Secret of the Mask 2
Chapter 5
As they were walking to their temporary home in Po-Koro, Takanuva thought of his friend Jaller who rode alongside him on his Ussal Crab. The Toa of Light thought with a slight shake of his head, How is it that I can defeat the Makuta and then get dragged around by Jaller Such a paradox seemed to defy all logic, even to Takanuva.
Images flashed through Takanuva's mind of another walk that he and Jaller had had together. A Muaka Cat had stopped them in the road, and as it had prepared to jump on the Toa, Jaller had intercepted the rahi's attack.
It didn't make any sense. Something was out-of-place about his long-time friend – what exactly was a completely different question. "It's a secret," Jaller had said good-humoredly after causing the rahi to flee. When Takanuva had inquired, Jaller had avoided answering.
Well, Takanuva thought, maybe he'll answer me this time. After a long silence, he asked casually, "Do you remember that fight with the Muaka Cat?"
"Yes," Jaller said, glancing at his friend and then looking away. Takanuva could already tell that this was another subject that the Captain of the Guard didn't want to talk about.
However, Takanuva needed to know the truth. Raising a curious brow, he asked, "What did you do to it?"
Jaller shrugged. "Nothing, really…" he said, glancing briefly at the Toa. A pause. "Just created a shield…"
Takanuva stopped dead in his tracks. Pewku continued scuttling for a few more steps and then turned around to gaze at her master.
The Toa raised an eyebrow. "And how did you do that?"
Takanuva watched in bewilderment as his friend fumbled his hands nervously. "With my mask…"
"Your mask?" Takanuva repeated. He chuckled. "Jaller, that's crazy. You know that you're not a…"
Jaller met his eye and the Toa stared in disbelief. "But this is impossible," Takanuva said. "You know that Matoran don't have mask powers!"
"I know…" Jaller said, lowering his eyes as though guilty of some crime. He held his hands out as though to explain and then let them droop to his sides as he sighed. "Some things just fall into your lap, I guess…"
Takanuva's gaze softened. "I know what you mean…" he murmured, thinking of his Kanohi Avohkii that he now wore. He felt as though his mask had fallen – against his will – into his lap as well.
He had worn it because he felt he owed it to his friend who had sacrificed himself for him. But now that his friend was alive again and peace was restored to Mata Nui, Takanuva wasn't sure if he ultimately wanted to be a Toa.
Jaller looked up at his friend. "I told you that I met someone on the other side…Toa Lhikan… I think he was the Fire Toa before Turaga Vakama…"
Takanuva smirked at the thought. Turaga Vakama as a Toa… I'd give my Staff of Light to see that!
"Anyway," Jaller said, "do you remember that day when we first met?"
Takanuva tried not to show his discomfort at the thought. During the past few days, Turaga Vakama had been telling him tales of the Matoran's origin. Based on what Vakama had told him, Takanuva knew that that first day on the beach was not the first of their lives. They had lives back on Metru Nui, where they had lived in peace and happiness…
For all Takanuva knew, his friendship with Jaller could have lasted much longer than the last thousand years…
"Yes," Takanuva said with a weak smile, "I remember it..."
Jaller's eyes glimmered. "Remember how my mask was broken? You went and brought Turaga Vakama over to me…and he gave me this…" The Matoran touched his golden Kanohi Hau.
A thought in Takanuva's mind pierced through the others like a ray of light entering a room of darkness. "That guy…the one who sent me back," Takanuva said, suddenly beginning to understand.
Jaller nodded, smiling. "Yes, Takua…I mean, Takanuva," he corrected himself, which made the Toa frown. His new name – and the sudden disposal of his old one – seemed to represent the erasure of his old self. Takanuva was beginning to feel like a mourner at a funeral of a dear friend that no one else cared to remember –
Takua's…
Though baffled by his friend's frown, Jaller continued, "That mask he gave me once belonged to Toa Lhikan."
Takanuva stared in shock and suddenly snapped out of his trance. He had heard it all earlier that day – Lhikan dying, Vakama taking his mask… It all made perfect sense.
Slowly, he asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Jaller narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I don't know… Question –" he said, "what's silver and gold and can't keep a secret to save his life?"
Takanuva gulped as Jaller sighed in exasperation. "Anyway, why should I tell anyone? Everyone would think I'm crazy if I told them that I'm a Matoran with Toa mask powers..."
Takanuva looked at his friend. "I don't think you're crazy…"
"But you did, didn't you?" Jaller snapped. His expression softened as Takanuva frowned guiltily. The Matoran sighed again. "I don't know, Takanuva. Everyone's been treating me…differently lately. They look at me like I'm a ghost…"
Takanuva was surprised. You mean I'm not the only one that people are treating differently?
"You know, you're lucky…" Jaller said. "At least as a Toa, you can use your mask powers and everyone thinks you're normal. But me…" Jaller lowered his gaze. "I don't know. I'm not a Toa. But I'm not a normal Ta-Matoran either."
The Captain of the Guard looked up at his friend pleadingly. "Takanuva…as your herald, I helped you to find your destiny." Takanuva gazed at his friend sadly, though Jaller did not know why. "But what's my destiny?"
Takanuva looked at Jaller, wishing he could answer his question. However, he wasn't even sure if he could supply the answer for himself. "…I don't have the answer to that," he said quietly.
Jaller sighed, looking away. "Neither do I…"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Jaller couldn't sleep that night. Leaving his hut, he walked for a long time until he came to a cliff overlooking a valley in Po-Wahi. He stood, looking up at the night sky.
"Lhikan…" he said, "I wish you were here."
Thoughts burdened his mind. "What would Hahli think of me if I told her the truth?" He sighed, lowering his gaze to the ground. "She'd think I was a cross-wired freak, that's what…"
"Oh, is that so?"
Jaller jumped a foot into the air and spun around to find the last person he would expect.
"Turaga Vakama," Jaller said in surprise, "what are you doing here?"
The Turaga walked slowly to Jaller's side and smiled sadly. Jaller almost felt that he could see a part of the refugee he sensed in himself in his elder's eyes. They had both lost their village to the Rahkshi and were forced to seek refuge with their neighbors. As Ta- and Onu-Koro were both destroyed, its inhabitants had been temporarily lodged in every village (with the exception of Ga-Koro) as preparations were being made to leave the island.
"I came here to think," Vakama said. "I do that often."
"Oh yes," the Matoran said, "I'm sure you have plenty to think about with leaving Mata Nui and having all of your responsibilities…"
Vakama smiled grimly. "Sometimes I think of other things too."
Jaller flushed with embarassment. "I didn't mean that you didn't think about other –"
Vakama chuckled, waving a hand. "It's all right, Jaller. I didn't take any offense by it."
The Captain of the Guard sighed. He murmured, "I wonder if I do anything right these days…"
Somberly, Vakama gazed at him and then at the stars. "There are so many stars in the sky, Herald of the Seventh Toa." Jaller gazed at him, a dozen memories flooding back into his mind upon hearing this title again. Vakama pointed a finger at what appeared to Jaller to be a normal constellation. "Do you see those six stars?"
"Yes…" Jaller said. He knew very little about stars, as he was not a Ko-Matoran. However, he listened patiently.
"They are the Spirit Stars of the Turaga," Vakama said. "We were so proud to be recognized by Mata Nui as Toa…" Vakama smiled at the memory, and then grew somber again. "It took me a long time to see myself for who I truly was…"
"But why?" Jaller asked, and then shrunk under the curious glance of his elder. "I mean you must've been a great Toa…"
Vakama chuckled softly at the Matoran's genuine admiration of him. "Well, I didn't think so. I thought I was a 'cross-wired freak who had weird dreams'…" His smile faded, though his eyes still glimmered.
He placed a hand on Jaller's shoulder. "Remember," he said, "it doesn't matter what others think about you – it's what you think of yourself."
After a long moment, Vakama removed his hand and began to walk away. Jaller turned around and asked, "But what do you do when the people you care about the most don't accept you…?"
Vakama stopped, and cast a small smile over his shoulder that surprised Jaller. "Sometimes," Vakama said softly, "they can be more accepting of ourselves than we are."
With a smile, the Turaga left the Captain of the Guard to his own thoughts.