Hello, everybody! We're really sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, but this is how this story is currently working:
Ed writes part of a chapter. Ed sends what she has written to PB86. PB86 writes more chapter. They decide whether to end chapter or continue. If chapter is ended, Ed posts it. If chapter is continued, the cycle begins again.
Never, ever, EVER write a collaboration with someone you're going to be separated from in a few months. We are currently living in two different cities and only see each other on weekends. Plus, Ed's now a college freshman (freshwoman?) and PB86 just started Grade 9 and he's in a play.
So this chapter was mostly written by Ed who decided that the whole 'Kay hating destiny' issue needed to be solved. PB86 did the ending. (Ed sent him an email that literally said 'HALP I NEEDS FUNNY THIS IS TOO SERIOUS!') We'll try to keep it more lighthearted from now on.
Anyway, please R&R because it's the only thing on Ed's 'like' list that tops free food and Professor Layton. And don't worry, this isn't being abandoned and it's nowhere near done. :3
Also, we know that the title and the banner thingie don't match up, but that's because it wouldn't fit.

Chapter 10: Why is Everyone But Vakama Telling Stories?

I hid behind a rock to change into my sweats. When I came back out, everyone was surprised at my 'transformation.'

"You mean you can change your flimsy armour at will?" Nuparu asked, excited.

"It's not armour. It's...okay, whatever. I just wanted to be a little warmer, that's all."

Nuparu looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but since everyone else was leaving, we had to hurry or risk being left behind. Kopaka and Matoro were joining our little group, which wasn't so little anymore. When I asked Matoro if it was okay for him to be leaving his job with Nuju like this, he told me that Nuju had told him it was okay. "I never get any breaks anyway," he explained as we walked, "and he said, 'if people aren't going to make the effort to understand me they aren't worth talking to.' And it's not like I have to shadow him all the time. That would really stink."

"Why do you want to come with us, anyway?" I asked, threading a small chain that I'd grabbed on my trip home through the small loop at the top of the Pendant. I figured that if it was a Pendant, it should be worn around the neck.

"I'm just going as far as Po-Koro. I haven't seen Hewkii in forever, but crossing the plains alone doesn't sound like much fun, so it just works out, I guess."

"What about the ice cube up there?"

Matoro glanced up at Kopaka, who was leading the way down the mountain path. "I don't know. He's usually the most antisocial of all the Toa, so I really don't know why he just up and decided to join in on this quest. Maybe he likes you."

"Please. It's Kopaka. From what I've gathered, he doesn't like anybody."

Up ahead, Kopaka sneezed. The Japanese have this superstition that someone's talking about you if you sneeze, so I quickly changed the subject in case the Matoran had a superstition like that too. "So the Toa values...what were they again?"

I immediately felt like smacking my head off something. Bad topic. Matoro didn't seem to notice, though, and said happily, "Unity, Duty, and Destiny. You know, you could be considered an honourary Toa."

Takanuva, who had apparently been listening in, piped up. "Yeah! You totally have the unity part down pat, cuz you're working with like everyone here!"

"And you never sway from your duty to the Toa Ihar," Matoro added. I silently prayed no one would mention the last one, but I knew it was futile.

"And I think we all know your destiny," Taka finished.

"STOP!" I yelled, clapping my hands over my ears. Everyone stopped and turned to look at me, looking confused. "I don't want to hear it! I don't want you to tell me I have a destiny! I can't deal with that. I don't believe in destiny!"

There was silence for a moment. I opened my eyes, not realizing that I'd squeezed them shut, and saw Takanuva with a serious look on his face. After a moment, he said, "Sit down for a minute," very quietly, taking me by the arm and leading me to a rock (well, we had just passed the Ko-Wahi/Po-Wahi border, so rocks were in abundance). He sat me down. "I'm going to tell you a story, and you're going to listen without interrupting. Got that?"

I nodded, somewhat bewildered by his reaction. Serious Taka was kind of scary.

"Once, there was a Matoran named Takua." I heard muttering from the Matoran behind him, but he pressed on. "Takua was very irresponsible, and he didn't like working very much. On Metru Nui, he was constantly being dragged back to work by the Vahki law enforcers." I was tempted to ask what a Vahki was, but the look on his face said 'don't.' "On Mata Nui, his irresponsibility was almost legendary. One day, when he was supposed to be on his way to a kholii match, he was instead hopping across a path of stones spanning a river of lava to look at a stone totem. He found an item called the Kanohi Avohkii, the Mask of Light." He reached up and brushed his fingers across the mask he wore—the mask that I assumed was the Mask of Light. "The finder of the mask was supposed to be the Herald of the Seventh Toa, the Toa of Light. But Takua didn't want the responsibility, so he dumped it on his best friend, Jaller. Jaller managed to get Takua to come with him in his search anyway, so it was kind of futile.

"Takua and Jaller wandered all over the island, searching for the seventh Toa. Makuta didn't make it easy, though; he sent his minions, the Rahkshi, after them to try and stop them. Finally, at Kini-Nui, Takua didn't want to run away from his destiny anymore, so he told Jaller to give him the mask so they wouldn't hurt his friend. But Jaller intercepted a killing strike meant for Takua."

There was a brief silence. I didn't know what to say. Then he continued. "As Jaller was dying, he told Takua that he himself really was the Herald. 'You know who you are,' he said, handing him the mask. Takua donned the mask and became Takanuva, the Toa of Light."

"Whoa! Hold on a second!" I jumped up and started waving my arms around. "You're Takua? That's—but—I...and hang on, Jaller's right there!" I pointed at Jaller. "What, did you magically come back to life or something?"

Jaller blinked. "Wow, how'd you figure it out?"

I stared. "You're kidding."

Takanuva forced me to sit down again. "How that happened isn't important. What is important is that Takua tried to ignore his destiny, and all that happened was that his best friend died. You can't deny destiny what it wants, Kay. You have to accept it, or bad things will happen." He glanced at the Ta-Matoran. "Jaller and I are living proof of that."

"But...but you were wrong! Your destiny wasn't to be the Herald, it was to be the Toa of Light! What if we're all wrong about me and my destiny? Just because I happen to be on the same 'wavelength' or whatever with the Toa Ihar doesn't mean I'm qualified to be a hero!"

Taka didn't have an answer for that, but Kahiki did. "You are qualified, Kay. You wouldn't have been able to find three artefacts in one day if you weren't."

"Shut up, Kahiki!" I snapped at him, grabbing the Pendant around my neck. "I don't want this! I never wanted any of it! Just...leave me alone!" I ripped the Pendant off and threw it on the ground before turning and running like hell.

"Kay, come back!" Takanuva yelled, starting to go after her. Kopaka reached out an arm to stop him. "Kopaka, what are you doing? She can't run off alone! She'll get lost, or die, or..."

"Takanuva," Kopaka said quietly, "I am not the most social of Toa. I am often off on my own. I know this is difficult for you to understand, since you are a very social person, but sometimes one needs time to oneself when surrounded by people. Kay must be one such individual."

"But she's alone, and scared, in a place she doesn't know!"

Kopaka gazed in the direction she had gone. "No, Takanuva. She is not alone."

I don't know where I was planning on going, but I somehow ended up on a flat, dusty plain. "Where am I?" I asked no one in particular.

"I think it's Po-Wahi," Onako's voice said. I jumped; I'd forgotten that the three of them were still with me. Then I sat down and started to cry.

"Kay! Kay, what's wrong?" came Brelx's worried voice.

I couldn't answer her, even if I'd wanted to. Finally, I managed to sniffle, "This never would have happened if everyone didn't keep spouting about destiny all the time!"

There was an awkward silence, punctuated by my muffled sobs. Brelx spoke up again after a minute. "Kay, why does it bother you so much?"

"I don't know," I replied miserably. "I just...I want to be in control of me. Is that so much to ask?"

"Well then tell them that," Onako said. "If you just flip out, they won't understand. They're your friends. They'll understand."

I chewed my lip. Friends? Was I really friends with the Toa and Matoran? The answer came even quicker than the question. They were the best friends a girl could ask for.

"We used to fight all the time," Brelx added. "The Toa Ihar, I mean. And over the dumbest things! Like who had a cooler weapon or which Rahi was the best. But we never really meant it. Friends do that sometimes."

"I fought with Kahiki all the time," Prolan grumbled. "We fought over Brelx. He won."

I barely registered that when I shrieked. "Kahiki! Oh, he's going to kill me!"

"How's he going to do that from this distance?"

"I have to get back!" I turned and started running towards where I'd left the group.

"Kopaka, why do we have to wait here?" Taka grumbled, pacing back and forth.

Kopaka didn't say anything, and Taka scowled and went back to pacing. Jaller and the other Matoran were sitting quietly, not doing much. They knew that Kopaka was waiting for Kay to come back, but since it had been hours since she'd run off, their hopes were getting slimmer and slimmer.

Kahiki, too, was getting worried. What if she was eaten or kidnapped or something? he thought. It would be all my fault!

Kopaka had his own reasons to be worried. He wasn't showing his worry of course, but he was still concerned. His thoughts were bordering on the What if I never see her again? variety. Every time he tried to shake them off, they'd come back to haunt him. Finally, when Takanuva asked for the fifty-seventh time why they were waiting there, he snapped, "Patience is the fourth hidden Toa virtue, Takanuva! I suggest you learn it soon!"

"Hey, look!" Matoro suddenly said, jumping up and pointing.

Sure enough, there was Kay, huffing and puffing her way towards them. Kopaka leapt up and enveloped her in a very uncharacteristic hug. "Don't ever do that again," he whispered, with raw emotion in his voice.

Kay looked shocked. "Um, Kopaka, you're crushing my ribs..."

He quickly regained his composure and let go, straightening. His face burned. "I apologise, Kay, I don't know what came over me."

"Th-that's okay," she mumbled, looking down. "I...I'm sorry I ran off like that. I needed to sort out my feelings." She looked everyone in the eye. "Just...please don't talk about destiny too much. I like to think I'm in control, not someone else. Is that okay?"

"Yes!" everyone chorused, rushing forward to hug her.

Kopaka was the exception. He was staring at his hands, wondering what had made him want to do that. Has something taken over my mind?

Then he handed Kay the Pendant, and she shrieked "KAHIKI!" and hugged it to her chest. Kopaka allowed himself a brief smile. She lit up his world better than a thousand Toa of Light ever could. Then he shook off the illogical thought and simply watched as everyone crowded Kay.

Takanuva clapped his hands together. "Righto, then, I suppose we'd better start to set up camp for tonight."

I frowned. "But we don't have any tents or anything."

Now Takanuva frowned. "What's a tent?"

I gaped at him. "No way. You don't even have tents."

"What's a tent?" he repeated. "Actually, that doesn't matter. It's some kind of human thing, right?"

"Yep."

"Thought so. Anyway, we just need a sheltered area and possibly some leaves or something." Looking around, he pointed to a rocky outcropping a ways to the left. "That's good. We'll sleep under there, though, since it's Po-Wahi, I think we're out of luck on the leaves."

"Do you guys actually sleep?" I asked. "I mean, you're robot monster things. Do robots need to sleep?"

"Duh. Of course we do," said Jaller. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I wouldn't think that robots would have any need to sleep."

We walked over to the outcropping, which was just tall enough for the Toa to stand up comfortably. Kopaka was keeping his oath of silence, and I think it had something to do with trying to crush every fiber of my being in a bear hug.

Kongu curled up in the corner, nearest to the edge of the rock. "Stupid Po-Wahi," he muttered. "Doesn't even have any high-trees. Or even water-yuck. Better water-yuck than rock-dust."

"Kongu, go to sleep. We'll head out for the next artefact in the morning," said Takanuva, lying down. "Kopaka, you've got first watch." Kopaka (still) said nothing. "I'll take that as acknowledgement. Well, goodnight, guys."

A chorus of "Goodnights" and "See you in the mornings" came from the Matoran around. "And good night, Mr. Chatterbox," said Takanuva. Kopaka walked away.

"Good night, Kay," said Takanuva. "Sleep well."

Easier said than done. Thoughts whirled around my head, but I managed to supress them. I breathed deeply. "Good night, Taka." Then, amazingly, I fell asleep.