"Moana?"

Moana opened her eyes to bright sunlight; and her mom hovering over her.

"Mom?"

"Minnow, did you fall asleep on your canoe again?" Moana got up slowly and stretched the stiffness in her back and neck. Yeah, she must've fallen asleep while playing on her conch shell. Between the gentle tune she played, the wind in the trees, and the waves lapping on the sand, it's no wonder she fell asleep.

"Sorry, Mom," she mumbled. She quietly picked up her conch and was about to place it back into her storage compartment when her mother asked;

"Is that a gift from Maui?"

Moana froze.

She didn't tell her parents about it. With a quiet sigh, she showed her mother the conch. At first, her mother didn't understand what made it so special. True, it was a beautiful conch. It was striped a bright red and white, making her mother see that it matched Moana perfectly. But it wasn't until she heard Moana play music from it that she saw why it mattered to her daughter so much. It reminded her of a time when she was Moana's age and a certain soon-to-be chief made her a fishnet necklace. It was back before he lost his best friend; back when he loved the sea. She then comforted her daughter and they began making arrangements.

Tomorrow, Moana was going to explore the neighboring islands as she made her way towards Motunui to check on the rest of their tribe. It was a three-day journey. In a few months, they were going to move on to another island. Some would stay while the rest traveled onwards. This was just a stepping stone. The next journey was going to take longer. And trade routes were going to expand. Already they had come across a few neighboring tribes peacefully offering trade. And while this did provide with more success to their growing community, it also had some cons to it.

"MOANA!"

As Moana and her mother made it to the heart of the village, a young man had jogged towards them, or rather the young Chief in question.

"Ah, good morning, Kanan," Moana said politely with a weak smile. Kana was the youngest son of a neighboring tribe's chief. But despite that, he was the tallest of his family. He was slim and lithe like the diver and hunter he was. He had a nearly clean head with a small topknot. His eyes were coconut brown. And while he was quiet and polite in front of the council and the chiefs, she sensed that it was all a front in order to gain favor for the responsibility of Chief. She wasn't sure, but whenever they talked, she had the sensation of her hair standing on end as he bore his eyes through her like she was nothing more than a piece of meat.

"I come bearing a small token of my admiration to your dedication to your tribe. As well as something you could use for your journey," he spoke gently while presenting a basket of mixed goods. She saw some smoked fish, coconuts, a needle and thread, and a small, red, decorated piece of cloth. While she took the red cloth to inspect it more thoroughly, her mother nodded in approval.

"That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you so much, Kanan," Sina elbowed her daughter discretely. Moana looked up in time to reply,

"Indeed, thank you….but…" The boy's ears perked up.

"Is there something wrong?" Moana stumbled over her words.

"No no no, I..um...I was...a little...confused. This er...red cloth. Well, while it's very beautiful, it's too small for me to..." Kanan laughed.

"Of course, my mistake. Allow me to explain. In my tribe, we call these bandanas. And while they have many uses like covering wounds or used to help scavenging food; we have a primary use. The women of our tribe wear them to cover their hair. It keeps their eyes clear when they work, and to a married woman, allows herself the freedom to show only her partner her hair. It's a special type of trust our community has built."

"And what if they don't wish to wear it?" Moana asked, her stomach churning ever so slightly.

"Well, we have no direct rule that says you are required to wear it. It is simply more common to do so. Usually the ladies have their hair showing when they are children, and as they mature they partially cover their hair and then fully cover it. The few who haven't usually seem to only give themselves an ill reputation." Moana's stomach churned further. What kind of tribe forces the ladies to hide their beautiful hair? Hair is a sign of pride in her tribe. Even Maui took pride in his hair.

"Well, uhm…..thank you….for the bandana…" She said tightly with a fake smile that she hoped didn't show any sign of the cringing she felt like doing. Kanan smiled. But like his eyes, it looked and felt hollow.

"My pleasure, Moana. Perhaps…"

'Oh no, oh no no no no!' Moana mentally stiffened.

"Perhaps after your return from your home island, I can show you my island. My father asked me to help anyway possible for the rest of the week until after your birthday celebration. And he has shown an interest in meeting with you."

Moana remained calm, even though she was panicking on the inside.

"Let me first see if there is anything needed at Motunui that needs immediate attention. And after my return here, if I have the free time, I will consider your most gracious offer." Moana graciously moved away, although mentally she couldn't move fast enough.

….

Maui sighed with relief once he saw Te Fiti. After defeating the Kakamora, he hastened his trip to Te Fiti. He even asked the Ocean for a little hand; which in turn, saved him several hours. He ended up drinking his last skins not long afterwards. His limbs felt heavy. His head began to hurt a little. He was going to need to take more than a few hours to resupply.

Te Fiti awoke when she felt the weary feet of a traveler landing on her island. There was only one traveler that visited her so frequently these last few years. Maui. As a result of his last mistake he always acknowledged her with the greatest respect whenever he stopped to resupply on his journey. But something wasn't right. Without stirring, Te Fiti sent her presence through the trees and grass. She reached to her beach where the demigod had landed. She watched his movements. But something was off. His movements were sluggish. He leaned on his hook as he tried to simply reach a nearby stream. He fumbled his way to a nearby coconut tree and his exuberant strength seemed to vanish as he tried to climb up it's trunk for it's fruit. No. Something was definitely wrong. Taking a smaller form, Te Fiti came up to the demigod.

Maui

The demigod looked at her owlishly before replying with a small smile.

"Te Fiti, how have you been? I'm sorry I didn't announce my presence. I'm just trying to get some supplies."

Maui

"I promise, I should be outta here by morning. I'm just having an-"

MAUI! This silenced the demigod.

Maui, something is wrong. Your presence is weak. I need to know what happened. Maui slid down rather roughly back onto the ground. He then mumbled his reply.

"Thank you, but I assure you, I'm fiiiine."

And with that, he poorly attempted once again to climb up the coconut tree. His footing was sloppy; but he made good headway towards the top. It was when he reached the top and fell down hard as he reached for a coconut that once again raised a few flags in Te Fiti's head. With a firm hand she helped Maui up and guided him to the cave he often rested in. Maui didn't register what was happening until she had brought them to its entrance. He then began to protest; his words slurring together.

"Te Fitiiii, pleeease. I'm fiiiine." She gave him her annoyed look. He grimaced and shook his head.

"Pleeaasse, I need to go sssee Moana."

You need rest Maui. You are ill. Something is wrong and we need to fix it before you get worse.

With slow steps they reached his bed of leaves and moss. She helped him settle down and soon gave him several shells full of water from a pool near his bed. It came from the rain outside and collected into a perfect basin that stayed cool during summer. After drinking his fill Maui's eye began to droop.

What else have you been feeling?

Maui mumbled as he tried to stay awake.

"Always tired, 'nd thirsty….my head hurts…"

Good Maui, what else?

"...hot...cold...I dunno…" Te Fiti nodded and began making a small fire nearby where there was a vent in the cave. She hoped the warmth will help. She was so busy she almost didn't hear him mumble again. She turned her head back to the young Demi-god.

What is it Maui?

"Been fee'ing….num...a little.."

Numbness? Where? Maui? But it was too late, he had fallen asleep.

Te Fiti's eyes watched him carefully before glancing at her old friend that was not too far away. She then quietly and quickly made her way to the sea and laid a gentle hand to the water.

Ocean, can you show me what happened?

The sentient form of the ocean rose from its waves until a ball soon all but floated in front of the green goddess. It played images of Maui's latest encounter with the Kakmora, working his way back to his adventure to Lalotoi. Her furrowed brow rose in fear. It soon became clear what had happened. She looked out to the setting sun.

We need help.

…..

Moana laid down onto her bed exhausted. The night's festivities felt like they were never-ending. As much as she wanted to turn in early at sunset, her father insisted of a celebration with the fellow chiefs and honored visitors to maintain good trade. A few young chiefs and their sons kept asking her for a dance. Even Kanan asked for one. And while all of her dance partners were well taught and some of them were fun, none made her enjoy dancing more than a certain demi-god friend of hers. She always laughed at his hakas.

'I wonder if he's thinking of me…' She felt her eyes finally droop close as she started to dream about him and her dancing together and then journeying off to places unknown. Off to adventure.

"Moana."

She felt his eyes on her. She turned around and smiled at him. Only, he wasn't there.

"Maui?" She tried to get her bearings and looked for him. In the distance she could see Lalotai. She looked high in the sky but saw no sign of a giant hawk.

"Moana!" She turned again and saw him again. He was fighting the Kakamora. But something was wrong. He was struggling.

"Maui! Hang on! I'm coming!" She quickly took hold of the sheet and set herself to catch him. But suddenly, she felt her canoe capsize and came face to face with Tamatoa. When she broke away and made for the surface she could see Maui was surrounded.

"Maui!" she choked as she felt herself being pulled under again. It was for several moments that Moana struggled against whatever was holding her. She soon saw a gentle light in the shape of a manta ray.

'Gramma.' She felt her bindings disappear and she grabbed onto her grandmother's spirit animal. Moments later she felt sand beneath her feet and broke the surface. She breathed deeply as she climbed up the bank. As she slowly looked up she realized where she was.

"Te Fiti? Maui, we made it to-" She looked all over but still Maui was missing.

"Maui? Maui! MAUI!"

Moana She turned and saw the great goddess herself. She was nearly Moana's height. But the look on her face was not the calm one she remembered.

"Te Fiti." Moana bowed. She felt her head being raised by a gentle, green hand that left a tingle of life through her touch. The goddess motioned her to stand, only to embrace her and greet her with the sacred hongi. The same greeting they did twice when they last met.

You returned my heart, Moana, you do not bow to me. The goddess smiled. Moana noticed that although her mouth never moved, Te Fiti could still speak her mind.

"I'm sorry. I-uhm-am I dreaming?" Moana asked once they parted.

Yes; and no. Moana nodded as if she knew what the goddess meant even though truthfully it was the opposite. But even with Te Fiti here that still left-

"Have you seen Maui?" The goddess' face sobered as she turned and looked off into the distance. Moana followed her line of sight and saw a nearby cave by the beach. She ran towards it.

Moana She stopped and turned towards the goddess. She looked sad in the setting sunlight.

Moana, you may not like what you are about to see. Moana stiffened. Only to inhale deeply.

"If Maui is there, I will find him." She turned back and ran back towards the cave with a bit more sprint in her step; leaving the goddess to her thoughts.

That is what I fear most, dear child.

The cave was neither too deep nor too shallow. It was perfect for if there was ever a bad storm. The walls were smooth. And a few stalagmites were visible. Near the back of the cave there was a long slit open to the outside, similar to one in the cave Maui trapped her in when they first met. But what was different was the cave's roof sloped upwards towards it, providing not only a vent for circulation but to channel smoke from the small fire on the floor below. It warmed the cave well. On a cool night it would the perfect place to rest. She also saw a small pool of water in a rock basin. The cave itself molded perfectly to cradle the cool liquid. But nearby, against the wall on a bed of moss and leaves, was the one person Moana longed to see the most. When she saw him she couldn't help but let some tears slip down her cheeks in relief. She rushed to his side, talking quickly as she had so much to say.

"Maui! I missed you so much! You big oaf! Why….haven't you…" She trailed off.

Something wasn't right. Maui looked like he was sleeping but as she saw his face he looked like he was in considerable pain. Her half-hug wasn't receiving any reciprocation. Her hands couldn't hold on to him as his body shivered against her, yet he burned to the touch! There was a sheen of sweat on his brow. His breathing was labored; like every breath was a struggle.

"Maui?" He groaned as his eyes fluttered. She cradled his head in her hand, while the other stroked his hand.

"Maui, it's me, Moana." Maui groaned again as he opened his eyes into hazy slits. They took a moment to recognize her before a weak smile appeared on his face.

"Hey...Curly..." he rasped. Moana couldn't help but giggle at his old nickname for her. It was then that his brows furrowed.

"Is this….a dream?" The words were stilted as he struggled to finish his sentence. Moana shook her head.

"Does it really matter?" she asked; trying to help conserve his energy.

"It matters…" he wheezed firmly. She stopped and really looked at him. For a man that was so physically strong, he was so vulnerable. It was so endearing to her.

"It matters….to me…" he reaffirmed. With a small smile, Moana bent her head against his into a hongi.

"Then let it be whatever you wish it to be. Now rest." He grunted quietly.

"I wish...it were...a dream," he mumbled; "I want...you to be...surprised…" he trailed off as sleep consumed him.

As tears pricked her eyes again, Moana watched the demigod. His breathing, although still labored, was relatively even. She eased him down with little difficulty and made to stand up. But she then saw something white peek out of his hand. Upon slowly opening his hand she couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. A comb. A beautiful jade comb; and it was for her. She knew it was for her. Her birthday was only a few more days away. Why else would Maui have one? She carefully took it into her hands and admired it. What did he do? As she turned to exit the cave she saw Te Fiti waiting by the entrance. She stood up straighter as she made her way over; wiping her eyes quickly with her one arm. She cradled the gift in her other hand.

"What's wrong with Maui?" Te Fiti bowed her head.

Maui has been severely poisoned.

"Poison? But I thought demigods can't-"

He may be immortal, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for him to die. When he is hurt with his hook in hand, he manages well. But without his hook, he can still succumb to mortal dangers. He was poisoned by several jellyfish when he had his hook, but later a highly poisonous urchin pierced him deeply and reapplied the jellyfish poison when he didn't have his hook.

Moana turned back to Maui. She saw his hook leaned against the wall. Who else was going to be a hero when man needed one? When SHE needed one? She turned back to the goddess with a determined look on her face. She wasn't going to let her best friend die.

"Ok, so what do I do?"