Author's Notes: Wow, I think this is the fastest update I've ever done. Well, it's up now, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Bionicle, that wonderful company in Denmark does. Wish I did, but I don't.

Two: Meetings

Vakama smiled and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He was finally done! Picking up the Great Mask and taking off his goggles, the Mask-Maker inspected his work with a trained eye. Finding no flaws, he set it down on his work bench and started to put away his tools.

"Wow, a Kakama?"

Vakama jumped about five feet in the air and whipped around to face the voice behind him, sending his firestaff and about seven Kanoka disks clattering to the floor. As he bent down and picked up his tool, he smiled shakily up at his friend. "Oh, hello Toa Lhikan."

"Sorry if I scared you," the Toa apologized, kneeling and picking up some of the Kanoka disks. "I just came by to see how you were and I saw you were making a Mask of Speed."

"Yes, Dume ordered it. I'm actually done with it and was about to deliver it to the Coliseum."

Lhikan picked up the Great Kakama and smiled. "It's well done. Reminds me of your first Great Mask."

Vakama frowned for a moment, confused, and then smiled as he remembered. "Oh yeah! The one that saved your life, right?"

The Toa nodded. "It was when we first met, remember?" Lhikan asked.

Vakama grinned. "How could I forget?"

-----------------------

"Vakama?"

The Ta-Matoran turned around, setting his tool down on the work bench. "Yes, Nuhrii?" Vakama asked.

"We're running low on disks," Nuhrii said, not taking his eyes off the Mask he was making. "Specifically Regeneration, Enlarge, and Removes-Poison disks. Could you go get some?"

Vakama repressed a sigh. He'd been hoping Nuhrii was going to give him a real job this time. "Sure, Nuhrii," he said lightly.

"Good. I'll get you some money." Nuhrii took off his working goggles, tossing them on the bench, and opened a drawer in his desk.

As Nuhrii searched through the drawer, Vakama fidgeted nervously, knowing this would be the opportunity he had been waiting for. He couldn't ask when Nuhrii was working because it was too much of a distraction, and Nuhrii wasn't much for socializing. The Ta-Matoran gathered his courage and cleared his throat. "Um, N-nuhrii?" Vakama started.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh, I've been wondering. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but, well, I've been your apprentice for several months now. Shouldn't I be learning how to make Masks?" Vakama looked at his workbench covered with paint, brushes, and drying Masks. "You know, instead of painting them?"

"Painting the top of the Masks is an important job," he said distractedly.

"I know, the silver tops allow us to discern which Masks are powerless," Vakama said, turning back towards his mentor. "But I think I'm ready to learn how to make them. I've been studying; I know all the Masks and their power—I even know which disks make which Masks. I just need to learn the techniques of making them."

For the first time, Nuhrii turned to Vakama. "Making Masks takes more than facts. Anybody can memorize the Kanohi. Mask-making takes skill. You think you're ready to make Great Masks that might be worn by Toa Lhikan one day?"

"Well, not right away," Vakama said, faltering. "But I made—"

"You're not ready, Vakama," the Mask-Maker interrupted. "I promise I'll start teaching you soon, but right now, get those disks for me."

Vakama sighed and looked at the floor. He had been expecting this outcome. "Yes, Nuhrii."

Nuhrii smiled and dropped some money in his apprentice's hand. "Good. Now, don't be long. You need to have at least five more Masks painted before the end of work."

The apprentice nodded and started towards the door of the forge as Nuhrii turned back to his Mask. At the doorway Vakama took out the Mask he had been going to show to Nuhrii. It was a beautifully crafted Great Kakama, with no scratches or flaws to be seen. Vakama sighed thinking of how much time and effort he put into it. I am ready, he thought. If you'd just let me prove it.

Putting the Mask back into his pack, Vakama headed out into the street towards the Kanoka seller. Sounds of fires and pounding filled the street as Vakama walked past forges, staring enviously at them. It was his dream to become a great Mask Maker one day and to get a forge of his own. But that's never going to happen, he reminded himself. You're an apprentice and aren't ready to make Masks yet.

"Hey! Vakama, wait up!"

Vakama turned to find his friend Jaller running towards him. "Hey, Jaller!" he greeted. "What are you doing away from work?"

The Mask-Maker smiled, slowing as he reached his friend. "Getting some more disks. I'm running low on Reconstitutes-at-Random disks again. You?"

"The same."

Jaller smiled. "Oh, good. We can walk together then."

Vakama smiled and nodded, the two Matoran falling into stride.

"So, I haven't seen you in a while. Anything interesting going on?"

Vakama shrugged. "Mm, not really."

"Well, what are you doing at work?"

"Painting Masks," the apprentice said dully.

"Painting? Shouldn't you be learning how to make them by now?" Jaller asked.

"I'm not ready."

Jaller narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Did Nuhrii tell you that?"

Glancing over at his friend, Vakama shrugged.

"You should really talk to him about starting to actually teach you something."

Vakama only shrugged and opened the door to the Kanoka Shop. Inside the small building, the air smelled strongly of raw protodermis and there were shelves upon shelves of disks. The owner, Agni, was sitting behind his desk, looking rather bored until the two Matoran walked in. Agni immediately stood up, ready to help his customers.

"Good morning, you two. Anything I can help you with?" he asked politely, walking around to the other side of his desk.

Jaller smiled and held up his hand. "Not today, Agni, thanks. I just need a few more Reconstitutes-at-Random."

"Again?" Agni asked, smiling.

Jaller nodded. "Yeah. I just can't seem to get that Mask to stop blowing up in my face." He walked over to a specific shelf and starting to look through a stack of disks.

"And what about you, Vakama?" the shop owner asked. "Here to buy more high level disks? Or just practice ones?"

Vakama gave a weak smile and shook his head. "No, strictly business this time. Nuhrii needs Enlarge, Regeneration, and Removes-Poison disks."

"Ah. Lucky for you, I just got a new batch of Enlarge disks, straight from Ga-Metru this morning." The Ta-Matoran went behind his desk and pulled out a stack of disks. "Look through these and I'll go get the others you wanted."

As Agni walked to the storage room at the back of the shop, Jaller walked towards Vakama, holding four disks under his arm. "High level disks?" he asked. "You've been making Masks?"

Selecting a level five out of the pile, Vakama turned to Jaller. "I've been making them in my spare time. I come here after work, buy a couple of practice disks and work on them during the evening. I've been getting rather good so I saved my money and bought a high level disk."

"Good for you!" Jaller congratulated. "How did the Mask turn out?"

Vakama took out the Kakama and handed it to the Mask Maker, turning back to the pile. As he pulled out a level six disk, Jaller looked over the Mask with a trained eye.

"Vakama," he said seriously. "How long have you been working with the practice Masks?"

"A couple of months," Vakama replied. "I wanted to be well practiced before I tried with a powerful disk."

"A couple of months?" laughed Jaller. "Vakama, this Mask is amazing! I've been at this job for years and I can't make a Mask this good."

Vakama turned. " . . . Really?"

"Here they are!" Agni announced, walking back from the storage room with several disks in his arms. He dumped them on the table in front of Vakama. "I got a couple of each," he said, "because I wasn't sure what level you . . ." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the Mask. "Holy Kanoka," he muttered. "Vakama, did you make that?"

Fidgeting uncomfortably, the apprentice nodded.

"Mata Nui, Vakama, what are you still doing as an apprentice?"

"That's what I was thinking," said Jaller. "I'm going to have a long talk about this with Nuhrii."

Jaller said something else but Vakama stopped paying attention, bringing his hand to his head. Everything was going blurry; even Jaller's voice was dim—

Furnace salamanders, a swarm of them! And they were angry. Toa Lhikan was in the midst of them, trying to bat them away from his face and back away from them at the same time. But flying Rahi had strength in numbers, one biting the Toa whenever his attention was turned to another. Even as Vakama watched, Toa Lhikan fell to his knees, the painful bites driving him to the ground. Then he fell into a molten protodermis channel and sank into the fiery liquid.

Vakama came back to the present and stumbled back. It was another vision. He didn't have them often, but he had them enough to know the events shown had a bad habit of coming true. If this vision is true, Vakama thought to himself, then Toa Lhikan is in trouble. "Um, listen, thank you for your compliments, but I have to go. Nuhrii's waiting," he said hurriedly, grabbing his selection of disks from the desk.

Jaller frowned. "Vakama, are you okay?"

"You look as white as a Ko-Matoran," Agni added.

Vakama smiled shakily. "Fine," he lied, not wanting his friends to think him crazy. "Just a dizzy spell."

"Okay. Well, here's your mask back," Jaller said, handing over the Kakama.

Vakama took it and shoved it into his pack along with the disks. He threw Nuhrii's money on Agni's desk and ran out of the store, shouting 'bye' over his shoulder at his two confused friends. The Ta-Matoran ran down the street, only slowing as he passed a squad of Vahki Nuurakh . In his vision Toa Lhikan had been in a foundry and Vakama knew which one; he had worked there for several years before becoming Nuhrii's apprentice. After the Vahki had gone, he ran for a couple of bios more then turned around the corner, past a startled Tool Maker, and threw open the door of the foundry.

The inside of the building was empty, void of its usual workers. Vakama paused and took out a disk launcher and a power-level-three freeze disk he had in his pack, and proceeded further into the building. Nothing seemed to be amiss, other than the missing door leading to the room where the molten protodermis ran through channels in the floor. Hesitating only a moment, Vakama opened the door and stepped into the heat of the room.

He stood there a moment, allowing his body to adjust to the change of atmospheres. When he could breathe a little more easily he looked around at the channels of protodermis, looking for Toa Lhikan. For a moment, he was worried that maybe his vision was wrong, or worse, that it had already happened. He wandered through the heat of the foundry for what seemed like an eternity. Then he heard the buzzing of the furnace salamanders and he took off at a run toward the sound. Following the channel of molten protodermis to his left, he turned around a corner and found his vision had been right after all. Toa Lhikan was on his knees, reduced to merely holding his arms in front of his face.

Thinking quickly, Vakama replaced the freeze disk with a low power Teleportation disk and taking quick aim, fired at Toa Lhikan. It was risky; Teleportation disks were unpredictable and might make the situation far worse. But, remembering his vision, Vakama knew that this might at least give Toa Lhikan a chance.

Meanwhile, Toa Lhikan was reflecting on how foolish he had been. He had been up late last night dealing with an insane villain from another island and when he got home to get some sleep finally, he was interrupted by two Ta-Matoran. They said they worked in a foundry that had been infected by a nest of furnace salamanders and they couldn't get any work done. Normally, furnace salamanders weren't aggressive Rahi, but when their nest was disturbed, they would do anything to drive out the offender. The Vahki had been pulled to Onu-Metru to take care of another breach in the Archives so it was up to Lhikan. He thought that he would be through with the matter rather quickly. After all, what was a bunch of Rahi compared to a Fire Toa?

Unfortunately, the salamanders were resistant to fire and no matter how many he killed with his magma swords, there always seemed to be more. Eventually, their painful bites drove him to the point where he couldn't think and he had fallen to his knees. He was in the middle of thinking how stupid he was to not have notified the other Toa about where he was when he felt something hit his side. The next thing he knew the bites had stopped and someone was pulling at his arm.

"Toa Lhikan! We have to run, the salamanders are coming! Toa Lhikan!"

The Toa opened his eyes to find a Ta-Matoran urgently shaking him. Instantly his Toa instincts kicked in and cleared his hazy mind. He grabbed the already running Matoran and pulled him close. Then with a quick thought he activated his Kanohi Hau. A force field encircled the Toa and Matoran, protecting them from the angry furnace salamanders. As the Rahi bounced off the shield and became even angrier, Toa Lhikan responded to the Matoran's questioning look. "I can't run fast enough to escape them."

"It's not that, it's . . . why didn't you use your Hau before now?"

"I couldn't use my Mask before because they were too close; some of them would have been trapped in my shield and having them at close range was the last thing I wanted. What did you do to get me out?"

"I shot a Teleportation disk. It was risky, but at least I knew it would get you out of there," the Matoran replied.

Toa Lhikan nodded. "Well, I can't keep this up for long. Have any other life-saving devices in your pack?"

The Matoran's eyes went wide and he nodded, astonished. "Actually, um, I sorta do." He rummaged in his pack and took out the Great Kakama. "Here, use this and we can simply run out of here."

Lhikan looked at the Matoran, surprised at how he just happened to have a Great Kanohi in his pack. Apparently there was more to this Ta-Matoran that met the eye. He was going to ask some questions later, but for the time being Lhikan simply took the Mask. "Alright, get onto my back and hold tight." The Matoran did what he was asked and as soon as he was ready, Toa Lhikan put on the Mask.

At once the shield around them dissipated and the Rahi charged, only to find the figures inside the shield gone. A red and yellow blur sped past the surprised Rahi, and out of the foundry. Slamming the door behind them, the Toa and Matoran breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that was fun," Lhikan laughed, taking off the Kakama. "Never used a Mask of Speed before. It made me feel about 2000 years younger! Where did you get it?"

"I made it," the Matoran replied quietly.

"It's very well done," the Toa complimented handing the Matoran back his mask. "What's your name?"

"Vakama."

"Vakama," Lhikan repeated, storing the name in his memory.

"Are you hurt, Toa?"

Lhikan looked down at his welt-covered hands. "It's nothing the doctors can't handle. You?"

Vakama shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Good." There was a long awkward pause. "So, where were you headed, before you came to rescue me?"

"Nuhrii's forge," answered Vakama. "It's not far from here."

"I'll walk you there," the Toa offered. "If you don't mind, that is."

"No, I don't mind."

The two began to walk, the Toa making sure to walk slow enough for the Matoran. "So, I suppose I owe you for saving me back there," he said conversationally. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

The Ta-Matoran looked up, surprise written all over his mask. "Repayment? No, you don't need to repay me. You protect the city for a living. If anything, we Matoran should be repaying you."

"Yes, but you did save my life, like it or not. I'd like to repay you in some way. You sure there's nothing I can do?"

Vakama gazed into the distance, suddenly seeing himself in a forge of his own, a great Mask-Maker, known city-wide. He was respected, his Masks adored, and even Turaga Dume would ask him to do special projects. Toa Lhikan could certainly make this possible, but . . . "No," he said. "No, I was just doing my duty."

Lhikan frowned a little, seeing the Matoran's hidden disappointment. Toa Sicar had told Lhikan that kindness should always be repaid. As they came to the forge Lhikan let Vakama enter first. As he bent down to follow he was surprised to hear an angry voice from inside. "Finally! What took you so long?" Nuhrii asked irately. "I needed those disks! You need to learn the meaning of duty, Vakama! You can't run off every time you get the chance."

"I-I'm sorry, Nuhrii. But, I didn't run off. I was helping—" Vakama started, but was cut off. Lhikan frowned at the Mask-Maker's tone.

"You're supposed to be helping me. You're my apprentice, Vakama. Now . . ." Nuhrii trailed off as Toa Lhikan came through the doorway, wearing a pleasant smile.

"Hello, I'm sorry I made Vakama late. He was just helping me with a furnace salamander infestation in a foundry down the street," Lhikan apologized. "I was just escorting him back to make sure he didn't get into trouble."

Nuhrii nodded dumbly, embarrassment written all over his face.

"I also came to tell you your apprentice has great skill. His Great Kakama is amazing and I was wondering if I could request that he make me one."

"Make . . . you . . . a Great Mask?" Nuhrii asked, completely astonished. "But . . . he . . ."

"I expect it by the end of the week. I assume you'll make sure he finishes it on time? You might even want to give him time off from his other duties."

"Um, y-yes, of course."

Lhikan smiled. "Good. I'll see you later then, Vakama."

Vakama nodded, amazed at the transaction that had just taken place. The Toa smiled and left.

When Vakama had finished Lhikan's mask, the Toa made sure to point out to Dume the Matoran's skill. Soon, the whole city was talking about Vakama and his masks. Then, later that month, Vakama, who was working late, was surprised to find himself visited by Toa Lhikan. Lhikan had been 'just passing by' and came to see how his friend was doing. More and more as time went on, the Matoran found Toa Lhikan visiting him, sometimes bringing high level disks, other times just talking. Eventually, the two became well acquainted and soon after that, close friends.

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Lhikan laughed at the memory. "I cannot tell you how much fun I had using that Mask. I had never used a Mask of Speed before and I loved going that fast." He looked down at the mask his friend was holding. "Say, you wouldn't need that tested, would you? You know, to make sure it works?"

Vakama smiled. "I'm sorry, Toa Lhikan, but Turaga Dume's waiting for this Mask. I need to get it to him before nightfall."

"Yeah, I know," Lhikan said, a little disappointed he wouldn't get a chance to 'test' the mask. Then, he smiled and an idea came to his mind. "Hey Vakama, how about I take you there? I can get you there really fast."

A/N: Alright, so that's done. Next up: how Lhikan became a Toa! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.