Queen's Notes: This chapter was co-written with In The Light

Fire From The Past

The gold masked Matoran took a deep breath and exhaled quietly. The air had grown less smoky and now had that hint of the ocean in it. The scenery had changed as well, as they drew near the village of water. He straightened on Pewku's back and unexpectedly felt his back give a pop, and smirked.

"Home sweet home," Macku said as she smiled, balancing on the back of the boat as she maneuvered it to a dock.

Lhikan smiled faintly, managing to think of his own home. Nothing much but still it was his home. However he was having a great time all the same. "What's the Kora's name here?" he randomly asked.

"Deni," Macku said as she jumped over to the dock, and then giggled as she tied the boat up.

"The water korahero is a boy." Tamaru said blinking as he woke up from his doze on the trip.

Lhikan blinked too, in slight surprise. It wasn't very often that he ever heard of a water elemental being male. "Neat," he commented with a grin and stood to get out of the boat, looking around as he did. Macku had been right about it being a floating village.

"The largest of the huts over there is where the rahi are kept." Macku explained, grasping Lhikan's hand and tugging him with her, as they had agreed before that she'd give him the tour while Takua set up Pewku and Tamaru went to see a friend. Who was probably more than just a friend given that it was mostly just females in this villages (excluding other colors glimpsed here and there).

The Ta-Matoran didn't protest, actually he was looking forward to seeing the village. "What kinds of rahi might these be?" He had an idea of course, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Mostly water and amphibious types, but we have some Le-Koro trained birds too." The Ga-Matoran said as she walked beside Lhikan, "Over there on the shore is our Kohlii field."

The Ta-Matoran looked toward the shore to see the field, nodding as they went. They passed a few Matoran off to the side, some weaving baskets. He smiled and nodded at those that spared a glance to look up as they went by. A giggle or two, or more, came from here and then as some of the Ga-Matoran thought at first that Lhikan was Jaller but not. He was apparently handsome still, guard member or not.

"Is there anywhere in the village you want to see?" Macku asked.

He looked at her after smiling nervously at the Ga-Matoran. "Well, I should like to meet your Turaga at some time. Otherwise, anywhere is fine with me."

"The Turaga is at the Ga-Kini!"

"Thanks Kita!" Macku called over to the cluster of girls and then smiled at Lhikan, "Can you swim?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes... I haven't had much time to swim back home, but I believe I know enough." He quirked a small grin.

"It's easier to get to from the water." Mack smiled as she back tracked and hopped onto the sprawling networks of floating docks. "But we'll have to go under the outter wall and into the bay."

"Well, you're the expert around here," Lhikan said with a smile, following Macku onto the floating docks. He eyed the water slightly, as if recalling to himself exactly how to swim.

The Ga-Matoran looked around and picked up a board, like and unlike the lava boards and handing it to Lhikan. Though not saying it out loud, it was just in case the Ta-Matoran needed the extra support in the water. Macku giggled and jumped into the water, sinking below the surface and her movements became even more graceful as she was in her element.

Lhikan sighed and tucked the board under his arm, deciding to hold onto it... just in case. The Ta-Matoran jumped in after Macku, not wanting to lose his guide from his sight. His movements were clumsy in the water, but at least he was moving, using the little skills of swimming he had.

Macku popped up, "Heh, see? It's not so bad!"

Lhikan gave a grin and a nervous laugh, "Eh, yeah! It's not as hard as I remember it used to be..." he swam a little closer to her. "Where do we, ah, swim from here?"

"That way," Macku pointed as she came closer to helpfully arranged the bigger Matoran on the bored so he was both more streamlined and able to kick better. Lhikan smiled and thanked her for straightening him out and he was able to kick forward smoothly, following the direction she had pointed as well as getting used to his new way of swimming. "Fallow me," Macku said after looking down in the water and taking a deep breath dove under the surface.

Lhikan waited a moment before taking a deep breath and going under as well. The board he had was made to work underwater as well, and for that he was thankful. Much easier to follow the Ga-Matoran. She dove deeper to grab something off the bottom and came back, putting what she had grabbed- it looked like a shell in subspace. Grinning Macku pointed at an underwater wall, covered with coral like life, but there was an open entrance with a current of water rushing into it. The Ga-Matoran kicked ahead and relaxing let herself get pulled into the current.

Lhikan watched as she was sucked into the current, towards the hole until he couldn't see her anymore. The Ta-Matoran kicked until he was close enough to feel the current pulling at him too. He let the rushing water take him under the opening. The current was, for the few moments Lhikan was in the tunnel, it was like a roller coaster ride, and spat the red Matoran out in an underwater... well it wasn't a cave since it was more room like, Macku was in the middle and when she saw him motioned upwards to an air pocket.

Though she could hold her breath, she was aware that most Ta-Matoran (or any of the other for that matter) couldn't for as long of a time.

Lhikan quickly started upward, his lungs burning harshly. He popped through the surface and inhaled deeply, glad for the air pocket. "Mata Nui, what a ride..."

Macku popped up beside him, reaching up to grab one of the hanging, glowing ferns and grinned at Lhikan before diving back down. All without taking another breath. Lhikan rolled his eyes at the ability of the Ga-Matoran, not it a mean way of course, and took another deep breath and plunged back underwater to follow her. Can't lose my only guide down here, now can I?

A waving, glowing fern attracted the Matoran's attention and Macku let it go before diving into another current tunnel.

Here we go again, Lhikan thought, swimming forward and diving into the current. He clutched his board a little tighter this time, however, as he was thrown about in the rushing current. When he came out, it was back into sunlight, if filtered. Something big passed by, partly under the two Matoran. The movement and form far from a Rahi and moving with that unearthly grace of a living elemental.

Lhikan filled his lungs with air again as he looked around, taking notice of what had passed by. "Was that...?"

"Did you see?" Macku laughed as she came up again splashing at the Ta-Matoran, "Toa Gali!"

Lhikan winced slightly with a playful yelp at the splashes. "I saw her, yes!" he said, grinning.

"I wonder where she's going," Macku held her breath and ducked under, turning around to look around before swimming over to Lhikan, "I'm not sure if I saw Deni."

Lhikan shrugged, not knowing either. "Well, now what?"

Macku grinned and pointed behind Lhikan, "Well, you can turn around and start kicking." She teased.

Lhikan smirked with a laugh and took a few moments to look around at where they had ended up after two wild underwater rides, well to him anyway... Macku probably found it to be an everyday thing.

It was the Ga-Kini, the temple of water, a place of healing and peace. It was open to sun and as much in the water as out. The high roof was crafted to look like there was flowing water that moved down the six pillar supports. Climbing and flowering vines worked their way up, and other that floated in the water that was the 'floor' of the Kini. There were raised stones in a large pattern of the elemental symbol for water that gave a dry place to stand to sit, giving a view of the Wahi as well as the underwater guardian.

Lhikan blinked, taking in the temple as he swam toward the stone area. Ta-Matoran such as himself preferred dry land more than water. Once he was up on it he set the board down and shook his head to be rid of water drops. An amused chuckle came from the other side of the temple, there was another form in the water. There were also some baskets filled with varying aquatic and semi aquatic plants on the stones on that side as well.

"Hello Turaga Nakama!" Macku called out to the only mother like figure she'd known, paddling around and over to the elder.

Shifting to face the elder across from him, Lhikan gave a polite dip of the head out of respect and smiled. "Hello Turaga,"

"Hello young Lhikan." The elder said as she placed another large, purple colored flower on the stone and pulled herself up out of the water. Just like Turaga Matau and Vakama but nothing like the Turaga from Lhikan's homeland, Nokama had that same look of one who had a long and hard life. 'Scarred' and chipped armor, her shell had a slightly faded look, but at the same time there was hints of what she used to be as she was still able to pull herself out of the water without help or stairs.

The Ta-Matoran thought for a moment, that it was a little strange that she had called him young, but he decided it was only normal. Turaga themselves most likely viewed almost all others as young, he guessed. He flashed Nokama a smile as he finished ridding his armor joints of the liquid he had been swimming in with a good shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Turaga."

"Not very often that I see a Ta-Matoran here in the Ga-Kini." Turaga chuckled, smiling before motioning Lhikan to come hop the stones to where she was as Macku hefted herself up and out of the water as well. "I heard about you on the currents and tides child."

Mostly though from a flailing Matau a few days ago.

"Hopefully this aged Bionicle can help you in some way."

"Nokama is the wisest of the Turaga." Macku said with an unshakable confidence, "If anyone can help it's her!"

Lhikan smiled before he eased himself toward the nearest stone and jumped onto it, and to the next. "I'll be glad with any sort of help I can get," he admitted, and a moment later he reached them.

"You are searching for power stones are you not?" Turaga Nokama setting herself in the mist of her gathered flowers, starting to sort them in bowls around her on this stone section, "Have you found any yet?"

"Yes," he nodded, "One was found in Ta-Wahi."

"There should be one on the great reef," The elder said after a thoughtful moment, "It has been a long time since I saw it." She had actually been a Toa at the time to boot.

Lhikan brightened considerably on hearing that she knew where another one was. "That's great. So, um, how far is great reef?" He doubted his swimming skills could take him too far without trouble, even with the board.

"Er," Macku 'said' as she shivered and looked away, out over the bay and to the massive expanse of sea beyond their island. "Out there..."

The gold-masked Matoran turned his head slowly to look in the same direction for a long moment. He blinked twice as he realized what Macku meant, as well as remembering what the others said about the reef shelf of the island. "Oh..."

"I would not suggest going alone," Turaga Nokama put in, her tone a little droll, "There are still deep water Rahi with infected Kanohi. If you wish to find that power stone, you should first find Toa Gali."

"O-okay," Lhikan nodded. Hey, he had never intended on going alone in the first place, even more so when the Turaga informed him that there were 'deep water' Rahi that were infected. "That sounds like a plan."

"We saw Toa Gali heading to the mainland," Macku said as she fiddled with a water rose.

"Actually," The Turaga added with a sigh, "She is heading to Po-Koro, I asked her to deliver something to Turaga Onewa. But, if you call her she will return."

Again, Lhikan nodded. "Alright," he said quietly, thinking this over to himself.

"You can use the Toa stones in the Great Temple," Nokama said after watching the golden Kanohi warring Matoran, "Macku knows how to arrange the stones, but it will have to be you who summons our protector."

The Ga-Matoran frowned, "I can summon her Turaga, I've done so before."

"But it is Lhikan here that needs her, and he who she will find."

"Ohhhh..."

Lhikan nodded slowly in thought, "Alright, then. I guess I can do it then."