Love (Between Two Toa is Quite Alright)

~for Lady K, who dared me to do it~

	Onua had a penchant for saving people.

	Not just the Matoran; no, that was his duty, and he saw no true glory in something that one is destined to do anyway.  No, rather, he found it more glorious when he found himself saving his fellow Toa, be it from an Infected Kanohi, falling to their death, or a Krana - all of which he had done.  Of course, he never boasted or bragged about these things; no, that was not in his nature.  Onua was by far the most humble of the Toa, and the others generally saw him as the wisest of the six.  The one Toa that Onua found often needed the most saving, however, was Lewa.

	Lewa was not, strictly speaking, the 'youngest' of the group; indeed, none of them even knew how old they were - in fact, Lewa could possibly be the oldest of the six for all they knew - but he certainly had the youngest mind.  He was naive, convinced to the bone that Toa were invincible and infallible, which often led to a hostile takeover of his mind and body by outside influences - namely, an Infected Kanohi and a Krana.  Onua remembered the Infected Kanohi ordeal vividly.  It had been the very first time that he had been forced to fight against a fellow Toa, something that he had not enjoyed in the least bit.  He wasn't even sure how Lewa had managed to get his mask taken away in the first place; through some foolishly arrogant act, no doubt.

	Throughout that entire fight, Onua felt something tugging at him, a sense of dread and a sort of hesitation, that had not afflicted him before.  During and immediately after the fight, he chalked it up to reservations about fighting another Toa.  However, later on, when he was pitted against Tahu, temporarily taken over by an Infected Kanohi, he did not feel the same hesitation, which allowed him to win fairly easily.  Of course, Tahu had sworn him to secrecy the moment he regained his senses, not wanting to harm his reputation as the infallible leader, to which Onua had quietly complied.  No, fighting Lewa felt different; like a sin, almost.  It unnerved him, and he wasn't sure what to do about it.

	These same feelings had arisen during Lewa's brief stint as a host for a Krana Xa, a commanding Krana.  Granted, this fight had primarily been won by the Boxor team of Onu-Koro, but Onua had been the one to strip Lewa of his Krana personally, and had been the one to fight him face-to-face.  That fight was even less pleasant than the previous one; when Lewa had been controlled by the Infected Kanohi, he rarely spoke, except for the brief time that he managed to break free of the Kanohi's control and plead for help (which had torn at Onua's heart).  When controlled by the Krana, however, he had no such chance to do this, as the Krana did all the talking, taunting and jeering Onua from the get-go.  Onua did win, however, alongside the Boxor team.

	All in all, Onua wasn't sure what to make of his feelings.  He knew that there was something off about them; something that didn't quite work.  He had heard of Ga-Matoran falling for Matoran from other Koros; however, those were male/female pairings in every case.  He had never heard of a pairing that did not include a Ga-Matoran.

	"Ah...I should just talk to Whenua about this," Onua said quietly to himself.  And with that, he left the shore of Po-Wahi and headed back to the tunnels that led to Onu-Koro.

~homohomohomo~

	Lewa never quite enjoyed being a Toa.

	If he wasn't being controlled by the Makuta, then he was being controlled by the Bohrok, being shouted at by Tahu and cold-shouldered by Kopaka and the rest every time in between.  Sure, it wasn't always like this; there were a number of times where being a Toa was the only thing that kept him going.  Then there was Onua.

	Onua never cold-shouldered or shouted at Lewa.  Rather, when the others were being rude, Onua would take Lewa aside, and gently tell him what the others tried to say in harsher ways.  He always was appreciative of the way Onua treated him, despite the misgivings he sometimes felt about it.  He knew that Onua was naturally nice, and soft-spoken, but something about the way he acted around Lewa was different...a little too soft, a little too compassionate.  And the thing was, Lewa didn't completely dislike it.  Onua had been his favorite Toa and closest friend since the beginning.

	Lewa remembered the fight in the Nui-Rama hive.  The takeover had been the result of a stupid mistake on his part; the Nui-Kopen had sent out a number of Nui-Rama to distract him, then taken him by surprise and knocked off his mask, replacing it with the Infected Miru.  He wasn't really aware of the fight as it was going on, save for the one time he broke through the fog and called out to Onua.  The memories had come back after the mask was removed; and he felt terrible about it, once he remembered what had gone on.  Onua had later told him not to worry about it, which helped quite a bit at making Lewa feel better about the whole incident.

	Lewa was quite taken by Onua.  He felt that Onua was the only one that truly understood him; the other Toa were too self-absorbed to really interact at all, whereas Gali was at the other extreme, which, quite honestly, was a bit of a turnoff for Lewa.  Onua, however, seemed to be just right; there was the perfect mix of assertiveness, kindness, and, to a degree, submission.  Plus, Onua could kick anyone's ass without even trying.  That was quite important to Lewa.

	All of this, however, confused him quite a bit; the things he was feeling had the tendency to interfere with his duty to the Matoran.  So he went to Turaga Matau about it.

	"Ah, Lewa, you and I are very much alike," Matau had said, once Lewa had relayed all this to him.  "You know, ages ago, I had the same feelings that you have now."  Lewa's eyes widened slightly.  "For Turaga Whenua?"  Matau blinked.  "Hell no, boy.  Nokama is who I am talking about."

	Lewa's head drooped slightly.  "Ah, a female.  That's the...proper thing to feel, yes?"  Matau sighed, and sat down in his chair, across from Lewa.  "How do I say...this thing we have both felt, in itself is extremely uncommon in the universe we live in, Lewa.  It is something not easily studied, for it happens so rarely, and thus, very little is known, such as its cause, why it only afflicts certain Matoran, or Toa, or Turaga, and yes, why it always seems to involve a female and a male.  Your case is...unique," Matau concluded.  Lewa cocked his head to the side.  "So it hasn't happened before?" he asked.  Matau shook his head.  "No.  The idea of two males exhibiting this feeling for eachother...it's unprecedented."

	Lewa fell silent, thinking for a moment.  Then he blinked.  "What's this phenomenon called, Turaga Matau?"  Matau smiled a bit.

	"It's called 'love', Lewa."

~bionicle20012010~

	"So, you are saying it is wrong, Turaga Whenua."

	Onua was sitting in his Turaga's hut, as Whenua sat behind his desk.  The two were having the very same discussion that Lewa and Matau were having, but in a slightly different manner, given the personalities of the Toa and Turaga involved.

	"No, I am not saying it is wrong, Onua, just that it is...strange.  Unusual.  Unexpected.  Things like that," Whenua replied.  His drillstaff leaned against the wall, mere feet away.  He stared at it for a moment as Onua mulled this over.  He looked back to Onua when the Toa spoke up.

	"But you do acknowledge that it is not wrong?" Onua asked.  Whenua did not respond.  "Turaga?" Onua pressed.  Finally, Whenua sighed.  "Well...because no precedent has been set, you and Lewa would have to decide that.  Now, there is something you must take into consideration first, however."  Onua leaned back.  "And what is that, Turaga?"

	"Your duty."

	Onua blinked.  "Why do you think that I am not taking my duty into consideration?" he asked, bristled.  Whenua placed his head in his hand.  "Because that is what love does, Onua.  Look at Huki of Po-Koro and Maku of Ga-Koro.  They are mere Matoran, and already their respective duties have been compromised because of the obsession they have for eachother.  Eventually, destiny will intervene and tear them apart."

	"That is a nice, positive way of looking at things, Turaga," Onua quipped sarcastically.  Whenua rolled his eyes.  "Shove it, Toa."  Onua chuckled.  Whenua stood up (which did not make any difference whatsoever regarding his stature) and walked around his desk, putting a hand on Onua's shoulder.

	"I am glad that you came to me first, Onua.  But the only person you can truly settle this with is Lewa.  Now, like I said with the example of Huki and Maku, sometimes duty gives way to love, and that is unfortunate.  If you two happened to be, say, Matoran, I would have to call a meeting of the Turaga to decide your fates.  But, seeing as you two are Toa, I believe that you can maintain your duty while still pursuing this...relationship, so to speak.  But be warned, Onua:  Do not let your love lead you astray from your destiny.  Love may create unity, but without duty or destiny, unity is nothing.  Remember this, and go."

	Onua nodded, and turned to walk out.  As he left, however, Whenua stopped him and said, "Do tell me how it goes, Onua."  Onua smiled, and left, departing into the tunnels to Le-Koro.

~Suzannaissocoollike~

	"Love?"  Lewa asked.  Matau nodded.  "Yes, that's what it is referred to.  Love refers to the ultimate form of unity, one that very few Matoran ever experience, surpassing even brotherhood and sisterhood.  Currently, there are only two examples that I know of demonstrating true love.  One is the love shared by Huki of Po-Koro and Maku of Ga-Koro.  The other is Takua, the Chronicler, and Nixie, the Ga-Koran astrologer.  But, as you have probably noticed..." Matau paused.  "Both of these are male/female pairs."

	Lewa blinked.  "Oh.  I actually didn't pick up on that."  Matau facepalmed.  "The point is, Lewa, I am not sure how well this...union, let us call it, between you and Onua will go over.  Some of the other Turaga may feel that it gets in the way of your duty to the Matoran, and possibly may even jeopardize your destiny.  I personally do not feel that it does, but the other Turaga, particularly Vakama and Onewa, may believe otherwise.  Of couse, we all know that destiny sometimes manifests itself in strange ways, and that the Matoran and, yes, even us Turaga, are not infallible.  After all, the Matoran of Ta-Koro, and Vakama himself, shunned the Chronicler Takua for his adventuring ways.  And, naturally, we all know how that one ended."  Matau chuckled, as did Lewa.  "Yeah, Tahu was embarrassed for weeks after that.  'Why did it have to be my village?' he constantly moaned."

	"Yes, I do recall that," Matau replied.  "But, in order for me to allow you to go through with this, Lewa, you must promise me that you will see it through, no matter what happens.  I will not be known as the Turaga who let his Toa fall on his face."  Lewa nodded.  "I'll see this through, Turaga, you have my word."

	Matau gave a small smile.  "Good.  Now hurry on, and get it over with."  With that, Lewa turned and departed Matau's hut.  Once he was gone, Matau gave a heavy sigh.  "This probably will not end well..."

~thisistheclimaxofthestory~

	Lewa and Onua were heading to the same place.

	They didn't know it, of course, and they were not intentionally going to the same place.  But Lewa was going to Onu-Koro, and Onua was going to Le-Koro, which were both connected by the same tunnel, so, naturally, the two would run into eachother.  Which was exactly what happened.

	Lewa, not having night vision whatsoever, ran into Onua, while Onua tried to dodge.  The lightstones in the tunnel were dim and did not function very well.  As such, Lewa couldn't see anything, and called out rather loudly, "Onua!  Is that you?"  His hands reached out blindly, whacking Onua right in the face.  "Ow, stop it, you buffoon, it's me."  Lewa pulled his hands back.  "Oh.  Were you going to Le-Koro?"

	"Yes.  Were you going to Onu-Koro?" Onua replied.  Lewa nodded, then called out, "Oh, yeah, I was.  I forgot that we're in the dark."  Onua paused.  "Er, you obviously forgot that I'm the Toa of Earth, Lewa.  I don't need light to see."  Lewa blinked.  "Oh...right.  That's right.  Silly me."  Onua facepalmed.

	"Anyway...we need to talk, Lewa.  I suppose this tunnel is...a good enough place to do that."  Lewa nodded.  "Yes, it's as good a place as any."  Onua walked over to the wall, and leaned against it.

	"I talked to my Turaga today.  I asked him...was love is.  And he told me, and it makes sense.  And...what we have now...I think it is love, Lewa."  Onua paused, and when Lewa said nothing, he continued.  "I believe it is love because we both know that we are far closer to eachother than any of the other Toa.  And I do not believe there is anything wrong with that.  However..." Onua paused.  "I think you know this, as well, but all the other relationships on Mata-Nui are not only between Matoran, but they are pairings including a Ga-Matoran.  And clearly, neither of us are Ga-Matoran."  Lewa turned to the side.

	"Yes, that's true...but see, maybe it's not that odd, Onua.  Maybe it just hasn't happened yet.  Maybe we need to be the pioneers, the ones to show them what true love is."  Lewa reached out and attempted to find Onua, which failed miserably, as he ran into the wall right next to Onua four times before Onua grabbed Lewa's arm and directed him.

	Once Lewa was in front of Onua, he put a hand on the latter's face.  "Let's do it, Onua.  Regardless of what the others will say."  Onua put a clawed hand on Lewa's.  "If you want to...then I suppose it'll be fine.  But any backlash is your fault."

	Lewa smiled, and leaned in close, until their lips touched.  "Fine with me."

~thebacklash~

	"So you're trying to tell me that you two are faggots."

	Lewa and Onua stared blankly at Tahu as the other three Toa reacted, each in their own way.  Kopaka's face did not change, but Onua could see a subtle shaking as he held in his laughter; Gali facepalmed; and Pohatu fell over laughing.

	"Tahu, that is the rudest thing I've ever heard," Gali snapped, before putting a hand on Lewa's shoulder.  "Don't mind him, Lewa, he just destroyed a lot of Bohrok."  Lewa nodded.  Onua looked pensieve.  "Tell me, Tahu, where did you pick up that word?"

	Tahu blinked.  "Uh...Turaga Onewa."  Pohatu stopped ROFL'ing, and stood up.  "What!?  That's totally not true!"  Gali looked over to Pohatu.  "You know it's true, Pohatu.  Onewa's a total bigot."  Pohatu made to say something, but then stopped, and admitted, "Okay yeah, he is.  Whatever."  Gali nodded in triumph, then whacked Tahu in the back of the head.  "Apologize."  Tahu glared at Gali, but then turned back to Lewa and Onua, who had their arms around eachother.  "Well, guys- oh Mata-Nui could you stop for one motherf- aaaargh!"  The two looked at Tahu, and Onua said, "It is fine, Tahu.  We don't mind."  Tahu nodded.  "Er, okay."

	Kopaka stepped up.  "How many of the Turaga know of this...development?" he asked.  Lewa looked to Onua; he responded with, "Only Matau and Whenua.  We were thinking of calling a council together to break the news to the other four."  Kopaka nodded in agreement.  "Well...I think that the four of us owe you two an apology.  Though our reactions were all Tahu's fault - " Kopaka took that moment to glare at Tahu, who glared right back, " - I, for one, will support you two to the fullest extent.  And I believe that Pohatu and Gali will as well."  All five Toa turned to Tahu, who was conveniently looking in the opposite direction.  Finally, however, he turned back, and, with a sigh, said, "Yeah, alright, I don't see anything wrong with it.  Go ahead."

	Lewa and Onua smiled, and hugged.  Tahu turned away.  "As long as you don't do that shit in front of me."

	The six Toa then split up, to notify the Turaga of the meeting.  Once the six Turaga and six Toa were all gathered, Lewa and Onua announced their relationship.  Naturally, their respective Turaga were unsurprised and immediately accepting, but Onewa, and, surprisingly, Vakama, resisted.

	"It's totally unnatural," Onewa insisted.  Vakama, however, took a different approach.  "It's not that at all, Onewa.  Rather, it's whether these two can perform their duty to the Matoran while being...involved."  Nokama argued in the Toa's favor.  "I'm quite sure, Vakama, that if they have decided to do this, then there's no going back, becuase being barred from doing it would just interfere more, and you know it."

	Delibirations continued in this vein for nearly three hours.  Finally, however, the six Turaga came to the consensus that Lewa and Onua's relationship would not interfere with their duty, and they allowed it to remain.  As such, the two Toa were overjoyed.

	Lewa and Onua's relationship stayed strong through the transformation into Toa Nuva, and even through their trip to Karda-Nui, and Teridax's subsequent takeover of the Matoran Universe.  As Lewa resided in Tren Krom's body, he remembered their last words to eachother, and smiled (in his head, at least):

"Don't worry, Onua.  Tren Krom's a total creeper, but I know you'll come to rescue me if something happens."

"Oh, definitely.  That is my job, after all, right?"

~end~