Prodigal.

Ch. 3

Found.

A/N~ Hahaha man what am I doing? I got so much sh** to be doing right now. Why am I doing this? Hahahaha…

ALSO! ALMOST FORGOT!

The reason I chose Matoro's number to be 142, is because the number itself adds up to all the pieces of his Matoran and two Toa forms. I was originally going to go for a random number because…well, I couldn't figure out a number that would connect cognitively with him. But as I was going over one of the wikis, I noticed they had a list of his sets and the number of building pieces they had in them. I suddenly thought, 'hey this could work!' and poof. I got a plausible number! I'm pretty sure there are at least maybe a couple hundred Matoran per Koro. Metru-nui was huge after all.

Also! The only set NOT included in the equation was the McDonalds set, which consisted of six parts I think, not counting the disks they came with. So his Inika Toa set (47 pieces), his Mahri Toa set (62 pieces), and his 2003 Matoran set (25 pieces). There you go, I just did a MATH equation in one of MY fics.

…and I HATE math! WTF? XD

Universe: AU, Humanized!Bionicle.

Pairing(s): N/A

Characters: Matoro, Turaga, Rahaga, mentioned other Matoran.

Genre: Angst, humor, hurt/comfort.

WARNING! For future usage of drugs and underage use of alcohol. You have been warned.

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Kualus was starting to wonder if he had pissed off some higher power at some point. This could not be something he could easily put under the 'destiny' category…

'Whoever it was that I pissed off, I'm sorry! Really, I am! But seriously? This is just a cruel, not to mention beyond unusual, punishment…' he thought to himself.

Currently the mutant being was hovering around a few outcrops of debris, turning over random slabs of wood and metal. He probably should be putting a bit more effort into this 'search', but really, he was starting to lose all sense of determination. If he was honest with himself, he was actually waiting for the promised twenty-four hours to end so Nuju could get actual help in this. Yes, the icy Turaga would probably be killed by Dume as a result, but that's not his problem now is it?

Kualus sighed, letting go of the edge of a metal sheet and letting it flop back down onto the sand. Oh who was he kidding? This was ridiculous! But he wasn't about to just abandon Nuju and go to Dume himself. For one thing, he was far too loyal for his own good. And for another, Nuju could probably just pull him back with that damn mask of his then tie him up somewhere. He has already been tied up once in his life, he didn't need to be tied up again, thank you very much. (1)

"Ugh, how do we even know we're searching in the right place? Metru-nui is huge! For all we know, his pod could be somewhere else!" he yelled over to Nuju.

The Turaga sighed in exasperation, cutting off his mask power and causing the rather impressively large chunk of debris to fall back into place with a loud thud.

"We don't, which is why we're starting off in the most obvious places." He hissed.

Kualus groaned to himself. By obvious, Nuju meant Ko-metru, the basement of the Coliseum where the pods were first stored, and pretty much anywhere else the pods once were. As well as one other plausible place.

Case in point, the shore of the Protodermis Sea.

Kualus was actually quite surprised Nuju wanted to start off here. It wasn't an 'obvious' place, but it was where, from what he heard, Nuju and his team had lost a few pods when they were evacuating. (2) Nuju had told Kualus of this unfortunate event before they left and figured it was the best place to start. If this Matoran was missing because they lost the pod at sea, there were only three places it could go.

It would have either one, washed up on shore. Two, sunk. Or three, drifted out to sea, which would inevitably lead to option two. Nuju was pretty sure the pods weren't built to float for long voyages…

But this also brought up the possibility of never finding the pod in the first place. Searching Metru-nui was one thing. It was another to search the damn sea, in which case Dume's help would be useless even if they told him. Hell, the man would probably make the entire situation worse and label Nuju a murderer. And as frustrating as this whole thing was, Kualus wasn't about to let it go that far. Nuju was anything but someone who would purposefully hurt someone, let alone kill. And Dume did have a reputation for overreacting, so that would only make things even worse.

It was no wonder the man had high blood pressure. The others were just waiting for the day he ruptured an artery because he saw a stain on the floor…

But he digressed. As much as Kualus wanted to hit Nuju upside the head with a lead pipe, he wasn't about to abandon the man on this ridiculous quest.

"Wouldn't the most obvious place be back at the Coliseum?" Kualus inquired.

Nuju fixed him a look that could be best described as a mix between a scowl and a disbelieving look. Obviously he wanted to avoid that place for two reasons. One, Dume was there. And two, because Dume was there, and if he caught them in the act, he would grind down their (Nuju's) bones to dust to add to his afternoon tea. (3)

'Well that was a pleasant thought…' Kualus shuddered at his own mental implication.

"Look, I am only trying to rule out one of the possibilities," Nuju sighed, "And if it means spending my day turning over every damn shell on this beach and beyond, so be it!"

Kualus noticed a very nice looking pipe sticking out of the sand behind him. It was a very lovely pipe. Maybe if he carefully snuck over to it, he could use it as a means to escape this Mata-nui damned idiocy…

'I swear to the Spirits, if I have to spend my day digging for someone who may not even exist, I am going to-!' Kualus paused and blinked, staring down into the sand at his feet.

He blinked again and rubbed at his eyes. He looked down again. Nope, still there. He crouched down and leaned over. He sniffed at the small pile of berries and frowned. What was a pile of Bula berries doing on the beach? That was just completely random, not to mention strange. He couldn't think of any Rahi that would do such a thing, and he was pretty sure Dume wasn't so bored as to put food in random places for no reason.

Reaching out to pick one up, he turned his neck slightly and called, "Nuju! Come look at this, I think I found-"

SNAP!

"GAH!"

Wrrzzz!

Fwap!

"What the-!?" Nuju swiftly turned around to where Kualus' distressed cry resonated, along with those other strange noises.

But when he did look, he near felt his jaw hit the sand.

"Uuggh…ow…!" Kualus rasped.

The white Rahaga was hanging upside down, his ankles tightly bound by a single rope leading up to a very flexible branch that had suddenly sprung forth from the sand. The rope led down the bobbing branch and led to a boulder lying a few feet off. A large bell was attached to the very top of the branch, all of which was ringing loudly with each of Kualus' movements. And just below Kualus was a now scattered pile of berries. (4)

He had been caught in a trap…

'But…but how…?' Nuju thought in utter bewilderment. Instantly his brain kicked into overdrive to try and deduce why this happened and who could have done it.

No one inhabited the city except for Dume, a few stray Rahi, and at times the Rahaga when they decided to stop by. (5) He could instantly count out the Rahi for sure. He at first thought about the other Rahaga, but if that were true, Kualus would have known it was a trap that was set by his colleagues. Then he thought of Dume setting the trap. But that didn't make sense either. Dume had no reason to set traps for food or intruders. For one, no was stupid enough (or like Nuju) to wander down to Metru-nui; the sea was too far from the Coliseum to begin with. It couldn't be to trap Rahi for food either. Nuju and the others brought him food from the surface on a regular monthly basis. (6)

It couldn't have been Dume, it couldn't have been the Rahaga, and it certainly wasn't any Rahi.

So then who…?

Crrk…!

"Wha…?" Nuju swiftly veered his head away from Kualus and towards the brush inland.

The dead trees and foliage rustled from an unknown cause. Nuju vaguely felt the ground shaking every few seconds, like a Kikanalo was stomping the ground. Various pebbles fell from the cliffs overhead surrounding the foliage, and he could see various birds screeching as they flew out of trees a few meters off, obviously startled.

"Ugh…" Kualus, now out of his daze, seemed to take note of the noise as well and frowned, "Nuju…?"

The thudding was getting closer, the foliage now rustling louder. A tree a few meters off fell over completely, and the sound of a guttural growling was heard, along with a low rumbling. Nuju and Kualus' eyes widened as they both reached the same conclusion.

"Nuju…Nuju, get out of here! Now!" Kualus yelled, his wings now erect and trying to tug himself free of the binds.

Nuju watched his friend struggle, oblivious to Kualus' desire to have him flee. Like hell he was going to leave him here!

Ignoring Kualus' protests, Nuju rushed over to him, taking out a knife from his coat. He started sawing at the rope around the branch to break Kualus free, but no matter how fast he sawed, the rope didn't give.

"Nuju get out of here!" Kualus snapped, his wings beating faster to try and maybe break the rather flexible branch, to no avail.

"Are you mad!? I'm not leaving you here like this!" Nuju snapped, "And stop moving! You're only attracting it!"

"Urgh! Just get out of here! I'll be fine! I just-!"

Too late.

CRASH!

"RAAAAWWWRRR!"

'Shit…!'

Swiftly, Nuju veered around to see just what he they were up against, his mind screaming for it not to be a Muaka.

It was a Muaka.

A very, very pissed off Muaka. Drool and white foam dripped from its grotesquely crooked maw of jagged teeth, as if its jaw was broken. Its claws, overgrown and jagged to the tip like rookie crafted knives, dug deep crevices into the sand. Moss grew over its back and shoulders, dirt staining its once pristine fur and armor. And by the rabid look in its amber eyes, and the prominent bones pushing through its taught hide, it was hungry.

"Nuju…" Kualus started cautiously, eyes wide at the visually upside down Muaka, "Don't…don't move…"

The Muaka growled and pulled back its lips, showing yellowed and broken fangs. Its nostrils flared as it inhaled the air, and Nuju wasn't sure if simply keeping still would do them any good. It was looking directly at them, its crazed eyes seemingly burning into their souls.

Nuju eyed the trap swiftly, his brain going into overdrive to try and quickly assess a way out of this. Now that he was closer, he could see why the rope didn't break as easily as he had thought. It was trap-grade rope. A type of rope that was braided with strands of metal wire to lessen the chance of prey breaking free. And the branch it was wrapped around was a type commonly used in traps. (7) All of it was expertly put together as if by a professional hunter, which again completely confused Nuju. Who had set this trap? And why?

'Not the time to be wondering about that!' He thought.

He had to think of a way to get out of this, or at least buy Kualus some time to work his way out of the trap. Nuju looked at his options mentally.

He only had a single knife and his staff, all of which was propped up a few meters away against some rubble. His mask could gain him an advantage, but he had to think of how to use it in a productive way he won't later come to regret. Kualus had his claws, teeth, and a dull knife attached to his hip. Not a lot that could help them. He couldn't just use his mask to throw or restrain the Muaka; it was too heavy. He would collapse from a migraine before they could safely escape. (8)

Scanning the area, a strategy was steadily building up in his head. Once he was sure it had a good chance of getting them out unscathed, or at least alive, Nuju loosened his grip on the rope.

'This better work…' he thought.

Nuju ignored his trapped companion and focused his mask on the knife in his hand. Taking a deep breath, the muscles in his arm tightening, he aimed, and threw it.

"Nuju? What are you-!?"

The Muaka suddenly reared up with a blood curdling roar. The dagger Nuju had thrown was now imbedded in its right eye. It writhed and groaned, its massive paws coming up to try and swat the offending weapon out of its eye socket. While it was distracted, Nuju focused back on Kualus and got to work hastily on trying to undo the rope around the Rahaga's ankle.

"What did you just do!?" Kualus snapped.

"Found a way to save your life or get us both killed, what do you think!?" Nuju snapped.

His fingers strained to unravel the tight knot of rope around the other's ankles. It didn't help that his hands were shaking, and he kept looking back at the Muaka as if at any minute it would be right in front of his face.

'Almost…!' the knot loosened jus the slightest bit around the other's ankles. Maybe now they had a chance to-

"Nuju RUN!"

"Wha-GAH!"

Nuju barely had a second before he had his head taken off his shoulders by a massive, dirty paw courtesy of one rabid Muaka, the dagger now missing from its now bleeding eye. He quickly ducked and rolled to the side as the massive paw swung over his head and, ironically, connected with the branch suspending Kualus in midair. The force behind the powerful swipe actually managed to break and splinter the flexible wood, causing Kualus to fall back first into the sand with a grunt.

Nuju shuffled back into the sand as the Muaka growled and loomed over him. He was backed up against the boulder anchoring the trap Kualus was now tangled in. The Muaka's putrid breath sent a nauseous shudder down into his stomach. Whether it was from the smell or the fear overshadowing his body was unknown. All he knew was he was stuck. His staff was too far away from him, Kualus was stuck again and unable to fly, and his only means of defense was essentially useless now – there was nothing nearby he could use with his mask.

Nuju was about to make a last ditch attempt to try his luck at getting away from the Muaka, but was abruptly stopped by the large cat's massive paw pinning him back against the boulder. Panting and his heart racing, the icy Turaga felt a sense of pure dread overcome his body. Was this it? Was this how he was going to die?

He vaguely heard Kualus yelling over at him as he struggled to get out of his binds, but his sense of hearing seemed to be toned down and limited to his own frantic heartbeat and steady breathing.

'So this is it…' he thought calmly.

He didn't register Kualus shouting his name. He only focused on the Muaka that was about to end him.

Growling with a foaming maw, the Muaka lunged-

Then reared back with a shrieking roar as a spear plunged into its neck. Nuju didn't have time to be surprised as yet another spear flew from his left and stuck fast to the Muaka's shoulder. Its guttural roar sent a sickening shudder down Nuju's spine, and he was too stunned to move from his position against the boulder.

Kualus was faring no better. He stared as two spears seemed to fly out of nowhere and strike at the big cat's body.

'What just…?' Kualus was unable to finish his thought as a blur of black and dark blue flew past his vision and towards the Muaka.

The blur – no – the person, clad in in black long coat with a hood, all of which was pulled up over the head, raced towards the Muaka, armed with what looked to be a crowbar and various spears and a bow strapped to his back.

Kicking sand up as he stopped just shy of a few feet next to the Muaka's haunches, he(?) pulled out one of his spears and jabbed it painfully into its back left paw.

The big cat gave another roar of agony, raising its impaled foot and flopping onto its side. It growled as it lifted its foot as close to its front as possible and began trying to yank the spear out with its mouth.

Nuju, too stunned to so much as speak, stared at the black clad being in complete shock and awe. His breath starting to slow down to a calmer rate, Nuju was about to inquire as to who the person was, what he was doing in Metru-nui, why-

Their eyes locked.

Lightning. It was like lightning had suddenly crashed into Nuju's body, prickling his skin and searing his very soul. And yet, it was so cold. Like he was caught in a blizzard, or trapped in ice. He felt paralyzed, completely rooted to his spot and at the mercy of a pair of hell-fire blue irises…

'What…what is this…?' he thought. It was all he could do.

He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't stop this…painful feeling of ice and fire flooding his bloodstream, burning and freezing his frantic heart. He was trapped under that gaze, locked behind invisible bars and chained to the spot by those eyes. He was a prisoner, and he didn't even know why!

Those burning, cold, sharp eyes were just slightly obscured by overly long thin locks of white-grey bangs that reached down to the bottom of the person's chest. His mouth was covered by a faded black bandana, and the rest of his body was covered by a close-fitting long coat, torn black pants, and overly large clunky boots. His expression conveyed nothing but pure ice and fire. And yet his eyes…(9)

Save me…

Nuju jolted as if struck, 'What…?'

"-I said MOVE!" the being snapped.

Nuju barely had a moment to blink before his wrist was suddenly seized by a small, cold hand and yanked to his feet. His feet were suddenly moving as the corpse-cold hand yanked him into a sprint towards Kualus, all of whom was still stuck in his binds.

"Move it already!" snapped the shaded boy.

"I can't! My wings are caught!" Kualus snapped as the two approached him.

"Ugh, useless!" he snapped.

He was about to kneel down and undo the binds, but stopped when the sound of snapping wood reached his ears. All three swiftly looked up to see the Muaka yank the spear out of its now bloodied paw and crush it in its maw. It growled lowly and slowly pulled back its lips with a guttural growl, ears pinned against its head. It crouched, its body tensing, before it screeched and charged.

"Damn it you two RUN!" Kualus snapped.

"Tch…" not even fazed, the dark dressed boy merely grabbed his bow and procured and arrow from the bundle tied to his hip.

But this arrow didn't have a sharp tip; it instead had a strange bag that seemed to be made of Rahi hide. But instead of aiming the arrow at the Muaka, he pointed it up to the rocky cliffs above them along the shore.

Nuju was about to protest when it suddenly clicked in his head.

"Shit…!" he snapped, forgoing his bird-speak from shock.

The Muaka was now mere meters away. Inhaling a calm, slow breath, the shaded boy aimed true, and released the quiver, sending the explosives laden arrow into the unstable cliff side.

BANG!

Nuju barely managed to activate his mask to stop the fall of large rocks from hitting them, but spared no such mercy on the Muaka. The cat skidded to a halt when it realized the cliff face was coming down, and didn't even get a chance to unleash a shocked shriek before it vanished under the piled rubble.

Silence befell on the trio, whether from shock or relief was a mystery, but it was now quiet.

And just like that, it was over…

Swallowing, Nuju deactivated his mask, dropping the boulders a safe distance away from them all, before averting his wide-eyed gaze to the black clad being before them.

As if sensing his gaze, he turned around to face the two elders. The sea breeze set his hair into a motion of deadly whips, his hood billowing. And yet none of this could be more noted than the look in his eyes. Nuju was once again finding himself wondering just what it was he was feeling from those eyes. And just why, when he looked in those eyes, he could feel a sense of pleading…

The stranger pulled his bandana down off his mouth to rest around his neck. The man – no, the boy Nuju noted – gave the two stunned elders a look of pure distain, as if he was looking at something utterly revolting. He turned his head and spat on the sand before averting his gaze back to them.

"It's rude to gape at people, you stupid-jerk." He said.

To be continued…

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A/N~ jesus Christ I suck ass at action scenes. Ugh…

1-) If you all saw the third movie (Web of Shadows) you should know what he's referring to XD

2-) In 'Legends of Metru-nui' when Teridax was attacking the Toa Metru on the Silver Sea, they did in fact have a few pods fall overboard. They did retrieve them, but hey, who knows? It could happen~

3-) Mmm...bone tea XD

4-) This type of trap is used mainly to catch smaller game, but can also be used to catch larger animals. I tried looking up the trap name and such, but I couldn't find anything, sue me. I know it's a real trap, I've seen it used before.

5-) In this, the Rahaga aren't permanent residents of Metru-nui, but are rather nomads. But they regularly stop by in Metru-nui to catch up on things with the others and help out a bit. I honestly don't know too much about them in the actual canon series, but let's just roll with it here peeps. XD

6-) This would make sense. I mean, come on, Dume's in a totally wrecked city, he's gotta get his food SOMEWHERE.

7-) For this particular trap, I do know that young bamboo is often used in it due to its flexibility and durability. We can also assume that, in this, it is in fact bamboo since we do in fact see it in the Mata-nui online game.

8-) As I said before in one of my other fics, I strongly consider certain mask powers to be tied very firmly to the physical and mental wearer's being. Masks that require the brain to use would result in headaches or fainting should they be overtaxed, while masks that require physical/body use can experience fatigue and strain if overused. Just throwing that out there, as in this case, Nuju can only lift a certain amount with his mask. Anything too heavy, and the strain will seriously aggravate his mind, thus resulting in headaches or migraines.

9-) Guess who~ XD