The next day was filled with adults setting up for the night and kids eagerly racing to finish their chores. Moana wished she could have talked to Kauai for the day, but her mother was busy prepping her for the night festivities. It wasn't every day that a celebration is held in your honor, after all. The last Moana centered ceremony was a few months earlier when she laid her rock on the mountain and became chieftess. That was a fun day indeed, Moana though with a smile.
When the sun finally fell and the stars began to dot the night sky, the torches were lit and the drums began to play. The village gathered at the Grand Hall, swapping dishes and mingling. Children weaved through the legs of the adults, giggling as they narrowly miss a tag from their friends.
Moana smiled as she watched the scene before her. Sina took her hand and kissed her temple. "You're the reason this still exists."
"Well, me and Maui. Think he'll show tonight?" Moana really wished he would. She missed joking around with him and racing to the reef and back, then Maui complaining about Moana's obvious advantage.
"You think he's going to miss out on an entire festival held partly in his honor?" Sina raised an eyebrow and shook her head. Moana laughed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Her eyes drifted to the break in the trees where she could see the ocean so clearly. The moon shone down on the crystal water and Moana's body moved toward it, almost like it was calling her.
"I'll be back," she promised. Sina smiled as Moana leapt off the porch and jogged through the trees.
"You can take the girl out of the ocean," Tui sighed, wrapping an arm around his wife, "but you can't take the ocean out of the girl."
"C'mon," Sina encouraged, taking Tui's hand, "let's dance." Tui chuckled and with a smirk, followed her.
••••
Moana stood at the edge of the water line, just far enough in for the water to reach her toes. The music could faintly be heard through the trees, but the crashing waves mostly drowned it out. She took a deep, long breath, savoring the salty scent in her nose.
"Hey stranger," somebody said, making Moana jolt in surprise. She stumbled forward and nearly tumbled into the water, but managed to balance herself. She spun around and was shocked at who stood before her.
"Kauai, hey," she greeted with a smile. "What are you doing all the way out here? You should be resting."
"Aren't you the one who invited me to come tonight?"
"I invited you to the party, yes, not the other side of the island. I mean, you're welcome to come to the water, of course, but I didn't think you'd want to move very much because of your…" She gestured to the wound across his shoulder, but frowned. She stepped around his body and examined the flesh across the nub of his shoulder. "Wow," she commented, "you must be a fast healer because this already looks 100 times better than it did yesterday."
Kauai took a cautious step back and nodded. "Yes, well, I'm a fast healer. You look gorgeous, by the way. Flowers are just you thing, isn't it?"
She giggled and touched the orange flower crown resting in her hair. "Yes, I suppose it is."
"So, um, what are you doing out here?"
Moana pursed her lips and turned back to the ocean. "Waiting on Maui, I guess."
Kauai grimaced. "You think he'll show up?"
"My mom thinks he does and I'm hoping it's true." She looked back at him and smiled sadly. "I haven't seen him in a few months."
"You guys are pretty close, huh?"
Moana laughed. "Well, when you spent multiple days together, fighting tons of monsters and saving each other's life, you learn a lot about a person." There was a call in the distance that had Moana whipping her head around, nearly knocking the crown to the sand. A large bird dove through the air and rocketed back up again, adding barrel rolls and zigzags. Moana shook her head, amused. Leave it to Maui to make an entrance.
She tried to hide her excitement when he shifted back into himself on the beach. Moana crossed her arms over her chest and carelessly inspected her cuticles, a blank expression on her face. Maui rolled his eyes.
"Look who finally decided to show up," she said, meeting his eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.
"I had to be fashionably late!" he defended with a smirk. "Are you out here alone because you were waiting for me, Chosen One?"
Moana frowned. "You wish, but no. I was talking to my friend-" She turned to gesture to Kauai, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Well, uh, there was somebody here earlier, I swear."
"Sure, sure, but let's face it, you missed me."
The young chieftess pressed her lips together. "I have a party to get to." Maui chuckled as she stalked past him, not daring to glance at him because she knew she'd break out into smile. As she ducked under a tree branch, she could hear him following close behind.
Back in the village, Maui and Moana were greeted with green and red leis around their necks by Hiapo and Haylle. Moana and Hiapo exchanged smiles just before Haylle grabbed Moana's hand.
"I can't believe Chieftess Moana was late to her own party," Haylle sighed dramatically. "We started practice ten minutes ago!"
"Practice for what?" Moana asked, her eyes wide.
"The big dance number! You wanted it be in it, remember?"
"Oh, right!" Maui had already wandered off, probably to get some food. Moana glanced around the village and asked, "Have you guys seen Kauai? He was at the beach earlier, but then he just vanished."
"You think he's missing?" Haylle asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hiapo shook his head. "Nonsense, he's probably just back resting. Don't worry about it, Moana. This is your night."
Moana nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he's fine. Let's go, Haylle."
•••••
As the party was winding to a close, Moana, Haylle, and the rest of the dancers gathered the attention of the village. Moana and Haylle stood in the front, leading the group in a series of moves her grandmother taught her. To the side, a band of men beat a rhythm into the drums and the villagers sit around, watching eagerly.
Toward the end, the dancers fanned out, leaving Moana in the middle. She shot a playful glare at Haylle, who laughed and spun in a circle. Moana followed suit, raising an arm in the air and dragging her other hand across her shoulders. Hiapo shouted encouragingly for his friend's solo, starting a cheer amongst the people. Moana beamed, a laugh escaping her lips.
As she spun around, a pair of golden eyes hidden away in the bushes behind her people made her slow. They disappeared for a moment as the bush ruffled and the creature slipped away. Moana's smile fell and her eyebrows scrunched together, trying to make out what the creature was. There was a shimmer of blue dust accompanied by a dim white light that engulfed the creature and made it vanish. What replaced it made Moana's heart stop and she stumbled to a halt.
She shook it from her head quickly and rushed back into the steps. She eyed the villagers carefully, looking for anybody who noticed her hiccup. There was a certain demigod in the back who looked a bit suspicious, but nobody noticed otherwise.
When the children were put to bed and the cleanup crew was hard at work, Moana slipped away to the rock she and her grandmother used to dance on together. She dropped to the warm rock and pulled her knees to her chest. The ocean gently brushed against the rock, droplets of water splashing against her skin. Moana took a deep breath and looked around. What if she wasn't alone? What if that thing was watching her? What if-
"What's wrong with-"
"AH!" Moana screamed, tumbling back into the water. She lingered under the surface for a moment, contemplating meeting whoever scared her. At least in the water, she's safe.
The lack of oxygen in her lungs forced her to resurface a few moments later. Maui stood on the beach, watching her with an expression that displayed how much he questioned her sanity. Slowly, Moana dragged herself out of the water and walked up the sand, squeezing the water out of her hair.
"You scared me," she declared after looking at his face.
"I did or someone else did?" he asked knowingly. "You froze back there."
"I just remembered I forgot to make sure Hei Hei's inside."
"You looked scared."
"Hei Hei could very easily die if not watched out for."
Maui raised an eyebrow, seeing straight through her lie. Moana rocked on her heels and avoided eye contact, her mind scrambling for something to change the subject. Her eyes lit up then and she met his gaze again.
"Tell me what you know about the Kupua."
Maui's facial features shifted from surprise and quickly back to disbelief. "What makes you think I know what that is?"
"A friend of mine told me you were part of that group. You know, demigods, shapeshifters, trickers…"
His eyes narrowed. "Who told you that?"
Moana took a deep breath and explained everything regarding Kauai, minus his name; She didn't feel his name was the important part of the story. Maui half listened, half watched the darkening island behind them. Something was lurking in the shadows, he could feel it.
"… and he was the one I was talking to before you arrived, then he just vanished," she finished.
"You don't think that's a little odd?"
"What?"
"That he just vanished when I showed up?"
"Not everyone is a fan of yours, Maui."
"Hard to believe, but I know. I don't think you should be trusting this guy."
"Maybe he was just a little shaken from seeing a demigod, but I know he's a good person."
"Really?" Maui crossed his arms. "You know that for certain?"
"I do!" Moana declared. "What harm could he possibly do? I mean, he's not even armed!"
Maui pursed his lips. "He's halfway there."
"Stop judging people when you don't even know them."
"Stop defending people when you've only known them for a day. C'mon, you're not the least bit suspicious of that guy? About what happened to his island or how he managed to heal overnight after his arm was mysteriously torn off?"
Moana glared. "He doesn't remember anything."
"What a coincidence."
"Why are you being such a jerk about this?"
"Why are you being so naive about this? You don't even know this guy."
"I know him better than you. If you only came here to eat our food and judge my decisions, then," her face brightened in mock amusement, "what can I say except you're welcome," she narrowed her eyes, "to leave."
Maui glanced back at the dark trees and scowled. "Fine, whatever, but when he turns around and stabs you in the back, don't come crying to me."
Moana squared her shoulders. "Trust me, I won't."
Maui glared and held his hook out. In a cloud of mist, he transformed into his hawk and took off without a second glance. Moana watched until he disappeared into the dark clouds. Suddenly, that feeling was back again. The feeling that she wasn't alone, even with Maui gone. Hesitantly, she turned to the dark jungle of trees. Just barely, she could make out the torches outside the huts through the village. She sighed and began to walk home, chills running down her spine as a pair of eyes followed her.