Author's note:

Finally! Finally, I can get some free time to upload a new chapter!;D I swear that I hardly get any free time in my life.[Stupid school work and student councillor's responsibilities despite their importance.):] Well, the March holidays are coming up and I hope to get the next chapter up by then. However, no promise.
And thank you all who have continue to read this fanfic. I hope this next chapter is up to your expectations.

I have talked for long enough now so, I hope you guys enjoy the next chapter!

P.S.

Thanks to the people who reviewed:

To Princess Unikitty:
Thanks for the tips and for informing me about the BIONICLEsector01. The website was helpful and I had no idea that it existed. Thanks again for tips and please let me know if you have more!

To a guest reviewer:
Thank you for letting me know that I managed to maintain the characters' personalities. Please let me know if the characters' personalities in the upcoming chapter are still maintained if you can. Thanks.

Signing off,
Flamespirit6


Chapter 6: The first battle starts

Gali stood in front of Flame, preparing herself to fend off the ever-growing barricade of Muaka that was surrounding them. Gali glanced at the crowd of Muaka, trying to anticipate which Muaka would attack first. As expected, Gali thought, taking a step back closer to Flame. this is going to be a tough battle. I have to defeat them all and, Gali looked over her shoulder to stare at Flame protect Flame at the same time. Definitely an enduring task. She faced the barricade again, One which I must win. Gali snapped out of her thoughts as a Muaka started to growl and leaped towards her and Flame. Gali brought her axes up when the leaping Muaka was suddenly blasted away by an incoming, large fireball. "Couldn't wait for us, huh?"

Gali just blinked and stared at the red Toa in front of her. She then replied, "There was no time, Tahu. She could have died if I did nothing".

Tahu snorted and said, "Still no reason to charge into the place. What if-" Unfortunately, Tahu was interrupted by another pouncing Muaka. However, before the Muaka could even land a claw on the Toa of fire, it was shoved away by an ice beam. "Save your squabbling," Kopaka snapped. "We have a battle to finish".

Tahu's eyes narrowed. He then glared at the Toa of ice and replied, "Very well. Gali, keep Flame safe. We will hold them off". Gali nodded back in reply and watched as her Toa brothers dived into the raging battle. Not even a few minutes had passed after their departure, another Muaka attacked. Swiping its right paw at Gali with its claws outstretched. Gali blocked the attack and slashed the Muaka with her axe. The impact of the slash ripped open the Muaka's side, causing the Muaka to roar in pain. Gali tossed the injured Muaka to the side. The Muaka flew through the air and landed on the crowd, knocking down a few Muaka. Despite the slight reduce in numbers, the seemly endless amount of Muaka just kept on coming. Gali gripped her aqua axes tighter, determined to hold her ground and protect Flame.

"Hey!" a voice called out. Gali looked over her shoulder and stared at Flame. "Who are you?" Flame questioned. "Why are you here and why did you save me?"

Gali stared at the human girl for a little longer before focusing on battle once again. She observed the battle while answering Flame, "Now, it is not the time for explanations". Flame was about to argue when she noticed Gali's intense gaze. She stared in the direction Gali was looking in and saw what Gali was staring at. The battle was intense. The sheer number of Muaka nearly overwhelmed the rest of the Toa Nuva if it was not for their skills, endurance and determination that were keeping them alive. The five Toa Nuva were using their elemental powers to send waves of attacks at the endless barricade of Muaka. The battle seemed to go on forever. However, despite their efforts, the Toa Nuva were showing the first signs of fatigue. Unfortunately, the worst part was that the Muaka were sensing it too and were closing in on them. Gali gripped her axes tighter, slightly frustrated and torn between helping her brothers and staying by Flame's side to protect her. "Right, so let's go and send those pussycats running with their tail tuck between their legs," Flame exclaimed.

Gali stared at her, surprised and stuttered, "W-What?"

Flame sighed and said, "Come on, I'm not blind, you know. I can see that you are worried for your comrades there so, let's join the fight. I'm not helpless, you know".

Gali bit back a sigh and quickly looked around. Spotting a good hiding spot between a pillar and two glass doors, she gently but firmly shoved Flame into the hiding spot, ignoring her protests. Looking at Flame straight in the eyes, she spoke, "You will stay here where it is safe and do not come out until I have come back to get you". As Flame began protesting once more, Gali snapped, "Do not argue! You're hurt and your safety is more important". She turned around, saying, "I will see you soon". With that, she charged into the battle before Flame could even say anything.

Flame watched as the blue figure rushed into the battle to aid her comrades. "I still could help though," Flame uttered grumpily. Flame prepared to charge out of her hiding spot when she accidently rubbed the back of her head against a piece of hanging debris which was dangling down from the ceiling. Flame slightly gasped, and nearly dropped her metal poles as her head began to ache painfully. Leaning against the glass door, Flame shifted the two metal poles to hold them in one hand while clutching her head with the other. On second thoughts, I should rest a bit. Flame thought to herself, wincing slightly at the pain. She began focusing on the progress of the battle as she rested and recovered her strength.

Tahu grunted as he held his ground against the Muaka which was currently pressing down on him. The two pushed against each other, trying to overpower the other. Tahu felt his arms beginning to tire when he heard Pohatu shouting, "Watch out!" Tahu quickly activated his mask of shielding and jumped away as another Muaka flew through the air and collided with the Muaka which was originally pressing its weight on him. The collision of the two Muaka causes them to land brutally on top of the barricade of the Muaka, either crushing or knocking down the other Muaka. Tahu briefly looked over his shoulder and grunted, "Thanks".

"Anytime," Pohatu replied.

Onua who stood behind them, trapped a Muaka with a hand-like dirt mound and tossed it back to its fellow companions. "Watch out," he warned Pohatu, bumping him with his shoulder. "Here comes the next wave".

To their right were Kopaka and Lewa, who were picking the Muaka off one by one. "You know," Lewa began, "this reminds me of a story".

"Is this really the time?" Kopaka snapped.

Lewa ignored Kopaka and began telling his story when he was suddenly interrupted by Pohatu's warning shout. He looked up and raised his air katana just in time to block a swipe attack from a random Muaka. However, the impact of the swipe caused Lew to float above the ground for a few seconds before landing back down to earth hard. With Lewa down, a Muaka towered over him with its right paw raised. But, just before it could land a hit, it was suddenly trapped in a nice, thick coat of ice. Then, Kopaka sliced the base of the frozen Muaka, separating it from the ground and allowed the ice statue to fall on its own comrades. "Many thanks, ice-brother," Lewa said, grabbing Kopaka's hand.

Kopaka grunted, pulled Lewa up and said, "Don't mention it and next time, focus more on your surroundings than your story-telling sessions". Lewa was about to argue when he noticed a large shadow covering them. Kopaka and Lewa looked up and saw another Muaka right above their heads, trying to pounce on them. Before any of them could react, a water steam appeared, hitting the Muaka in mid-air and pushed it back into the crowd. The five Toa Nuva looked over to the source, and saw Gali standing there with her weapons raised. Gali smirked and asked, "Need some help?"

Tahu looked at her and asked, "Gali, what are you doing here? Where is Flame?"

"She's safe," Gali replied. "Now let's get back to the battle". She turned and faced the Muaka with her weapons ready. Tahu nodded and faced the Muaka as well. The rest of the Toa did same, readying their weapons. The Toa Nuva immediately formed a tight semi-circle with their backs facing the library. Tahu looked at his companions and said, "Combine our attacks. It is our best chance for reducing the number of Muaka".

"But, it will use up more of our elemental powers, leaving us with less energy to fight later," Kopaka countered.

Tahu replied, "It is a risk we have to take. We need to end this fight quickly". Tahu paused, looked over his shoulder and stared at Gali. "We need to ensure Flame's safety," Tahu continued softly. Kopaka glanced at him and nodded in understanding. The Toa Nuva faced the Muaka and began gathering their elemental energies. The battle was currently at standstill, each group waiting for the other to strike first. The wait was nerve-wrecking. Minutes became seconds when the Muaka decided to take a step closer. Tahu glanced at the Toa Nuva and commanded, "Ready". The Toa Nuva increased their focus on gathering their elemental energies even faster. The Muaka were getting impatient, growled and unsheathed their claws. "Not yet," Tahu called out as the Toa Nuva tensed slightly when the Muaka started to snarl, baring their fangs out with confidence. Then, the Muaka tensed their shoulders and began clawing the ground, making loud screeches which caused the Toa Nuva to stiffen even more.

"Um, Tahu," Pohatu spoke. Tahu ignored him, watching the Muaka. When the Muaka began running, Tahu shouted, "Now, as one!" The Muaka had just begun leaping forward when the Toa Nuva's powers burst out at them in all directions.

Flame just stared at the battle scene, astonished as it continued to play. "Amazing," She commented softly. The elemental attacks performed by the mysterious strangers had drastic but effective results. The floor was shaking, knocking the tiger-like creatures off balance. Part of the floor had rock spikes coming out of the ground, destroying the tight formation of the creatures and even sent some of them flying. At another part of the room, a mini blizzard was taking place while the floor was suddenly covered with ice. The combined loss of friction and sight caused the creatures to slip and crash into each other. Beside the part where the blizzard was taking place, mini tornados were tossing the creatures around like leaves. The wind was so strong that Flame had to brace herself against the pillar. Beside the tornados, there were flames dancing across the whole area, causing the creatures to panic and try to flee for their lives. The final part of the room had a flood that swept across the whole floor in front of the blue figure, sending them crashing into the walls or over the edges of the gaping holes in the building. Amazing Flame thought. But then again, she shivered I'm so glad that I am not at the receiving end of those attacks. It must be a torture to suffer all those attacks, then again I probably wouldn't even survive. However, the attacks were slowly dying out. When the attacks ended, less than half of the army were left. Despite this, there was still a fair number of creatures left and the six strangers looked quite exhausted. Nonetheless, they were still ready to keep on fighting. The Muaka charged forth without hesitation. The six strangers stayed where they were, prepared to hold their ground. Then, the white stranger used the leftover water from the flood attack to cover the floor in ice. The ice-covered floor managed to trip some of the creatures. However, some made it past the ice floor and pounced. Just as the creatures were about to land, the red stranger shouted, "Scatter!"

The six strangers quickly dispersed and were now either fighting alone or in pairs. Unfortunately as the blue stranger fought alone, Flame noticed one of the tiger-like creatures stalking the blue stranger from behind. The blue stranger was preoccupied on her current battle with three of the tiger-like creatures, unaware about the fourth approaching from behind. Oh no, I gotta help her. Without a second thought, Flame picked up the metal poles she had earlier dropped in shock, sprung out of her hiding place and raced towards the blue stranger. As she ran, she saw the creature getting ready to pounce on the blue stranger. Flame drew in a sharp breath and shouted, "Look out! Behind you!"

Gali panted as she glanced at the three Muaka standing right before her, snarling. I don't think that I can hold out for much longer. Gali ducked, avoiding the paw swipe made by one of the Muaka. Summoning a small flood, she swept the Muaka away, and immediately turned to face the other two Muaka. I need to end this quickly, Gali thought to herself. The combined elemental attack nearly depleted half of my elemental power. Then, she heard Flame's voice shouting, "Look out! Behind you!" Gali immediately looked behind her and saw another Muaka leaping towards her with its front paws outstretched. She ducked and rolled out of the Muaka's way as it landed. Unfortunately, she was not quick enough to avoid the Muaka's claws which scraped across her arm. After her roll, she got into a crouching position with her eyes on the fourth Muaka. Gali slightly winced as she moved her injured arm. Then, a roar behind her took her by surprise. Gali turned the first Muaka standing on its hind legs with its forepaw raised. Tahu tossed the last Muaka back to its kin and looked over his shoulder, spotting Gali's new trouble. "Gali!" Tahu shouted and started to dash towards her.

Suddenly a shadow appeared, leaping off a back of one of the Muaka and headed straight towards the standing Muaka. Gali's eyes widened once she had caught sight of the shadow. "Flame!" Gali shouted.

"Back off, kitten!" Flame warned as she landed on the back of the standing Muaka. She whacked the creature with her metal pole and hung on as the Muaka began twisting and turning in an attempt to shake Flame off. Clinging on the Muaka, Flame used the butt end of her metal pole to hit the Muaka in a stabbing motion. The Muaka roared in pain, losing its balance at the same time and fell onto its side. In the middle of its fall, Flame jumped off and landed in a battle stance in front of the Muaka. Flame glared at the Muaka, her body tensing up at the heat of the battle. The Muaka stared at her, snarling in anger before striking out at Flame. Flame dodged the strike but, was unfortunately hit by the Muaka's back swipe. Flame was flung back through the air and crashed into a pillar hard. Flame slightly groaned, rubbing her neck. Ouch! Man that hurts. Flame shook her head, blinking as the Muaka which was standing in front of her, growling. But good thing that it hit me with the back of its paw. If not, those claws would have left more than an ugly maaaarrrkk! With her vision cleared, Flame's eyes widened as the Muaka brought its paw down. Flame rolled her body from side to side before briefly looking at the claw marks left behind. The claws of the Muaka had left deep marks in the concrete pillar, causing her to wince slightly while thinking, Well point proven. She immediately leaped out of the Muaka's grip, onto its back and slashed the Muaka once more as she ran. The Muaka roared as Flame jumped off its back and began running away. Flame quickly stopped, turned, threw a pole and made a funny face at the creature before resuming her run. Angered, the Muaka roared and chased after the human girl. The creature was unaware of where it was headed to as it chased the girl until Flame leaped out of its way to reveal its companion. The creature yelped and tried to stop before it crashed into its companion. However, it was too late. "Yes!" Flame cheered, smiling. "Two down, one more to go".

Suddenly, Flame sensed something behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and came face to face with the third Muaka. The Muaka roared, baring its fangs and rushed in for the killing bite. Flame's eyes widened at the sight of the incoming teeth. However, before the Muaka could even reach the girl, a water blast pushed the creature aside. Flame looked to the side and saw the blue figure standing beside her. Flame made a small, guilty chuckle and grinned nervously as the blue figure glance at her. "I thought I told you to stay where you were," the blue figure snapped.

Flame felt her frustration growing and snapped back, "And leave you to those creatures, no way. Besides, I owe you one".

Gali sighed and said, "It is dangerous here, meaning that you need to get back to safety".

Flame was about to protest when she saw another Muaka heading towards them. "Charging pussycat up ahead!" Flame yelled. Gali whirled around and managed to summon a water blast to send the charging Muaka flying. Not even a second later, another one popped up with its paws and claws outstretched. But, it was soon shovelled away by Flame. Gali glanced at Flame who just shrugged and said, "Let's continue our argument later, and send these kittens back to where they belong". Gali simply just raised her eyebrow and sighed. "Alright," she reluctantly agreed. "But, stay close to me". Flame nodded back in reply. Then, Gali's eyes suddenly widened.

"Duck!" Gali shouted, pushing Flame down to block the Muaka's surprise attack. As Gali met the Muaka's attack, Flame used the momentum from Gali's push to get into a crouching position. From her position, Flame immediately sized the chance to strike the Muaka's exposed belly. The Muaka roared in pain, allowing Gali to use her free axe to send a powerful blow to its shoulder. There was a loud thundering crunch as the blade of Gali's aqua axe broke a mask on the Muaka's shoulder into two. Soon, another Muaka jumped towards them, eager to kill its prey. Gali quickly ducked and shielded Flame with her body as the two Muaka clashed against each other. Once, the two Muaka were down, another appeared in front of them. Flame slid from underneath Gali''s body, leapt through the gap between the Muaka's head and shoulder and struck its back in the middle of her jump. At the same time, Gali brought her axe up, slashing the Muaka's chest, neck and chin while knocking its head up. The Muaka groaned in pain and fell to its side. Gali and Flame rushed towards each other to strike the Muaka behind them. After knocking the Muaka aside, the two stood next to each other, back to back. Then, they began attacking the Muaka surrounding them.

"Tahu," Kopaka called. "Use your Kanohi now. There is something that you all need to see". The red Toa tossed the Muaka off him and used a fire blast to send it yelping away in pain. Tahu then called forth his Kanohi Hau Nuva and summoned a shield, protecting his Toa brothers while keeping the Muaka at bay. Turning towards Kopaka, Tahu growled, "What in Mata Nui's name is so-" Kopaka interrupted Tahu by simply gesturing his ice blade to the side. Tahu looked in the direction in which Kopaka pointed in and was surprised by what he saw. "This i-is…," Tahu stuttered.

"Unbelievable," Pohatu whispered, completing Tahu's sentence. The rest of the Toa Nuva stood in silent bewilderment as they watched Flame and Gali fighting together. Despite knowing each other for a short period of time, Gali and Flame fought together as one like they were long-time partners instead. When one attacked, the other defended. When one of them attacked from above, the other attacked from below. When one covered the left side, the other covered the right. Their miraculous teamwork combined with their unique fighting styles almost seemed flawless as they continued to defeat the attacking Muaka surrounding them. "Incredible," Lewa spoke.

"But, how in Mata Nui's name is that even possible?" Pohatu asked.

Onua nodded, then added, "And, what does this change?" Tahu was about to retort when another Muaka rammed itself against the shield. Tahu winced as he felt the shield weakening and struggled to keep it up. Grunting, he spoke, "We will discuss this later, and…" Glaring at the present Toa Nuva, he retorted, "This changes nothing". The present Toa Nuva nodded in understanding before turning to face their enemies. However, just seconds before Tahu dropped the shield, Kopaka and Onua both had the exact same thought. Does this really change nothing?

"Take that Kitty!" Flame shouted as she struck the Muaka head on. The Muaka, already wounded and nearly exhausted, reared and fell to the ground. "Yes," Flame cheered. "One down, ten more to-" Flame stopped in the middle of her sentence after hearing a loud snarl. She immediately ducked, tucking in her head just as the Muaka opened its jaws, aiming for her head. A spilt second later, a water stream hit the Muaka, shoving it away from the human girl.

"Are you unharmed?" A voice behind Flame asked. Flame glanced behind her and saw the blue figure standing there with her hand out. She then looked at the offered hand and took it.

"Yeah," Flame replied. "I'm fine," she said as she got up. "How about you?"

The blue stranger nodded, slightly surprised at the question before scolding Flame, "And please try not to get so carried away during a battle". Cutting off any protests that Flame had with a fierce look, she continued, "You could have gotten yourself killed".

Flame smirked and said, "Don't worry too much about that. After all, I knew that you would…." Suddenly, Flame's eyes widened in surprise. "Watch out!" she warned the blue figure, shoving her aside. The blue figure's eyes widened in shock as Flame took her place just before a Muaka pounced onto her and sank its teeth into Flame's upper arm. Flame let out a loud yelp of pain as the Muaka's teeth dug deeper into her arm. Flame winced and dropped her weapon as she felt the pain searing through her right arm to her entire body. Flame briefly glanced at the Muaka which was biting down on her arm. Flame's eyes widened once more as she realised something. Eh? This creature-argh! Coming out of her shock, the blue stranger gasped slightly and shouted, "Flame!"

Gali grind her teeth and charged at the Muaka. Raising her axe, she attacked the Muaka by striking it hard on its left shoulder. The Muaka immediately released it grip on Flame and roared in pain as another sickening crunch was heard. Gali wasted no time to grab Flame and bringing her to a safe distance away from the Muaka. She immediately began inspecting the wound, asking Flame, "How is it? Does it sting?" Flame hissed in pain as she gripped her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I will be okay," she replied. "It is not that serious. By the way, isn't that creature the one which had its right mask broken by you earlier?" What? Gali looked at Flame in confusion before turning around to observe the Muaka. Gali's eyes widened as she observed the Muaka had only one mask on its left shoulder which was about to drop off and hit the ground. Gali stood in front of Flame and watched as the left mask finally dropped from the Muaka's shoulder and landed on the ground, breaking into two pieces. Gali's eyes widened even more as she continued to stare at the Muaka. Impossible she thought as the Muaka turned to towards her. It should have disappeared back into our world as it is no longer anchored to this world. The Muaka growled and began charging towards the pair when a stream of fire pushed it into a wall. Smoke sizzled from Tahu's sword as he spoke, "Well, that's the last of them".

Then, Pohatu appeared right next to Gali and Flame and asked them, "Are you guys alright?"

Gali answered, "I'm fine. But, Flame is injured badly. We need to it treated as soon as possib-" Flame ripped out a strip of cloth from her shirt and began wrapping it around her arm. "Flame," Gali spoke. "Hold on, I will-"

"No need," Flame interrupted. Tying a knot on her makeshift bandage, Flame grimaced slightly as the bandage wrapped tighter around her wound. She them moved her injured arm a few times, testing its mobility. Satisfied at the results, she immediately got up from her crouching position despite Gali's protests. Staring at the Toa Nuva, Flame spoke, "Well, thanks for your help and all. I truly appreciate it. But, I have a few questions for all of you". She paused, narrowing her eyes. "So first off, who exactly are you guys?"

The Toa Nuva were stunned by Flame's bold confrontation. Lewa and Pohatu were clearly making no effort to hide the shock look from their faces. Unlike Lewa and Pohatu, Onua simply raised an eyebrow while Kopaka narrowed his eyes, both wearing serious expressions. Tahu's eyes narrowed, giving Flame a suspicious look as Gali's eyes widened in alarm. Glaring at Flame, Tahu replied, "Now, it is not the right time for introductions. Our top priority right now is getting your injures treated at a safe place".

Flame glanced over at her injured arm and patted it gently. "This is nothing," Flame commented as she stopped patting and gripped her injured arm slightly instead. "So that means we have a bit of time to talk, meaning that I will repeat my question again". Raising her determined gaze to meet the Tahu's, she asked once more, "Who are you guys?"

Tahu narrowed his eyes further at Flame's foolish bravery and replied, "Like I said before, this is no time for introductions. Beside, that was a foolish move you did back there, charging straight into the Muaka and, putting your life in the hands of others so easily. You shouldn't have done that so willingly. After all, you could get yourself killed, especially if the other person stabs you in the back, literally".

Flame simply chuckled. "That's true. In fact, I wouldn't have done that in the first place if your main goal wasn't to protect me at all," she countered. The Toa Nuva were surprised by Flame again. A few more seconds of the stunned silence passed before Flame continued, "Which brings me to my next question, what is your purpose in protecting me?"

"That is none of your business," Tahu retorted.

"Oh, but it is my business," Flame snapped. "It involves me after all and since it involves me, I believe that has earned me a right to know why".

"But, how can you be so sure that we are here to protect you?" Onua asked. "We could just happen to pass by and decide to help after seeing the situation here".

Flame gave an irritated snort. "That situation is highly unlikely, if not, impossible," Flame stated. "After all, if you just happened to be "passing by", you wouldn't even be here to help me. The school authorities and the police wouldn't have let you guys in, if they didn't start chasing you guys down the streets first. Besides, all of you don't exactly belong to this world, right? Plus, it is unlikely that you guys will know where I am by asking people for information because almost no one knows that I am in this building except for-"

"Enough!" Tahu commanded. "We don't have time to play this game. We need to get you out of here now".

Flame allowed a bit of her supressed anger to shadow her face and snapped, "Look here, you hot-headed numbskull! You have no right to order me around when I barely even know you, let alone your name, which you wouldn't shar-" Suddenly, Flame was interrupted by an ear-piercing roar which caused everyone to cover their ears. Once the roar ended, loud stomping footsteps were soon heard, coming closer and closer to them.

"What in Mata Nui's name was that?!" Lewa shouted.

"I have no idea," Pohatu replied as the ground trembled with each stomping footstep. "But, whatever it is, I don't think it is very happy".

Flame tsked and exclaimed, "Shit, I forgot!"

Tahu glared at her and asked, "What did you forget?"

As the loud stomping and the tremors grew, Flame shouted, "Let's just say that those creatures that we fought just now are the kittens or in other words, the kids." Soon, the trembling stopped and the Toa and Flame looked up to see an enormous figure which nearly towered the school building. The large creature looked around, searching for something. When it saw the injured, smaller Muaka and the Toa Nuva along with Flame standing right in the centre of them, it began to snarl. The whole group held their breaths as they met the large Muaka's angry gaze. Flame took this momentary silence to answer Tahu's question, "And that is the mum who we just have pissed off". Not even a second had passed after the words had left Flame's mouth; the large Muaka released a second roar, raised its paw and brought it down towards the group. With eyes widening, Tahu shouted, "All of you, scatter NOW!"