Story Co-Authored by Omicron the IceQueen and Sinead Rivka

Love in the Light

Chapter Eleven:

Settling down

"You look like your trying to be a Ga-Matoran." Takanuva commented, using his claws to lightly lift up some of River's hair, that had been more or less died completely blue with a bits of green speckled on.

"Only without the armor?" Nuparu pitched in, wincing before he pulled off his Kanohi. The Onu-Matoran made a face, taking a few deep breaths as he took a moment to august to the feeling of having his mask off before scrubbing on the inside of the thing in the water. He moved quickly to get the worst of the 'paint' off it as well as his true bare face. Then the mask was back up, the Matoran fumbling a little as his hands trembled.

"Are you alright Nuparu?" River asked, for now ignoring to Toa of light's teasing as she picked up on the inventor's shivers.

"I will be," The Onu-Matoran assured as he gave the inside of his mask another scrub to be sure and then fitted his Kanohi back into place with a relieved sigh, a sigh that was echoed here and there by other Matoran giving their masks a scrub in the River of Colors along with the rest of their forms.

The now blue haired human didn't look convinced, "Are you sure?"

"The shaking is a normal reaction." Nuparu grinned up at River from where he was sitting in the water, "Just in case for some reason we don't notice our Kanohi is off."

"A Matoran can not only pass out but could possibly die without a Kanohi," Takanuva said as he paused scrubbing his armor, waiting to be sure the Matoran had stopped shaking and was back to cleaning himself as well. "It's a dependent symbiotic relationship. Toa have more endurance, but after a time even we can get exhausted without our masks."

So it wasn't a matter of choice as for if one wanted to wear a mask; it was necessity. "Oh." It boggled the mind, and she suddenly realized why Takanuva had moved quickly between masks before in her world.

"Guard members carry an extra Kanohi now," Nuparu said, splashing at River and grinning at her just as multi-colored-ness. "You're going to have a blue top for about an eight day, give or take."

Grinning, she replied, "Well, I always wanted to have blue hair when I was a kid." Spinning, hair flying out in all directions, she looked to Takanuva. "What do you think?"

"Red might have suited you better," Takanuva tilted his head, and smiled as he stood in the deeper water to give himself a shake, light shivering over his armor and in an somewhat unfair way, the semi-solid light was used to get the rest of the glowing substance off of Takanuva's body.

Grinning at that River began to tie her hair back in a tight braid. "That's what I figured you'd say. So where do we find red?" She flicked her fingers at him playfully, landing a spatter of blue upon his thigh.

"No red colored, bioluminescent aqua moss," The inventor shook his head, "Only thing red would probably burn you."

River shrugged and shook her head, tying her braid off. "Can't have everything, I guess."

"It's still not a bad color," Takanuva said as he came back over, scuffing Nuparu and River both, helping them out of the water. "Here you go...let's eat."

"You're as bad as Toa Tahu!" The Onu-Matoran laughed, "Good thing you and Onua went hunting, Toa Takanuva."

"Shame there's not many Lava Swimmers around here." The golden Toa said a bit sadly.

"Why's that?" River asked, using his arm for a climbing gym, getting her way up to his shoulder with a little help and comfortably draping herself there.

"Those are very good eating," Takanuva said shifting to accommodated the human, he touched her legs to make sure River didn't fall off his massive frame, "But they prefer the hottest climates. Such as Ta-Wahi and in the lava flows there. Actually it's their bones as well as exoskeletons are what the mechanics of Ta-Koro Bridge are made with, most all lava boards too."

"You do realize that I'm still an avid meat-eater, right?" River teased, swatting at the side of his mask playfully. She knew she had no hope of shifting it.

"Arrmuph." Takanuva gave a playful growl back, gently nudging the young woman with the side of his head as the Toa fallowed after Nuparu and Takua who just bounced over from his flirtations with the Ga-Matoran.

Giggling softly, River snuggled down over his head, basking in the gentle heat that the Toa of Light emanated. It wasn't as much as what Tahu gave off, but still there as a living elemental. The Toa lifted a hand to keep her steady as he ducked to keep from hitting his head on a low pitch. Back in the massive chamber that Onu-Koro was in, Takanuva paused to scan around.

His height let him spot the Turaga, Whenua was speaking softly to his Kora while trying not to wake the exhausted child in her arms. To the right Onua was sitting and glowing in the dark as much as everyone else, if not more so, and not minding the near pile of Matoran that glomped him as the earth spirit ate slowly.

Smiling and happily exhausted, River traced nonsensical lines along the edge of Takanuva's cheek, content to just be with him. For now. Her mind wandered ... and she wondered what sort of man Taka would have been if he were born human.

Probably like Takua, into everything and always wandering and wondering.

The mentioned Ta-Matoran was currently getting some food, fresh meat to be cooked as Nuparu came back with roots. He craned his neck back, grinning up at River as Takanuva crouched down by his home and workshop, "Come get some dinner Meka!"

She wasn't really hungry, and wasn't sure why. It could have been the physical exertion in the water, or that she'd had tons of fruit beforehand ... "Nuppie, I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling up to it right now."

"Okay..."

"We did come from Le-Koro," Takua pointed out, reaching over to pat his friend on the back, "And the Onu-Koro market, after. Heh. Don't worry...Nuppie, I'm sure Meka will try your root salid before she and Toa Takanuva leave!"

The black Matoran rolled his blue and green eyes at the new nick-name with an exasperated sound, reaching over himself to shove at the Story Keeper. Though not too hard as Takua did have the meat and Nuparu wasn't that mean. "The Ga-Gi can call me that, but not you Kholii-head."

Smiling from her perch, sleepy and comfortable, River murmured, "What about me? I'm not Ga-Gi..." She hid a yawn behind Takanuva's head. "I don't think we're going anywhere for a day or two, eh, Taka?"

"At least for a day," Takanuva assured, "Or the night since it's set in above now." The Toa estimated as he waited for the Matoran to head in to the inventers' home. Once sure they were safe in there, and resisting the want to peer in too see if the inside was the same as in Takanuva's world, but he stood up again. Reaching up to pull River off his shoulder, and into the cradle of the Toa's arms.

She curled closer to his heartlight with a sigh, not touching the sensitive, sacred object embedded within the Bionicle's chest. "I wish ..."

"Wish what?" The light elemental looked down on the way over to the closest Kini, blinking. "...River?" Did she fall asleep?

"I wish I was brave enough to tell you how much you already mean to me." She hid her face from his gaze, hand finding a place to curl onto his armor and hold onto him as if he was her lifeline.

Which ... he was.

"I think you did, partly," The Toa hummed softly as he found a place to sit, nearly in the same spot as earlier that day in the 'small' Kini. "But for words... you can do it when you're ready." Takanuva brushed the backs of his claws with his free hand down River's side in a reassuring gesture.

He had no idea what that did to her self-control and for what her instincts were starting to demand. But ... he wasn't human. How could she be attracted to someone who wasn't human?

Very easily so it seemed.

Though if this situation wasn't confusing enough River had only just met Takanuva... what? Two or three days now, but time was different on the island of Mata Nui, the days and nights so much longer it screwed up the natural inner clock of the human. That two hour long game hadn't helped, River was just so... tired...

The woman fell asleep with her ear against Takanuva's armor, listening to the Bionicle rumble a soft purring sound.