It's early morning in Motunui. The sun is barely beginning to peak over the horizon, replacing the pitch black of the night with a soft, cool blue.
Everything is quiet. No candles are lit around any of the falesaround the village except for one. The medical fale,where Moana is now laying.
It's been decades since she set off with Maui to restore the heart of Te Fiti. Even after they parted ways, the two stayed close friends. At first, Maui's visits to the village were very spread out. He claimed he could only visit 'when he had time', and only visited once every six or so months for short periods of time. But as time went on, he would begin to stay for longer periods of time, and after a while he began to visit more frequently as well. It got to a point where the villagers considered Maui to be one of their own.
His visits always started the same way. She'd throw her arms around him in a tight hug, and then they'd walk down the beach and catch up. If he had a new tattoo, she would notice right away, and she'd bother him about it until her told her its story. Sometimes he would keep her waiting as long as he could or pretended like he had no clue what she was talking about just to bask in the fact that she was freaking out and gushing over something he was entirely responsible for. "Not your hero, my butt"He'd joke.
So it makes sense that it was he who noticed her begin to age before even she did. If she knew but chose to hide it, she hid it well. Her hugs never seemed to feel any less bone-crushing, and she still had the same perk in her step as she walked along the beach. It wasn't until a particularly sunny day did Maui notice that Moana's hair was beginning to gray. Almost as if everything were a big jigsaw puzzle putting itself together, it was his next visit when he noticed Moana was using her favorite oar to help herself get around. The same oar he had carved his autograph into so many years ago.
It was after these two visits when he decided to visit every day. He knew time passed differently for him, and he was too afraid that if he were to leave for more than a few days, he would accidentally leave for a few years and that Moana would no longer be waiting for him when he came back.
And so he did. And each time he came back, Moana seemed older and older than she was the previous day, but that spark inside never left her. Often times he'd find her dancing with the ocean waves on the shore. Maybe she had more in common with that grandma she'd spent so much time telling him about than he originally thought.
That's what makes today's visit the hardest to bear. Because he knew it was coming. He just wished it wouldn't be today. He wished it wouldn't be happening so soon.
Moana lifts her head off her sleeping mat slowly as two of the younger men from the village assist her. One's placing a cool cloth on her forehead, and the other is placing a hand behind her head to support her as she drinks from a coconut. As she lifts her head, she gets a look at the crowd of villagers that have gathered to see her, and gets a quick glance of Maui trying to hide at the back of the crowd. She rolls her eyes smiles as she waves a hand at the boy with the coconut to indicate that she's done and wants to lie back down. As she lies back down, she looks straight up, and once again finds herself staring at Maui.
Well, a tapa cloth of Maui. But it's still Maui. As she's looking at it, she's suddenly reminded of the last time she was in here for this long, staring at this tapa cloth for this long. That was when she was in here with Tala, right before she set out to find Maui in the first place. She sends her glance down at the crowd, and her eyes immediately push past them and lock onto the sea. The sun, now completely over the horizon, is twinkling and dancing on the waves. Her eyes then pop back over to the crowd of villagers, who still haven't moved much since she first entered the medical fale since last night, and this time, they lock on Maui. She smiles and turns toward her two caretakers.
"Can one of you do me a favor," she says, flicking her gaze towards the crowd. "And go out there, grab Maui by the ear, and drag his big butt in here?" She says, and as the one to her right stands, her gaze once again falls on the crowd.
"I didn't think I'd have to ask him" She says, louder, clearly meaning for Maui to hear every word. "It's so quiet in here without a certain someone sitting by my mat and talking my poor old ears off" she cracks, and a number of the villagers outside begin to whisper and giggle before they all step aside, leaving Maui as the only one standing in front of the entrance.
"Oh, ha ha" he says sarcastically as he ducks his head to enter the fale."Even when you're…" he starts, but then he gets caught on the last word and has to clear his throat to get rid of the sudden lump in his throat as well as the stupid thoughts beginning to form in his head. "Lying here," he continues as he kneels down next to her, placing his fish hook down next to him. "You have to make fun of me, don't you?"
"Yep!" Moana chimes, a mischievous smile on her face. "And I'm going to keep doing it until the moment I die" she jokes, but when Maui winces at her words, her smile fades slightly and becomes a more sympathetic one. She gently reaches up to touch one of his arms, slapping it gently.
"You want to know the real reason I called you in here?" She asks, and then weakly gestures her head up at the tapa cloth hanging over her bed. "That thing right there. My grandma was lying on this exact mat overlooking this exact cloth when she died" She says, and Maui frowns. "My point is," Moana says, trying to catch Maui's attention before he gets too deep in his thoughts. "Is that you don't need to worry about me. Even after she passed, she visited me frequently. Even recently, down at the water, I just knew that manta ray watching me as I danced was her". Tightening her grip on Maui's arm, Moana trembles heavily as she uses it to help herself sit up so she can be closer to his eye level.
"I know you're scared" She says, and Maui, through his deepening frown, glares at her. "Oh, come on. I've known you practically my entire life. Don't think I don't notice these kinds of things" She says, and Maui offers a weak laugh in response. "But you don't need to be." Moana continues. "Because first of all, I'll always be with you right here" She says, jabbing at the inked version of herself over Maui's heart. "Literally. She's not coming off, as far as I'm concerned" she says, and snorts at her own joke before continuing. "And secondly, I'm going to come back as someone or something else anyway, right?" She asks, her weak, sympathetic smile returning. "If I don't find you, you could always come looking for me".
Moana loosens her grip on Maui's arm and slowly lies herself back down. "Who knows?" She says quietly. "Maybe you'll see me again sooner than you think". As she says this, her grip on Maui's arm is released, and it ungracefully slides off of his arm and lands by her side.
Maui sighs quietly. She always had a way with calming words. It must be part of what made her a great chief. "Thank y-" he starts, but his own words get caught in his throat when he sees Moana's eyes are closed.
"...Moana?" he asks quietly, but gets no response. "Moana come on, that's not funny" he says, but once again he receives no response. The sudden outburst of whispers from the crowd outside reminds him that they're still there. He looks up at them, and then back to Moana, and suddenly finds himself overwhelmed with emotion. Blindly picking him his fish hook, he pushes his way through the crowd before transforming himself into a hawk and taking off from the crowd. He doesn't settle himself until he finds the farthest tree on the island shore. Inspecting each branch carefully, Maui waits until he finds the one that looks the sturdiest, and he lands on it before transforming himself back into a human. He sits down, one hand leaning against the tree for support, and looks out at the water.
As he's sitting, a heavy breeze whips by him from behind towards the direction he had just come from. He tightens his grip on the tree, but he does not look back. He can't. He knows that the villagers are probably removing Moana's body to keep it safe and bring it somewhere to be protected before her burial. The last thing he wanted was to have to watch that. So instead he forces himself to keep his concentration out on the sea to try and distract himself of what just happened.
As he's doing this, another breeze, one just as rough as the first one blows by, but this one feels cooler, and Maui can swear that for a short moment as it passes over the sea, the entire ocean glows a much brighter blue than its normal daytime hue. Maui shakes his head and disregards it before turning his head back to the village. Slowly, those who were with him at the medical tent were spreading the news to those who weren't, and the would-be energetic activity that usually spread throughout Motunui at this time of morning was slowed to a stop. Letting out a sigh, Maui transforms himself back into a hawk again and takes off from the tree. This was beginning to be too much for him. He decided he would leave, only for a few days, and then come back to check on the rest of the village to see if they were doing okay. Taking one last glance at the grief-stricken village, he takes off from the tree and flies off away from Motunui to give himself time to grieve on his own.
It's three days later just as the moon is rising when Maui touches back down on the beach. Just as Moana would, there's a small group of villagers gathered to wait for him.
"Maui" the current chief says, taking a step forward from the group. "We have…a question for you" he says, and Maui raises an eyebrow in questioning at him.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"We were…" the chief pauses, glancing at the small group around him. "Wondering if you'd like to attend Moana's burial. We…we completely understand if you're not comfortable with it, but we figured since she was your best friend, that you'd-"
"No, no" Maui says, waving a hand in the air to dismiss any further comments. "It's fine. I'd, uh, be honored to" He says, resting his hook over his shoulder. "When is it?"
"Well, we've been preparing it since you left, but chose to wait in case you came back"
"Oh." Maui says, shifting his foot in the sand uneasily. "So you're saying it would be…?"
"Right now? Yes" The chief says, but shakes his head. "If you'd rather wait," he starts, but this time Maui shakes his head.
"No really, it's fine. Where is she?" Maui asks, and the chief smiles.
"Right over there" he says, and gestures to a small boat covered in cloth and flowers. "Out to sea. Just how she'd want it"
Maui shakes his head, smiling slightly. "That's Moana" He says, and begins to join a large crowd he's only now noticing surrounding the small boat.
When he finds a comfortable spot towards the back of the crowd, the current chief stands in front of the boat and begins to speak a few words. Maui blocks it out, keeping all of his attention on the boat. Other people step forward to speak about her, but Maui does not. After a final prayer of safety for her body is said, the boat is cast out into the water. Maui does not watch.
After everyone dispels, Maui is the only one remaining on the beach. Taking two glances side to side, Maui begins to walk along the beach at the water's edge, his feet sinking into the soft, damp sand. His fish hook is dragging behind him creating a long line-shaped indent as he walks. He's completely quiet, only looking down at the ground as he walks.
When the moon is far above Maui's head, he's still walking around the beach. All of a sudden, the ocean rises to his ankles and begins swirling around them in small circles. Taking it as a form of comfort instead of a means of getting his attention, he stops walking, but does not glance out at the ocean or push it away. As he stops, the intensity of the swirl increases until it eventually breaks away and instead resorts to splashing itself wildly against his feet. He attempts to start walking again, confused by the ocean's actions, but like three days ago, a sudden bright blue flash of light catches his attention and he finally turns to face the ocean.
"Um." He says awkwardly, looking down at the ocean. "Are you trying to get me to thank you for comforting me or something?" He asks, and in response, the ocean forms itself into a sentient blob and rises itself up until he has to look up to look at it.
"I'll take that as a no" He says, backing away slightly so he doesn't have to crane his neck as much to look at it. "Have you been trying to get my attention for the past hour? Is there something you're trying to tell me?" He asks it, and the ocean nods in an uncharacteristicallyexcited kind of way. Maui raises an eyebrow in suspicion. "Does it…" Maui pauses, looking around at his surroundings. "Have to do with…Moana?" He guesses, and once again, the ocean splashes its 'head' up and down in a fast, enthusiastic manner.
"Well," he asks, finding himself getting amused by the ocean's enthusiasm. "What about her?" He asks, and if the ocean could smile, Maui swears that's what it's doing. The blob crashes itself back down, creating a slight spray. Maui steps forward, but before he can ask another question, the entire ocean once again flashes an intense bright blue color, and Maui has to squint to keep his focus on the ocean.
The ocean rises itself back up into a blob, but this time it stops at what would be Moana's height. The blob begins to spin in an intensely fast circle, and as it does, it appears to be taking a form. It begins to slow down, and as it does, the ocean's chosen form begins to become clear.
It's Moana.Standing in front of Maui is what looks to him like a water copy of her when she was young. Her long, curly hair falling over her shoulders, her dress glowing a slightly lighter blue than the rest of her body, and a group of what look like stars make up her necklace. When her eyes meet his, her entire face lights up in a smile.
"No," Maui says, both eyebrows raised in shock as he stumbles back. "That's…" he pauses. "That's not funny." He says, and the water copy of Moana looks at him with confusion for a moment before it's replaced with another smile. That same mischievous smile Moana used to give him whenever she made fun of him.
"Funny?" She asks in Moana's voice. "Am I supposed to look funny?" She asks, sending a sideways glance at the ocean around her before returning her gaze to Maui. "You know, you're not exactly the best looking person on this island in my opinion, either" she says, rolling her eyes.
Maui's only able to stare at her in shock and disbelief. He already knows for surethat the ocean can't talk, and if he's hearing Moana's voice coming from this water spirit, cracking only comments Moana would make at him, than that must mean that this water spirit trulyis Moana.
"Moana?" He asks stupidly, and she laughs again.
"Maui?" she asks back, mocking him.
"You're-"
"Alive? I know, isn't it cool?" She asks, stretching her arms out at the sky. "I TOLD you I'd see you again sooner than you thought you would!" She says, pointing a finger at him, her smile only widening. Maui's got a whole world of expression on his face, but reliefseems to be the one showing through the most.
"C'mere" she says, opening her arms to a hug, and all of his emotions breakaway into this choked up smile as he tries to hug her back. Except, since she's made entirely of water, he slips right through her and falls face flat into the water behind her. Moana begins to laugh again, and Maui glares at her with frustration before his expression eases back into a confused one.
"How is this possible?" He asks as he stands up, and Moana spins herself around to look at him.
"Well, it started when you guys casted my body out to sea." She gives him thumbs up. "Kudos to whoever's idea that was" She says, and then shakes her head in laughter. "When I was cast out, I guess the ocean recognized me and pulled me under the water. It…" She pauses, trying to find the right words. "Filled my body with water, or rather, shed my old body and replaced it with water?" She says, her face crinkling up when she realizes she's probably making it sound a lot worse than what had actually happened. "Anyway," she says, shrugging her poor choice of words off, "After that, the ocean gave me a new heart!" Moana says, and pops open her spiral necklace. In her chest is a deep blue stone with what looks like ocean waves carved into it. It's beating. "Looks just like Te Fiti's, huh?" She asks, and clamps the necklace shut.
It takes a moment for Maui to respond, as he's still trying to go step by step processing her story in his head. "Okay, so hold on. If your 'new heart' is like Te Fiti's, does that make you…immortal?"
"Huh." Moana says, bringing a hand to her chin. "I guess so!" She says, smiling, and as she says that, she shoots a glance at something over Maui's shoulder. He turns to follow her gaze and finds that she's looking out on the horizon.
"You know what we should do?" Moana asks, her eyes somehow managing to beam with happiness. "We should go exploring" She says, throwing her cold, wet hands against Maui's side.
"What?" Maui asks, shaking his head. "Moana, that's insane"
"Oh, come on!" She shouts, throwing her arms up in the air. "It could be a lot of fun! And we'd never have to stop, because we're both immortal!" She says, somehow managing to tug on Maui's arm. "Give me one reason why we can't. There's nobody here to wait and wonder where we are, and it's not like the ocean would give us trouble for leaving, because I can probably guarantee you the protection of the literal entire ocean. I can prove it, too. Watch this" She says, and looks around before noticing half a coconut shell sitting on the other side of the beach. Quickly shooting a smirk in Maui's direction, she focuses all of her attention on the shell, and flicks her wrist in its direction. Down the beach, a small wave forms, picks up the shell, and hurls it into the water in the distance. She turns back around to face Maui who watches the shell splooshinto the water on impact with an impressed expression on his face. "Do you know how much power we have collectively now?" She says, clearly getting herself excited. "Or how much further we could explore now that I can control the ocean?" She asks, clenching her fists up in excitement, and she can see through his expressions that Maui's starting to get excited by the ideas too.
"As a matter of fact, since we're both wondering anyway, why don't we sail back to Te Fiti to get some confirmation first? Who would know about immortality and life-giving better than the mother island herself?" Moana says, her excited grin now looking as if it could split her face in half. "And we can see where we go from there? The possibilities are literally endless" she says, and holds her hand out to Maui. "Well?" She asks. "Do we have a deal? Are we going or not?" She asks, and Maui grins.
"Deal" He says, attempting to grab the hand-shaped blob of water in front of him, and she smiles.
"Race you to the canoes" she says, gesturing her head towards the cave where her ancestor's boats are kept, but before Maui can say anything else, she begins to push her way down the beach as fast as she can. Rolling his eyes, Maui swings his hook over his head and transforms himself back into a hawk before flying after her and into the cave to pick out a new boat.
