Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only Kit. And, I don't 'Mask of Light' either.
Mata Nui. An island perfectly divided into six different geographical regions. An island considered a paradise by its inhabitants—the Matoran. An island where legends are real and you never know when one will become so.
Beneath the surface of the village of Ta-Koro, one of the many branches of the Lake of Fire flowed. With all of the lava farmers gone, all was quiet in the cavern. Then, from nowhere, something splashed as it landed on the lava's surface. Tahu let his momentum carry him down the flow, making his way toward the new kohlii field. It was almost time for the kohlii match to start and his village's team was playing. He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when he became aware of a tremor. "What the--" he said to himself when a surge in the lava's current threw him off balance, nearly causing him to fall off of his lavaboard. He regained his balance just before his fingertips touched the lava and steered toward the shore. By then, the tremors had stopped as mysteriously as they had appeared. "Odd," he noted and became aware of voices behind him. Though he couldn't understand the words, he knew the voices. 'Jaller and Takua,' he thought. 'What are they doing down here? They're supposed to be at the stadium.' Following the voices he trotted toward the Matoran. Just when he guessed he was almost there, he heard a far too familiar roar from the back end of the cavern. "I don't like the sound of that," he said to himself and started running. When he heard Takua fearfully call out to Jaller, Tahu swore his heart leapt to his throat and he scrambled to peek over a small ridge. He saw Takua on his lavaboard and a huge wave of lava towering over him, looking like a huge mouth ready to swallow the Matoran in one gulp. In the blink of an eye, the Toa of Fire leapt forward, grabbed Takua, and started surfing.
"Ah, Toa Tahu," sighed Takua, realizing he was still alive.
"Chronicler," the Toa greeted, "sightseeing, were ya?"
Throwing the Matoran onto his back, Tahu continued to surf ahead of the wave. That's when an idea popped into his head. "Well, let's take a closer look at those falls," and, for a brief few moments, they flew over the approaching lavafall. Tahu was so focused on his stunt, nothing else seemed to matter—not the lava, not the fall, not even Takua's screaming, holding on for dear life and wondering why he ever came along for this crazy ride. After a few seconds of freefalling, though for Takua it felt like forever, Tahu grabbed and primed up his magma swords and thrust them into the rockwall before them. The tools ended up creating two narrow trenches before they slowed to a stop. "So, Takua," said Tahu. "This view close enough?"
"Incoming!" Takua pointed above.
Lava from another one of the outlets was pouring down toward them. The Fire Toa activated the power of his mask, his forcefield protecting both him and the Matoran. Once the lava had passed, he let down his shield and started using his swords to climb back up to the top.
Meanwhile, back at the area where Takua found the totem, Jaller mourned for the 'death' of his friend. Suddenly, two large swords appeared on either side of him. He looked behind him to find the guardian of his village. "Toa Tahu," he gasped, then his tone and expression changed back to sorrow. "Takua? H-He didn't . . ." Takua peeked around the Toa's shoulder, gave a triumphant chuckle, and leapt down. "You're alive!" Jaller exclaimed, then embraced his friend. "Kohliihead, you could've been lava-bones." Pewku ran up to Takua and proceeded to lick him excitedly.
"Could've been, but I'm not," Takua remarked.
Tahu, meanwhile, picked up an object that had recently caught his attention, "A Great Kanohi mask."
"It was in the lava," Jaller explained. "Takua--"
"This could be important," Tahu interrupted. "Take it to Turaga Vakama." The Captain was about to proceed to do so when Tahu placed a hand on his head. "After you've won the kohlii match," he added. "Then no more sightseeing."
"Yes, Toa Tahu," Jaller saluted.
As Jaller and Takua, with Pewku in tow, ran as fast as they could move across the bridge that led to the stadium, Turaga Vakama addressed the crowd about being thankful to the Great Spirit for the Toa and enjoying their newfound peace, prosperity, and opportunity to build. The assembled Matoran cheered as Vakama, Onewa, and Nokama looked on brightly. "Let us welcome our protectors," Vakama continued, and he raised his staff to the level above him and the turaga. "The spirit of fire, Toa Tahu." The Toa of Fire flipped as the crowd cheered on. "From the village of water, Toa Gali," Vakama introduced as the blue female Toa walked in graciously, waving to the Matoran. "From the village of stone, Toa Pohatu." A short pause followed, and Vakama announced, "And last, but definitely not least, our human ally, Kit." A small figure flipped down from above the Toa, and Kit spread out her arms to conclude her move.
Gali gently shook her head with a smile shining in her eyes. 'She's been hanging out with Lewa too much,' she thought to herself. 'Always coming up with some kind of dramatic entrance.'
"Pleasure to see you again, Gali," Tahu greeted without meeting his sister's gaze as the group continued to wave to the villagers.
"Thank you, Tahu," Gali replied with a hint of impatience in her voice.
"Brother, I am thrilled to be here," said Pohatu enthusiastically.
"Well, couldn't have a first match without the Patron of Kohlii," Tahu chuckled as he and his brother Toa exchanged a fist-punch.
"Yeah," Kit joined in, "someone might consider it a crime."
Pohatu had to laugh at that. "And so I am here, so no one gets arrested."
Gali, annoyed with being ignored by her brothers, took her seat. Tahu sat down immediately, leaving Kit and Pohatu to look at them and each other. After sharing a shrug, they joined the other two. The Toa of Fire and Water refused to meet each other's gaze, a sign everyone knew all too well. "Still at it, aren't they?" the Stone Toa whispered to the girl behind him.
"Apparently so," Kit whispered back. About a week ago, Gali and Tahu had another one of their 'bouts, the reason why was uncertain.
Pohatu placed an arm on both of them and sighed. "You two—still so ill at ease? Put your petty differences aside. Rejoice!"
Kit was about to say something in agreement, but thought better of it when Gali brushed Pohatu's hand off. "I think my brother is afraid of having his fire extinguished," she commented with a leer at the red Toa.
Tahu chuckled, "Sister, against me you'd be nothing but steam. Hot air, as they say."
Kit rolled her eyes as she sighed inwardly; it was now obvious as to what those two were fighting over. Almost a minute later, Vakama's voice could once be heard throughout the stadium, dedicating it to the Great Spirit and the Three Virtues. The Matoran cried out the names of the virtues and cheered again when Vakama gave word for the tournament to begin. Inside the tunnel that led to the field and would function as the Ta-Koro goal during the game, Jaller and Takua could hear the kohlii announcerintroducing the members of the three scheduled teams. They had only minutes left. Takua slipped on his shoulder pads just in time for him and Jaller to jump out. Jaller took a moment to enjoy the roar of the crowd and turned to Takua. "Try your new move," he whispered.
"Of course, it's what the audience came for," Takua replied as he walked to the center of the field, his eyes giving away his uncertainty.
Takua, Hahli, and Hewki touched staffs, the ball was released, and the highly anticipated game was finally on. "C'mon Takua, you can do it! Kick it Hewki, kick it! That's right Hahli, go!" Kit cheered, earning some confused stares from the three Toa.
"Kit, why in the world are you cheering for all three teams?" asked Tahu.
"Because I want them all to win," she answered.
Gali looked at Pohatu, who merely shrugged. "Must be a human thing," he guessed.
The hours passed as the game continued with Ga-Koro actually taking the lead. Takua spotted his chance and went into his new move. Using his staff to flip himself, the ball rolled into the cup end, and he threw it—straight at the turaga. Though the village elders did manage to duck, the ball still got the last word when it bounced off of Vakama's head as it entered back onto the field. Hahli steered toward the Ta-Koro goal, took a shot, and scored. As the Ga-Matoran cheered for their team's victory, everyone applauded for a game well played. "Congratulations to Ga-Koro," Vakama praised. "And well played by all." The teams respectively bowed and a beam of light shone onto Jaller's face, nearly blinding him. Everyone in the stadium gasped and gazed in amazement.
Later, everyone was gathered at the Ta-Suva, where Nokama read the inscription on the back of the mask. Finally, she announced, "This is the Great Kanohi Mask of Light. A mask to be worn only by a seventh Toa."
"The prophecy is being fulfilled," Gali exclaimed.
Kit, however, just watched the goings-on down below; it now became clear to her that the Mask of Light Saga had begun to unfold and remembered it was the DVD of that part of the Bionicle story that she was watching before she was brought to this world. She was snapped out of her thoughts when everyone started cheering Jaller's name. Everyone now believed that he was the Herald of the Seventh Toa after what happened in the stadium. She continued to watch as Vakama called for the trapped Matoran, asked him if he'd be willing to accept this quest, and Jaller agreed. "And, Takua the Chronicler has volunteered to join me," the Captain of the Guard added. If Takua had bothered to look up where Kit and the Toa were watching, he would've seen the girl giving him a look that said, 'You're not getting out of this that easy.' She then became aware that Gali was leaving and ran to catch up with her. Shortly afterwards, Tahu rejoined Pohatu.
"A seventh Toa," he wondered. "But why now? All of the Makuta's threats have been defeated."
"Who can fathom the wisdom of Mata Nui?" the Stone Toa shrugged. "I'm simply happy to take good news to the North."
"You travel with Gali?" Tahu asked, a bit apprehensive.
"No," his brother replied, "she and Kit have gone to ponder the great thoughts."
In the center of the island sat Kini Nui, the great temple. It was here that island-wide celebrations were held every once in a while and the turaga came to hold council. Just about everywhere you looked was the beauty of the surrounding jungle as far as the eye could see. 'The perfect place to meditate about such events,' Gali thought as she sat at the Amaja Circle. She looked up at the sky and located a familiar constellation, though there something a little different about it. "Kit, look," she pointed for the girl, who was sitting next to her, "a seventh star." Kit gazed in wonder, remembering that night on the mesa when she first spotted the seventh star as it was just starting to appear. Back then, it was just a tiny speck, barely noticeable. Now, it was burning bright with all of the other stars in the sky. While Gali started meditating, dark thoughts invaded Kit's mind. She just realized that there was one other person who also knew about the approaching Seventh Toa—Makuta. She knew that even as she and Gali sat at the Kini Nui, he was preparing to unleash the Rahkshi, the most powerful of his minions yet.
She was about to inform the Toa of Water when a voice in her mind stopped her, "No, Kit!"
Kit recognized the voice, 'Tehreisha?'
"You cannot tell them of the events to come."
'But--'
"You know it's part of the story, Kit, and you don't know what sort of consequences changing it would have on this world, or yours. Part of your duty as a Protector is to ensure that the plot continues as it should. I'm sorry, but it must be allowed to pass."
Kit drearily sighed, giving in. "Keep in mind, Kit," Tehreisha continued, "sometimes great and wonderful things are born from the darkest of situations." A blank expression formed on her face, then she turned to find Gali levitating. With a slight shrug, she crossed her legs and joined in.
Morning had come to the village. Jaller and Takua conversed with each other as they walked toward the gate. "Why did you have to get me involved in this, Jaller?" asked Takua.
"I could ask the same of you," Jaller responded.
He still couldn't understand why Takua didn't want anyone to know what really happened in the cave. Takua just gave him an innocent smile; despite the fact he didn't want to get involved in this quest, Jaller did provide him an opportunity to travel around the island again. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaller saw a familiar figure approaching them. "Turaga Vakama," the Captain bowed, "what are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd see you and the Chronicler off," the turaga answered.
"Me too," entered a voice. It was Hahli.
As the group walked closer to the gate, Jaller signaled to a Guard member up above and he lowered the portcullis. While Takua and Vakama were busy talking, Jaller thought about what he wanted to say to Hahli. However, before he knew it, she was right next to him. "Look, don't get mushy, Jaller," she said. "I have no time for a long good-bye."
"I was just gonna say, uh . . . well," he struggled; no matter how much he wanted to, he just couldn't get himself to say what he wanted. 'Stealing your words away' he recalled Kit telling him what it was called. "You owe me a rematch on the kohlii field," he finally said, even if it wasn't what he meant.
For a brief moment, the Ga-Matoran gave him an odd look, leaving Jaller worried if he said the wrong thing. 'That's it?' she thought as she raised an eyebrow, but she let it slide. "Well, then," she said with a warm smile as she turned to depart, "you'd better hurry back, because I'll be practicing."
Jaller just stared like an idiot, until he noticed that Vakama and Takua were watching him and he shook his head, as if to get himself out of his stupor. Minutes later, he and Takua were on there way on Pewku's back with nothing but a mask as their guide, leaving Vakama hoping, praying, that they would be safe.
Meanwhile, back at the Kini Nui, Gali continued to meditate while Kit slept beside her, the meditation causing her to fall asleep during the night. Both snapped their eyes open when they heard screeching from above. A flock of birds were flying away frantically, frightened. 'What could've spooked them so badly?' Gali wondered, then felt Kit grab her arm. The girl pointed to a huge cloud mass that stretched out toward the horizon. It was dark and threatening looking and there was no wind. The sound of thunder was heard as the cloud mass covered the temple. Suddenly, the Toa Suva exploded, shattered into pieces.
'Oh boy,' thought Kit. She knew this had to mean only one thing.
Before long, the first three Rahkshi, Lerahk, Guurahk, and Panrahk, appeared. Sensing them, the brown Rahkshi turned and fired a bolt from his staff. Gali grabbed Kit's hand and jumped, narrowly avoiding the blast. When the Rahkshi came to investigate, they found nothing and left; they had a mission to complete. In the water, Gali and Kit remained as still as possible, watching the Rahkshi leave. Once they were sure they were far away enough, they followed them down river, Kit holding on to Gali. Taking a peek outside the water, they saw where the creatures were headed—Ta-Koro. "We've gotta hurry," said Kit. Gali nodded and, with Kit holding onto her shoulders, dove down the waterfall and swam as fast as she could. Finally reaching Ta-Wahi, Kit switched to her Toa armor and ran behind Gali toward the village.
"The Toa of Water and Kit approach," a Guard member called. "The Toa of Water--"
"Are here," said Gali as she jumped with the human in hand to the ledge.
"Sound the alarm," Kit instructed. "We've got company coming."
Tahu was watching his villagers going about their business when the trumpet of the alarm sounded. He ran to one of the watch towers and saw Vakama, Nokama, Gali, and Kit lined up with the Ta-Koro Guard on the rampart. He was about to ask why he had been summoned when he thought he saw something move in the clouds ahead. The Rahkshi had come. "None have breached Ta-Koro's gates before," the Toa of Fire commented as he brandished his magma swords, "and none shall this day." Lerahk aimed and fired. Tahu attempted to use his mask power to block it, but was thrown back through the wall and into the courtyard.
Gali, Kit, and Vakama observed the unconscious Toa and the Rahkshi entering the village. "Mata Nui, protect us," Vakama prayed as Gali ran to protect her brother and Kit left to defend the Matoran.
At one point, she spotted the green Rahkshi cornering two Ta-Matoran and a Ga-Matoran. She quickly placed herself between the monster and the villagers and unleashed an energy ball, sending Lerahk to the ground, then turned to the Matoran. "Go, run for the gate," she instructed. The Matoran nodded and fled.
Tahu, meanwhile, had regained consciousness and didn't waste any time challenging Panrahk. "Good job," Gali commented, but could see that it was not going to be enough to defeat it. "We must get the Matoran to safety now," she declared.
"Surrender?" Tahu asked; he had no intention of giving up.
"It's lost, Tahu," said the Water Toa. "We need to regroup."
"She's right," Kit spoke up, "we can't fight them with all of the villagers here; it's too risky."
Tahu thought about it for a moment; though running from a fight made him feel like a coward, he knew the girls were right and gave the ok. Hahli almost entered the courtyard, only to find Guurahk there, smashing debris that she suspected was once a house. Immediately, she flattened herself against the wall and tried to think of another route, only to feel something grab her forearm.
'Oh no, he's got me,' she thought, and was lifted up, only to breathe a sigh of relief to find it was Gali.
"See the others to safety," the Toa instructed. Hahli nodded and ran to the wench room, pushing the lever, thus causing the bridge to appear.
Kit and Gali worked to guide the panicked Matoran across. "I'll make sure they get to shore," Kit informed the Toa and followed the crowd.
Amongst all of the confusion, a Ta-Matoran stumbled and fell. Kit was by his side immediately and picked him up, carrying him the rest of the way. 'Finally,' she thought once she made it to shore and placed the Matoran down. "Is everybody here?" she asked, turning to Vakama.
The turaga just nodded when someone shouted, "Look!"
Kit turned to see the sight she dreaded to witness. Ta-Koro was sinking into the lava, just like in the movie. She stared at the sinking fortress, barely hearing the Ta-Matoran murmur among themselves. Hearing the sound of liquid sloshing, she looked to find Tahu and Gali surfing toward them. The two Toa joined her on the ledge where she stood, one that overlooked the slowly disappearing koro.
"My home," Tahu said to himself. "They could've destroyed us; why didn't they?"
"They are seekers," answered Vakama, who joined the group. "Whatever they came for, they did not find."
"So what were they after?" asked Gali.
"Makuta fears for his spell of shadows," the turaga riddled.
"The Mask of Light?" Gali guessed.
"Then they seek the Seventh Toa," said Tahu, then realization dawned on his mask. "Jaller and Takua!" he exclaimed. They were all by themselves and, as long as they had the mask, they were in danger.
As expected, Gali planned to summon the other Toa to keep an eye out for them, which Tahu declined, claiming he'd take care of it. This, however, did not sit well with the Toa of Water. "No Tahu, no. We must remain united."
"She's right, Tahu," Kit agreed. "Besides, they could be miles away by now."
The Toa of Fire paused; like before, as much as he hated to admit, Gali was right and Kit had a point. "If you insist," he said as he gave a frustrated glare, revealing the cut he got during his scuffle with Lerahk earlier. It glistened a sickly green in the light, giving the Toa an eerie look that sent a slight shudder down Kit's spine. She looked to the western part of the now clearing sky, hoping that Takua and Jaller were still doing ok.
"That way," Jaller pointed as he lowered the mask. Ahead of them stood a wall of green as far as the eye could see—the trees of Le-Wahi.
"Great," Takua said sarcastically.
Despite the fact he had friends who lived in the local village, if there was one place he could care less about visiting, it was the jungle. Still, he urged Pewku on and they entered.
Back at the volcano, Kit and the two Toa found themselves alone on the ledge. Though the turaga managed to lead the still shaken Matoran about an hour ago, no one could get Tahu to budge. And so, Gali and Kit decided to stay as well. The sky had long since been cleared of the clouds that the Rahkshi used to give a cloak of darkness. Despite her efforts, Kit's eyes somehow found their way to Tahu. With a resigned sigh, she approached him. Ta-Koro had long since disappeared beneath the lava, but the Toa of Fire looked like he hadn't even moved a muscle. "I'm sorry," she said to the red Toa. 'More than you'll ever know,' she added to herself. Tahu slowly turned his head to her, a sad look in his eyes, and turned back to face the spot where a proud fortress once stood. Kit could only imagine what was going on in his mind and sat near him, her legs dangling over the edge.
Author's Note: I'm sure you've all noticed by now that I incorporated some scenes that were not in the movie (which is basically what this is based off of). The reason behind this is because, since I imagine a lot of people are more than familiar with the events in the movie, I tried to come up with some 'unseen' scenes in hopes that you, the readers, won't get too bored.