Ora Nui

Chapter 1

Paru had a grim expression as the boat sped towards Ora Nui. It’s been too long, the cloaked Onu-Matoran thought to himself. Too many years have passed since that day. He pulled a rope on the sail of his small boat; he was getting close to the shore. Pulling out his oars, he paddled the rest of the way to the island, docking his boat by a rock on a sandy beach. Well, there’s no turning back now, he thought as he walked across the shore, his cape billowing slightly behind him.

* * *

Ahi was slightly nervous as he walked to Kape’s house. He’d been fine on the Ussal ride to Ga-Wohe, but now that he was almost at her hut, he was becoming uncomfortably warm: something unusual for a Ta-Matoran. Get a hold of yourself, he thought. You’ve seen her a billion times. You’re best friends! …even if you sometimes want to be more than just friends… He scolded himself: he knew that the Ga-Matoran would never like him that way, despite how long they’d known each other. I wonder if she ever thinks about how things used to be, he thought. All those years ago… us, Hiko, Mita, Pakohe, and… and… But Ahi couldn’t bring himself to think the other names; the memories were too painful. Shaking his head, trying to get the conflicting thoughts out, he continued walking toward Kape’s home in the rainforests of Ga-Wohe.

* * *

The gleaming lightning rod towers shone against the cloudy skyline of Al-Wohe, the lightning region, as they always did. And, as always, Hiko was at her workstation in one of the buildings connected to one of the many towers. Her job was simple: make sure that the base of her assigned lightning rod tower was connected to what needed to be charged, which was almost always lightcrystals: made from a material easily mined on Ora Nui, and expertly carved by Po-Matoran, these clear stones would conduct a current from the outside to their center, but not the other way around, leaving a sparking light in the middle of the crystal. However, charging them with said current was slightly trickier: if undercharged, the light wouldn’t be visible, but if overcharged, they would burst, shattering into hundreds of sharp fragments. Over the years, however, Hiko had become talented at knowing when to attach and detach lightcrystals from the metal of the tower, and, in recent weeks, had found herself reminiscing about older days: back when she had been able to do something exciting, and always challenging. I wonder if the others ever think about it, she wondered, walking over to the tower to double-check that the current crystals’ cords were firmly attached (they were). If things hadn’t gone wrong –so wrong, at the end –the team might have wound up different. Looking up at the sky, and deciding that, though it was stormy (as always) overhead, it didn’t look like lightning would be striking her tower particularly soon. “Hey, Rila, keep an eye on this for me, will you?” she asked her partner (assistant) at the tower.

“Well, okay,” Rila replied, “But be back soo-” but Hiko was already out the door, off to visit an old friend.

* * *

Silent. That’s what it was like in De-Wohe: complete and utter silence. Occasionally, there were whispers, but these usually resulted in so much more whispering and murmuring that they were generally avoided. Noise was painful. No De-Matoran liked noise. No De-Matoran, that is, except for Mita. A skilled inventor, he had, years ago, with the help of a couple other Matoran, impressively modified his mask: it now had pieces positioned over the ears, which, when activated, dramatically reduced the level of noise coming in. Though, while that was nice all those years ago, Mita thought, it’s not exactly handy now, since nobody says anything. The only time that it’s at all useful these days is when there’s some kind of avalanche or somesuch in Po-Wohe or Onu-Wohe. Neighboring De-Wohe, the regions of stone and earth provided one real benefit to the De-Matoran: seclusion. Split off from the rest of Ora Nui by the piles of rubble over Onu-Wohe, as well as the mountain ridge that led to Po-Wohe, almost no noise makes it into the region of sound. Or, as it should be called, the region of silence, Mita thought bitterly. I can’t even leave that often, because the noise that I create just walking out of the village and crossing the mountain ridge is too much for my fellows. He looked around at the gray-armored Matoran around him, all sitting still, some quietly sliding a perfectly smooth lightcrystal between their hands, though this activity received negative glances from their neighbors. That’s it, Mita decided. I’m leaving. With that, he got to his feet, walking quietly to the gates of the village, though perhaps with just enough noise that those nearby him grabbed their hands to their ears. I’m going to go see someone who I can actually talk to, Mita thought. After all, what’s the point of intelligence if you can’t share it? And with that, he left the village, beginning the trek through the rocky mountains separating him from the rest of civilization.

* * *

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. That was all Pakohe could hear while he was carving, and he liked it that way. He enjoyed the seclusion of the mountains, because it let him focus on one thing, and one thing only: his work. He was currently working on his newest masterpiece: a statue of –well, it didn’t have to be a specific thing in order to be good, did it? No, Pakohe thought. Everyone will appreciate it despite –no, because of its abstractness! He let the end of his large carving hammer fall into his hand. Well, they’d better, anyway. He went back to pounding the rock, shaping it into what he saw fit. In the past, he’d done some work carving lightcrystals, but, as may have been expected by some of the other Po-Matoran, Pakohe’s blows were too… vigorous for the delicate work of carving the jewels. Hmph. Like I need to be a prissy crystal-carver to make a living, he thought to himself, as he continued to pound on the pillar of rock in front of him. Back in the day, they valued me for my strength. Hiko, Ahi, and the others… I was useful then. He paused his pounding, looking up at the rock. But I’m still useful now, right? Sighing, he resumed his work. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

* * *

Kape was swinging through the rainforests on the way back to her house. That’s right, swinging. She hadn’t gotten out her old grappling hook in a long time, but recently, she’d felt inclined to take it out of its dusty box in the corner. I’ve gotten a little rusty, she thought as she fell out of a tree for the fourth time that day. Then again, it’s certainly been a while since the days when I used to use it. After another few swings, and a fifth drop to the ground, she stowed the tool on her back and walked the short distance back to her house, close the edges of the forest and the Ga-Wohe Lake; it didn’t take long before she was back at her door. After pulling aside the woven curtain of grasses and reeds, she stepped inside, looking around at the familiar site of her small hut. On the left was her hammock, with a lightcrystal hanging above it that served the purpose of lighting the whole hutch; on the right, attached to the reinforced southern wall, was a water tank, which was fed by a gutter which encircled the roof outside of the house: a simple, efficient design, in almost every way the same as the huts used by Matoran across the island. After stepping inside, she headed for the back of her small home, where there was a metal box that housed most of her possessions. Taking her grapple, she was about to place it back in the metal rectangle when something caught her eye: a Kanohi mask, half-buried at the bottom of the box. Oh my, she thought, turning her face away from the old mask. I wasn’t expecting to have to remember that when I got out this old thing. Looking at the grappling hook, she was about to look back into the box when there was a noise outside her door. Shutting the box quickly, and stowing the weapon on her back, she walked to the doorway, intent on identifying the noise, almost like metal on metal. Is that… fighting? Who could be fighting around here these days? She thought, as she pulled aside the curtain and gasped.

Chapter 2

Before long, Paru came to a forest- a rainforest, really, with so much moisture. Using his long, thin staff, he pushed the occasional vine, bush, or branch aside, wiping condensed water off of his Hau with his free hand. I remember these trees well, he thought, though not as well as I’d like. After a while walking through the crowded, humid forestation, as well as hiding in the shadows from a couple Ga-Matoran, Paru arrived at his destination: the collection of small hutches that served as the main village area of Ga-Wohe. Though he had to duck behind a few trees and huts in order not to be seen, it wasn’t difficult for someone with his experience in not wanting to show himself. With agility uncommon for an Onu-Matoran, Paru quickly reached the specific hut he was looking for.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Ahi to reach Ga-Wohe’s central lake; he knew the way well after visiting Kape so many times. When he was almost at her house, however, his trip was interrupted by the sudden approach of a frightened-looking Ga-Matoran. “Hey, Ahi,” she said in a slightly worried tone. “You haven’t seen anything… odd around, have you?”

“What kind of odd, Pata?” Ahi asked. “Is the river not flowing correctly? Or have the lightcrystals from Al-Wohe not arrived?”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just, I saw a… shadow in the forest. It’s probably no big deal, but… well, it didn’t look like a rahi, and, I mean, you’re a former protector of the island! I was on my way to get Kape, but I when I saw you I thought that, well, if she was coming, then you’d want to too…”

Ahi was slightly embarrassed by Pata’s comment, but covered it quickly. “Well, I suppose Kape and I can take a look at it,” he said. “Though it’s probably nothing to worry about. Mata Nui knows, nothing dangerous has happened here in a long time.” Resuming his walk toward Kape’s hut, he turned toward Pata, asking “So, just where was the –” when, suddenly, he stopped, shocked by what he saw before him.

* * *

Hiko didn’t have much in the way of patience. She wanted things as quickly as possible, and in her opinion, anything that wasn’t fast enough wasn’t enough wasn’t worth it. As such, when she went to visit someone in another village, she usually chose Po-Wohe, where Pakohe lived. It was close, and it was easy to hitch a ride on one of the carts riding there to pick up uncharged lightcrystals. Today, however, the cart had left just before she arrived at the Al-Wohe loading station, maybe a minute before she got there. No big deal, she thought. It won’t be too hard to catch up. Breaking into a sprint, she started dashing down the dirt road, the lines from the wagon’s wheels still visible on the path. This is nice, she thought as she flew past the other Al-Matoran, her dagger swinging on her waist and the wind on her Kanohi Huna. Reminds me of the old days, when my speed was an asset rather than a convenience. Before long she had caught up to the wagon, and the driver, Mana, who was used to Hiko hitching a ride, pulled over to let her on. “Headed to see Pakohe again?” Mana asked.

“Yeah,” Hiko replied, hopping in next to the other Al-Matoran. “I might have visited Ahi, but he’s probably with Kape. And Mita and Kape –”

“Are too far away, I know,” interrupted Mana, who had started up the Ussals pulling the wagon again. “Hiko, you really need to learn to pause now and then, be willing to take the longer path, in order to find the better solution.”

Like you’ve said a hundred times, Hiko thought, but what she actually said was “Yeah, I guess. So, how soon will we arrive in Po-Wohe?”

Mana sighed, shaking her head. “Soon enough, Hiko. Soon enough.”

* * *

Mita had been hiking for a while, though he didn’t feel like it had been that long. He was enjoying the scenery, taking a shot at a tree or two with his bow, and in general enjoying the subtle noises of the world outside De-Wohe: the birds chirping, the clanking of his feet on the rocks, the stream that ran from the mountains to Ga-Wohe gurgling. He was about halfway through the mountains to Po-Wohe when he heard another, more familiar sound: the faint clanging of metal on stone. Turning his sound-filtering devices down, he followed the sound, turning the earpieces back up steadily until he reached the peak of one of the mountains, where he saw what he had expected: his old friend, Pakohe, hammering away at a pillar of rock. “What are you working on now, Pakohe?” Mita asked politely, walking up next to the Po-Matoran.

Pakohe, slightly startled, exclaimed “What?!” Brandishing his hammer, he turned to face Mita, saying “Who are –oh, it’s just you, Mita.” He let his hand fall to his side, and glanced back at the rock he was carving. “This thing? It’s just my newest masterpiece,” he said proudly, clearly glad to have someone to show his half-finished creation to.

“Eh… I see,” Mita answered, as he looked at the boulder behind Pakohe. I suppose it’s certainly interesting, in an abstract sort of way. “It’s, um, it has a nice shape, Pakohe,” he commented.

“It does; thank you,” Pakohe answered, sounding slightly full of himself. Turning back to his work, he asked “So, what brings you here, ‘Professor’?”

“Oh, just wanting to visit an old friend,” Mita replied, still, as always, slightly annoyed by Pakohe’s nickname for him. Sitting down, he said, “Tell me, Pakohe… Do you ever think about the old days? With Ahi, and Hiko, and Kape, and P –”

“Don’t say that name,” Pakohe interrupted, momentarily forgetting his carving. “Don’t you dare say that name.”

“But Pakohe, he saved the island –”

“He betrayed us,” Pakohe said, looking at Mita with an expression of intense displeasure on his Kanohi Rode. “We were heroes. We protected the island. We were important to Ora Nui’s people, and he split up the team and he left. Went to work as a Hunter, doing whatever gets him the biggest paycheck.”

“He only did what he believed was right,” Mita said, standing up and looking the Matoran of Stone in the eye. “If that were a crime, then we would all have been in the wrong those many years ago, would we not, Pakohe?”

“Hmph,” was Pakohe’s only reply, and he turned to start working again. Mita sighed, turning to look out on the wide expanse of Ora Nui that was visible from the mountaintop: he could see the twin rivers, one of lava and one of water, flowing to the villages of Fire and Water. He could see the beginnings of the barren, mountainous and rubble-filled area that was the surface of Onu-Wohe. He could see the glorious lightning rod towers of Al-Wohe, forged in the flames of Ta-Wohe, and was that –yes, there was even a caravan visible traveling toward Po-Wohe from the Lightning Region.

“Wait,” Mita said, looking more closely at the wagon. Watching it, he saw it stop on its way to the main village area and drop off a passenger, who started running in the direction of the mountain he and Pakohe were on. Turning to the Po-Matoran, who had gone back to carving, the Matoran of Sonics said “Well, what do you know. It looks like you’ve got two visitors in one day, friend. Come on, let’s go greet her.”

* * *

Pakohe was slightly bothered by having to interrupt his work, but he supposed that he should go down the mountain to see Hiko. Leaving his chisel by the statue, but keeping his hammer in hand, he followed Mita down the short mountain to meet up with the Al-Matoran. It’s the first time I’ve talked to more than one of the old team members at once, Pakohe thought to himself as he and the ‘Professor,’ as Pakohe liked to call him, worked their way down the mountain. With Pakohe’s strength, Mita’s nimbleness, and Hiko’s speed, it wasn’t particularly long before they all met up near the bottom of the mountain. “So,” Pakohe said, “this is a coincidence. Two visitors in one day; who knew I was so popular?”

“What are you doing here, Hiko?” Mita asked friendlily. “Coming to visit Pakohe, like I was?”

“Yeah,” Hiko answered, looking somewhat pleased that there was someone else to talk to, though slightly awkward because of almost half of the old group being back together. “Kind of weird that we both visited at once, huh?” she added.

“I suppose,” Mita said. “Though, if you take into account the number of times –”

“Yeah, yeah, we don’t need the math lesson, Professor,” Pakohe interrupted. “Tell ya what, why don’t we go visit Ahi and Kape? I’ll bet you my newest sculpture that Ahi’s in Ga-Wohe visiting her. We can have a whole reunion.”

“That doesn’t sound half-bad,” Mita said, still somewhat annoyed by Pakohe’s interruption of his statistical analysis. “What do you say, Hiko? If we take a boat down the river, it won’t be that long to reach Ga-Wohe.”

“Well…” Hiko, said, sounding unsure. “I guess. You’re sure the ride won’t be that long?”

“Of course not. Now come on, Sparky,” Pakohe said. “The longer we spend standing here, the longer it’ll be till we’re in the Water village.”

* * *

Kape was shocked by what she saw outside of her hut. In front of the shining blue of the Ga-Wohe lake, two Matoran were fighting –yes, fighting! But that wasn’t the worst of it: the two Matoran were people she knew well, very well. The first, spinning his flame rod and occasionally firing a small burst of fire from it, was Ahi, which would have been bad enough, if it weren’t for who the second Matoran was. Clad in pitch-black armor, and deftly countering Ahi’s blows with staff and shield, was… Oh Mata Nui, Kape thought. It’s Paru.

Chapter 3

Paru’s staff clanged as it clashed repeatedly against Ahi’s flame rod –a small, flame-tipped stick mainly used for forging. Ahi’s, however, had been modified to be able to shoot small bursts of fire, something that, despite his ability to block all of them with his shield, was starting to annoy Paru. As such, he decided to go ahead and end the battle quickly: Ahi’s not a bad fighter, but he’s lost his touch over the years, the Onu-Matoran thought as he knocked the burning staff from Ahi’s hand. The years that I’ve spent fighting. He flicked a small switch on the handle of his staff, causing a section of the shaft to fold against the two-pronged tip of the weapon.

“New trick,” Ahi commented, reaching out to grab his flame rod. “Where’d you get th–” But before he could finish, Paru pointed the staff directly at Ahi’s chest, the now-three-ended tip beginning to spark with energy. “Now,” Paru said calmly, “can we just calm down and –” when, suddenly, he felt a sharp yank on his arm.

* * *

Ahi knew he was done for. When he saw Paru outside Kape’s hut, he had been utterly shocked by the Onu-Matoran’s return –no, not just shocked, but horrified. What is he doing back here? And what is he doing, of all places, outside Kape’s place? He’d thought, and, without taking a moment to consider, he’d leapt in front of Paru, holding his flame rod in front of him. Then, well, one thing led to another, and before long Ahi found himself at the end of an energy-blast staff ready to fire. Well, this is it, he’d thought. I’m done. And I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Kape… When, out of the blue, three things happened very quickly: first, he saw a glint of blue and silver metal out of the corner of his eye, which hit Paru’s arm. Second, Paru’s staff-holding arm was yanked aside by a chain and hook, pulling his staff out of Ahi’s face. And, third, he saw just what was at the other end of the chain. Kape! He thought happily, pleased both that she had saved his life and simply that he got to see her. Then, snapping out of his momentary distraction, Ahi grabbed his short staff off of the ground and turned back around to help Kape, only to be startled by what he saw before him: in the two seconds that he’d had his back turned, the scene had changed from Kape, grappling hook attached to Paru’s arm, to Paru, the chain of Kape’s grapple wrapped around his staff, knocking Kape to the ground with his shield. Infuriated, Ahi ran up to Paru, ready to hit him with a blast of flame, when the black-armored Matoran’s shield suddenly swung upwards, connecting hard with Ahi’s Pehkui.

When he woke up, Ahi saw Kape standing over him, to his delight. He heard her talking to him, saying “–hi? Are you okay? When Paru hit you, I wasn’t sure if–” and, suddenly, it all came rushing back to him: Paru, the fight, Kape’s arrival, getting hit… He sat up quickly, brandishing his flame rod.

“Okay, where is that traitor? I swear, I’ll, I’ll–”

“You’ll do nothing, Ahi,” a voice said from behind the Ta-Matoran. Paru’s voice.

Ahi leapt to his feet, whipping around to face Paru. “And who are you to–” but a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Ahi, I’m sorry, but he’s right,” Kape said, gently squeezing Ahi’s shoulder and, despite the situation, sending a tingle up his spine. “Listen to him; you need to hear what he has to say, what he told me while you were out.”

“What?!” Ahi exclaimed. “Kape, this is the guy who betrayed us! Who–”

“Who saved this island,” Paru interrupted, stepping directly in front of Ahi. “’This’ is the Matoran who saw where things were going and acted accordingly. ‘THIS’ is the one who has risked his life in at least three different ways just so that he could come back and save this island again!”

Ahi stumbled backwards, startled by Paru’s ferocity. “What are you talking about, ‘saving the island’?” he asked, coming out somewhat less skeptical than he intended.

“I will explain to everyone once we meet up with the others,” Paru replied, stepping away from Ahi and starting to walk up the riverbank towards Po-Wohe. “Now come. We must reach them as soon as possible.”

Ahi was about to launch into another outburst when Kape gave him a look. Not a harsh glare, but more of a plea: as if to say ‘Let’s just follow this through.’ Sighing, Ahi thought, Well, I suppose following is the only way I’ll figure out what this is all about. And with that, he followed after Paru, Kape walking next to him. “Oh, and Ahi,” Paru said, not looking at the Ta-Matoran as he continued walking. “You asked about my staff’s modification, correct? Well, let’s just say that the Dark Hunters like to… improve their members, or their weapons, before putting them to work.”

* * *

Hiko was bored. Very bored. Though she’d had some fun talking to Mita and Pakohe for a while, she’d talked to the latter a lot recently, and as for the De-Matoran, well… math and scenery were interesting, but not that interesting. So she sat, leaning over the edge of their small boat, and waiting impatiently for their party to arrive at Ga-Wohe. Well, at least it’s better than sitting around at the charging station, she thought to herself. She looked over at her two companions: Pakohe was sitting near the stern, banging two small rocks together in his hands, accompanied by the occasional curse when one broke in the wrong way or one of his fingers was caught between them. Mita, meanwhile, was simply sitting. Just sitting, occasionally looking out at the scenery. How can he stand that? Hiko thought, staring at him while she fiddled with her dagger. Just sitting there, doing nothing… Mata Nui, I’m getting bored just looking at him.

Then, a while after she’d gone back to looking over the edge of the boat, and just when she’d begun wondering if she might actually die of boredom, she saw something on the bank of the river: three Matoran, one blue, one red, and one so black that he was hardly noticeable. Looking more closely, she realized that she recognized them: Kape, Ahi, and… Oh geez, she thought to herself. No, it can’t be him. He can’t be back. Can he? Then, realizing what this meant, she turned to the others in the boat: “Pakohe, Mita, looks like we’ll be able to cut this ride short: our destination’s come to us.”

“Huh?” Pakohe said, looking up. “Oh! Wonder what they’re doin’ all the way up here.”

“I don’t know,” Hiko replied, “but it’s probably not good news: look who’s with them.” Then, she realized that they were in a predicament of their own. How are we going to stop the boat in the middle of this current? She thought frantically. Turning to face Mita, she was about to pose this question to him, when suddenly she ducked, something thin and fast flying over her head. She turned quickly to see an arrow, with a sharp ‘THUNK,’ embed itself in a tree on the riverbank. Not only that, she realized, there’s a rope tied to the arrow! Following the rope with her gaze, she realized that Mita was holding the other end of it in one hand, his bow in the other.

“I’ve kept a habit of practicing from time to time,” he said. “But I’m not strong enough to pull this thing over by myself. Pakohe, Hiko, please grab hold and pull. Quickly, if you don’t mind.”

Hiko immediately ran over and grabbed hold of the rope, Pakohe directly in front of her. However, she was confused by an apparent flaw in Mita’s plan, something that didn’t happen often: Won’t the arrow just come out of the tree? However, as she pulled the rope as hard as she could, her unasked question answered itself; Paru, followed by Ahi and Kape, took hold of the other end of the rope, and began pulling as well. Before long, though with a large amount of effort, the boat was at the shore, where they tied it off to a rock and climbed out.

* * *

Mita was pleased with his quickly-thought of method of stopping the boat, though not extremely pleased. It was really a rather simple solution, he thought. Then, looking over at the Matoran whom Hiko had spotted from the shore, Mita thought, Well, this should be interesting. I’ll admit that I never thought he’d return, after his decision. Reminiscing, Mita’s thoughts took him back, back, to when their group was first created:

“So, it’s agreed,” Paru said, clearly pleased. “In the absence of a Toa team for so many years, we seven Matoran will act as defenders of Ora Nui.” With this statement, he held his hand out into the middle of the circle.

“That sounds good to me,” Ahi answered, resting his hand on top of Paru’s. “No one can argue that we’re not good at it, after taking down that rahi. If we hadn’t intervened, who knows what would have happened to Ga-Wohe.”

“I feel the same,” Kape said, placing her hand in the pile, to Ahi’s apparent, if slightly hidden, pleasure. “This island has been without heroes for too long.”

One by one, the rest put their hands on the pile: Hiko, Mita, Pakohe, and… and Iku. Iku, in her blue armor, with her rippling sword sheathed on her back, looking proud of defending her home village.

Fast-forward to a number of years later, after the seven Matoran had become the island’s official protectors, having defended it from dangers both inside and out: the latter being mostly Dark Hunters and the like, after Ora Nui’s resources. Though they’d gotten help from other Matoran on occasion, the core seven stayed as Ora Nui’s heroes. This time, however, things weren’t going well. Dekarak, a particularly vicious, three-headed Dark Hunter, was giving them a lot of trouble: Ahi was already down, and the others were getting worn out. His powers and strength are capable of blocking all of our attacks, Mita thought as he fired a volley of sticks at the Hunter; he’d long ago run out of arrows. But there must be some way we can stop him! Dekarak, however, seemed to think otherwise. After effortlessly knocking aside the sticks from Mita’s bow, he proceeded to use his power –seamlessly converting his body into water– and swept over Pakohe and Kape like a miniature flood. No! Mita thought, trying desperately to think of a plan. Pressed for time, and unable to think of anything fancy, he settled for one of Pakohe’s methods: with his arms and bow in front of him, he charged directly at Dekarak, who was just returning to his solid form. Dekarak, however, didn’t seem threatened. Lifting his foot, he brought it down hard directly on top of Mita –or, at least, where Mita was a second ago. Using his notoriously impressive agility, Mita had dove out of the way at the last second, leaving the Dark Hunter’s foot to stomp a hole in the empty ground. Taking advantage of the distraction, Iku, sword in hand, jumped at Dekarak’s side, hoping to take him by surprise. There’s just one problem with that: it’s difficult to sneak up on someone who has three heads. Seeing Iku easily from his left head, the enormous blue behemoth grabbed her by the throat, causing her to drop her sword. “No!” Mita shouted, readying a stick to fire at Dekarak’s wrist, only to be kicked away by the Dark Hunter himself.

“Now, it’s time for you pesky Matoran to learn why you don’t get in the way of the Shadowed One,” Dekarak’s left head snarled, looking directly at the struggling Iku in his left hand. Then, raising the energy cannon mounted on his right forearm, he blasted the Ga-Matoran in a miniature explosion of light and flame. Mita watched from the ground as Kape and Pakohe, who seemed to have recovered somewhat from Dekarak’s tidal wave, watched horror-stricken as the blue Hunter burned Iku to a crisp.

“Stop it, you monster!” Kape shouted, firing her grappling hook at Dekarak’s arm.

“You want me to cool her down?” his right head hissed at her. “Fine, have it your way, then.” And with that, he transmuted into water again, the grapple slipping through his arm, and tackled Iku –or what was left of her– head on, making a tremendous SPLASH. Pakohe tried, in vain, to hammer at Dekarak’s watery form, but stopped, staring, when he saw Iku’s remains: nothing more than a pile of ash, char, and unrecognizably bent metal, topped with a slightly disfigured blue Akaku. Kape, in a fit of rage, started hitting Dekarak with her grapple, though it didn’t do much to his liquidized self. As his heads reformed, he laughed, a harsh, rasping sound, and his almost-solid hand reached out for Kape. Mita tried with all his might to get up, but to no avail; he was too injured and exhausted. He watched, unable to look away, as Dekarak’s almost-solid hands reached out for Pakohe and Kape… when, suddenly, the Hunter paused. Then, with a sound almost too horrible to describe, he let out a scream of pain, doubling over and grabbing his chest. Looking more closely, Mita saw something silver and black on Dekarak’s chest that hadn’t been there before. Then, putting the pieces together in his head, he turned his gaze upward, looking at the short form standing atop the fallen Dark Hunter: Paru, his staff inside Dekarak’s torso, placed there while he was liquefied. After this, however, the combined shock and pain finally overcame Mita, and he blacked out.

His friends had good news and bad news for him when he awoke: the good news was that Dekarak was defeated, thanks to Paru’s ploy of hiding in the shadows until the time was right, in order to surprise their foe. The bad news, however, outweighed this in Mita’s opinion: one of their beloved teammates, Iku, was dead. I had hoped it was a nightmare, he thought, a dread vision incurred by my weariness during the battle. But no. After conducting a funeral service, which it seemed the entire island attended, it was decided that Kape would keep Iku’s Kanohi: she was, after all, the one who had been closest to her, living in the same village. Thought Kape didn’t want the reminder of her friend’s death around her house any more than her teammates did, she agreed to take it. However, Paru seemed the most shaken by her death: not speaking to anyone (even more so than usual), spending more and more time in the reclusive corners of the Onu-Wohe caves and tunnels, and, on occasion, Ahi informed Mita that he’d found the Onu-Matoran crying, as hard as that was to believe. Mita thought he understood, though: He started this team. He brought us together, thinking it was a good idea. Now he feels that he’s made a terrible mistake.

The De-Matoran’s thoughts returned to the present, where Paru was beginning to explain his return to the rest of them. And now, he thought to himself, he seems to want to make it again.

* * *

Pakohe was angry. Not just ‘broken-sculpture’ angry, either. He was really angry. That guy thinks that, after all these years, he can just come back? After making a deal with the Dark Hunters, after splitting up the group and leaving us? Stepping right up to Paru, he asked harshly “What are you doing here? Back to beg forgiveness? Or were you sent here to attack th–” before he could finish, however, Paru delivered a hard slap to his mask.

“I advise you be quiet about things you don’t know, Pakohe,” Paru said, in a calm but slightly angry tone. “Now, will you be silent long enough for me to explain the dire circumstances that brought about my return?”

Pakohe just looked at him for a few seconds, then reluctantly nodded, stepping back to stand next to Mita and Hiko. “Go ahead, ‘Boss’,” he said sarcastically, while thinking This had better be good.

“Good,” Paru answered. Then, looking around at the circle of Matoran around him, he said “I would spend more time greeting you all, but I must explain to you, as quickly as possible, what brought me here.” Taking a deep breath, he began: “As you all know, the last time I was here, I made a deal with the Shadowed One: I would work for him, and in exchange, he would no longer attack the island.”

“Yeah, yeah, we all remember it,” Pakohe interrupted, stopping when he got a sharp glare from Paru.

“Yes, continuing,” the Onu-Matoran went on, “I’ll admit that I’ve served him for many years. But recently, I heard word of something terrible: he plans to break his word.”

“Ain’t that a surprise,” Pakohe mumbled.

* * *

Kape was trying to listen to Paru, but it was hard. After all, she already knew what he was going to say. He’d explained it all to her while they were waiting for Ahi to come to earlier. And, as unusual, even life-altering, as it was for Paru to risk his life returning here, back to stop the Dark Hunters from attacking the island, just like old times, what interested her most was what they were after: not lightcrystals, not protodermis, not any of the things they’d been after in the past. No, they were after something that Kape would never have suspected, because, as it turned out, the Shadowed One knew something about her island that she didn’t. Something that changed things dramatically. There was an Av-Matoran on Ora Nui.

Chapter 4

“The Shadowed One is after something big: otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered going back into conflict with our island. It took some significant effort, but I’ve discovered what’s caused him to direct his sights this way again. Believe it or not, there is an Av-Matoran on Ora Nui.” Those were the words Paru had just said. He was beginning to regret them.

“What??” Ahi said, shocked. “You’re saying that here, on our little island of all places, is a Matoran of Light?”

“Yeah, right,” was Pakohe’s skeptical answer. “Like there’d be someone like that in a place like this. Av-Matoran are just a fairytale, anyway. Y’ask me, he’s just back to lead the Dark Hunters here!” he said, pointing his hammer at Paru.

For once, Hiko was perfectly still. Snapping out of her reverie, however, she said “Don’t leap to conclusions, Pakohe. After all… Paru did leave us, but… has he ever been wrong about something?”

The response Paru was waiting for, however, was Mita’s; he watched as the De-Matoran stood there, simply thinking. His opinion matters the most: the others see him as an intelligent decision-maker. If he decides something is true, they will generally follow suit. Finally, after a lot of arguing amongst the other Matoran, Mita spoke. “I’m inclined to trust you, Paru,” he said. “However, there is just one factor which leads me to doubt your story: how did an Av-Matoran end up here? On an island as out of the way as Ora Nui, the Matoran of Light are, as Pakohe said, not much more than a legend.”

Paru nodded. “An understandable skepticism. Come, we must start walking while we finish this conversation, as time is not something we have an excess of.” Resuming his walk up the river towards Po-Wohe, and making sure that the others were following, he continued: “I will admit that I don’t know all of the details. But what I was able to find out, through rumors and other sources, is this: some time, long ago, Av-Matoran were supposedly placed on a select few islands, disguised as other types of Matoran. There was even one story of a fake ‘Ta-Matoran’ who, upon being given a Great Kanohi mask, became a Toa of Light.”

“Yeah, right,” Pakohe said from the back of the group. “A Ta-Matoran, becoming a Toa of Light? And that’s assuming that Toa of Light even exist…”

* * *

Ahi was somewhat skeptical as well: “I hate to say it, but Pakohe’s got a point –kind of… – I mean, you’re saying that this ‘Av-Matoran’ could be anyone? Even one of us?” Maybe even Kape? He thought. Then she’d be way out of my league…

“It’s technically possible, but I highly doubt it’s one of us,” Paru said, not looking back at the others, but simply continuing to march on. “Otherwise, it would have come to the attention of the Shadowed One sooner, what with his Hunters coming into contact with us so often.” Whew, Ahi thought, looking over at the Ga-Matoran next to him. Then Paru added “And, of course, we know that it’s not me. If it was, they would have already had me; there’d be no need to come here.”

“Speaking of which,” Hiko said in a slightly impatient tone, “If they were already on their way, why in Mata Nui aren’t they here yet? And how did you get here before them at all?”

“Well, Hiko, I managed to get word of their plans before they actually left, and I came back as soon as I could. However… even though my small, light-weight boat was probably much faster than whatever ship they’re sending, I would expect them to be here very soon, if not now. So we need to hurry.” With this, he picked up his already speedy pace, to Ahi’s slight annoyance: Aren’t we running fast enough? I’m getting tired…

“Wait, wait, WAIT,” Pakohe said grumpily, falling behind. “Where are you even taking us? If there is an Av-Matoran here, then where is it?”

Not bothering to slow down, Paru said “Where do you think, Pakohe? If you were trying to hide a being of Light so that he’d never be suspected, where would you put him?”

“Ah,” Mita said understandingly, though Ahi was still confused. “So it’s Onu-Wohe we’re headed to, then. The darkest section of the island: not a bad place to look.”

“Exactly,” Paru replied as they kept running. “In fact, I already have a suspicion as to who it is.”

“How would you know?” Ahi asked suspiciously. “You said yourself, the Av-Matoran would be disguised an ordinary Matoran, that even he wouldn’t know what he was. How could you find out?” You know, without some sort of inside information… or unless this is all just a trick.

“Av-Matoran are stronger, bigger than average Matoran. It would also probably be someone who had a natural aversion to the darkness, who didn’t appreciate Onu-Wohe,” was Paru’s only explanation. “I have one main guess: Raiti.”

* * *

Hiko was shocked to hear the name Paru suggested. And, from the sound of it, so were the others: “What? That jerk?” Ahi asked angrily.

“Are you being serious, Paru?” Kape said, looking irritated herself.

“No way someone like that is someone that special,” Pakohe said, frowning. “He’s ‘accidentally’ broken more of my sculptures than you can count!”

Even the usually impartial Mita seemed doubtful. “Hmm… I suppose it could technically be…”

I don’t understand, Hiko thought to herself. Raiti’s so hateful. Him, a being of Light? Maybe Paru is up to no good with this ‘plan’…

Suddenly, Paru interrupted the others’ clamoring: “Okay, OKAY already! I do have one other guess, but it isn’t as likely. You all do remember Kaore, correct?”

Hiko did remember Kaore, reasonably well at least. She seemed to remember that he was slow… not slow in the head, but in physical speed. Always took his time about things, Hiko thought. Never amounted to anything; he’s probably still just a mining assistant. He wore a Miru, didn’t he? A little unusual for an Onu-Matoran… “Yeah, I remember him,” she said, somewhat disdainfully. Why do both possibilities have to be so… imperfect?

“He helped us out once, didn’t he?” Ahi asked, looking like he was trying hard to remember. “Something in Onu-Wohe…”

“He pushed a cart in the way of a rampaging rahi,” Mita and Paru said in unison. After glancing at each other, Paru nodded for Mita to continue. “The cart slowed down the rahi enough for me to get a rope around its legs with one of my arrows,” Mita reminded the group. “We might have handled the beast otherwise, but his participation was key in taking down the animal in such a short time.”

“I remember that,” Kape said, as Hiko thought the same thing. I’d forgotten that he did something quick, for once.

“So, you’re saying that those are the only two possibilities?” Pakohe asked doubtfully. “Neither o’ them seems, y’know… like ‘hero’ material. That is, assuming you’re not just leadin’ us on for some Dark Hunter trap.”

“If I were trying to trap you, Pakohe, I could have done it long before now,” Paru said evenly. “Now, let us wait until we arrive to talk more. We should save our energy.” Good, Hiko thought. The sooner we get there, the better.

* * *

Mita was still thinking over all that Paru had told them when they arrived at the Po-Wohe border entrance to Onu-Wohe. He’d been so entranced by his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the boats that had passed their group on the river, or the Matoran passengers on them who looked particularly startled to see their old heroes united again. How did the Shadowed One learn of an Av-Matoran here? he pondered. And, assuming that one of Paru’s guesses is correct, which candidate is the Matoran of Light? Raiti, the bulky Onu-Matoran with an insufferable attitude, or Kaore, the strong, but much more quiet and patient Matoran of Earth?

As they began the descent into the tunnels, Paru stopped the others, turning around to face them; Mita immediately paid direct attention. “Now,” Paru said, “we need to work quickly if we are to find the Matoran we’re searching for. Quickly, as well as together: full cooperation is necessary for us to achieve our goal as soon as possible. As such, I need you all to voice whatever questions or doubts you may still have, before we begin our search to awaken the Av-Matoran.”

Awaken? Mita thought. He never said that we would be restoring him to Av-Matoran status (I can only assume that that is what he means). Before he could voice his question, however, Pakohe said “Yeah, I got a question, ‘boss’: playin’ along with your story here, just what do the Dark Hunters even want this guy for? Karzahni, what do we even want with ‘im?”

Hoping to prevent another pointless argument, Mita spoke before Paru could reply, saying “Pakohe, try, just for a moment, to put yourself in the place of the Shadowed One –or, perhaps, someone who paid him to take this Av-Matoran. A Matoran of Light is an incredible threat: even without the power of a Toa, they supposedly can access their elemental powers to degree. And, if he or she were to become a Toa, well… that’s something that a lot of people out there don’t want to happen, to say the least. As for why we want to find him, other than to protect him, I believe Paru just told us,” he continued, turning to look at the Onu-Matoran. “However, Paru, with no disrespect, I want to confirm what you’ve just said: are you suggesting that we’re going to return the Av-Matoran to his true state, as a Matoran of Light? And if so, how do you propose we do this? Your only mention of an Av-Matoran being restored was a rumor involving a special Kanohi, which also made him into a Toa. I presume that you do not have such a Kanohi in your possession.”

Speaking over some grumblings from Pakohe, Paru replied, “I was about to show you all the answer to your question, Mita.” Looking at the Matoran assembled around him, and making sure that there weren’t any others nearby, he said “Gather close, everyone, and please, be careful. What I am about to show you is an object of the utmost power and importance.”

* * *

Yeah, right, Pakohe thought to himself as he and the others gathered around Paru. I still don’t trust this guy as far as I can throw him… which would probably be pretty far, now that I think about it… After snapping out of his thoughts about how much Paru weighed compared to Pakohe’s statues, the Po-Matoran looked closely at the Matoran of Earth, keeping his hammer at the ready in case of a trap. What he saw, however, what nothing like anything he might have expected. What is that? He thought, staring. And how did Paru get it?

In front of Pakohe, the Onu-Matoran had pulled something from inside his cloak: a long, shining, white and golden sword, glistening even in the darkness of the tunnel, almost as if it was producing a light of its own. “What in Mata Nui’s name is that?” Pakohe said in awe, forgetting his doubts and suspicions. “And where did you get it?”

* * *

Kape was amazed by the sword Paru was holding. It was so amazingly beautiful, with light rippling over the golden blade like water over the leaves in Ga-Wohe. She looked at Ahi, and even he was too mesmerized by the weapon’s glow to be distrusting of Paru: he wasn’t even casting his usual occasional, furtive glance at Kape. Turning her attention back to the sword, however, she noticed that Paru didn’t directly touch it: he was delicately holding its white handle with the end of his cape wrapped around his hand, as if coming into contact with the sword would severely burn him. Entranced by the weapon, she vaguely heard Pakohe ask something about its origins, which Paru politely answered. “This, Pakohe, is a sword imbued with the power of sheer elemental light: too much for an ordinary Matoran to handle, but just enough to bring out an Av-Matoran’s inherent abilities. As for where I got it, well… Let’s just say that I made a lot of helpful connections while I was on Odina.”

Well, that explains why he’s holding it so gingerly, Kape thought. Then, suddenly, she had a horrible realization: Wait– if the sword will harm an ordinary Matoran… “Paru!” she said firmly, “Just what would happen to a regular Matoran who held this sword?”

“Try not to speak so loudly, Kape,” Paru replied, looking around to make sure no one was watching or listening. “And to answer your question: they would probably burn up from the sheer amount of power; at the very least he or she would suffer severe injuries.” With this comment, the others stepped back slightly from the sword’s captivating glow. Stowing the sword back under his cloak –Kape noticed that he had a darkly-colored sheath hidden underneath it –Paru began walking down the tunnel towards Onu-Wohe. “Now, let’s get going,” he called to the others. “We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

Kape silently followed the rest of the team, though her thoughts were grim. If what Paru says about the sword is true, she pondered worriedly, then what happens if we give it to the wrong Matoran?

Chapter 5

Hello, my name is Kaore. I’m an Onu-Matoran. I work as a mining assistant most of the time, spending a lot of my free time hanging out on my own. As you can probably imagine, my days aren’t particularly exciting: I usually follow the same old pattern of get up, go to work, where I help move carts of mined materials around, then come back to my cavern, sit around carving pictures for a while, maybe hang out with a few other Onu-Matoran, and go to bed.

Today, however, something a little different happened.

I was just heading back from work for the day; Piro was walking with me. “We got a good haul, huh, Kaore?” he said. “Discovering a whole new section of lightcrystal– that was pretty impressive.”

“Yeah, the miners did really well today,” I replied, thinking No thanks to us, just pulling supply carts back and forth…

Probably catching the look on my face –I’m no good at concealing my emotions– Piro put his hand on my shoulder, saying “Come on, Kaore, don’t be like that. You know those big ol’ miners couldn’t get along without us! Just ‘cause they do the mining doesn’t mean that we’re not important.”

“I guess so,” I answered, somewhat halfheartedly. “I just feel like–” but I wasn’t able to finish my sentence; I wasn’t able to do anything other than stare, fixated, as what –who– I saw behind Piro.

“Kaore? What are you loo–” then, looking back over his shoulder, Piro saw him too: Paru, dashing toward us from the far tunnel.

At the speed he was moving, it couldn’t have taken more than a number of seconds for him to reach us, his solid black armor difficult for even an Onu-Matoran to see. Before I could consider running, yelling, or even unsheathing my knife, he was in front of me, quickly looking me over with his dark green eyes. “Come,” he said, looking straight into my eyes with a startling firmness. “We need you.” With that, he turned toward another tunnel, beginning to walk away. “Follow me.”

Snapping out of my reverie, I said “What are you talking about? How –why are you here again?” Wait… I thought silently. He said ‘we’… does he mean the Hunters, or–

“I’m no longer allied with the Dark Hunters,” Paru said, stopping but not turning to look at me. “I’ve returned to stop them from attacking Ora Nui once again, and the Matoran Ora need your help. Now, come.” With that, he continued walking into the distance.

The Matoran Ora?! I thought. Could they really be back together? It’s not likely… but it’s not as if I’m in a position to argue with him. Looking at the silver tip of his staff glinting in the darkness, I ran after him, catching up before too long. “What do you need me for?” I asked Paru as we moved from jogging to almost sprinting down the tunnel. It’s not like I’m particularly important… I briefly glanced at the faces of some of the passing Matoran, then focused again on the task at hand. But they must want me for a reason, right?

“It’s entirely possible that we won’t,” Paru answered, somehow not at all out of breath. “But we don’t have much time, so I’ll be blunt: you’re possibly an Av-Matoran.”

I abruptly stopped, completely and utterly shocked by what he had just said. Well, I didn’t just ‘stop’: being so focused on what I’d just heard, I forgot to keep my feet moving and slammed forward onto the ground. “What the heck are you talking about?” I asked, getting up, spitting out some dirt, and looking, baffled, at Paru. “You really have gone crazy, haven’t you?”

“No, I haven’t,” he answered, as serious as ever. “Now follow me. Like I’ve said, we don’t have much time.”

“But you’ve barely told me anything! What’s going on?!” I was so preoccupied by Paru’s vagueness, I barely noticed the ceiling starting to shake.

“Come on!” Paru said again, grabbing my arm and looking anxiously at the roof of the cavern. “We need to go before-“

And that’s when, with a tremendous crash, the Dark Hunters arrived.

Chapter 6

Paru had tried to get Kaore away quickly, he really had. He had even found him sooner than expected, but they still just weren’t fast enough: as became apparent when two Dark Hunters burst through the tunnel ceiling. Paru recognized them immediately, though he didn’t know their names:

The first was lithe and reptilian, clad in black, blue, and silver armor. Blue and silver flames licked around his shoulders and the end of his staff, making him look strange and elongated against the darkness of Onu-Wohe. The other was huge and lumbering –or at least his hands were. He was ape-like, silvery-gray, with hands as least as large as his torso, and running on them at an unbelievable rate.

Yanking Kaore’s arm again, Paru said “Come on! We know these tunnels better than they do.” Thankfully, Kaore didn’t need much persuasion, and they started running down the tunnel again, much faster than before. Why would they only send two? Paru wondered as he ducked to avoid a burst of silvery-blue flame.

“How did they find you– or us?” Kaore said as they ran. Of course, Paru realized. Other Hunters must be searching different areas of the island. But… that means that the others might be battling some of them right now! He spun on his heel and, running backwards, fired two quick bursts of energy from his staff: the first caught the simian Dark Hunter’s ear, but the lizard blocked the second blast with the shield on his left forearm.

“Drat,” Paru said under his breath, turning back around so that he was moving forwards again. I need to get Kaore to the others, but I can’t fight two Hunters while running… Looking over at Kaore, he made his decision. Taking the Light sword, still in its solid black sheath, from underneath his cloak, he handed to it to Kaore as they ran, dodging Matoran, carts, and yet more fireballs.

“What is–”

“Take it, don’t unsheath it, and get to the abandoned tunnels. Now!” With that, he turned around again, took out his shield to block a blast of fire, and ran at the Dark Hunters.

“No!” Kaore shouted, but Paru gave him a sharp look and he kept running away, sword in hand. Hopefully Kaore can get to the others in time, Paru thought as he leapt through the ape’s enormous hands, and as his staff clanged against one glowing with silver and blue.

* * *

Ahi didn’t care much for this mission so far. He still wasn’t sure how much he trusted Paru, and yet, in the current situation, he and the others had to. He also didn’t particularly enjoy being in the dark Onu-Wohe tunnels, with only his flame rod and the occasional lightcrystal to show the way. The one good thing, in his opinion, was that he had been partnered with Kape. She, though, was unfortunately more interested in the job at hand than any kind of discussion.

“Doesn’t look like he’s here,” she said, glancing inside the cavern that served as Raiti’s living space. “Let’s get going to the meeting spot; who knows, maybe the others have found him and Kaore by now.”

“Okay,” Ahi answered, walking along beside her. After a short silence, he voiced something he’d been wondering: “So, who do you think it is? Kaore, Raiti, or someone else?”

“I really don’t know,” Kape said. “I mean, I would definitely prefer Kaore to Raiti, but… doesn’t it seem odd that Paru could have narrowed it down to just two people? Even on an island this small, there’s plenty of Matoran. There’s no way that he could have gone through all of them and ruled out everyone but them, is there?”

She’s right, Ahi thought, as always. Paru is smart; he always has been, but it seems unlikely that even he could have deduced something like that. “It doesn’t seem like it,” he said out loud, looking at Kape’s Pakari and being momentarily distracted by her eyes. When he noticed she was looking at him questioningly, he resumed speaking: “I mean, he’s smart, but not that smart. Then again… don’t they seem like likely candidates?”

“I suppose— wait— do you hear something?”

Ahi stopped and listened. He did hear it: quick footsteps, coming from the tunnel perpendicular to theirs. “Yeah. And is it just me, or is it coming from near where we’re supposed to meet?”

“Let’s go see,” Kape answered quietly, heading off toward the noise. “Turn off your forging rod.”

Hating the near-pitch darkness of the tunnel, Ahi reluctantly did as Kape requested, stowing the welding tool on his back and quietly following after the Ga-Matoran.

* * *

“Looks like he’s not here,” Pakohe said, much to Hiko’s frustration. She was becoming increasingly impatient: not only had Mita left to follow Paru (the only one that was probably going to do anything interesting), but she and Pakohe hadn’t made any progress whatsoever. They’d checked both Kaore’s cave and Raiti’s workstation— even if the chances of him being there were slim to none— and found nothing. What made it even worse was that she was partnered with Pakohe, who always wanted to take things slowly: a waste of time in Hiko’s opinion.

“Let’s get going, then,” she said, heading toward their meeting point. “Maybe one of the others has found him. We’ll never find him if we just keep standing here. “

“I guess you're ri-“ Pakohe was cut off by an enormous crash.

“Sounds like they found something,” Hiko said, turning to run toward the source of the sound. Finally, some excitement. “Come on, let's go! “

“All right, all right!” Pakohe responded irritably, hurriedly trying to catch up to the Al-Matoran. “No need to rush…”

* * *

As it turned out, Pakohe was correct: there was little need to rush, as one of the Matoran they'd been looking for was just around the corner. “Kaore! There you are! “

“Where’d you get that sword? “ Hiko asked forcefully. “Where's Paru?” Pakohe suddenly noticed the black-sheathed sword clapped firmly in Kaore's hands, clearly the same one Paru had shown them earlier.

“P-Paru gave me the sword, said to get it to the abandoned tunnels, “ Kaore responded, clearly terrified. “He stayed behind to fight the D-Dark Hunters. And he said- I must have misheard him. What in the world is going on?”

“What’s going on is, we’re getting out of here,” Pakohe responded gruffly. “If you somehow are who ol’ Boss says you are, we need to get you as far away from the Dark Hunters as we can.” Kaore nodded in agreement with getting away, though he still looked very confused.

“What about Paru?” Hiko said worriedly. “He-”

“What about him?” Pakohe interjected. “He left us behind back in the day, so surely he won’t mind if we do the same. Besides, he can take care of himself.” He turned to Kaore. “Now, I don’t too much like the idea of hiding you where he suggested. Still think he might be up to no good. Come on, let’s get you out of Onu-Wohe altogether. Now, come on, Hiko, let’s-” Pakohe lifted his head, only to see Hiko disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel that Kaore had come from. “HIKO!”