Chapter 11

Old Enemy

The shadowy stranger was still on Kopaka's mind, even after 24 hours of tranquility. Kori's family had rented a house that was available and close by Old Mesa. Mrs. Kasanova had wanted to do something in return for Toby's rescue of Dominic, but she did not know who he was or where to find him.

It was a perfect opportunity to see if his suspicions would prove correct, so Kopaka said that he knew Toby and where he could be found. He was then handed a fifty-dollar bill and told to give it to Toby. It wasn't much, by others' standards, but the Kasanovas wanted to do something in return for Toby, who had selflessly braved the fire to save the youngest member of the Kasanova family, baby Dominic.

I have a feeling that Toby is really Tahu, Kopaka thought. And if I find Tahu, than maybe I will find the other Toa. And then we can tackle the problem of this shadowy stranger together. As much as Kopaka would like to have solved the problem by himself, previous experiences had taught him that the Toa only triumphed through cooperation and teamwork, and he was slowly adjusting himself to the idea of working with others.

The next day, Kori and Kopaka went to school as usual. At lunch, Kopaka and Kori looked around in the cafeteria until they saw Thorn's table, which was filled up as usual. As they neared the group, Kori clung to Kopaka's arm. He turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

She blushed. "It's habitual, sorry…but, you know Thorn hates me."

"He doesn't hate me, so there is nothing to worry about," he replied briskly.

Thorn looked up in surprise when he saw Kori and her exchange student walk up to his table. Geri smiled and waved at Kori, who shyly waved back.

"Hi, Kori! What brings you here?" Geri asked. "Oh! I saw the fire the other day…I'm so sorry about your house."

"It's okay," Kori mumbled back. "We're staying in a rental house for now, and our insurance should cover the damage done by the fire…"

"That's great!" said Geri.

Thorn cut in. "Yeah, sorry about your house and all…but, uh, what do you want, Kasanova?"

Kori flinched when Thorn affronted her. Kopaka took the lead.

"I need to speak to Toby."

Thorn shrugged. He beckoned to the guy sitting next to him; Toby was busy eating but looked up when Thorn poked him on the back and beckoned. His eyes narrowed as well when he saw Kopaka.

"What do you want, Kurt?" Toby demanded.

Kopaka raised an eyebrow. "No need to be rude. Can I speak to you a moment…in privacy?"

"Sure, whatever," Toby replied, albeit warily, and got up from the table.

At the same table, Pohatu watched with interest. "Isn't that Kurt—the guy we think is really Kopaka?" he asked Onua, who was sitting next to him and eating quietly.

Onua nodded. "We decided that back at Snowfall Peaks, remember? And we also think Toby's supposed to be Tahu, since he can't possibly be anyone else. But we're not exactly sure where Takanuva and Gali are—or rather, who they are. Weren't you paying attention when we discussed this at Owen's?" He scolded gently, rolling his eyes.

"Obviously not," replied the Toa of Stone without missing a beat, and continued eating lunch.

"So, what do you want with me?" Tahu asked Kurt, getting right down to business. They had found a half-empty table just out of the hearing and walking range of the others. Tahu didn't know why Kurt was singling him out; sure, he'd never really liked the guy but he'd never done anything to provoke or anger him…had he? He admitted to himself that it was very likely he'd said or done something that offended Kurt or Kori or anyone else, for that matter. It was, after all, one of his defining characteristics. Tahu wondered where this self-reflection was coming from—it was generally something Gali or Onua or even Kopaka would do, never the Toa of Fire. Let the thinkers do their thing, I don't have time for that! Actions are what's needed, not pointless words. It had become something of a personal mantra for him.

Kurt ignored his question. "The Kasanovas extend their thanks for saving Dominic the other day," he said stiffly. He produced a fifty-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to Toby.

Tahu stared at the bill. These little slips of paper were worth something on Earth, Thorn had told him that much. Dollar bills were part of the currency of the United States of America—whatever that was (Thorn hadn't bothered to enlighten him), although similar currencies were used in other parts of the world. People used them to purchase things. The higher the number, the more the bill was worth. Fifty must be a pretty hefty amount because Tahu had noticed that most of the other students tended to carry only ones, fives, maybe tens and twenties.

"Thanks," he said, "but it was no problem." He stuffed the bill in his jeans pocket.

There was a stagnant pause as neither student said anything.

"Tahu," said Kurt, suddenly, as if testing the word.

Tahu's head snapped up automatically. "What?" he asked. "Wait—who told you my name is Tahu?" This does not bode well!

I knew it! Kopaka thought, and inwardly congratulated himself on his deduction. "You still can't tell?" he continued as he folded his arms. "All that hot air inside of you must be affecting your thinking."

Tahu glared at him. "What—what do you know about me?" And why do I feel like I've had this conversation before—many, many times, too.

"Lots," said Kopaka. "After all, I am Kopaka Nuva." That felt…strange, that boasting thing that Tahu's always doing. It's uncharacteristic for me…but at the same time, it felt good. Perhaps I should do it more often.

"What? How can you―"" demanded Tahu, hardly bothering to keep his voice down. Then he took a shrewd look at Kopaka. "Well—it is you, Kopaka. I'd never thought I would be elated to run into you." His eyes flared.

A faint smile appeared on Kopaka's lips. "The same can be said for myself," he said dryly. At least, I suppose you could call this feeling elation. I'm more relieved than anything. Then he went back to business. "Have you found the others yet?"

Always thinking about the mission, eh, Kopaka? Glad to see that hasn't changed. "No. Except for Gali, and I do not know if she knows where the others are." Tahu shook his head. "Come on, we had better tell the others," he said, meaning Thorn's group.

Thorn's eyes were probing. Kopaka stood next to Kori, waiting for Tahu to tell Thorn and Geri.

"Well?" demanded Thorn.

"The Kasanovas just wanted to thank me for saving their son," Tahu said. In a failed attempt at being casual, he continued on to say, "Oh and this is Kopaka Nuva, one of my fellow Toa." He gestured in Kopaka's direction. Kopaka said nothing, as he was prone to do.

"Yeah, he's a real talkative guy, can't ever get him to shut up during a briefing," Tahu drawled, immune to the icy glares his companion was sending him.

"Oh wow, that's great that you've been reunited with another Toa!" said Geri enthusiastically. She turned to the girl next to her. "Hey, Gali, Tahu just found another one of your, er, brothers!"

The girl turned quickly. Kopaka noted again just how blue her eyes were. She stared at him for a moment. "Kopaka?" she asked finally.

"Hello, Gali."

Gali smiled. "I'm glad to see you too," she said. A cordial greeting like 'Hello' was almost equivalent to 'I love you', whenever the Toa of Ice was concerned. "You're looking well, Kopaka."

"Well, I hate to break up this family reunion," Thorn interrupted, "but don't you guys still need to find the other Toa?"

"Yes," said Tahu. "And then we need to figure out our next phase of action."

Author's Note: Boy howdy am I behind. This chapter has actually been done for at least a year but I forgot I had it, and then I got a new hard drive and started college and things just got crazy. BUT. I think I may have been re-inspired to finish this story, through the help of a couple different people. So although this chapter is short, think of it as a Christmas present? :D

As for going back and editing this story, I started to, but it was tricky because I wasn't even finished yet. So my goal is now to finish this fic and then go back and edit/add/remove stuff so it's consistent. Because I started this story when I was in 8th grade, and now I'm a college freshmen (...wow, when you think of it that way it's even more embarassing!) and my writing, I would like to think, has improved a lot. So, just a heads-up.

Thanks for those who have stuck with me so far! Means a lot. :D