Macku caught up to Vhisola outside of a narrow tunnel entrance that could easily have been mistaken for a crack in the wall. "It must be in here," Vhisola said.

"You're jumping to conclusions," Macku said.

Vhisola entered the tunnel first. Macku followed, holding her lightstone close so that she wouldn't hit it against the wall and drop it. The tunnel kept going for a few minutes before eventually emptying out into an unlit chamber. The two Matoran walked forward slowly, making sure the path ahead of them was clear and staying alert for whatever might happen.

"Do you see it?" Vhisola asked.

"I don't see anything," Macku whispered. "Keep your voice down—we don't know if there might be Rahi or more infected Matoran in here."

"I can still hear you just fine," replied a third voice.

Macku and Vhisola froze. Lightstones in the walls suddenly began to glow, casting faint illumination over the chamber. It was unexpectedly large—about half the size of Onu-Koro, actually—but it was completely empty save for three Matoran. The third was a Po-Matoran, standing with his back turned to the Ga-Matoran on the far side of the room, moving as if he held something in his hand.

Macku drew her disk and shouted, "Who are you? If this is some sort of trap, then—"

"Oh, settle down," he interrupted. "At least give me a chance to congratulate you. After all, you're the first ones to successfully find it."

He stepped aside. A pedestal could now be seen, and atop it sat a Noble Kanohi Matatu.

Vhisola yelled. She dashed towards the mask, but the Po-Matoran turned and held one hand up, calling, "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

She stopped. "…You…I met you in Po-Koro, didn't I? You said your name was…Ahkmou?"

Ahkmou smiled. The powerless Rau on his face had been swapped for an infected one, but only for show. Makuta need not exert the effort to directly control the mind of one already under his sway through other means.

"I'm touched you remember me," he said. "We Matoran are so terrible at remembering things. I suppose I left a strong impression, then…"

Vhisola's eyes fell, and she saw the object in Ahkmou's hands. It was a hammer.

"Yes, well, I suppose I should get down to it," Ahkmou said, walking around behind the pedestal. "Makuta sends his regrets for not being able to appear personally. He's very busy, but I'm sure we can all understand that, right? He also sends his compliments, for being able to make it past the other Matoran. Wise as he is, I can't help but feel that might be a bit too kind, seeing as you did have help…but I suppose it's not my place to argue."

Vhisola reached for her disk. "Ahkmou…if you're thinking of doing what I think you're about to do…"

"What's that? Oh, yes, I was just getting to that. You see, Makuta still doesn't want this mask getting back into Nokama's hands. I suggested he just move it, but he feels that wouldn't be the most sporting move—you found its hiding spot, fair and square, so you win the game. Hooray!"

He threw his fists up in a mocking cheer. He let one hand fall, but the other, the one holding the hammer, he kept at about eye level. Looking at the tool with a bored expression, he said, "Again, I respectfully disagree. Just for the record. But, even if you win the hunt, we can't let you have the prize…though, as a small token of respect, he did order me to wait and let you watch."

Ahkmou raised the hammer high. Macku threw her disk, but he batted it aside.

"Hah! Now watch as your precious Kanohi is—"

"HAAAAH!"

Without Ahkmou realizing it, Vhisola had broken into a sprint and was now almost upon the pedestal. She gave a cry and lunged, tackling Ahkmou to the ground. He tried to throw her off, but she persisted, slamming him down again, twisting his wrist until he dropped the hammer. Ahkmou tried to reclaim it, but Vhisola sent it sliding away with her foot.

"Why you…!"

Ahkmou bashed Vhisola in her stomach. She recoiled a bit so he tried to escape, but in seconds she charged with newfound strength, pinning him against the wall.

"How dare you…" she muttered. "How DARE you! Turaga Nokama's Kanohi are sacred, and if you would even consider destroying one…"

Ahkmou grunted. "Aren't you taking this a little seriously? It's only a—"

Vhisola punched him in the back of the head. Ahkmou's face slammed into the rock, his mask being set askew in the impact.

"Only?!" Vhisola said. Vast amounts of rage could be heard in her voice. If Ahkmou didn't know any better, he'd say it sounded like she wanted to kill him.

…Actually…what's stopping her?

Macku walked up to the pedestal and took the Kanohi. "Vhisola, we've got what we came for. Let's remove the infected mask and take him back with us."

Vhisola turned her head. Macku stepped back, surprised at the almost feral look in her eyes.

"You think we should take him back? What for? This monster nearly destroyed that mask! It's our duty to punish him for his crimes!"

"…Our duty was to reclaim the mask, nothing more," Macku said, as calmly as possible. "Besides, he's only acting this way because of the infected mask. Makuta's just using his body like a puppet. You can't judge him for it when he isn't in control."

Vhisola turned back to Ahkmou, growling in fury. Unconvinced that Vhisola had calmed down, Macku wracked her brain for something else to say. Before she could think of anything, Vhisola leaned in closer to Ahkmou, and whispered something.

"Makuta, then," Vhisola said. Her tone was hushed, and she was very deliberate with every word. "I take it you can hear me. I'll be brief, so listen, because I won't repeat myself…if you defile the Suva, steal from Turaga Nokama again…I personally guarantee that you'll regret it."

Ahkmou was stunned. Is she actually trying to threaten Makuta…? What sort of lunatic is she?

"Alright," Vhisola said, turning back to Macku. She looked a bit more composed now, much to Macku's relief. "We can take him back to Onu-Koro, at least."

She moved to grab Ahkmou's Kanohi. Seeing an opportunity, he jabbed with one elbow, hitting Vhisola in the gut and making her stumble. He tore himself free and ran down the wall of the chamber, making for the spot Makuta had told him about before leaving him here. Vhisola recovered, throwing her disk and knocking him flat, but he threw himself forward and used the momentum to land in just the right spot. Ahkmou tapped the wall, and a piece of it receded.

The entire chamber shook violently. Rocks fell from the ceiling, prompting the two Ga-Matoran to regroup and search for shelter. A portion of the wall fell away, revealing a small tunnel entrance, and Ahkmou hastily retreated through it.

"Protect the mask!" Vhisola said.

"What about us?!" Macku shouted. "There's no cover here—we have to try to get out! Let's head back for the entrance!"

They doubled back across the chamber as fissures began to appear beneath their feet. Macku tripped over one of the rocks jutting up, sliding forward and losing her grip on the mask. Vhisola stopped to scoop up the Kanohi, inspecting it to make sure it was okay, much to Macku's annoyance. She was willing to ignore it and keep moving, though…until the section of ground she was on started to fall.

"Vhisola!"

Vhisola looked to see Macku reaching. She dove and grabbed her hand just before it went out too far, keeping her other hand firmly around the edge of the Matatu, and looked past Macku into the ever-widening fissure beneath her.

"V…Vhisola…pull me—"

She was drowned out as the ledge crumbled further. Vhisola slid towards the edge, digging in with her feet, but it wasn't enough to stop.

"Grab something!"

"I can't!" Vhisola shouted back. "I might lose the mask if I let go of it!"

"For crying out loud, Vhisola, are you seriously willing to die for that thing?!"

Vhisola looked her in the eye. "I thought that was obvious by now!"

Macku didn't have a response for that. The ledge seemed to be settling, but Vhisola continued to slide. As she drew nearer to the edge, her hand moved—still holding onto the mask with two fingers, she dug the other three into the dirt, securing a handhold just as her feet flew out into open space.

"Grrrgh!"

Somehow, Vhisola's grip was enough to keep her from falling. Macku clung to her other hand and tried to keep calm. Vhisola's grunts of pain continued, evidence that the weight was quickly proving to be too much for her.

"Vhisola, this is serious," Macku said. "You can't pull us back up like that. If we're going to get out of here, you need to let go of something!"

Vhisola looked around. Her eyes settled on Macku.

"…No, that…that's not what I meant!"

Silently, Vhisola looked back up at the mask. Macku instantly grew panicked.

"V-Vhisola, don't you dare! Don't even think about letting go! Do you hear me?!"

Vhisola didn't respond.

"VHISOLA!"

"BE QUIET!"

Vhisola pushed her head up against the rock. Her mask twisted, nearing the point where it would be dislodged.

"What are you doing?! Do you plan on killing us both?!"

"I said be quiet, alright?! Now listen to me!"

She took a deep breath, and looked back at Macku.

"When it falls…kick it back towards me."

"…What?"

"Right at me! Can you do that?"

"I don't even know what you mean!"

"Just do it! If you miss, then we both die!"

"Wait, don't!"

Vhisola closed her eyes. Gathering every ounce of strength she had left, she tensed her muscles and let go of the Matatu. Within instants, she dug her now-free fingers in to get a better grip, and then hit the wall once more to knock off her own mask just as Nokama's fell past her.

Macku understood now. She knew it wouldn't be long before the loss of her Kanohi made Vhisola weak, so she angled herself and did a kick.

Her foot struck the Noble Kanohi, launching it straight at Vhisola's face. It locked on. Shouting, Vhisola used the rush of energy to pull up on Macku, lifting her so that she could grab the wall herself and let go of Vhisola's hand. Macku scrambled up to safety as fast as she could. Vhisola was still drained from the effort, so Macku grabbed her and pulled her up.

The chamber had finally grown still. The two Matoran lay sprawled out on solid ground, both gasping for air and waiting for their hearts to stop racing.

"…I…" Macku breathed. "I seriously thought…that you were going to…"

Vhisola shook her head. "I couldn't...face the Turaga…if I lived…and you died…"

They waited out the exhaustion without saying anything else. When Macku could move again, she sat up and looked back across the fissure. "Ahkmou's gone."

Vhisola didn't seem to care. She got to her feet and then, to Macku's surprise, removed the Matatu.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Vhisola fell to one knee. Macku tried to get her to put the mask back on, but she refused.

"No, no, I can't. This is Turaga Nokama's mask—I'm not fit to wear it. I won't soil it any more than I have to."

Macku stared at Vhisola for a moment. Then exasperation overtook her.

"Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me?! You think you're soiling that mask just by wearing it for a few minutes?! That's completely ridiculous! You seriously think Turaga Nokama cares if you wear her Kanohi?! You think she's going to get offended or something?! No way in Karzahni would the Turaga be that petty, and you of all people should know that! You won't make it back to Onu-Koro without a mask, you numbskull—how does that work to Nokama's benefit?! She'd be more than happy to let you wear that mask until we can replace it—heck, she'd probably let you parade around Ga-Koro in it for being the one who, after decades of seeing this impossible task go unfulfilled, actually found and recovered the darn thing! Gali help me, if I have to jam that thing onto your face every ten seconds, you're going to at least wear it until we get another Kanohi in Onu-Koro!"

True to her words, Macku slammed the mask back onto Vhisola's face, putting a little too much force into it and knocking her companion over. Vhisola was too stunned from the outburst to say or do anything in response.

Macku took a deep breath and sighed. She stepped forward, bent, and offered a hand to Vhisola.

"Come on. Our mission's not complete until we get that back to Nokama, right?"

Slowly, Vhisola took Macku's hand.

"…Right. Let's go."

Macku stood outside the gate to Ga-Koro, piling rocks in the pressure plate that controlled the lock.

"Ugh, this one's too heavy…"

Vhisola sat a short distance away, scratching her new mask. It was the same shape as her previous one, but the material didn't feel quite right—she hoped that feeling would go away when she put on a layer of sea pearl wax, as most Ga-Matoran did to reduce water resistance.

She gazed at the Noble Kanohi in her hands and reflected on their return journey. They had stayed an extra day in Onu-Koro to recuperate, and then the Ussalry had escorted them to the surface so that they could head back through Po-Koro. Macku had met up with Hewkii and learned that Ahkmou had returned to the village, where his infected mask had been removed and he had returned to normal life…more or less. Onewa had still been eyeing him suspiciously when they left.

"Good thing the way back was uneventful, huh?" Macku said, tossing aside another rock. "I guess you scared Makuta with what you said back there. If any Matoran could do it, I'd believe it if it were you."

Vhisola smiled. "You're not the most pleasant Matoran either."

"Heheh, maybe not. I think my company is more appreciated in Po-Koro—I plan to visit there much more often now."

She placed another rock in the plate, and the lock rotated into place. The gate opened, and Macku shouted victoriously before picking up her pack and waving to Vhisola. Vhisola stood up and joined her, and they walked into the village together.

Nokama waited in front of the Suva. When she heard them approaching, she turned around, and her eyes went wide at the sight.

"Macku…Vhisola…! Oh, thank Gali you're alright!"

Macku stopped walking and smiled at Vhisola. Nervously, Vhisola stepped forward and bowed, holding the Matatu out towards the Turaga. "Turaga Nokama…your Kanohi Matatu."

Nokama gently took the mask from her hands. Vhisola continued, "We encountered the Matoran who had been sent previously, as well. They were wearing infected Kanohi, but we were able to free them—they're still back in Onu-Koro, resting until they're strong enough to make the journey back, but I assure you they are alright."

"Truly?" Nokama said. "That's better than I could have ever dreamed of!"

Vhisola hesitated a moment. "…Um…something else, Turaga…the circumstances surrounding the mask's retrieval were a bit extreme. In order for us both to escape, I…I had to…"

Nokama nodded patiently. Vhisola closed her eyes and said, "I…I wore the mask! Only for a short time—only long enough for us to make it back to Onu-Koro! I'm so sorry. I promise that I never would have done something like that if there were any other option!"

She opened one eye to look at Nokama. The Turaga stared at her with a blank expression, one that Vhisola couldn't read. Then she smiled.

"That's quite alright, Vhisola," Nokama said. "I don't mind if you wore the mask."

Vhisola gave a sigh of relief. "Oh…okay. Again, if there were any other option, I wouldn't have done it. It was only so that—"

Nokama stepped forward and embraced Vhisola, silencing her. "It's alright," Nokama reassured her. "Thank you, Vhisola. You're truly amazing."

Vhisola had no idea what to say. "I-I-I…uh…it, uh…we…"

Nokama let go and stepped back. Finding her focus, Vhisola said, "W-Well, uh…Macku helped!"

Macku held her hands up, saying, "Yeah, but, I'm not up for a hug. I can feel your thanks from here just fine."

"Thank you as well, Macku," Nokama said. She walked up to the Suva and placed the Matatu in the empty space. "There. Good as new, after fifty long years."

Nokama turned back to the Matoran, still smiling. "This calls for a celebration! Ga-Koro has two new heroes, and we will all honor their deeds! Everyone must be gathered together."

Vhisola raised one hand. "I-I'll go ring the meeting bell! I won't be long!"

She raced off before anyone could protest. "Geez," Macku said, "she just got back from a life-threatening journey and she's already off to do another errand…"

"Do not be hard on her, Macku," Nokama said. "Vhisola may get overzealous, but she has a good heart."

Macku looked after Vhisola thoughtfully. "…Yeah. She does."

Nokama nodded and turned back to the Suva. Cracking a smile, Macku began planning her next venture out of the village. There was a koli match in Po-Koro in a few days, and she should have plenty of time to get there to participate. Not many players could keep up with Hewkii—if he and Macku teamed up, they'd win for sure.

Of course, that's assuming Vhisola doesn't rat me out to the Turaga.

Notes:

Looking back, I feel the portrayal of Ahkmou here isn't quite right. He's a little too eloquent in this scene, I think.

It's here that Vhisola's "fanatical" side really shows—who else would try to threaten a Makuta? It also helps create some uncertainty at the climax, making it unclear if she really might let Macku die just to recover the mask. But, this story was meant to cast Vhisola in a relatively more positive light, so in the end she decides to trust her companion instead of abandoning her. Of course, Macku still deserves a little catharsis after that. She's had it rough.

Even now, Vhisola and Macku aren't exactly best friends, but they've developed a greater understanding of and respect for each other. I'd like to think that relationship only continues to improve from here.

So, that's that! Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll see you next time!