heeh, this is going to be a longer story, just to warn you, and contains quite a few OC. Hope it's good
A blue and black colored toa made his way through the rubble of a once grand city, silent with shock. It had happened in seconds, his friends adopted family people, gone. His home destroyed. He and his team had come back from defending the city from a skirmish on the outskirts. They had come back to find their city in ruins. His team had split up to find any survivors or who had done this.
"Child's Heart, No Voice, Lotus, Black Metal." He called out as he approached his team.
Their heads turned to their leader each of them with a bitter expression on their masks. His heart sunk. He didn't need to talk to any of them to know what they found. Nothing, that's what. A various green and brown colored toa stepped up to him.
"Sorry Tiger. All I found was death and the stench of ashes and fire." She spoke softly, shoulders slumped in depression.
"We lost them all. We failed them." She whispered sadly.
He hugged the forest colored toa gently.
"It's not your fault Lotus." He said gently.
"We did all that we could. This would have happened if we wanted it to or not." A gray and black toa supported, his voice calm and even but grief was on his features. "It's destiny. If we had stayed, dark hunters would have invaded the city." He stated.
"He did this." A tan and cream colored toa spoke up, voice hardly above a whisper, but to Tiger it echoed loudly across his once grand city.
"How?" The black and gray toa mused to himself.
Tiger shook his head. "Not how. Why." He corrected his brother.
"We know he's gotten stronger. Why he did this is the question. Our city was out of his path of destruction, so why go out of his way when he was already short on time?"He stated.
"You have a point there Tiger." The gray and black toa agreed. "To get revenge on us, to cause us pain?" He guessed.
"No." The cream and tan colored toa spoke her voice flat. "That would be pointless, killing thousands of villagers for revenge. A waste of time and effort. I think I know what he came for." All of them looked at her.
"You do?" Tiger asked, surprised.
"The mask of nightmares." She spoke the words as if it were hard to say, turning to her ash and silver blue sibling.
"What????" Tiger asked blankly. "Ten, what are you talking about?" He asked his ash and silver blue sister, slightly alarmed. She began to gesture with her hands quickly as his other sister translated as best as she could.
" 'The mask of nightmares was a mask made for Makuta's partner Salin. As the name of the mask explains, the mask allows you to control your enemy's fears. It draws out our deepest fears then turns them on you. It's a horrible mask, but fortunately, Salin was killed on her way to a meeting with the master of Shadows, the mask was taken here and given to turaga Velin for safe keeping. It was buried under the city in a small shrine, I nearly forgot about it.'"
By now every one was looking rather alarmed at their sister, who by now was standing very calmly in front of them.
"You mean our home was destroyed because of a stupid mask?" The black and yellow toa exclaimed angrily.
"It's not a 'stupid mask' Haylie." The black and gray toa said firmly.
"Metal master is right. But Childs Heart has a point. If you knew about it why didn't you destroy it in the first place?" Tiger questioned, his voice rising, anger smoldering behind his mask. The forest colored toa rested her hand on his shoulder.
"He would've come anyway, this all would've happened and we would still be powerless to stop it." She pointed out gently.
His anger faded slightly at the gently words.
"You're right Mithra." He sighed "But….All we've known here is gone now." He said softly.
Sadness covered them like a blanket. There was a long silence. Ten began to move. They needed to move, and soon. It was going to be a long trek if she knew where he was taking it. And rumor had it the island had protectors now. There might be a problem with them, but that wasn't the real issue.
If he took the mask to Makuta then they would have the risk of truly falling into the unending dark. If the Mask of Nightmares was united with the Mask of Shadows, then they were all doomed.
She rustled around, finding some items of comfort for her sisters. Sam and Kent wouldn't accept the gifts, they were men. She would also need to find some food for the journey. She wasn't really sure where Mata Nui was, but she had a vague idea. It was somewhere the former city of Legends, above it, if she remembered correctly.
She set a pack in front if Kent and Sam. She set a bag at Mithra's feet. The poor girl, she was rightly given her name, she took a loss hard, and it showed. But like a lotus, she would find the inner strength. If she remembered her Lika-Nui name, she would carry a piece of their home forever. She rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her with tear filled eyes. She smiled gently at her and signed with her hands 'It'll be alright. I know it's hard, but you have to be strong.' She nodded and tried to smile.
Ten carried on, and set a bag at Haylie's feet, then set a bag at Spirits feet. She looked up blankly. 'Lehon.' Ten signaled 'You're going to be fine.' She signaled. "I can hear them Ten. I can hear their cries." She whispered her voice breaking. "It doesn't usually bother me, but they keep on asking why we left, why they died, why didn't protect them." She sobbed.
Ten hugged her sister quietly, not doing anything but letting her cry. Kent looked up at her. Their eyes met, his surprised, hers bitter. She was trying to be strong for her sisters, for every one. She offered an encouraging smile trying to hide her own pain.
Memories flooded her. The first time she arrived here, not knowing anything about herself. Turaga Velin teaching her how to fight. The pride of killing her first dark hunter, controlling her powers. The laughter the friendship that she had experienced, the trust and respect, the undying pride of the villages. And now it was all gone. Tears leaked silently down her mask, now matter how hard she tried to stem them.
She let go of Lehon and closed her eyes, trying so hard not to cry, not to show the tears. Arms wrapped around her, holding her close. A small noise escaped her. She shook slightly, tears pouring down her face. "Ten…"Kent muttered. She wiped her eyes quickly, trying not to look weak. For once her tears obeyed, she stopped crying. She pulled away from Kent, giving him a small smile. 'Thanks' she signaled briefly. Kent nodded, showing he understood.
"We need to leave soon." Sam said finally. Ten nodded in agreement.
"Right, that's all and well that we're leaving now, but where are we going? Do we even know where he took the mask?" Kent pointed out his mildly critical.
Sam remained silent. "Great. So we have to find the mask, but have no idea where it is. How helpful." He said sarcastically.
"Well it's better than being here doing nothing." Sam snapped back.
"Huh, well, we know what the mask is, who took it but not where. We can't go charging off without a plan for all we know we could be heading in the wrong direction." Kent pointed out evenly, but his voice carried an edge to it.
"We can't just sit here and try to figure out where he's heading. We need to move, some where at least. Lehon can barely take being here. For her sake at least we've got to move." Sam pointed out, his voice rising.
Mithra stood between her brothers. "Stop it both of you. We can't be fighting now." She pleaded, grief still in her eyes.
Ten stood next to her, arms crossed, glaring at the two. Then finally she began to gesture quickly with her hands. Lehon from behind her started to translate. " ' If you two would stop bickering like gukko birds for a minute, and listen to someone else but you, you might learn something. Like I know where he's trying to get to. And I have a pretty good idea of where it is.'" Lehon said it calmly, but looking at Ten you could tell she was angered at her brothers' actions.
"And if you knew that why didn't you tell us?" Kent said irritably.
Ten's eyes narrowed. She didn't move her hands at gesture. She simply turned on heel and walked away, pausing only for a moment to pick up her bag. Lehon followed, but less coldly. Mithra threw both of them a hurt glance, before following. Haylie jumped up, glad that they were moving somewhere. She couldn't stand being here. It was too dark and depressing. And it just made her unhappy to see Lehon so… unnerved.
Sam followed realizing that it was best to just follow not to question. Plus, at least he was on her side of the argument. Kent was going to have a hell of a time around her. He deserved it too. Sometimes he was so arrogant and stubborn he longed to trap him in a sonic prison.
But the first time he tried that he was given an earful by Turaga Velin. That was also the last time he tried. Mithra hadn't talked to him for a long time after and when she finally did, she too gave him a lecture on friendship and how he was being unfair and cruel and how immature he was being and that they were toa, not young Matorn. But he restrained himself from doing so, knowing he'd just bring Ten's wrath down him instead.
"So, where exactly are we going?" He heard Lehon ask.
Ten gestured briefly,She nodded once, then reported "Mata nui."
"Uhhh, Ten I know Makuta has Mata Nui in a deep slumber and stuff, and we find Mata Nui we fine him, but we don't know where Makua is." Haylie said.
Sam watched Ten glared daggers into their yellow and black sister.
"Halylie, Mata nui is an island that Makuta is currently, or last reported to inhabit." Mithra said gently.
Haylie looked surprised, mouth open for a few seconds, then laughed out loud. "Hoooo ah, that was pretty dumb of me wasn't it?" She giggled.
Ten glared at her with a new level of frustration and irritation. If looks could kill, Haylie would all kinds of dead. But said nothing, and simply continued to walk on, trying to ignore her.
Sam smiled slightly. Ten was only doing this for Mithra. She hated it when they all fought. Turaga Velin said that Mithra represented Unity. She truly did though now that Sam thought about it. She had tried for so long to keep them united, and she was so far doing well. But somehow, Sam knew that right now, she was using all of her energy to just hold herself together.
There was a long silence between them as they walked on for hours, each lost in thought, only speaking to answer Haylie, and even then their voice was clipped and impatent.
Ten stopped suddenly and closed her eyes. She gestured briefly to Lehon. She nodded and waved to Sam and Kent. "Ten said that she might be able to get us near Mata Nui, but she's not sure." She reported.
"I say go for it. For all we know were kios away from there. Getting us close would give us time to head him off, and prepare for him. Plus he could already be there." Sam declared.
"I'm with Sam." Haylie said cheerfully, only wanting this walking to stop. It was annoying that no one was talking too. Mithra nodded in agreement with Sam also. Lehon hesitated, then to their surprise shook her head.
"No." Kent said shortly.
"Why not?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Look at it this way. If Ten can teleport us near Mata Nui, great. It's cutting time more than in half. But if it doesn't, what happens then? You know what Ten warned us about. It could erase us from this plain. And even if this place does exist can she guarantee that it's near Mata Nui? What happens if she teleports us not the center of a building?" Kent objected.
Sam opened his mouth to reply, when Mithra cut him off. "Kent has a good point. If the city is different from the picture that she was shown, we could very well end up killing ourselves." She said fairly.
Ten glared at Kent. He dare doubt her abilities? After the countless times she had saved is butt?
"Let's just try." Mithra said quietly.
"Ten hasn't let us down yet with her mask." Ten nodded briefly to her in thanks. She gestured shortly. " ' if you don't trust me, then find your own way.'" Lehon said quietly.
"NO!!" Mithra pleaded as Kent began to open his mouth. "We need to all be together, Unity, you guys, Unity, we need to remain united." She protested, her voice desperate.
Kent didn't look swayed at all. "Unity had only brought me grief. Because we remained together our home is destroyed." He said shortly.
Mithra looked sadly at him "Please…" she whispered weakly "Kent, please, when we destroy the mask, or find it, you can go and leave, just not now." She begged.
Sam noticed a glance pass between Ten and Lehon. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, Lehon grabbed Kent, Ten, Sam. Ten's mask glowed as the world faded around them. The next moment they were standing in ruins of a once grand city.
Hm, there, I finally got around to posting tell me what ya think. REVEIW please.