A/N This is my first ever fan fiction to publish, so I'm a little nervous. Please RNR so I know I'm not the only one reading this :). Just a side note, yes, these are the Toa Nuva. This is in some alternate universe in which Makuta Teridax take-over plans didn't work, and their homeland isn't currently under the threat of totalitarian dictatorship. They have this cool human-armor now because they were still wearing the adaptable armor from Artakha. Also, if you think I'm making the Toa seem too weak, don't worry, it's just from the whole transformation/ transportal thing. I'll elaborate more later (don't want to spoil the story), but basically, some of them react kind of strongly to it. Also, humans are much weaker than Bionicles, and the Toa are subsequently weaker because of the change. Um, I think that's all I need to say, so... please enjoy!

And this is the edited version of this chapter, so that's why it may seem a little different than what you might remember.  Thanks!!! Please RNR!!

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SPLASH! A silver-white figure landed in the moonlit water. A young girl on shore looked up from her book, startled. I've got to stop reading those suspense books late at night, she thought with a shiver, staring out at the water. From the small dock where she sat, she saw what looked to be an armored young man pull himself onto a small wood raft. With nothing to grab, the boy found it hard to hold onto the slick planks, and began to slip. The girl dropped her book and dove into the water, ignoring the fact that she was fully clothed. The others in her group didn't even notice her sudden urge to swim in the dark, frigid waters, just as they had taken no notice of the sudden appearance of the armored stranger. She quickly swam over and climbed onto the raft, using the ladder on the other side. Reaching out, she found his hand and pulled him aboard. He lay there, face down, breathing hard. The young girl pushed herself up to look at him. In the dim lighting, she could see that his armor was mostly pale silver, darkest on his chest and upper torso, and fading into a near white along his lower legs and arms. He wore no helmet or any other head protection, merely a black headband, to keep his long, white hair out of his face. He watched her cautiously then forced himself up, wincing. His eyes were a startling pale blue, and he had such fierce look that the girl instinctively scooted back.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I'm fine," came the brusque, strained reply. The girl looked at him more closely, and saw a gash in his shirt, where his armor didn't protect him. His arm underneath was bloodied.

"You're bleeding," she pointed out gently.

He glanced at his arm and shrugged, wincing.

"Can you swim? With all that armor, I mean," she asked in a hushed tone.

The strange young man nodded, moving his long double-bladed sword to his shield hand. The girl silently slid into the water, and he followed. Her hand found his free one, and she gently placed it around her shoulders. He frowned, but made no move to remove it until they were on the land dock. The girl grabbed a towel and began to dry off, but he lay there, still; his breath heavier than earlier.

"Hey, you've gotta dry off. You'll catch your chill, soaked to the bone like that," the girl said, talking to fill the silence of the dark evening. Slowly, the silver-white stranger opened his eyes and looked at her. "Here," she held out the towel. He took it, and, sitting up, began to take off his wet armor, still watching her suspiciously. He dried off a bit then doubled over in pain.

"Ohhhh…" he moaned weakly, grasping his arm tightly. The girl caught him as he fell over, unconscious.

"Hello? Are you ok?" she asked. No reply. Stupid, stupid question, she thought. The girl half carried, half dragged the unconscious boy to a small wooded area near the lake. Knowing her absence wouldn't go unnoticed forever, the girl left him there, along with his armor, double sword, and white shield with a dry towel laid over him as feeble protection against the cold night ahead.

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"Are you sure you haven't seen any of them?" A young man in red armor asked his companion, for what would appear to be the hundredth time. He ran his hand trough his reddish-brown hair in irritation.

"I'm sure I didn't spotsee anyone, Firebrother," his companion in green armor said from a tree branch overhead. The younger of the two was following his friend from the trees above, his green armor blending into the dark foliage. "I spoketold you that evermany times." The two armored young men were traveling slowly through the dark forest.

The red armored one frowned, unsheathing a large blade from his back. It began to glow red hot the moment his hands touched it.

"Careful, Tahu," the green armored person said, dropping to the forest floor and holding up his hands. "No need to show everyone where we are,"

Tahu sheathed his blade. "I know, brother. It's just that we could be walking right by them, and not even notice," he growled. Neither spoke for a long while. Feeling a need to say something, Tahu looked around. "Lewa, beneath you!" he exclaimed. Lewa looked down. His legs were sinking into a thick mud, and the same was happening to Tahu. He reached to unsheathe his fire-sword, but Lewa violently shook his head.

"Don't, Toa-brother," he said. "This is a bogswamp. Many gasses. One flame in the wrong place and whoosh!" Lewa flung his arms up to demonstrate. "You'll skyblast us both."

Tahu sighed in frustration. Lewa was reaching for a tree branch.

"Use your Mask of Levitation!" Tahu suggested.

"I don't exactly have it on right now!" Lewa snapped. He grabbed the tree branch and pulled himself up. Tahu slowly half swam, half waded his way over, and Lewa grabbed his outstretched hand. He pulled his brother out of the thick swamp mud, nearly falling off his tree branch one too many times for either of their comfort.

Tahu was the first to catch his breath. "Why didn't…we see that…swamp…earlier?" he asked slowly.

"It…wasn't there… earlier!" Lewa replied, chest heaving.

"Then…where did it come from?" Both Toa looked at each other, hoping the other would have some explanation for the strange events.

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A young, dark-skinned woman sat in front of a fire, hugging a blue armored leg close to her chest. The other leg was out in front of her, crudely splinted with two thick, sturdy branches and a few vines. Beside her, a dark haired man slept, arm and chest wrapped tightly with black cloth. His black and grey armor lay near him, the chest plate slightly scorched. The woman's other companion, a brown armored young man with blackish brown hair sat, poking the fire with a branch.

"I wish we knew where the others are," she said softly, her voice carrying an undercurrent of worry. In the quiet of the dark forest, her voice carried well.

"Yeah, me too, Gali," the brown-haired boy said.

Gali glanced at their sleeping companion, her dark face showing her frustrated concern. "If only there was something more we could do for him, Pohatu. I hate feeling so helpless," She said, a bit harshly.

Pohatu nodded, putting a protective arm around Gali. "I know, but Onua's strong, even without his mask. He'll be all right. All he needs now is rest," He turned his head to look at his sister, his bright brown eyes meeting her blue ones. "You need some rest too. Your leg needs time to heal."

Gali smiled and rolled her eyes, but lay down. "All right, but be sure to wake me after a while. I'm taking the second guard shift," she said.

Pohatu nodded and looked around the small clearing. Nothing in the surrounding forest seemed out of the ordinary, but, as he had never been to this land before, how would he know? The Toa of Stone leaned back against a tree trunk, settling in for the long night ahead.

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"Do you know if he's awake?"

"Is he even alive?" poke, poke.

"Better not touch him. He might chop your hand off with that spear of his."

"Go get Dad. He might know what he is."

Voices. So many voices. The golden armored boy opened his eyes slightly, staring at the blurred grass in front of him. He stirred slightly, pushing himself up off the ground.

"Whoa!"

"He's alive!"

The young man stood and looked around dazedly. Two male children, one eleven years old and one six years old, stared at him in wonder.

"Uh, hi," he said hesitantly.

"Did you hear that? He can talk!" the littlest boy said excitedly.

"Of course I heard him," the older boy snapped. "Can you…understand me?" he asked.

The armored man nodded. He shakily pushed himself to his feet, causing the older boy to pull the younger one back.

"What's your name?" the little boy asked, not at all intimidated.

"T-Takanuva," the young man in golden armor replied. He could hear someone else coming through the brush, and automatically tensed, taking a fighting pose.

"Hey boys, what did you…?" The older man stopped, eyeing Takanuva curiously. Uncomfortable, the young man looked down, avoiding the stranger's gaze.

"This is Takanuva, Dad," the oldest boy said. A younger kid, about eight or nine, joined them.

"We found him, and he just woke up!" Added the six year old.

"Oh," the dad said. "Well, hello then, Takanuva," he held out his hand. Takanuva regarded it for a moment then copied the gesture. The boy's dad shook his hand and released it. "So, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Uhhh, I got lost," Takanuva said hesitantly. For a being of his power, he felt a little intimidated by all these people.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell us your whole life story," the dad chuckled good-naturedly. "Come with me, and let's see if we can help you find your way," he turned to leave, motioning for Takanuva to follow.

Takanuva, feeling a bit better about these people, took a step forward. Beneath him, the forest seemed to tip and sway as a wave of nausea overcame him. Losing his balance, Takanuva fell to his knees and hurled, right there on the forest floor.

The boy's dad noticed right away. "Isaac, Tim, go back to the house and tell your mother what happened," he said, kneeling next to the weak young man. The two youngest boys darted off with frequent backward glances. "Jake, can you help me get him onto his feet?" He then asked his oldest.

Jake quickly complied, and the two of them soon had Takanuva on his feet, albeit unsteadily.

"Can you walk a bit, Takanuva?" the dad asked.

Still leaning heavily on Jake, Takanuva shook his head slightly.

"Here, put your arm around my shoulder," Jake's dad instructed, guiding Takanuva's arm. "Can you make it with our help?" he asked gently.

Takanuva nodded a bit, eyes closed as another wave of dizziness hit him.

"C'mon then. It's not that far," the dad said as they slowly made their way out of the forest.