Tears...

"And, with good reason, a tear rolled down Tahara's mask."

- Narrator, Tears...

Tears... is a Short Story supplement to Treachery in the Ice of the The Tales of Xioc Nui by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Em-Oh-Cee-Ehr.

Memories...
Tahara sat in her bed, kindly provided by a few grateful Matoran, she looked out the window. Outside of the window, she could see the cold, arctic sky. Small dots were scattered about the massive sheet of black and dark blue. Some twinkled bright, some not, but one orb stood out among them all. The moon. It was a full, bright moon. A moon that reminded her of something... a memory. Ever since Tahara was reawakened, she had been regenerating her memories one by one. And in a couple, Tahara felt a sensation... warmth. Although it was not uncommon for a Toa of Fire, the feeling came with fuzziness and also... Love.

The Onu-Xioc Plains: 10,100 Years Ago
The bright, full moon shone brilliantly in the sky, although dimmer than it was only a few years earlier. The War for Xioc Nui had been going on for four-hundred years, and the Lords were winning. And, oddly enough, every time an area was lost, the stars and moon grew dimmer and dimmer. But, now, the Toa were celebrating on holding the Six Lords off in the swamps of Le-Xioc. Considering the "hidden item" that was excavated from there, the Toa couldn't allow for such an area to fall into evil hands. Their mountain base was alive with a single light, though it was filed with cheerful Toa Xioc. Or, at least, seven of them were cheerful. Meanwhile, Tahara was taking a walk on the plains. A barren, cold place at night. Recently, Tahara had been through some tough things. Not just battling the Six Lords and enduring her injuries, but also her emotional life. But, even as the thought crossed her mind, she heard footsteps behind her. Holding her hand on her axe, she kept walking. Then, Tahara abruptly turned and held her axe out, ready to fire a steaming-hot bolt of Magma from it. But, when she turned, she saw the leader of the Toa Xioc, Heldriin. "Oh, it's you," Tahara said, turning away, also putting her weapon back. "Tahara..." Heldriin began. "I'm sorry I've been away. I have no choice. As the leader, I mus-" "It's not the being away," Tahara interrupted. Heldriin bowed his head, ashamed. "Ah, right. Tahara, I had to break it off." Tahara turned back, "Why?" "Because, we are at war. I couldn't afford our emotions getting in the way of defending our home." "Of course... of course..." Tahara said. "Do you really think I believe that?" "Of course I did. I thought you would understand," Heldriin replied. "You are the most mature out of them all!" "How 'bout Reodin? A Toa of Iron. Mata Nui, they hardly have emotions!" Tahara retorted. "Please, Toa of Iron or not, he still goofs off with Graddin!" Heldriin countered. "I don't care!" Tahara said, her shout echoing across the plains. Her Element of Fire, combined with her young age, tended to demonstrate a pension for being quite... immature at times. This was one. "War or not, you said we would defeat them fast, then we would get back to how it was! And guess what?" the Toa of Fire threw her arms in the air. "It's two-hundred years later!" As Heldriin felt the temperature rise, he began to get angry and worried, "Tahara, calm down. If you weren't here, you'd know we were planning a direct assault on the Lord's Lair!" Tahara calmed herself, and along with that, the temperature went down. "Wh-what?" she asked calmly. "But... why?" "Because, after we stopped their spy, we finally have power! With the united Matoran, we can finally provide some decent battles, in which we can win!" Heldriin smiled sweetly. "And, I knew you wanted it to end soon." Tahara stood there, baffled. But, she was also very happy. And so, on this night of celebration, she decided it was right. Tahara ran up to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the mask. * * * And so, as the war raged on over ten-thousand years later, Tahara felt sad and alone. This was despite the new Toa, as she'd only known them for a month or so. It just didn't feel... right. And, with good reason, a tear rolled down Tahara's mask.