." Leo watched Coyo pull out her turtle-shaped Ocarina then smiled when her cheeks darkened. "Wi—will Leo sing?"

"Sakura, Sakura?"

"Please?"

"Sure."

Leo released Coyo but remained at her side on Huelihca's root. The first notes of the Ocarina echoed across the starry dreamscape, calling up Allum from the fog's depths. All tension eased from the mutant as he watched their energy leave trails against the yellow-purple galaxy, and that ease translated through his voice as he began to sing.

"Coyo!" Izel touched her best friend first when the Chieftain roused. The curly-haired woman scrunched her face, waving aside Izel. "Are you okay? Did it work? Are you bonded? What was it like?"

"That is too many questions right now, Izel," Leo interjected.

The skinhead spun to face the Ayotl and puffed up, but then a thought struck her. "You are speaking Nahuatl," she said. "Wha—how?"

"Well, I thought I could do it because of that place or..." Leo sat up with a grunt. "How long were we out?"

"The sun will soon rise," added Huitzilopochtli.

"Rise? We slept through the night?"

"You are fortunate you woke at all, Cuamahui."

"Have"—Coyo's voice was soft, almost lost under her brother's sigh—"have you waited all this time?"

"How could I not?" the man replied. His crossed arms made him seem to disprove, yet the tenderness in his gaze betrayed him. Not that his emaciated figure did him any justice. "How do you feel?"

The Chieftain soured. "Like I drank a barrel of Chicha."

"Do not"—Leo gagged—"do not mention that stuff right now."

'You have done it.' Everyone turned towards the Languu who stood at a distance. Her lights had dimmed since twilight faded into dawn and her body barely stood out against Intzalan's entrance.

"You can come closer," Izel told her. "Surely Huitzi's rage has quelled. Right?" The man glared in return. "Oh, stop. This is amazing. Leo and Coyo are the first hu—well, earthlings to share Mozallo."

'The cycle is complete,' Zaddir confirmed. Her multi-voice wavered, much like the white beads that slid through her veins. 'I sense you both as one. Do you?'

The Ayotl and Chieftain shared a look; it spoke volumes of understanding, and they glanced away at the same time.

"Yes," said Leo.

"Can you read each other's minds?" Izel asked.

Coyo spared her best friend a weak smile, although Leo was the one who answered, "No. It is more like sensations, electricity in the brain. Zaddir, is—is this what Nia feels? That empathy she has, is it Mozallo?"

Zaddir brought her chin down slowly. 'Could be.'

"Nia?" Huitzi questioned. "Your brother's woman? Why would she—?"

Leo lifted a hand then brought it to his temple, rubbing it. "Oh, well, turns out that woman is Tacapantzin's daughter. Hers and Ekenni's."

"Their child?"

Izel faced Coyo to confirm, and when the Chieftain grinned sheepishly, the skinhead shook her shoulders. "How could you not tell me? Is she with your aunt? Do you know what happened to her and—?"

"Sorry, Izel; I asked Coyo not to spread the news," Leo said. "Nia is with my family. April brought her to us. Small world, huh?"

"You mean they created a Tlatlaco?" Huitzi spoke with cold anger that left him stiff. "You knew of this, Zaddir?"

'Yes,' answered Zaddir.

"And you have not—"

'She is my Quizzinteyo, Huitzilopochtli. My family.' The man stopped—mid-step, open-mouthed, and staff lowered. Zaddir approached him with haste, lights lingering behind her. 'I have seen her through Leonardo's eyes. She is unlike any Tlatlaco in Languu history. She is strong, balanced.'

"And with my clan to support her, she will stay that way," Leonardo cut in.

'Please,' Zaddir continued, 'keep this secret.'

"She is dangerous," countered Huitzi.

'Anyone can be dangerous, and Nia has overcome adolescence.'

"Has she?"

'She is the first hybrid to subdue her Yolloyo. While I do not condone interspecies procreation, her accomplishment speaks for the future. I see hope for her. So, please. Please.'

Every muscle in the man's face pulled downward, yet when Zaddir grazed his shoulder with invisible fingers, he lowered his head with a growl. "I swear, this group will be what kills me."

'Thank you,' Zaddir whispered.

"Welcome. We should return. I will need one hell of an excuse as to where we have been."

"We will leave that to you," Izel added with a smirk. "And you two"—the skinhead pulled up Coyo alongside Huitzi and Leo—"tell me everything, starting with Nia."