Secret of the Mask

Part III (of III)

Though Jaller hardly sensed it, he felt himself being led to a circle on the floor.

"Duty," Vakama said, which was the first of his words that Jaller actually heard. His mind had been whirling so much that he hadn't heard what the Turaga had said before that.

Vakama stopped a moment, then with a wise gleam in his eyes, set the mask on the floor over another circle.

"Destiny!"

All of a sudden, Takua appeared! Jaller was ecstatic. But then, Takua transformed into someone else…

A Toa!

When the light had dissipated, the Toa immediately approached the Matoran and rubbed his friend's head affectionately. Jaller grinned and elbowed the Toa in the leg.

"Kolhii-head!" Jaller said. "You could've been Makuta bones!"

"Could've been, but I'm not!" the Toa retorted.

Yeah, Jaller chuckled mentally, same old Takua!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Following the battle with Makuta, Takua becoming a Toa, and both Jaller and Takanuva dying and coming back to life, Vakama invited the two friends and Hahli to his living quarters to tell them tales of the past.

As he and his friends were seating themselves comfortably on the floor, Jaller suddenly remembered what Toa Lhikan had asked him to do.

"Turaga Vakama," Jaller began slowly, "remember when I…erm…died?"

Vakama's back had been turned to the Matoran as he was preparing the stones he was going to use for telling his stories. Swiftly, the Turaga turned around.

"Why, yes…of course."

"Well, while I was in heaven," he said, "I met someone – someone you knew…"

"Yes?" the Turaga eagerly asked, urging the Matoran to continue.

"I met Toa Lhikan."

As the Turaga's mask beamed with joy, Takanuva and Hahli raised their brows.

"And what did he say?" Turaga Vakama asked.

Jaller smiled up at his wise leader, whom he deeply respected. He thought it would have been absurd if he, a Matoran, would say what he was about to say to the Turaga, but Jaller knew that he was only delivering a message for a friend. He could not understand why the Turaga would need to be told this, but Jaller had promised that he would.

"He is proud of you."

The Turaga's reaction touched the Matoran. Turaga Vakama smiled broadly, his mask alight with joy. Setting a hand on Jaller's shoulder, he said, "Thank you for delivering that message." Jaller smiled in return.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Takanuva said. "Was he that guy who sent me back?"

"Yeah," Jaller replied. "You didn't think we were going to let you off the hook that easily, did you?"

Everyone laughed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Though Makuta was gone, there were still many foes to threaten the safety of the Matoran of Mata Nui. One day, as Jaller and Takanuva were traveling back to their home of Ta-Koro through Le-Wahi, one such enemy – a Muaka Cat – stopped them in the road.

"Get out of the way!" Takanuva cried to his friend, brandishing his kolhii staff.

The rahi jumped at the Toa, but then fell backwards! It looked as though it had tried to jump through a rock wall and fell back.

Takanuva gasped as he stared after the fleeing Muaka Cat.

Jaller had intercepted the rahi's attack!

"Hey," Jaller chuckled as his friend stared at him in disbelief, "you didn't think that I'd let you have all the fun, did you?"

"You're just full of surprises, my friend," Takanuva said with a smile after a pause. "Now, you're going to tell me how you did that, right?"

Jaller laughed, jumping onto Pewku's back. "Nuh-uh," he said, holding up his pointing finger. "It's a secret!"

"Oh, c'mon," Takanuva said as the three of them strode off into the sunset, "I share everything with you!"

"Yeah," Jaller agreed with a look of amusement in his eyes, "including your responsibilities!" Only too well did he remember the whole fiasco about which of their job it was to take the Mask of Light.

"Did not," Takanuva countered with a knowing smile.

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

Author's Note: Well, that's the story. Thank you so much for all of your reviews. I really enjoy getting feedback from readers. You've all been so nice. I'm currently working on a story about the Toa Metru, so I hope you'll read that one as well. See you until then!