"Toa Gali?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me a story?"
The fourteen year old smiled fondly at Takua as he watched her, his eyes virtually glowing with hope and eagerness. Even though Gali barely knew the child – nobody really knew him, himself included – there was no denying his love for discovery, and barely a moment passed without him trying to investigate something nearby. At present, the small group had stopped to rest whilst on their way to Onu-Metru, and while Pohatu and Whenua poked around the vicinity for supplies, Gali was tasked with watching the amnesiac Matoran. She didn't mind it, though; the boy was unarguably cute, and his desire to learn only amplified it.
"A story?" She repeated, smiling softly at him. "What kind of story did you want?"
Takua hummed as he plopped down in front of her. "Um... Tell me about... Pohatu!"
Gali giggled at his enthusiasm. "A story about Pohatu... hm... well there was this one time a few years ago, when he and another friend of mine made part of a cliff crumble into the ocean simply by rough-housing too hard."
The boy stared at her in amazement. "They did? How? Who was your other friend? Can I meet him sometime? Is he here?"
She giggled at him again. "Yes, he's here somewhere, yes you can meet him sometime, and his name is Onua. He's the Toa of Earth from my team, actually. As for how they managed to ruin a cliff..."
^v^v^v^v^v^
"Guys I don't think this is a good idea." Gali remarked, sighing as she looked her brothers over. "If you absolutely have to do this, can you at least find somewhere safer?"
Pohatu laughed and shrugged her concerns off, gesturing to the grassy plateau. They stood on. "Oh come on Gali, we'll be fine. Besides, you and Kopaka are here to help keep us from breaking important things, remember?"
"More like we were conveniently here when you turned up." Kopaka remarked blandly. "It wasn't my choice to be referee for your pointless game."
Predictably, Pohatu paid his grumbling no mind at all, instead focusing on Onua and bracing himself for the wrestling match. "Okay Onua, bring it on!"
"Your choice, not mine!" The older boy said with a laugh, charging at him in a somewhat reckless bull rush. Pohatu ran to meet him, slamming against him at full force... causing the ground to shake when they collided.
Gali grimaced as she and Kopaka exchanged worried looks, the latter remarking grimly. "WE may want to stop them before they dump us in the ocean somehow. Just a theory."
The girl nodded, stumbling as the ground shook again. Turning her gaze back to the wrestling Brothers, she hurried towards them, expression worried. "Guys you may want to stop; you're shaking the ground!"
A crack split into the cliff, Pohatu and Onua missing it and Gali as they grunted and continued to grapple. Pohatu staggered back a bit, the crack growing. Onua braced as the younger Toa ran at him and slammed him again, another crack forming.
"Boys!"
Gali's shout caught them off guard, sending both tumbling to the ground... and causing the most violent quake yet Gali yelped as the sound of crashing rock and splitting stone resounded, she and her Brothers staring in alarm as a segment of the cliff face splintered off, dropping from sight and into the ocean below. The trio ran to the edge, peering over and into the water with unease. Onua bit his lip. "Let's... uh... let's not do that again..."
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Takua's eyes were wide as Gali's story came to a close. "Whoa... That sounds awesome!"
The Toa of Water smiled softly at his enthusiasm. "It was certainly an interesting thing to see. And it taught them not to goof off near cliffs. Now, you should get some sleep; the others will be back soon and you need to rest." She gestured to the makeshift bedroll she'd put together for him. "Go on."
Takua pouted at her as he crawled over to it and settled down. "Can you tell me more stories tomorrow? Please?"
She smiled again as she nodded. "Of course, Takua. Tomorrow, you can hear as many stories as you want. Sleep first though; you will remember what I say easier if you get your rest." Watching as he nodded and closed his eyes, Gali's smile only faded when she heard his breathing pattern change. There was more to her tale than she told. More danger, more fear. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to recall the true ending...
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Gali, Pohatu, and Onua, could only watch in horror as the cliff split apart, Kopaka trying desperately to get to safety as the ground beneath him crumbled away. In mere moments he had dropped from sight, Gali sprinting to the edge, launching from it, and diving after the pale boy's plummeting frame. She could hear Pohatu and Onua shouting from up above, though she had no idea what they were saying; only one thing mattered now, and it wasn't them.
Hitting the water temporarily shocked her senses, confusing Gali as she fought to reorient herself and locate Kopaka. Spotting him through the dust and bubbles, she forced her stiffened limbs back into action, catching hold of his limp frame and struggling to the surface. Even as she pushed his head above water, she could tell he was unconscious, a trickle of red in his hair betraying the source of his state. Fear surged through her veins as adrenaline took over, guiding her to the shore. Stumbling as she pulled his sodden frame onto the sand, Gali bit her lip as she rolled him onto his side, thumping on his back and managing to jolt him into consciousness, watching fearfully as he coughed up water. "K-Kopaka are you okay?"
The boy didn't answer, not at first, though he managed to eventually cough out a reply. "What... happened...?"
Relief washed over her like a flood, hands trembling as she pulled him into a hug. "You fell... hit your head... Thank Mata Nui you're alive..."
Kopaka was quiet for a while, not even trying to pull away as she held him. "I... nearly died?" He asked, blinking a couple times. "You didn't let me?"
"Why would I do that?" She asked, surprised by the question. "You're my friend."
"But I never tried to be. Why would you care about me like that if I never gave you a reason to?"
"Because I want to be your friend too." Gali protested quietly. "Why should any of you being distant matter?"
"I don't want friends."
She stared at him in alarm as she let go. "Y-you don't? Why not?" When he didn't answer, she frowned at him. "Why not? Are you 'too good' for friends?" Still no reply. Gali shivered as she watched him, eventually just getting to her feet and wandering to the water's edge, hugging herself and trying not to cry.
It surprised her, therefore, when she felt Kopaka hug her a few moments later. "Everyone I cared about that much before died. I'm scared that, if I cared more, you would die too..." He shivered as he held her a little tighter. "I-I don't want you to die... I don't want you to be my friend, because then you won't die."
Gali blinked at this. His theory was absurd, yet at the same time made sense. "Oh Kopaka..." She said finally, shaking her head and tilting it back against him. "That's not how friendship works. I'm not going to die if you care about me, and the others won't die either. We'll all help each other and protect each other; that's what friends do."
"Are you sure it works that way?"
She smiled a bit. "Positive, and I'll prove it. I'll be your secret friend, okay? Nobody's going to know about it, just you and me. And I won't die, not ever. Think you can handle that?"
A small smile flickered across Kopaka's face as he nodded. "I... I think so. Secret friends?"
"From now until forever."
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Gali opened her eyes again. It had been two years since that day, and even still Pohatu and the others knew nothing about the conversation on the beach. It was still a secret, just as the smile Kopaka had given her was. As her orange eyes looked over at Takua's sleeping frame, a smile of her own came to life. Somewhere out there, Kopaka was still alive, and still counting on her to do the same thing. Somewhere out there, he was probably wondering if she was still okay, and hoping he could see her again soon. She wondered where he may have ended up, what things he may have learned. Knowing him, Kopaka probably had some sort of plan already worked out, or even knew a vaguely general location for Keetongu.
That was when she realized something. Legends weren't always kept in the Archives. That was a place for recording solid fact and history. Legends were recorded somewhere else, somewhere that – to Gali at least – was a lot closer to home. If Kopaka was searching for a legend, there was only one place he could have gone.
No sooner had Whenua and Pohatu returned, than Gali began to gather her portion of the supplies, readying herself to move out. Pohatu raised an eyebrow at her. "What's got you wired?"
"We're going the wrong way." She replied simply.
Pohatu stared at her in confusion. "We're heading for the Archives though, aren't we?"
The girl shook her head. "We aren't looking for solid fact though. We're trying to find a legend, and those aren't put in the Archives."
A dawning realization crossed Whenua's face as he realized what she meant. "You're right, Gali." He agreed. "I've been looking in the wrong place this whole time."
Pohatu frowned mildly at the pair, clearly not understanding and a bit frustrated because of it. "Well, where are we supposed to go then? Ko-Metru won't have any stuff like that. The Ko-Matoran were always more fussed about the future than legends of days gone by..."
Gali sighed. "Where do stories about heroes, Mata Nui, and other important things like that get kept, Pohatu? Think about it."
The brunette paused, considering a short while before blinking. "The Great Temple?"
"Exactly." She confirmed. "The answer has been there the whole time, and we didn't even think to look for it."
Pohatu grinned sheepishly. "At least we know now?"
The Toa of Water smiled. "Yep. And now all we need to do is track down the story when we get there."
Whenua nodded, seeming cheerful. "That sounds like a plan then. One step closer to beating Roodaka, and one more secret learned. I can hardly wait."
"Neither can I."