Hey guys!
Well, there's not much I can say about this one-shot other than the muses were itching me to do this since the 21st at five A.M of all times (:P)
Thank you, Muses!
Like all my other stories. This one has gone through minor edits.
And, I have to put up an information overload warning, because there is a lot of events taking place here, I'll apologize in advance it gets overwhelming... (XS)
OOC warning is on! (Sorry if they do appear out of character, I tried the best I can to keep them in-character as possible)
(Rated Teen just to be safe!)
I'm not of Polynesian descent, so, I apologize if I get any facts wrong or if any of this is offensive.
Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this one-shot nonetheless!
Moemoeā
Two simple words… that was all it took to tear the breath out of his lungs and set his mind in a daze.
Here he was… Maui, Demigod of the Wind and Sea, Hero to all and Faletua to Moana Waialiki the newly turned twenty-year-old ali'i nui wahine of Motunui, standing right at the open sunlit entrance to the maota tofa; where literally just a few seconds ago, she—Moana Waialiki uttered the two words he'd given up since previous year's tragedy. A tragedy his mind had completely darkened out into deepest—untouchable parts of his memories, and part of him was thankful that he couldn't visually see the terrible moments of that day, but his emotions didn't seem to have that capability. Not at all.
Moana looked up at him as she sat on the fine mat that covered the river stone with her legs folded under her and her mother Sina sitting right in front of her for support as she told him for the second time.
"I'm pregnant."
Maui finally found his breath again, but in exchange for his ability to breathe, temporarily forgot how to grip his fishhook. Even Mini-Maui stood on the base of his tattooed boulders completely speechless and jaw-dropped at the news.
Maui looked over at Sina in a complete daze but saw the warm smile she gave him just before she turned and gave her twenty-year-old daughter a pat on the shoulder and a loving hug. Finally, she stood up and headed over to the entrance, then stopped right beside him. She gave him a congratulatory smile and motherly pat on the shoulder before she headed her way.
Moana slowly rose to her feet, revealing her long loose hair, bare neck and the new slip-on puletasi she had on, and turned to face him with a happy smile on lips, but he still had the puzzled look on his face.
"What?" She asked, hoping to snap him out of whatever trance he'd put himself in.
A second passed before he quickly shook whatever enchantment he had and slowly came to his senses. His eyes stared at her for a moment… his mind still reeling in what she'd said a few minutes ago. She rolled her eyes at the sound of his incoherent mumbles and smile at Mini-Maui's celebratory gestures.
Moana walked over toward him and told him, "Maui, this is real. You're going to be a father—" She barely finished her sentence when she heard him outside.
"CHEEEHOOO!" He screamed for the whole island—if not the rest of the world to hear followed by his muffled voice announcing to everybody there that he was going to be a father. Moana crossed her arms, followed her eyes and shook her head before she let out a giggle of amusement; what more could she expect? He was Maui after all—and Maui wouldn't be Maui if he wasn't just a tad bit boisterous.
IIIIIIIIIIII
The first three months were nerve-racking for good reason… Moana's first pregnancy that previous year only lasted three months before it came to an unexpected end.
Once again Maui was left stumped, as he couldn't seem to remember each of the details of the actual loss itself, despite being there when it happened. Each time he did all he saw was black and the next thing he could remember the events that took place after the incident.
Where he, Tui, Sina, and Moana discussing what actions to do after. He remembered that day—night all too well. He remembered the topic for the talk; to give their lost child their ceremonial send-off by sea—and he was just straight up against it for good reason.
There was no way he was going to let any child of his be tossed away into the ocean like he had been.
Their child mattered and their child deserved to have that shown by being treated like one of their own. Customary or not, it wasn't happening not while his virtually indestructible and immortal bod still drew breath. He remembered a lot of yelling on his part, and Tui as well while Sina was cradling then nineteen-year-old Moana, who like him, was still coming to terms with the sudden loss. But, then her leading nature took over and she got in-between them both, and she took control like a real chief would. She spoke to her father with nothing but respect in her voice as she told him that she in fact, agreed with her faletua on this matter, but out of respect for her traditions, she made the compromise—
IIIIIIIIIIII
Maui quickly forced the memory out his mind. In the end, they both won, and their child ended up being buried here—ten-feet behind the maota tofa and right beside family burial ground… which was fine to him that way he and Moana could visit their child's grave whenever they wanted or could.
Moana visited the site as much as she could with her mother or Waiola in tow to keep her company and quite literally watch her back just in case of potential evil spirits ready to take their unborn child's soul from behind her. Maui wasn't sure how she felt about it? But he believed it one hundred percent and he wasn't about to take any chances not the second time around.
And he was sure that she wasn't about to either. The two of them took extra precaution—more so her than him and having Waiola the village Fofō and former Faatosaga around with her sharp tongue certainly helped keep them—well… him in line.
Moana had no objections when it came to following Waiola's advice, and Maui couldn't blame her either… after all, she did put her body through six pregnancies in her lifetime and managed to deliver all six of her children safely. Heck, if he stood where Moana was standing now, he couldn't think of anyone better.
The precautions seemed to pay off and Moana was now in her sixth month of pregnancy and he was thrilled––but scared at the same time. This… was the first time he'd ever seen the full effects of pregnancy up close and he had to admit Moana was handling this like a champ.
He sat down on the sand beneath the morning sun and watched as Moana walked toward the beautiful clear blue ocean water near on Motunui's shore as she dipped her feet in the water.
The Ocean rose up from its watery surface in small swell and stretched out to Moana's protruding belly and carefully pressed the tip of its watery head against the middle of her light red floral pattern puletasi. "What do you think it's going to be?" Moana asked The Ocean, "A boy?" She turned and stared at Maui pointedly before she asked, "Or girl?"
"It's a boy and you know it." Maui declared before The Ocean came to Moana's defence and threw a hard shell right to the center of his nasal bridge, knocking him flat on his back.
Moana giggled before she could stop herself as he slowly sat up with a scowl on his face, but her giggles were his 'triggering point.'
She stood there with a surprised look on her face from the mischievous gleam in his eyes as he declared with a low husky growl, "Oh, you're in for it now."
Moana lifted her index finger in a weak attempt to maintain her authority, "Maui, no. No, NO––" She quickly turned and ran across the wet sand as far as her pregnant body could allow, but she couldn't run fast enough, and within seconds she felt her feet off the sand and his fingers on her hips. She let out a startled cry.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Maui cheered on his victory.
Seconds later there came the sound of rushing water followed by Maui's startled cry as he was gushed off away from her. Moana nearly fell sideways, but The Ocean gently curved its watery form on her side and carefully helped her to stand upright.
She smiled and gently brushed her hand against The Ocean's watery head, "Thank you."
Mini-Maui had a proud toothy smile on his face before he reached up and pulled down the tattoo scoreboard. He lifted his own fishhook up with every intention to put a tally on Moana's side when suddenly he paused for a moment and noticed something wasn't quite right? Finally, with a snap of his fingers, he figured out what it was? He raised his fishhook over Moana's image and perfected it with an addition of her pregnant belly. Now, with that done, Mini-Maui finally drew a tally on her side and then gave his host a big snobbish grin.
Maui glanced down at the scoreboard and let out a long sigh of reluctant defeat.
Moana chuckled as she shook her head and walked over toward him. She leaned over and held her hand out to him, "Here, let me help you up."
Maui took her hand as she helped him up from the sand. Then she tried to straighten up her back, and that's when she discovered how carrying another human being within her limited her mobility.
Maui chuckled and got behind her, "Okay, lemme." He put his hands on her waist, his fingers curled up against her round stomach as he slowly pulled her upright, and that's when he felt it.
Thud… Thud…
Two kicks, two beautiful tiny kicks lightly thudding against the inner walls of Moana's middle and the surface of his fingers. Moana slowly pressed her hand on top of his and slowly led it right on the center of her stomach.
"Can you feel her?" She asked.
"Yeah, I can feel him." He replied.
Moana rolled her eyes and said, "My instincts are telling me the baby's going to be a girl."
Maui raised an eyebrow to that one and proclaimed, "Yeah? Well, my demigod guts say… boy, and my gut's never let me down before." She looked up at him before she and Mini-Maui exchanged skeptical glances and crossed their arms over their chests at the same time.
"Alright, alright," Maui began as he waved his hands in a settle down motion, "How about a bet? Under the impossible chance, it's a girl, I'll handle the hard stuff for…" He paused a few minutes and started counting with his fingers, "… six months."
Moana and Mini-Maui exchanged bemused glances and she corrected him, "A year." Her consort's tattoo counterpart nodded in agreement.
She looked back up at him and continued, "One year. No more, no less." Maui opened his mouth to protest and she continued with a sly smile on her lips, "Unless… you're too chicken for the wager?" She finished with loud and self-satisfying, "BUCUCK!"
Clearly riled up from having his ego handed to him Maui finally relented, "Alright! Fine! A year. No more, no less."
Moana gave him a satisfied smile and Mini-Maui had a similarly satisfactory grin on his face as she carried, "And under the highly unlikely chance it's a boy, I'll take care of daily and nightly feedings, cleaning, and sleep routines for two years. While you handle all the fun stuff."
She held her hand out to him and gave him a knowing look, "Deal?"
He eagerly grabbed her hand and gave it a good shake, "Deal."
The two had determined looks on their faces, both of them determined by their child's chosen gender, and how they would each eat the other's words in three months time.
All the while Mini-Maui pulled down the scoreboard and drew another tally on Moana's side.
Maui saw this and said, "Hey! Quit acting like Mr. Know-it-all, the baby's not even here yet!" Mini-Maui gave him a flat stare as Maui kept on insisting, "I still got a chance," He then pointed to his side of the tattoo scoreboard, "So, c'mon… hah?"
Mini-Maui quickly stuck his tongue out at him, pushed the scoreboard up and returned to his original pose on the left side of his chest. Maui let out an annoyed growl.
Moana then locked her arm in his and pointed out, "Don't make that face, we have three more months until judgement day."
Maui chuckled and said, "Yeah, and you're gonna eat your words, 'cause I'm gonna win."
She rolled her eyes and replied, "We'll see."
"Yeah, we'll see." He replied back.
IIIIIIIIIIII
Who would've known that within three months time, he'd go through one of the most nerve-wracking moments in his demigod life. Moana's water had broken nearly two days ago and he being the Greatest Demigod humans ever known knew exactly what to do and he certainly didn't panic—no matter what the future stories would say—he was calm, cool and collected—
Maui's trail of thought stopped when he looked down to the left side of his chest and saw Mini-Maui frantically biting his nails. Maui put his index finger and thumb together before he brought his hand to the unsuspecting moving tattoo and just flicked him off right to his back, where Mini-Maui flew and landed upside down hitting the top of his head on the flat tattooed surface to his left shoulder blade.
Finally, he could wait in peace, and he had peace for a few minutes before the worry started to rip its way through, sinking its horrible claws in his chest as he looked to his right, toward the maota tofa—he was literally on the outside trying to look in.
Apparently, men weren't allowed inside during the labour, and only women were allowed to enter, specifically, the mother of the mother-to-be, the Faatosaga and Taulāsea.
The silence unnerved him—in fact, he'd expected to hear screaming or something? But no… Moana didn't even make a peep. Not even for the last forty-six hours since.
He then looked left and saw Tui waiting beside him with his back turned looking up at the full moon presenting itself against the starry night sky.
Well… it wouldn't hurt to get a little sneak peek of the action. Maui turned and saw his fishhook lying conveniently behind him. Maui slowly took very several steps back, "Hey Tui, I'm just gonna go answer nature's call for a minute so… I'll be right back."
"Don't take too long, Maui." His father-in-law replied sternly still with his back turned to his demigod son-in-law.
Maui then silently grabbed his fishhook and held it behind his back and slowly walked backwards toward the side of the maota tofa where he zipped right out of their views.
The sounds of Mini-Maui protesting twinkles echoed through from the side of the maota tofa to which Maui responded with a hissing whisper, "I'm not about to miss watching my kid come into the world alright? So… zip it!" A flash of blue lightly emitted from the side, and right where Maui had disappeared a green and yellow shiny beetle appeared.
The beetle looked left and right making sure the coast was clear before he released his buzzing wings and started to fly. He narrowed his eyebrow muscles determinedly as he flew closer and closer to the fluttering pola sheet.
Closer… closer… closer… just a little more—his eyes then bulged out from the sudden pressure to his side from what felt two fingers painfully squeezing him to submission.
"Maui, no men allowed means no men allowed." Tui told him before he added, "Don't think I don't know your motives trickster. You'll have to try a lot harder than that to fool me." He lifted his fingers and let Maui's beetle form fall to the ground. "Now, change back and wait like the rest of us."
A flash of blue came and there laid Maui right on the spot where his beetle form had landed with a defeated look on his face and his giant fishhook beside him. He lifted his head up to see Tui and the rest of the Village Elder's stern stares.
Maui groaned and replied with a very reluctant, "Fine."
IIIIIIIIIIII
Another hour passed and still nothing. Maui drummed his fingers anxiously against his bicep as Waiola and her eldest daughter Aimata kept coming in and out of the fale every fifteen minutes to change the water in the wooden bowls, in the past hour.
Both he and Tui watched as they kept coming back with more water or u'a cloths every fifteen minutes. Maui watched as the water swished in the bowl and splashed out on Aimata's wrist and that's when he saw the reddish-pink hue in the water in the bowl. Tui quickly grabbed hold of his right shoulder and with surprising strength managed to pull him back in place, "Maui, you can't enter." His father-in-law reminded him.
Maui quickly turned and looked ready fight right then and there, "But—didn't you see—"
"Yes." Tui replied, "I saw, and it's perfectly normal. Moana's a strong woman, she'll be fine." No sooner did he say that Waiola and Aimata rushed back into the fale with the clean water, bowls of oil, and u'a cloths. With the two inside Sina finally came out trying to keep a degree of calm as she approached her husband.
"Tui, I need to talk to you—" She saw Maui opening his mouth from the corner of her eye and said urgently, "—alone." She saw the worriment and dispirited look in his eyes then added with a gentle motherly tone, "I'll tell you what's going on later Maui." She reached up and pressed a comforting hand to his cheek as she told him, "I promise."
Maui forced a smile and replied, "Thanks."
Sina gave him a warm smile in return before she turned her attention back to her husband as he led them down the steps down from the paepae.
Maui walked the ten-steps to the edge of the foundation, ignoring the whispers of The Village Elders behind him as he looked down at his consort's parents.
He couldn't hear exactly what they were saying but he could read their lips. Sina uttered the word breeched. That's when he felt his heartbeat increased for that spilt shocking second, and his mind was temporally in a dazed fog of pure anxiety. He hadn't realized that Tui had in fact left, heading to his own fale to retrieve a requested object or that Sina was climbing up the steps toward the paepae.
Everything was too slow… painfully slow. It was a miracle that Maui could hear the wind blowing close to his ears and the sound of the pola sheet slowly fluttering beside him, where he could get glimpses of what was happening inside. His mind and heart were so focused on Moana's well-being, he barely noticed that the full moon grew brighter and brighter with each passing minute as its moonlit rays shined on her pregnant belly.
All he saw was her pain-stricken face drained of any color, and her facial muscles became twisted and contorted from the cursedly natural agony.
She sucked her lips and let out a muffled groan, but she didn't cry out, despite the fact he could see in her eyes that she desperately wanted to… but she didn't and he didn't understand why?
The fluttering stopped and he was left standing there with nothing to do but to wait and worry, and then wait and worry, wait and worry some more—Sina placed her hand on his shoulder, startling him for a moment. Maui turned and looked down at her.
She appeared surprisingly calm through the whole ordeal, despite the fact that it was her daughter—her baby girl in there going through this difficult and obviously agonizing labor.
Tui rushed over and climbed up the steps holding a tiki mask with a carving of woman's face in his hands. Maui narrowed his eyes and saw the painted moko on the mask's chin.
Sina took the tiki mask and quickly headed back inside.
Maui instinctively took a step forward but Tui immediately held him back by the shoulder and unwittingly held him in place. The demigod took a deep reluctant breath as he stood there while the helplessness slowly started to creep in.
He wanted—he needed to do something… anything. But he couldn't, he just couldn't. Maui looked up for a moment thinking that he heard Moana's muffled wince coming from inside. He turned to Tui, wondering if he heard the same thing? His father-in-law also displayed the very same sense of calm his wife had displayed earlier, which led him to believe that the winces were something his mind had conjured up… but for what?
He had no idea, a distraction maybe? To stop himself from panicking or maybe this was his way of coping to keep his sense of heroism going?
After all, he was a hero and he'd spend millenniums with this image… till he'd robbed Te Fiti of her heart—he immediately pushed these thoughts out of his head.
Then he thought back to the bet he and Moana placed three months ago and honestly, he didn't care what the baby would be? Just when he thought he couldn't admire her more… all he wanted right now was for his best friend, his partner in life and 'crime', and now soon to be mother of their child—his child—to come out of this alive.
That was all he wanted now.
That was it.
Two simple words… that was all it took to rip the breath out of his lungs and leave his mind in a terrified daze. Breeched birth.
He'd heard stories of breeched births in times since before his thousand-year banishment to the forsaken dry barren rocky island, and most of them didn't have a happy ending. Either the child didn't survive, the mother… or both.
Why did thinking have to make things worse for him?
Just when his own fear-driven thoughts couldn't make things even more terrifying, Waiola's voice suddenly echoed from inside, "Give me room, I need to pull this baby out!"
A few seconds after she gave her instructions… came dreaded, deafening silence, and everyone outside waited with bated breath. There was no cry, only the sounds of Aimata and Sina tending to Moana, which left Waiola presumably, to focus on the newborn.
Stillborn…
Maui's heart immediately stopped in deathly silence. The frightening thoughts ran through his mind. Why wasn't the baby crying? Why wasn't their child crying?
Stillborn…
The soul tearing terror slowly started to sink in and overwhelm him—his body acted with his instincts, and that was to run. Run, as far away from the heart-breaking inevitable reality he was sure to face.
Before he realized what he was doing, he felt his fishhook in his grasp when Mini-Maui's frantic twinkling and Tui's fingers pressing against the edge of his wrist brought him back to the realization that he was still in the presence of his father-in-law and the other Village Elders.
"Maui—" Tui began when he was the panic-stricken look on his son-in-law's face, "You have to remain calm."
The demigod immediately wanted to scream at him in anger for daring to tell him how he, Maui, should feel in this situation––a situation that he'd never pictured himself in—a situation he didn't want to go through.
Tui spoke out to reassure him despite his own uncertainty about the situation. "I'm sure everything will be fine—"
Maui snapped and shouted, "It's been five minutes! And we still haven't heard the baby crying so don't tell me that everything's gonna be—"
Tui narrowed his eyes as he stared at his son-in-law down with a stern shadow cast over his gaze, stunning Maui to silence. "I know what you're going—let me speak."
The Demigod didn't like that one bit and once again tried to make himself look intimidating as he faced his father-in-law, "No, you lemme speak—"
Suddenly, the loud gulping, gasping, loud, undeniable stuttering shrills of a newborn baby. Tui and The Village Elders turned toward the maota tofa where the wailing continued.
Maui slowly straightened up and turned toward his home with his lips parted breathlessly.
The sudden realization hits like nothing has ever hit him before and it seemed that the whole world shook and changed right under his feet
He was a father.
He'd just become a dad.
All the foreign emotions started bubbling inside him—he hadn't even met his child yet, but the love was already there stronger, than ever before—and with that love came the crippling fear again… what if this was the second feat he'd fail? What if he didn't have what it—
"It's a girl," Sina announced as she stood in front of the main entrance to the maota tofa, holding a half swaddled crying baby in her arms. Maui saw the baby—his daughter wrenching her arms in the air, with shaky jerking movements as she was slowly putting her little muscles to use.
Once against he felt the breath being pulled right out of his lungs as his eyes couldn't even bear looking away at the tiny human being nestled in his mother-in-law's arms before she was moved and settled in her grandfather's strong and loving arms.
That's when Maui felt his own arms aching for his turn to hold his child—in his arms, and the more he realized it—this was a longing he'd felt for nearly two years.
He saw the proud look on Tui's face, taking in the tender moment of seeing and holding his first grandchild for the first time—then came to the conclusion that he wasn't the only who had this dream—a dream that was lost and then fulfilled. Another chance for him—for all of them to have that vision again.
Sina reached out to take the baby from Tui's arms and give her to Maui to hold.
Maui slowly put his fishhook down and carefully stretched his hands out, ready for his turn to finally hold his newborn baby girl when Waiola suddenly rushed outside with a water gourd and quickly climbed down the stone steps.
His attention immediately went back to Moana and he quickly made his way toward the entrance when he slowly stopped at the sound of his daughter's shaky sobs from behind him. He slowly turned halfway just in time to Sina settling her five-minute-old granddaughter while Tui turned and looked straight at him as he put his arm around his wife's shoulder and said, "We'll look after her for you. Now, go see Moana."
Maui gave them a grateful smile before he pushed the pola sheet to one side and finally entered.
IIIIIIIIIIII
To say that he was completely surprised by the sight was a complete understatement; in fact, none of this felt real.
Aimata had rolled up the fine mat Moana had laid and turned around before she dropped the rolled up fala moenga with the uneven pinkish tint, and proceeded to slap gently Moana's cheek several times just to stop the new young mother from falling asleep.
The semi-motionless, twenty-year-old woman with ashen pale skin, and slightly bagged eyes couldn't possibly be Moana.
No, the Moana he knew was strong, brave and completely stubborn.
Stubborn enough to sail toward Te Fiti's island and restore Te-Kā to her true self despite the obvious danger she'd put herself and Drumstick in all those years ago.
'Course, Drumstick was no longer around… instead, he left behind three offspring. Two roosters that were absolutely serious, vicious and acted more like well… rough dogs than anything else—to put it simply nothing like him in terms of personality. They had his coloring, but that was it. The puffy white-feathered hen, on the other hand, was unmistakably Heihei's; from the brains to the big eyes.
Moana took a deep shaky breath, snapping Maui out of reminiscing about her dearly departed skinny googly-eyed rooster and instead brought his attention back to where it needed to be the most.
The young twenty-year-old mother slowly turned her head to face the other twenty-two-year-old woman treating her, "I know, I know, but you can't fall asleep just yet." Aimata told her before grabbed a wooden bowl filled with the clean unused water, "Here, drink this."
"I just want to sleep, Aimata," Moana told her as Aimata put her hand beneath her head and lifted it up.
"I know," Aimata told her again, "But, I'm sorry Chief, you can't fall asleep yet. It's too risky right now. So, please drink." Moana gave her slow nod and proceeded to open her mouth while Aimata slowly fed the water to her lips, making sure it flowed slowly so Moana wouldn't choke.
Soon, Moana spotted him standing right by the entrance and stopped drinking. She had a questionable look on her face, obviously wondering why was he allowed in? Her hand slowly pressed against her stomach, which in fact was still slightly bloated from the air inside her belly, but it wasn't as round as before.
He saw the panicked look on her face and quickly rushed over as she slowly sat and tried to stand, "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," He reassured her as he got her to lie back down, "She's fine."
Once again she turned to him with a puzzled look and he gave her a loving dimpled smile as he informed her, "You win. We have a baby girl."
"A girl…?" Moana cooed the question softly passed her lips.
His smile widened, as he was genuinely happy to tell her, "Yeah, we got a girl. This time. Next time, I know it's going to be a boy."
Moana let out a weak scoff as she slowly tried to shake her head as her eyes slowly closed. Aimata got down and tapped her cheek lightly. Moana immediately protested, "I just want to sleep—"
"Moana, it's too risky for you to go sleep right now, you've lost quite a lot of—"
He interrupted their moment by clasping his hand on her shoulder and announcing, "I can take it from here." Aimata nodded and handed him the bowl of water before she stood up, and gave them some privacy just as her mother had returned with filled water gourd. Waiola saw Maui there and was ready to tell him to let Moana rest.
Aimata saw the expression on her mother's face and immediately knew what she was about to do, so, she put her hand on her mother's shoulder and said, "Mother, he can handle it. Trust me." Waiola took a deep breath and reluctantly put the water gourd down.
"Maui," Waiola called out to him and pointed to the water gourd once she'd gotten his attention, "Here's the water but it's just for Moana. Do you understand me? If I catch you taking even one drop—"
Aimata fought hard not to laugh and locked her arm around her mother's as she proceeded to pull her out of the maota tofa, "Alright Mother, I think he has it down now."
Waiola slowly started to let her daughter pull her out of the fale, but she wouldn't go without giving him one last warning, "And you Maui, better not let her fall asleep till she gets some color back to—"
"Mother." Aimata spoke before looking her mother in the eye; she then turned to Maui and said, "Take care, Maui." Before she and her mother finally left the fale.
Maui sat there by Moana's side and listened to Waiola's distance mutter as she stated, "I don't know what she sees in him?"
He responded with a scoff and a shake of his head. He then crossed his legs and very carefully lifted Moana off her sleeping mat and settled her on the left side of his lap, letting her head rest near the crook of his shoulder and her back against his stomach before he leaned forward and grabbed the small half-filled wooden bowl. "Drink up, Princess, you need all the water you can get."
Moana then reminded him in a soft, tired, but annoyed voice, "How many times do I have to tell you? I am not a Princess, I'm the High Chief."
He smiled and retorted, "Yep, you're gonna be okay," He brought the edge of the bowl to her lips, "Now drink up Chief Moana. You gotta do it if you wanna see the baby and me living up to my first lost bet."
Moana stopped drinking for a moment and with shaking hands pressed her trembling fingertips against the bottom of the bowl and pushed it away slightly before she declared, "The bet's off, Maui." She smiled and said, "We're parents now, which means we divide the work equally."
He raised an eyebrow, "You sure? You sure you don't wanna see me grovel in my misery there, Princess?"
She narrowed her eyes slightly and threatened, "Call me Princess one more time—"
He rested his forehead against hers for a moment and said, "All right, all right, all joking's aside. You're right, I'll take care of her tonight while you rest up later." He then pressed the edge of the bowl against her lips once more, "Now, c'mon you need all the water you can get."
IIIIIIIIIIII
Finally, after two hours of making sure she didn't fall asleep and that she had plenty of water to drink, he started to see some results. A bit of color started to return to her once ashen skin, though it was still slightly pale.
She had just enough strength to sit up on her own and her fingers no longer trembled. Moana looked up at him and said, "Can I see her?"
"You sure you're up—" He barely finished the question when she gave him a firm nod of her head. That put a smile on his face, "Now that's the Moana I know. 'Kay, I'm gonna go get her." With that, he stood up and walked to the entrance before he pushed the sheet to one side.
Tui and Sina turned to him, with his newborn daughter still nestled her arms. They approached the entrance and he gave the brightest smile he could muster. Sina let out a long sigh of relief as Maui stood to one side and lifted the sheet higher for them. Sina rushed inside first and called out her daughter's name with genuine relief, "Moana…" before she got down and holding her granddaughter in one arm and wrapped the arm around her daughter. Moana hugged her mother in return and that's when Sina finally expressed her fears through her tears for a few minutes before she finally pulled away.
Tui had already begun to approached his wife and daughter before he sat down with his legs crossed to his wife's left and their daughter's right. Moana leaned forward so she and her father exchanged a quick but warm and loving hongi.
"We were so worried." Tui told her as they pulled away, "But now you're safe now, and that's all matters." All of three of them turned to face the two-hour-old baby in Sina's arms, as it started snorting and whimpering.
Moana immediately asked, "Can I hold her?"
Tui then questioned out of pure fatherly concern, "Are you sure you have enough strength?"
"Yes Dad, I do, don't worry," Moana replied confidently with a little bit of motherly desperation in her voice. Sina carefully held the baby out and gently brought the baby closer to her daughter's arms. Moana slowly reached out and finally, was able to hold her daughter. Her mother helped her position the arms to properly hold the baby and gave her neck a bit of support—as well as to make sure her daughter wasn't putting up a brave front and actually had the strength to hold the baby in her arms. Soon it became clear that Sina had nothing to worry about and slowly she pulled her arm from under her daughter's and backed away slightly to sit beside her husband.
Moana couldn't get enough of her newborn daughter and took everything she had to memorize her appearance. Her baby had a thick tuft of short curly hair, a softer version of Maui's nose and his lips. But it was hard to tell who's head shape she got? Not that it mattered to her anyway. After a very long labor… She was here. Their daughter was finally here, and she was worth all the pain—the pain that she could barely recall? In fact, none of that mattered now.
Her eyes slowly started to fill with the tears of joy and love she had for this tiny precious human being in her arms, and for finally being able to go through this moment she'd longed––this moment she'd dreamed about since the previous year.
"Welcome to the world…" She paused for a moment and just realized that their daughter didn't have a name, and with accordance to their customs it was usually the grandparents from the father's side of the family who'd name the first child. That was how she got the name Moana, from her late Gramma Tala.
But, Maui didn't have parents to name their daughter, and by default, that right would fall on her side of the family.
Moana turned to her parents and could tell by the expressions on their faces that they knew exactly what she was thinking. So, Tui and Sina slowly turned their head to their son-in-law.
Maui watched from the side with a loving smile on his face, as if he were a distant relative who'd been called upon to attend the birth, and then froze when he saw his parents-in-laws looking up at him with knowing smiles on their faces. He turned to Moana and saw that she had a puzzled look on her face before she turned to her parents, then that look of confusion was short-lived and soon an encouraging smile came to her lips.
"Maui," She called out to him as he stood there with a bewildered look on his face. "Here on Motunui, it's a custom that when a first child is born into a family, it's the father's side who picks the name," Moana paused for a moment and he could see she was having a hard time choosing the right words for such a sensitive topic, finally she continued, "I know—"
Tui then took over and turned to his son-in-law, "We know that nearly all of your family has been gone for a long time now and with much consideration. We all agree that it'll be appropriate for you to represent your side of the family and pick a name for her."
Maui couldn't believe it and for a moment he thought his ears were playing tricks on him. "Me?" He asked pointing to himself, hoping that he'd be taken out of the spot. This wasn't right. This wasn't right. "You want me to name her? No, no, no. I can't—that's the grandparents' job—"
Tui then said to him with a final tone in his voice as Sina turned to face their son-in-law with a supportive smile on her face whilst she put her hand on her husband's shoulder, "Yes, and as her grandparents, we're giving that right to you."
"After, you hold her." Moana added before turned to face her consort once more, "Come over here Maui."
His heart started to race as he began to step forth, the anticipation made everything seemed slow in his eyes and the sounds of his heartbeat pounding echoed in his eyes.
THUMP… THUMP… THUMP.
Before he knew it, he was suddenly standing in front of her with his toes touching the edge of her fala moenga.
The warm glow of the twenty bowls with lit candlenuts seemed to grow brighter as he watched Moana nudged her head and patted the spot on the left side of her sleeping mat. He carefully walked around her sleeping mat and sat down, crossing his legs, to her left.
"Hold your right hand out," Moana told him, and he did what she asked. Slowly, she laid the baby in his hand. Maui panicked and then tucked his right index finger on the spot between the top of their daughter's neck and the bottom of her head. "Easy, easy," Moana whispered as she showed him a better way of holding her. She positioned their daughter so her head was supported by his thumb and index finger while the rest of her body was nestled comfortably on the palm of his hand, and for extra reassurance, she kept her left hand beneath his right till he was confident enough to know that he was holding their daughter just right.
Maui looked down at this tiny little girl, half swaddled in a bundle of soft fine u'a cloth. She started to shakily flap her right arm against the palm of his hand and her tiny finger brushed against his. Something in her touch woke new instincts—instincts he'd never felt before. Her face scrunched up as she started letting out soft snorting whimpers and then sobs.
"Hey, hey, hey… it's alright kiddo, Daddy's got you." He cooed as he sat there still holding her tiny form in his hand, while at the same time couldn't help be amazed by just how right she felt, and how she fit in his hand—how it looked—felt like his two hands were made just to cradle her and protect her from all the harm.
How he was made just to protect her, care for her, teach her everything he knew about life and most important of all… love her with all the love a father could give—the very same love his parents never gave him, and he would make sure his daughter would never know that kind of pain.
Not while he was alive.
His baby girl's sobs then slowly turned to near full-blown shrills and Moana held her arms out for the baby.
"Relax, I'm the world's Greatest Demigod, remember? I can handle this." Maui assured her before he carefully held her in his left arm. Making sure that the crook of his arm supported her head.
He then started humming an all too familiar tune and then sang out, "What can I say except? You're welcome, For this amazing lullaby—"
Moana chuckled while shaking her head, "Maui, you're meant to name her, remember?"
Maui scoffed, "Typical, you Chiefs gotta take the fun out of everything," Moana raised an eyebrow and her father appeared equally unamused by his remarks, Maui then continued, "Okay, okay, naming time."
He held his daughter close in his left arm as he started drumming his fingers on his right hand against his lower left arm as his eyes began searching—trying to the perfect name for her.
He looked down at the little girl in his arms and much to his disappointment he could tell she'd inherited most of his features. The very features that most likely gotten him thrown away in the first place.
Waiola unexpectedly came in with the intention to check on Moana, and practically pushed the pola completely to one side, the glint of the moonlight glared against the corner of his left eye.
He instinctively turned and lifted his right hand up to shield his eyes and that's when he caught a glimpse of the beautiful glowing white moon.
His eyes then perked and just when he thought he'd found the best name for her. The fair moon… Hinatea. Suddenly the name fitted into place.
"Hinatea." He suddenly announced earning a few confused glances his way, but he didn't care. He smiled as he looked down at her and declared, "Your name is Hinatea," Then added with a loving chuckle, "But I'll call you Hina for short."
He slowly moved a now sleeping Hinatea from the crook of his left arm back into his two hands and carefully held her up to gently press their foreheads together as he whispered,
"Welcome to the world, Hina." He slowly lowered his hands down and settled her into his right arm, "You have no idea how long we've been waiting just to meet you."
That was her name—a beautiful name for a future beautiful young woman. A beautiful name for his beautiful daughter, who from this night and day forward he'll continue to pray for mercy—mercy that she'd never get a trace of his looks.
Not a single trace.
"That's a beautiful name, Maui," Sina added with an approving smile as she glanced at her son-in-law. Tui gave him a nod of satisfaction. Moana reached over and placed her hand on her faletua's shoulder before she leaned her over and rested her hand against the side of his right arm and gave their newborn daughter a loving glance.
"She's going to look so much like you," Moana whispered and that's when he felt a sharp pang to his heart as he looked down again and trying hard not let show his disappointment he searched for any sign of Moana in her… at first, it seemed there was nothing—till he saw Hina's long lashes and he could breathe a mental sigh of relief.
He then added while pointing to their daughter's long lashes, "And a bit of you too." Moana rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, "Hey, coming from me, that's a compliment." She rolled her eyes again and he retorted, "I mean it. I know she'll have parts of you in there too." He smiled and said, "The best parts of you." He gazed down at their daughter before he declared, "Watch. She's gonna grow up to be something amazing someday! I just know it."
She leaned on his shoulder and replied, "I can feel it too."
List of terminology:
Moemoeā: The Maori word for dream, vision, or to have a vision.