Ohh…lookie all ze preetty colors…

Chains of Memories
By Dragon of Courage
Battle One

The last bell rang. Students piled out of class and formed a mindless crowd. They entered the Quad, an open space where outside school activities took place. The crowd split apart as the individuals went to their assigned lockers.

Lewa slammed his locker shut and walked towards the bench that was facing the Quad. The boy slung his backpack over the table and sat down, waiting for his mother, who usually arrived thirty minutes late.

Pohatu and Gali walked from the soccer field, chatting about today's events. Gali interrupted, "There's a new student today. He said his name is Tahu."

"Tahu, eh? So, that's the new guy's name," the boy rubbed his chin, "I like his hair. Make me wonder how can he actually perm his hair like that."

"It's a mystery," Gali mused.

They turned a corner and were at the Quad. Pohatu branched away from Gali, "Well, I gotta get Onua."

"You know him?" Gali asked. The brown haired boy nodded as he jogged away.

"He's my ride!" hollered Pohatu.

Gali then realized that Onua was old enough to drive. She shook her head. I must not think of them as my fellow toa…

She sighed and walked up the stairs to meet up with Tanui.

Tahu's bold eyes were staring curiously at the ever-changing sky. Clouds rolled pass as he leaned his back to the trunk of a white, flaky tree. He smiled casually, holding a long wrapped package in his hands.

"Today is a beautiful day," he muttered, ignoring the looks from his peers. He brushed back his shoulder-length hair and relaxed, absorbing the rays of the afternoon sun.

"Nature is magnificent. Sure beats surfing," he chuckled. Then he noticed a milky white butterfly fluttered aimlessly across his field of vision. He blinked, looking at the creature with wonder. It had reminding him of everything in Hawaii. The islands were small, but beautiful. Like the butterfly, he too journeyed to the unknown.

He yawned and got up, picking up his bag and his long object. The boy reached into his large pocket and changed the track on his mp3 player to a song he enjoyed. Fitting his earphones that once hung on his shoulders, he walked towards the Quad.

"Hikaru is an awesome singer."

The white-haired boy slammed his lockers and slung his black bag over his shoulders. The locker closed in front of him as he sighed. He took off his black shades, revealing shocking cold blue eyes. His colorless hair blew across his face and he turned towards the Quad.

I've waited for so long…

Then he silently walked.

Onua and Pohatu found Lewa sitting on the bench. They sat together and talked about the Bionicle tourney, which was held every end of the month at their local arena.

"Well, sucks that it'll be an open tournament."

"What wrong with that? There'll be lotsa good opponents."

"And so will the female purple toa with the codename Raiju. She won fifteen titles for open, state, national, and international! She'll whip my toa's ass before I can say 'Bionicle Launch'."

Gali fell into an embrace with her boyfriend and he whispered into her ear, "I love you, sweetie, and nobody's gonna ever change that…"

The girl responded with a kiss, but her mind was troubled. After breaking apart, Gali looked over the balcony that was facing the Quad.

Tahu quietly walked across the quiet Quad. Hundreds of students were gone, leaving behind the stragglers. His earphones were blaring music.

He walked past someone and stopped.

White hair…

The albino looked at someone with the corner of his eyes.

Red eyes…

Their backs were facing each other. The air around them grew tense. At the same time, they flung their bags to the side. Some people paused to look at the duo.

Even Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua stopped talking and looked at the empty square in front of the bench. Gali diverted from Tanui's dark gaze and noticed the two lone figures. Her gaze then dropped. It's them…

In the blink of an eye, Tahu took off his earphones and set them on his broad shoulders. In unison, they pulled out two objects. The pale figure's rod-like stick elongated, forming two blades on two ends. Tahu, on the other hand, drew what seems to be an ancestral samurai sword from his long package.

They turned around at once, clashing their weapons at each other. The force threw them backwards and they skidded several feet from each other. Tahu brought out a crimson warped, teardrop-shaped pendant from his pockets. The other also showed a crystal clear round jewel in his hand.

Chanting an incantation, the talismans glowed and they pointed them up into the sky. Sparks of red and white erupted into the air and dispersed, creating a dome shield over the two.

The boy with the white hair smirked at his opponent, "So, Tahu, how is Hawaii?"

Tahu grinned, "I had fun, Kopaka, but you weren't there. But, I am gladly to kick your ass to there and back."

"First blood?"

"Agree."

They charged, brandishing their weapons. The students around the force field stared and several of the girls fainted. Lewa got up and saw the two boys fighting. He asked Onua, "Hey, who's the white dude fighting with Tahu?"

Onua peeked over his black sunglasses and answered grimly, "Kopaka Nubanu. He's the hottest sophomore guy in school. Seriously, he ain't hot, but more like a cold guy."

Pohatu gaped. "Damn! It's like a real life Bionicle battle!"

Kopaka gave a swing with his pole-arm across where Tahu's chest should have been. Tahu arched his back to nearly ninety degrees as the blade whistled above him harmlessly. The crowd winced at such impossibility.

Tahu swung a downward slice at Kopaka, but was blocked by the forked blade of the halberd. They struggled and Kopaka commented him, "Good moves, buddy."

Tahu sweated, "Yeah, but it isn't my true potential."

"I can tell."

"Wha-?"

They broke apart and continued to battle. Their agility and quick reflexes had made their moves a blur. Once in a while, the forms paused whenever their weapons interlocked with each other. It was a dance, the beauty of martial arts.

Gali was watching them from above. Disregarding Tanui, she peered over the balcony, mesmerized by the moves the boys executed. She sighed inaudibly. Just like the boys at home…

"Tahu and Kopaka…"

Her boyfriend obviously irritated that Gali was watching the fight, stood next to her and tried to draw her attention away.

Tahu flipped backwards and blocked a jab with his sword. Kopaka stepped back as his friend did a series of slashes in the air, causing a stir in the winds. The albino grinned as his red-eyed opponent finished with a hard attack in the middle.

A huge sonic blade sped towards the albino. Kopaka merely pointed the fork-like blade on one end of his pole. The crescent-shaped wave split in half and they dissipated when they contacted with the field. The crowd stepped back in fear, but was captivated by the sheer power of the fighting boys.

"You are strong, buddy," Kopaka grinned.

Tahu whirled his blade around and kept it at rest. The cold steel balanced perfectly on the web between his thumb and index finger. His eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"…so are you, Kopaka-kun," he panted, inhaling precious oxygen.

They charged again.

Pohatu himself was consumed by the action. Never in his life did he encounter magical force fields, except in the Bionicle Arena.

Onua was enthralled by the attitude exhibited in the duel. "It is as if they were playing with each other."

"What did ya mean by that, Onua?" Pohatu looked over his shoulder.

"They never really hit each other, yet they fight."

"Good point."

Gali, on the other hand, was having serious troubles with her memories…one in particular…

"Brothers!" Gali screamed at the top of her lungs and nearly in tears.

"You can't quarrel now. We have other problems to solve."

The two Toa Nuva, contrasting each other in personality and color, dropped their weapons.

Tahu looked down at the floor, muttering, "I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me."

Kopaka Nuva scanned his rivaled friend.

"More or likely, what is wrong with us?"

…The girl rubbed her forehead.

"What is wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, sweetie. You are my perfect angel," Tanui whispered passionately in her ear.

Gali looked at him, pained to the fact that her memories were bothering her. She wanted to tell the people with the names of her friends her pains, but they would not understand. They were not the toa.

The fighters dug their weapons on the ground, panting. Their physical energy had run low on them and Kopaka could barely stand on his feet. Tahu's eyes were starting to droop in fatigue. The albino wiped the sweat from his pale face. His short-sleeved turtleneck was drenched. He gritted, saying a complement to his long-lost friend.

"…Damn…you're…pretty good…"

Tahu looked up and managed a smirk, "You're…not…bad…yourself. Any other options…?"

Kopaka grinned, "Where physical…strength fails…there's always the spiritual…"

Tahu's eyes widened and he frowned. Oh crap. I've only got one half…

The white-haired boys stood up, holding his icy jewel. It glowed a brilliant white light as he chanted. The ground beneath him glowed, forming an intricate array of circles and lines.

"Aid me in this battle…Koori no Kyuubi!"

The clouds that covered the school dispersed as a ball of ice hurtled through the heavens. It impacted on the ground inside the force field. Cold mist spewed from a dark form and they cleared, revealing a large white fox with ghostly nine tails. It barked at Tahu, baring its teeth.

The blonde stepped back as the waves of cold air rippled throughout the field. Kopaka looked at the boy.

"What is wrong, Tahu?"

Tahu saw the misty breath emanating from its mouth. Clutching his crimson talisman, he too said the ancient words as the circle of patterns appeared underneath his feet.

"Help me out in this fight…Honoo no Ryuu!"

The ground rumbled and from the mist came waves of weak fire. The fox stepped back as its icy field was being countered with heat. The rumbling stopped. In the center of the chaos was a little sleeping dragon. Its short body was completely engulfed in fire as it yawned quietly to itself. Tiny paws clutched its flaming ghost tail, wrapping itself into a tight ball.

At this sight, Kopaka sweatdropped with the crowd.

"Whoa," Pohatu stared at the innocent dragon the size of a cat in comparison to the powerful fox, which was as large as a car.

Lewa's eyes boggled. "That's small."

"True, but seriously-."

"-that must have been embarrassing," Onua finished Pohatu's statement.

Gali sensed the familiarity with the two creatures. She looked at them with interest. "There is definitely something about the two boys. I will have to find out."

Tanui, however, scowled at the fact that Gali was completely ignoring him. What is so interesting about a silly fight? He thought. He looked over the balcony and saw the fire dragon.

What the -?

"Tahu," Kopaka spoke slowly, "You are embarrassing yourself."

Tahu was bewildered altogether. "Well, I didn't really expect him to remain this small. But he can still fight. I think."

Kopaka sighed in exasperation, but he held his cool.

"Visionary!"

The fox howled as it charged at the slumbering dragon.

Tahu stepped up, holding his sword in guard position.

"Shield!"

The dragon woke up, but the swift spirit surprised it. It squealed as the fox tossed the creature into the air. It curled up tight into a ball of fire as the spirit waited below for the weak point.

The fox saw it.

The nine-tailed fox opened its mouth, forming a vast orb of glowing light. Kopaka whirled his bladed staff around and charged. The fox spewed tendrils for icy mist towards the dragon.

Tahu commanded the second time, "Shie –oomph!"

He failed to notice the swinging halberd as the pole collided with his gut. He fell over, clutching his stomach as his dragon froze in midair before it shattered on the ground. Orange wisps of the spirit lingered in the air before it disappeared.

Lewa frowned as he sat back down, "Tahu lost."

Onua checked his watch, "They've been fighting for five minutes…I admire their strength. They put on a good show."

Pohatu then slapped his head, groaning, "I forgot that I have track this afternoon! Onua, is it okay if you can wait for a while?"

They stood up as Onua nodded, "I have patience. I can finish off my physics homework by then."

Lewa smiled at them both and said, "I've also have to get going. Mum gets mad if she has to wait."

"Alright, see ya!"

Gali gasped as the blonde boy fell over in defeat. She dashed away from Tanui's firm arms as she headed towards the stairs…

Not now…Not like before…

Kopaka Nuva gasped as a long sharp rods jutted out of his chest. The toa of fire immediately caught his rival brother as he crumpled to the ground in defeat. Gali was in tears. She was crying for Kopaka, crying for her friends that died before him, crying for the scene that lay before her.

"Tahu…" Kopaka groaned as he was laid gently on the ground. His life fluids were leaking from his wounds.

Tahu couldn't bear it any longer, "Quiet, Toa Kopaka."

"…You were a great leader." He coughed, trying to smile for the last time.

"Stop it."

Kopaka had ignored him. Life was flashing before his eyes. Clutching the rods that protruded from his wounds, he remembered the very day he landed on Mata-Nui, the day he changed, and the day he took a visit to Metru-Nui. After all this, he knew that his time on Mata-Nui was over. Kopaka wondered if it was worth it to use his body as a shield. Was it really worth it to protect them two?

He knew that he would someday see his brethren again. He wished that he could just punch Tahu across his face for being such an asshole before the island was endangered. That would have to wait.

His broken lens gazed over Gali. Taking Tahu's right hand with his bloodied ones, he smiled before his blue eyes dimmed to nothingness. The warrior died in honor.

"Kopaka! No!"

"…Take care of her well."

"KOPAKA!"

…The albino towered over Tahu. The kitsune that purred next to its master disappeared into smoke.

The defeated boy blinked as he gazed into the icy cold eyes of the dark dressed figure. His samurai sword was embedded into the cement next to him.

"You suck." It was all that Kopaka can say.

Tahu sat up as the blade of the pole arm was pointing at him. He sighed.

"I didn't have time in Hawaii. I got caught up in surfing and-."

Kopaka squatted in front of him. His weapon was held upward at the sky.

"Still, you were lazy to practice, Tahu. You could not even cast a simple shield. You're embarrassing me."

"I just got 'im a month ago."

Cocking an eye, Kopaka stood up tall as his weapon collapsed into the rod.

"I'll see you again tomorrow." He changed the subject, bowed, and walked towards the force field.

He looked at the puzzled faces of the crowd. Kopaka barked, "You did not see anything. Your memory will be erased from this event. Stop staring and go home."

Touching the wall, there was a flash of radiant light.

Utada Hikaru

For those who are totally clueless on the Japanese vocabulary, Hikari means 'light'. :Wink:

Lotsa people ask me. "What the hell is this story about?" or "I don't get it". I just want to tell you all that this is a developing story. It is supposed to confuse you until I am finished with it. (Actually in shorter terms, you all just suck J/K J/K :sweatdrops:)