Another story I posted on BZPower before I joined . Thought I'd put it up here and see how it did. And, yes, I AM KynTA.
Exceptions
Toa never killed.
They never did more than what was needed. That was what all Toa were taught. What all Toa were told to respect and follow in any situation, no matter the danger.
Toa Kizaki, Toa of Lightning, found that hard to believe.
For days, he had been chasing down a dark hunter responsible for a string of deaths in Metru-Nui. He had several chances to catch his elusive prey, but then, the law against killing prevented him from doing so, as every chance he was presented with ensured that his target would die if he took it.
He sighed and leaned against a metal pillar. He was at a dead end and facing failure. He was considered an ace detective in the universe, and that's why the Toa Nuva called him in to investigate the killings. He reviewed the facts once again in his head.
Six deaths. All linked...Somehow. A top archivist. A quarry-master. A chute-director. A high-ranking scholar. A furnace overseer. A teacher. All from different districts, different occupations. And all linked...
He stood up straight and continued walking down the deserted, filth-covered street that led to the central chute hub of Le-Metru. Every scene had one thing in common: A brown Gukko feather. Why? He asked himself. What's the significance? Is this even the work of a dark hunter? He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly walked into a metal pillar that held up one of the many chutes of the city.
He looked up to the sky. It was already beginning to darken. Soon it would be nightfall and he wouldn't be able to do any work. Another unproductive, wasted day. He scowled. Why can't I solve this? I've figured out worse crimes than this, why can't I just...
A shout shattered his thoughts. "Murder!" A Le-Matoran shouted in horror.
Kizaki immediately sprang into action. He quickly drew his spear and ran towards the shout, taking whatever shortcuts he could. He couldn't decide whether he was happy that someone got killed. Happy because I can finally get a lead? But wouldn't being happy make me a sadist? He shook his head. Those thoughts could wait. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand.
He reached the scene just in time to see his target escape through the rooftops. Spotting an opportunity, he quickly fired a low-power bolt of electricity at the killer, temporarily paralyzing him. Got him! He shouted in glee mentally. His target fell from the rooftops onto the streets below. Kizaki quickly ran to his location and pressed the tip of his spear to the killer's throat.
"Gotcha." Kizaki said with a smile. Inside, he was glad that his gamble worked. He never really used low-powered attacks before, and he was fearful that his target may have died.
The killer surprisingly smiled back and replied, "Was wondering when you were gonna get me."
Kizaki ignored the comment. He lightly pressed the spear against the killer's throat. "On your feet, scum." The killer complied, laughing as he stood up.
"What now, Toa? Death? Oh wait. Your rules doesn't allow killing, do they?" He asked. "Oh, and please, no need for name calling. The name's Syze."
Kizaki pointed the spear at Syze, eyeing his every move. "You're gonna walk with me to the hub. Then we're going to go to the coliseum. You do anything funny, and I swear to Mata-Nui, I will kill you." He prodded Syze in the back, telling him to move. "Why'd you do it?"
"The money was good." Syze replied simply.
"So you're a contract killer," Kizaki said in disgust.
"Oh no, I choose my jobs carefully," Syze said, surprisingly calm for someone who had an angry Toa with a spear behind them. "My targets were corrupt. They deserved death."
"No one deserves death." Kizaki countered.
"Oh? So a chute-director funneling goods bound for poverty-stricken islands for himself doesn't deserve death? How about an archivist who cruelly murdered his co-workers for promotions? Maybe the furnace overseer that was responsible for the deaths of his subordinates because he cut corners?" Syze asked with a trace of sarcasm.
"Then you should have reported their activities, and the Toa would have dealt with them." Kizaki pointed out. They turned a corner. Matoran were looking at the duo with odd looks. It wasn't everyday you saw a Toa poking his weapon into the back of a Steltian.
"And what would they have done?" The Steltian asked. "Thrown in jail? Trust me. People like them, once they get out, it's back to the old ways."
Kizaki remained silent. He had a very good point there. How many times did he have to chase down the same criminals who a few years back vowed never to break another law? "What did the scholar, teacher and quarry-master do?" He asked out of curiosity.
"The scholar stole precious documents to sell on the black market. The teacher stole vials of purified protodermis for who knows what reason, and the quarry-master used his small statues to store goods for smuggling." Syze replied. "And yes, that is deserving of death."
"For theft and smuggling? Imprisonment would have sufficed." The Toa commented.
"No, Toa. You don't understand." Syze said sadly and shook his head slowly, as if to emphasize the point. "They were unrepentant. I gave them a chance, Toa. I did. A year ago. They refused to change."
Kizaki took all that in. While he was against killing, it made a lot of sense to him. Why bother with imprisonment when the criminal wouldn't change? Death would solve that, and it was faster, too.
"Sometimes, death is a good thing." Syze said suddenly. "When I killed my latest target...Someone shouted 'murder', correct?"
"Yes." Kizaki confirmed. "Why did you have to kill the Matoran, anyway?"
The Steltian shook his head. "Not important. Anyway, if I didn't commit that crime, would you have caught me?"
Kizaki thought long and hard. He wanted to believe that with his skills, he would be able to eventually track down and arrest the Steltian, but somehow, he doubted that could ever happen. "No," He replied softly.
"Now you understand? One death was necessary to catch me, taker of six lives." Syze said. "Sometimes, you have to judge for yourself whether death is necessary."
"We're here." Kizaki said and led Syze into the hub. The Toa was tense, ready to counter any sneaky moves the Steltian might try to pull. Surprisingly, the Steltian obeyed his every command, and they reached the coliseum without much hassle.
The Toa Nuva were there, and Tahu was the first one to welcome Kizaki. "Brother! I see you have apprehended our sneaky killer."
"His name is Syze," Kizaki shot back before he even knew what he was saying. "Sorry...I don't know..."
Tahu ignored him. "Never mind that. We'll take it from here." Onua stepped forward and firmly held the Steltian's hands behind his back.
"Imprisonment?" Syze asked. "What good would that do-"
"Shut it, criminal." Tahu growled.
'Sometimes, you have to judge for yourself whether death is necessary.' Kizaki recalled the killer's words. 'People like them, once they get out, it's back to the old ways.'
He doesn't seem repentant. He'll probably be back to killing within a week of his release. Kizaki said to himself. Does that mean...
"Stop," He said to Onua. The Toa of earth stopped and looked back with a puzzled expression on his face. "I have one last question for him."
Onua nodded and released Syze. All the Toa Nuva had their eyes on him, so he didn't even think about escaping. "Yes?" The Steltian asked with a smile.
"What are you?"
"A Steltian." Syze replied.
"I mean, you're not a dark hunter. They would have resisted more. You're also not a devout Teridax follower, or you'd be swearing and shouting at me all the way here. So what are you?" Kizaki pointed out and asked.
"Assassin, Toa. That's what I am. That's my life, my job." Syze replied.
Kizaki nodded, raised his spear, and stabbed it into the Assassin's chest. "That's...It." Syze managed to say with a smile as the Toa pulled the spear out and allowed the body to fall.
Almost immediately, Tahu tackled Kizaki to the ground. "Why did you do that!?" He shouted in the Toa's face.
"He will not change. That much I know." Kizaki replied, then he charged up his armor with his elemental power, slightly shocking Tahu. Enough to make him jump off Kizaki.
"Keep the payment." The Toa of electricity said flatly. He knelt next to the body of the dead assassin and closed his open eyes. He shut his own eyes, as if in prayer, before standing up and facing the Toa Nuva. "Forget me. Forget this ever happened." He nodded to the body. "And give him a proper burial. He deserved it."
"He killed six Matoran in cold blood." Kopaka said coldly, but you could hear a hint of outrage in his voice. Why would an assassin deserve a burial? They're nothing but scum.
"He killed them for a greater cause." Kizaki replied, seeing sense in the killings at last. "He traded their lives to ensure peace. Isn't that our job?"
"But-" Tahu began.
"We ensure peace," Kizaki cut him off. "And that's what we'll do. If it costs a few lives, so be it." He turned to leave. "One day, you'll have to understand that the world isn't in black and white. There are the grays." Silently, he entered the chute headed for Ga-Metru.
They'll be after me for sure. Kizaki told himself, knowing that the Toa Nuva wouldn't let him leave. But for their own good, I hope they wouldn't.
Toa never killed.
But sometimes exceptions had to be made.
END