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Naturally, when Moana and the others went to tell her people of their plan, almost every single one of them objected at once. Loto, Lelei's son, was the loudest in the objections.
"No Palu! If we returned without you, your parents will kill us! Especially when they here why."
"Then don't return. Move to the other side of this island and wait for us, asking Talota first." Moana replied sternly, quietening her crowd.
"How long will we wait?" he stated angrily.
Moana turned to Ahonui, looking at him expectantly. He bit his lip and had a thoughtful expression for a while, then nodded to himself.
"Five weeks. Two weeks there, two back and a week in the middle for exploration. Or recovery, depending on what happens."
Moana turned and nodded decisively at Loto, who sighed, still clearly unsatisfied.
"And if you don't come back?"
"We will." Hina stated plainly.
"But what if you don't?"
"We will."
Moana saw Maui go to grab Hina lightly by the arm, but at the last moment left it.
Moana took over again. "If we don't, which is unlikely," she looked at Hina, then back to Loto, "then return home and tell my parents what happened."
"Palu," Loto said pleadingly, "You're the last in your family's line, with no heir. If something happens to you, what will happen to the village!?"
"My parents will do everything in their power to fix that. But Loto, I believe that we'll come back. Can you as well? For us, and my people?"
Loto closed his eyes, passing a hand over his face, then nodded. "I don't really have a choice. We'll see what Talota can do for us, and we'll be waiting here for you."
Moana nodded her thanks.
From there, Moana and her small group of large sized friends collected as much supplies as they could, far more than necessary, but as life had taught them, anything could happen.
It took a few hours, including double and triple checking everything on the Canoe. It was late afternoon by the time they were ready.
"Please stay the night." Talota begged. "At least get a decent rest before taking off again. You won't know when you can have your next sleep on dry land."
Moana, however determined to leave, did pause at that. Talota was also throwing a small ceremony to welcome their new friends, and that may be the last celebration Moana may ever see.
"I think maybe we should just leave." She said uncertainly.
Hina walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, and Moana looked up at her.
"I think we should stay the night." The demi-goddess said with a smile. "We'll be coming back, but not for a while at least. We should have a little fun, before we go finding a different kind of fun."
Moana was still unsure. "Maui?" she asked, who was leaning against the canoe. He shrugged with a smile, one huge hand on his waist.
"I'm a legendary dancer. Might as well show off my skill."
"Try with subtlety." Ahonui muttered, sitting on the edge of the canoe nearby. Maui pushed him off and he splashed into the sand and shallow water, making the others laugh.
Talota sighed with relief. "I'm glad to hear of it. The children will be excited to hear some of your stories."
Maui and Moana looked at each other with mischievous grins.
Ahonui sulked in the water. "They're not that great when Maui tells them."
Maui went to grab him to throw him into deeper water, but Ahonui jumped up and scrambled from reach.
But of course the stories were fantastic and full of action and amazement, making the children frightened, and inspired, and sent them rolling with laughter. Hina, who had also joined Moana's performances, played the villain this time, being even scarier as she grew in size, which amazed even the adult villagers, and Moana's people smiled knowingly.
Hina's extra size also made the fights scenes more realistic, and Ahonui was grateful to play a good guy for once.
But eventually it was getting late, and the four needed their rest more than anyone else. Ahonui and Moana went their separate ways to the different huts provided, as Maui and Hina made their way down to the beach.
Maui and Hina talked and laughed about the performance as they made their way down to the shore.
"Next time you should trip me up with the hook." Hina said with a laugh.
Maui slapped a hand to his forehead. "How did I not think of that!? Seeing you fall over would have been so worth it."
"For the children's entertainment." Hina said as a reminder.
"Of course, of course." Maui said, trying not to laugh.
They both reached the edge of the water, and fell silent. Normally Hina would walk west and take a place there, Maui to the east. For some reason though, neither of them moved.
"What do you think it really is? The thing around the island?" Hina asked quietly, looking at where the moon's reflection created a silver path on the water. The light shone off of Hina's tattoos and created a beautiful slightly glowing set of patterns. Maui was so tempted to reach out and brush a finger across one of the larger lines on her shoulder.
He shrugged. "I don't know, but we can take it. I mean, you, me, Moana, even that Tiny. We make a pretty good team." Hina nodded, then Maui added, "But it's better because I'm in it, obviously."
Hina went to hit him playfully, but pulled her hand back the last minute.
Maui didn't know what happened, but suddenly he reached forward and grabbed her wrist at the last minute. Immediately his heart jumped, and started beating faster. The urge to swallow in nervousness was so strong that it took much mental strength to resist. Where his skin was touching hers, it buzzed and tingled. He tried not to breathe too quickly like his body wanted to, and his brain fought his heart to not grab her other wrist.
She raised an eyebrow at him with a mocking pout. "You better not snap my wrist."
"I'm just wondering how easy it would be." Maui said as an excuse.
"It's good to know you're not a psychopath or anything." Hina said with a roll of her sarcastic written eyes. Maui shrugged smugly in response, then let her wrist go. The buzz faded. And he wanted it back.
"Night Shiny-headache. Don't have nightmares." He said mockingly, trying to cover his feelings up.
"Night Rock Head. Don't have any dreams." She replied, looking at him as if she knew something, and Maui tilted his head in confused, feeling his heart trip over in panic, hoping like all hell that she hadn't meant what he was thinking. She laughed at his expression, then twitted her fingers at him in a wave, and walked away, leaving Maui completely confused and panicked at what she might have meant.
Moana wouldn't have told her, would she?
Maui wouldn't think so, but then how? Maybe she had just said it to freak him out. She would do that, if he knew anything about her, it was that. Messing with people's heads, confusing them. She used to toy with other gods for days, months, years at a time until finally admitting she was screwing with their minds.
But, that look. Like she'd known.
Moana hadn't told Hina anything on purpose. Of course not. Hina suspected Maui had made her swear not to tell anyone, and she respected that. She'd done the same thing.
Because Maui wasn't the only one who'd had dreams, and the way Moana had accidentally let it slip, Maui's and Hina's had been linked that night. The first thing Hina had thought after waking up then was something along the lines of 'wtf…'
She knew Maui had probably thought the same.
When Hina had told Moana about it, the girl had looked a little nervous, although Hina wasn't uncomfortable about it at all. Shit happened in life, shit happened in dreams. Hina had actually been laughing when she'd told Moana.
But the Moana had then said, trying to be subtle, that,
"Wouldn't it be weird if your dreams are linked, and he like, weirdly dreamt the same thing? Wouldn't that be weird? That would be weird."
As soon as Hina had heard and seen that, knowing Moana was a terrible liar, Maui must have had the same thing and told Moana as well. After all, he did trust her more than anyone else.
So tonight, Hina had wanted to mess with Maui a bit, and she'd seen every single moment of his sudden panic. She was almost skipping, that's how proud she was of herself for confusing him so much.
But her cruel happiness was short lived when she felt her pulse go through her wrist, and she could almost still feel the pressure there from his grip. She looked at it, expecting there to be a mark or something. But among the stars and moon's light, there was nothing there. Just the imprinted feeling. She was ashamed that her heart had jumped when he'd grabbed it, not in fright or fear, but something else. And something else, and intense buzz that had gone to her heart.
No matter how much she got angry at herself and tried to deny it, she knew she'd wanted him to pull her closer. But was completely relieved he hadn't.
None of this could happen. It just wasn't allowed to.
Hina found a grassy spot on the edge of the sand, connected to the brush further up the hill. She sat down. She tried so hard not to, but eventually she turned her head and looked back at where she had walked away from Maui.
Except for an empty beach with shadows of Canoes in the background, she saw his bulky form sitting there, his long wavy hair stirring behind him in the breeze, his hook resting in his lap. She couldn't pick out his details from here, but she did watch as he put a palm over his face.
Hina flopped to the ground and turned over angrily, her face contorted at disgust with herself. She closed her eyes determinedly, begging to get to sleep soon. There was the threat of dreams if she slept, but she'd prefer that. At least dreams weren't real.
It was before dawn the next morning when Ahonui woke up. He sat up and yawned, stretching. His mind then reminded itself of the journey and 'adventure' before him, and he stifled a groan of annoyance. He'd completely forgotten. Certain death awaited him. And not only that, but he had to be on the boat with an especially grudge demi-god, an extremely irritating demi-god, and a mortal girl who he found it harder and harder to look at for only a few moments at a time.
The more he was with her, the more he wanted to stare at her. The more he wanted to tell her.
Ahonui shook the thoughts away and made his way out. Across the cleared land, he saw Moana stepping out from her own sleeping place. They met in the middle.
"Should we just leave without telling the people?" Ahonui asked her as they met in the blue-grey of before dawn.
She nodded. "I want to leave as soon as possible."
They walked down the grassy slopes to the Beach. At first Ahonui spotted what he thought was a rock that hadn't been there yesterday, but then realised it was just Maui's form. There wasn't enough light to see him properly.
Maui must have heard the sound of shifting sand under Ahonui's and Moana's feet because he turned and smiled.
"Morning chicken perch." He stood, and Ahonui grew curious when he swept one of his huge feet back and forth, ridding of something drawn in the sand. He didn't say anything, but squinted at Maui curiously, who asked,
"What?"
Ahonui looked away and shrugged. "Nothing."
Maui glared, then looked back at Moana. "Ready to go?"
"More than ever." She said happily. "I left Heihei in a basket back in the hut, so you can't call me chicken perch anymore."
"Ha. We'll see about that." Maui said. "Let's go." He hopped up onto Moana's canoe, and Ahonui followed. Both started moving ropes and checking sails, when they heard Moana clear her throat. Both males turned. The Motunui Palu had her arms crossed and raised her eyebrows.
"What?" They both said.
"Aren't we forgetting someone?" she said, clearly annoyed. Ahonui could have slapped himself in shame. Of course, Hina. He felt the guilt twist his gut.
Great. Your chances of getting her to like me now are dwindling.
He did feel better though, when Maui said, "But you said you left the chicken in the basket?"
"Hina!" Moana exclaimed angrily.
"Oooooh. Yeah. Right. Forgot." Maui said with a chuckle. Moana's jaw hung in shock. "Well if you're so concerned, go get her!" Maui said, unconcerned. "She would have caught up anyway."
Moana huffed at him, clearly not impressed, then stomped down the beach.
Ahonui turned to Maui, who was casually humming as he pulled some more ropes.
"Uhh, Maui?" he asked.
"Yuh Tiny?"
Gods I hate that nickname, Ahonui thought with pout, but didn't say anything about it. "You didn't actually forget about Hina did you?"
"Nope. Was just hoping Moana would. As usual though, she never forgets her friends. You did though." Maui said, clearly feeling good that Ahonui had seemed like a complete jerk in front of the girl he was trying to impress.
"Well, I didn't forget, I was just…" Ahonui stopped when he saw the sceptical expression on Maui's face. He drooped. "Okay, fine. I forgot. But I had other things on my mind."
"Like Moana?" Maui said immediately saying it in a voice that suggested he had the mental maturity of a ten year old. He even battered his non-girly eyelids. "Were you thinking about kissing her?" Maui puckered his lips and made embarrassing kiss like noises.
"Maui, you're disgusting, and disgraceful." Ahonui deadpanned, slapping an oar against Maui's puckered face, and walked past him on the deck.
Maui grabbed the oar, annoyed, and rubbing his nose and lips painfully, then laughed at how tense Ahonui must have looked.
"Oh come on kiddo." Maui said, poking Ahonui in the back. "I mean, why not? She's master way-finder, her best friend is the greatest demi god in all the pacific islands, her other best friend comes a close second in the same category, she's the daughter of the chief, and she so is. Into. You." Maui listed everything on his fingers.
"Even if I did want to be hers," Ahonui was trying to sound bored and unconcerned, "Wouldn't you just kill me for it anyway?"
"Yeah, duh. But I'll give you points for trying." Maui said enthusiastically, twirling his hook. "I know you have those mortal boyish feelings for her, just admit it."
Ahonui had had enough. This was none of Maui's business. So, the tides turned.
"Oh yeah?" Ahonui said loudly. "Well if I have 'mortal boyish feelings', then what the hell do you have for Hina? Are they just deeper, and you're too afraid to admit it, or are they more shallow because you're too afraid to care about anyone except Moana!?"
He expected he would be thrown into the sea, or hit lightly in the head. But it was a lot worse. So, so much worse.
Maui did nothing.
He didn't even argue.
He barely even moved for a few long moments.
But he glared the whole time.
He glared, then turned and did his own thing.
And that's when Ahonui knew he'd just hit something real.
The girls returned happy and chatting as usual, and the group left before the sun had risen, heading out of the safety of the lagoon and into the rougher conditions of the ocean.
Things were tense between Maui and Ahonui, more than usual. Moana kept looking at them with concern. They tried avoiding each other as much as possible, and neither said a word to the other. They didn't seem to have a problem with Hina or Moana, which was a relief. They acted normally around the girls, but when in close proximity, they both tensed up and couldn't help but look more than irritated. It wasn't a pathetic harmless tense. It was the tense that could snap.
Moana knew she would have to fix things, and soon.
When nightfall approached on their first day back on the sea, Moana was trying to think of a plan to talk to them. The first option was obviously when Ahonui went to sleep, she could talk to Maui. It seemed safe enough to do, even with Hina around. She had again taken up her habit of sitting atop the mast, and according to Maui, never really talked.
Maybe she was focused on memories long past, or just on what might become of her in the future. Either way, Moana was sure even if she was listening in, if she could hear from where she was, she wouldn't say anything to anyone else. Why would she?
It was late when Ahonui finally laid down, giving Moana one last smile. Moana then waited almost half an hour for him to fall asleep, before shifting from where she herself had laid down. She'd had to work hard not to fall asleep. A whole day moving ropes and gauging the sun and staying in the heat made one such person tired, especially then working late into the night.
Moana yawned quietly, then looked up to find Maui, who was only sitting a few feet away on the edge of the canoe. She carefully and quietly sat up, then stood and made her way over. Without saying anything she sat next to the great hulking demi-god.
After a few moments, he nudged her slightly with the side of his arm, and smiled at her. she knew it was safe to say something now, but she was scared she'd upset him and make things worse. But she just had to risk it.
"Is there something that happened, between you and Ahonui?" She said it quietly, hoping not to wake Ahonui and that Hina might not hear them from where she sat.
Maui took a big breath in through his nose, released it, and nodded. "Things were said."
"You don't want to tell me?"
He shook his head. "Can't. But it's not as bad as we're making it seem."
So he knew. He knew Moana was noticing, knew she'd see something was wrong. Of course he would. He knew her best.
"Well, are you two able to make up over it?" Moana asked, sounding hopeful. "If it's not as bad? We can't afford any arguments right now, and I don't want two of the people I care about most wanting to throw each other off the boat. Especially because of where we're going."
What she was trying to say is that she didn't want him to bail again like he had three years ago, when Takar had almost destroyed Maui's hook, and he had left her to fend for herself. He did come back, sure, and Moana had never thought he'd leave again while they were in that much danger, but she didn't want to even risk the possibility. This was a big mission, and she needed him every step of the way.
Maui took a long time to respond, and Moana saw his hands turn into fists for a few moments, then he relaxed and nodded.
She threw her arms around his neck in a hug.
"Thank you Maui." She said, feeling him hug her back.
He chuckled quietly, "It's okay chicken perch."
So the next day, Moana and Hina worked the sails, laughing and chattering as always, this time about the possibility of all the star-sprites, little spirits of the sky that shone in the stars, all coming to visit their big sister the moon.
"They loved and resented me, because some nights I shone so bright that they dulled." Hina explained. "But they're sassy girls, quicker and certainly harsher than I am, and they're the most terrible flirts. Anything resembling a male humanoid and they're onto it."
Moana laughed. "I want to meet them!"
"Oh they'd love you girly. They love to hang with sweet girls like you, it reminds them of what kindness was before they became snappy sprites."
As the two girls laughed and talked and teased, Maui sat calmly with the steering Oar. Ahonui was hanging from a rope out the back of the canoe to check the steering oar for any irregularities in movement, for crack and picked off any ocean life that had clung to the wood. He was the one who did it every day to all sides of the boat, because as a fisherman he was least likely to be freaked out by the creatures there, and was not afraid to cut his fingers on barnacles and such.
Moana was terrified of getting cuts on her hands, because she liked to have full potential of her hands and fingers for if something went wrong. Unnecessary pain during an emergency would not help at all.
Maui considered cutting the rope Ahonui was on just a little bit, so it looked like it snapped and the boy fell into the water without Maui having anything to do with it, but then the demi remembered his promise to Moana last night, and decided against it, although with a twisted frown.
The two girls were distracted, and Ahonui was pulling himself up without so much as a grunt. Maui could, however grudgingly, see why Moana was attracted to the boy. He was strong, for a mortal, human thingy, whatever. And he knew his way around a boat. The ocean seemed to like him well enough, occasionally splashing him tenderly.
And most importantly, he never tried to tell Moana what to do. He understood that she knew what she was doing and that she wasn't a girl, a woman now, who was going to back down from danger. That this life of adventure, discovery and the occasional haunting danger was the life she was forever going to live, and that she needed someone who would happily live it with her.
Ahonui had barely objected to coming along. He didn't look worried and didn't say anything about being concerned. He followed her lead, and Maui hated the fact that he had to give credit to the boy for all these things. But he did. End of that.
As Ahonui stood and wound the rope around it's allocated post, Maui took a deep breath and tried not to sound too hostile when he said, quietly so the girls didn't hear,
"Hey, Ahonui." Using his real name felt weird in his mouth.
The boy looked surprised when he turned. Since the argument about the girls, they hadn't spoken a word to each other. "Uh, yeah?"
Maui flicked his head as an indication for Ahonui to come closer, his arm causally resting against the oar. Ahonui looked at him with concerned eyes, then made his way over tensely and cautiously, ready to spring away. Maui felt good about the fact. At least the boy remembered who could smite who, and Maui was still an impressive sight.
"Look," Maui said with a sigh, eyeing the girls to make sure they were distracted, "You and I need to patch up over whatever was said the other day."
Ahonui seemed to be in shock a bit. "Did Moana talk to you or something? Because this coming from you, no offense, is a little-,"
"Surprising, I know. And yes, she did. So shut up and listen."
Ahonui didn't even look offended, just a little scared.
"We can't go across the whole ocean hating each other because a few things said about a couple of girls. I'm better than that, and you, maybe possibly are a little bit better than that as well slightly." Maui was finding it hard to be sincere about this. He was used to being sincere. Last time he had tried, Moana had looked uncomfortable because the broken properties of a hook at the time had turned his head into a shark head without him noticing.
This time though, it was just plain weird.
Ahonui sighed, and turned his head to gaze at Moana. Maui watched him with interest. There was a smile trying to make its way onto Ahonui's lips, and his chest seemed to swell a bit.
"You're right," Tiny said, "I'm sorry for what I said."
"I guess I am, for teasing you at least." Maui had worked so hard to say sorry, but it had felt better than he'd thought it was.
Ahonui held out his hand for Mui to shake. The demi god rolled his eyes and placed his much larger hand in Ahonui's and they shook. Then Maui flicked his arm up with the boy still attached and threw him off the boat. Maui laughed as the boy came back to the surface, and had to swim hard to catch up, and Maui was glad the ocean only raised itself and shook what could have been a 'head' at Ahonui when he asked for some help. Things were back to normal.
And things continued to be normal for days, and those days stretched into a week, then slowly and surely it crept up to two weeks. Moana was expecting the island soon, as was the others. They had little trouble on the way. The storms weren't too bad and the days were not as blisteringly hot as they could have been. Being on the ocean meant most days it had a breeze or wind of some kind, which cooled their skin and pulled their canoe along. There was beauty in every day for Moana, especially now that Maui and Ahonui had clearly gone back to normal terms.
Hina and Moana talked about everything they could think of. Not just hair and skin and the ocean, but the gods, goddesses, the spirits. They talked about other island and legends about other people's so far across the ocean that the sun barely shone and their skin was as pale as limestone, and other places where the land was so large and dry that the people were the colour of tar.
Of course these were only stories and the places and people didn't really exist. People the colour of limestone? That was plain ridiculous.
One of the final nights came and it was nicely warm and the stars made Mona and Ahonui yawn until both resigned to sleep. Moana was probably going to dream of the adventure ahead, Maui thought with a fond smile.
Hina was in her usual spot and Maui was again on the deck, leaning against the mast where she was.
Maui felt that if he was going to say anything, or give a hint, or try to figure out what was going inside himself, and maybe inside her as well, it might as well be tonight. His mind and heart were growing frustrated, as was his tattoo miniature of himself, constantly pushing him to say something nice during the day, then face-palmed itself when of course he went with a tease or nasty comment. He wasn't much of a romantic, something that he could probably learn from Ahonui, who had held Moana out by the waist as she stretched and touched the backs of surfacing dolphins. Moana had lit up with delight at that, and Ahonui had looked at her again with that fond smile of his.
It was ages and ages this night before Maui built up the courage to climb up the mast of the canoe.
He grabbed onto one of the hooks and hung there casually, leaning with the mast, Hina just above his shoulder. For a while he didn't say anything, just hung there and stared where Hina was staring, across the never-ending ocean.
He then sighed.
"Hey Shiny." He said quietly, still using her nickname.
It was a few moments before she responded, with the smallest and cutest of smiles.
"Hey rock head."
He smiled to himself in relief, then looked at her. "I can go back down if you want to be-,"
"No. Stay." She didn't elaborate. She sounded so calm, and young, and wise in a way. Everything that Maui wasn't, and everything that she wasn't, during the day at least.
They were both to an extent in their own way, but not how she sounded right now.
"Do you miss it?" he asked. "Being all godly and the like."
She laughed a little. "Honestly? Not really. All the other gods didn't really like me. Either that or they liked me too much, like Te Tamaroa. Obsessed over me, or avoided me. I didn't really have…"
"Friends?"
Hina shook her head. Maui smiled knowingly, "I know how that feels. Thousands of years with humans but none of them really, you know, understood. Not until Moana, and her people."
Hina smiled at him, with so much kindness, and looked over her shoulder at where the young Palu slept.
"I had the star sprites, but they were so exhausting. They never stopped burning. I waned and I grew and went dark for a few days every month. I've never felt like this for anyone." She was still looking at Moana. "I've never felt so at home."
Maui, again without realising what he was doing, reached forward and brushed some hair from her face, pushing it all the way away from her face and around her neck, where some of the tattoos curled, but the bulk of it was further down on her arm and torso. Maui brushed his thumb over where the tattoos curled on her neck. Hina closed her eyes, and didn't move. So many things Maui could have said, but he couldn't think of a single thing. That feeling was back in his hand, that buzz that went straight to his heart and made it beat faster.
The feeling was getting too strong, so he pulled his hand back and stared at the sea again, but didn't have the strength to move. No, strength was the wrong word for it. It was the motivation to move. Nothing made his want to move from where he was.
He felt her hand this time, on his shoulder, her fingers softly following some of the patterns there. A shiver went down his spine and goose-bumps raised on him all over. He involuntarily turned his head, looking at her again. She was staring at his shoulder, absent minded.
He leaned forward and said, "Do you want to come sit on the deck with me?i'm not sure if i can hang like this for very long." he added a smile at the end, something casual and trying not to be 'making a move'. he just wanted to sit with her.
He saw her hesitate, her fingers pausing in their trail, then she shook her head, and Maui felt his heat start to hurt at it. She then withdrew her hand, and the buzz was gone.
"Maui," she said it so quietly he almost didn't hear it. "I'm not sure if we can do this."
He knew what she meant. Everything. Them. They. For some reason both of them were so hesitant. Maybe it was the pride, or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, these feelings were too intense to follow without caution, and maybe follow at all.
He nodded, however much it hurt. He was about to climb down again, when she placed a hand on his shoulder, and the buzz was back. He almost flinched away, the feeling was too great. But when he looked at her, she wasn't looking at him. Her hand too, had not gone there tenderly.
She was staring at the horizon.
And there, as small as mini-Maui's arm, was a dark smudge above the ocean. It was night, and harder to see, but before the stars and light of the moon it was unmistakable. An island.
"We're here!" Maui said, then grinned widely, and jumped down on the deck noisily. The 'thud' woke the two mortals.
"Get up chicken perch!" Maui said, walking over quickly. "We've made it."
Moana blinked away sleep and was on her feet. She almost tripped in her haste but Ahonui caught her and helped her back up, but neither of them realised the possibly tender moment because both were staring before the Canoe.
Moana saw it and took in a huge breath in excitement. Maui always thought her mouth and eyes extended ten-fold when she got this excited, which happened every time they saw a new island. But this time, Ahonui, Maui, and Hina as well had the same reaction.
"Wait," Ahonui said, his face dropping. "But why haven't we seen any seabirds?"
"Don't spoil the mood Tiny." Hina said, dropping down.
"I can't believe we made it." Moana said, standing proud and all tiredness dashed from her eyes.
"We got here. Now we can beat the crap out of whatever is over there, then I call for a vacation." Hina exclaimed.
As the others were half-way through agreeing, a huge thud hit the canoe, and they all got knocked to their feet. Above them, clouds suddenly formed, growing larger and larger and darkening to a deep grey.
Maui helped Moana stand as Hina and Ahonui ran to the steering Oar.
A voice so loud came from either the sky or the sea, none of the group could tell. "You'll have to beat the crap out of me first."
Rain started patterning on the wood of the canoe, then grew louder as the drops grew larger, almost hurting against Moana's and Ahonui's skin.
"What the hell is that?!" Moana yelled, gripping onto the main sail-rope as the winds suddenly exploded the air around them and were throwing the boat into random directions, as the waves started to get higher and higher.
They heard the great voice laugh.
Before them, the water churned and twisted and bubbled unnaturally in a great whirlpool, but it didn't pull the canoe dangerously close. From the centre, rose what Moana first thought was an island or a great rock. Then it kept growing into a long and slender neck, that then bend at the top and she recognised it as a defined head. The clouds seemed to be drawn to it and wrapped around it's body in a thin layer of twisting mist. It bent it's head towards them, and two great black eyes as shiny and smooth as the most perfect pearl. It laughed again, opening a great jaw that had many sets of teeth, and even scarier was the presence of a second jaw within it.
The creature was so huge it could have been a challenge for Te-Fiti to punch in the face.
"Te Tunaroa!" Hina and Maui yelled together in rage, and Moana's heart skipped a beat in its rapid-growing pace. The rain was stinging harshly against her skin and she had to squint to see anything.
The eel god grinned down at them, his mouth larger than their canoe. "Hello Hina, Maui. I knew you two were popping by to visit so I thought I'd meet you half-way."
"You Bastard!" Hina yelled. "What are you doing to that island!?"
"Bastard? Oh that's a bit harsh isn't it Hina dear? And straight to the pointed questions, couldn't we talk about the weather or something."
Moana wasn't listening so much anymore. The rain and the crashing of the sea was making her lose her strength quickly, and her hands were slipping on the rope. Her fingers and hands were calloused from years of being on a canoe, but no amount of scars could keep her holding onto this rope forever.
She started to slip as the canoe rose and then crashed down again on another wave, tilting so dangerously. She screamed as they hit the water violently.
"Moana!" Ahonui yelled, but couldn't get to her, he was helping Hina with the oar.
But the pressure on her hands released a little and she was thrown forward, as huge strong arms pushed her against the mast and pressed her there.
"Hold on as much as you can!" She heard Maui yell over the rain.
"Oh Maui." Te Tamaroa clicked a tongue as if disappointed. "Why do you even waste your time getting attached to humans? And you Hina, doing the same? And sticking around that un-classy bulk of muscle speaks wonders about your level of intelligence. I thought you were smarter than this."
"Screw off you slimy bitch!" Hina yelled again, grunting as he pushed against the weight and strength of a reckless Oar, trying to control in with Ahonui's help. Her supernatural strength was possibly the only thing keeping it from completely turning them over.
"I imagine the conditions you're currently in is causing you to be so uncharismatic. You're far more lively when you are with these other three." Te Tamaroa said. "But, anyway, I thought if you're allowed to have friend come visit me, I might as well bring some of mine as well."
There was more bumping of the boat, as more eels, some the size of trees and some only the length of Hina's leg, pushed their heads from the water, a very un-eel action. Then they all screeched and hissed, and came towards the Canoe.
"I'll meet you all back at my place then." Said their king who sunk back under the waves, as those on the canoe braced for a fight.
The waves calmed from being the size of hills, to only half the size of a small canoe. Moana leapt from where she was gripping the mast and grabbed her signed Oar, raising it as her legs automatically braced and stretched with the movement beneath her. Maui gripped his hook, while Ahonui rushed to grab one of the fishing spears. He threw Hina a Toki hidden below deck, made of hardwood and with small shark teeth along the back of the head, and the handle was curved.
Moana gripped her oar and waited. The first eel was only small compared to the others, and rose near Hina's leg at the back of the canoe. Moana leaped and jabbed at its head with the butt-end handle of her Oar. They were then everywhere. Heads popping up, screeching and hissing. Moana's arms moved on their own, and she was almost screaming every time one of the hideous creatures came at her, their double-jaws snapping and biting at anything, the canoe included. The smaller ones doing this wouldn't be a problem, but soon she heard snapping and cracking like a Canoe against rocks, and turned to find one of the largest ones had bitten down on the side of the deck.
Hina leaped forward with the Toki and used her extra strength to bring the weapon down onto its head, and the only description that would be accurate would be that it's head exploded. The deep red of blood looked black in the night. They looked like moving spikes rising from the water, or over-grown leeches leaping forward and snapping at their legs.
Maui hooked on under its jaw and threw it so far its shape disappeared. Ahonui was swiping left and right and stabbing when the opportunity arose.
But there was more creaking and cracking from below. Moana jumped away from where the sounds were worse, but it was growing louder. Some splintered wood flew away as a dark head burst up through the middle of the deck. Ahonui leaped forward with a yell and stabbed it through the eye, and the screeching scream it emitted hurt Moana's ears, but she was too busy holding one off herself.
More creaking, more snapping, and another one came through. Spoon, the biggest of the eel princes were thrashing through the wood and destroying more and more of Moana's lovely Canoe. Her favourite canoe.
Then there was a scream, and Moana spun her head. Hina was gripping to the steering oar, stretched like a rope, because a large one had bitten into her leg and was trying to pull her off. All three of the others leaped to help, but Maui got there first. He went to swipe at its head, but before any of them, including him, could have done anything, another large one leaped and latched onto her shoulder.
She screamed and the oar she was holding onto snapped, and she was ripped from the canoe.
"HINA!" All of them screamed.
In their distraction, another slimy black creature leaped and wrapped around Ahonui's arm, another one leaped and wrapped around his leg.
He managed to look up at Moana with sad eyes before he too was taken away.
Moana stared at where he had disappeared into the blackness of the ocean.
"Moana!" Maui yelled, and she spun automatically and smacked at the air with her oar, hitting whatever eel had been behind her. Then she felt Maui's back pressed against her, and a new determination grew in her in that small precious moment, and soon her and Maui were working together like never before. Bashing at whatever was coming at them, and stabbing down at the heads coming through the wood.
Maui's hook lit up, and he leaped upwards several hundred feet, then came plummeting down. Moana ducked as he hit the deck, bashing into one of the eel's skulls. The vibration from his landing caused a huge wave that pushed whatever was surrounding their boat at the time, away, and stunned them in the process.
Moana panted, and then felt herself sob. She almost fell to her knees but managed to keep the strength to stand up.
Maui wasn't breathing nearly as hard, but he had gripped his face silently.
"Maui." Moana said, her lip shaking. He raised his head, but in the darkness and rain, Moana couldn't see if he looked as bad as she felt.
He hugged her, and she knew that he did.
Then they heard the screeches again.
Maui sighed, still holding her. Then he pressed his forehead and nose to hers, a sign of affection among her people which Maui had never done to her. Then he sniffed, and
Moana recognized it as the sniff of someone crying. Moana and he let go of each other, then gripped there weapons.
The broken canoe swayed as it wanted on the ocean, and he water was starting to churn as the now even angrier eels returned.
Again the fight began, but Moana felt the adrenaline had disappeared in the break, and now it was the hardest fight of her life. She hadn't physically fought Takar, only the Kakamora, and they'd been easy compared to this.
So, soon enough one of them tore her oar away from her and crashed into her back, sending her flying into the water. She didn't even hear Maui's yell.
Below the water, nothing was calm. Back and forth and up and down they went, like a giant mass of constant moving tar, flowing over and under each other and slipping past without touching. About half a dozen of them came at Moana, she tried swimming away, and she felt the ocean tense around her, about to help her through the current and take her far away, but the eels were too fast and too strong. The ocean itself could not fight creatures of the ocean. They gripped at her with their double mouths, and Moana screamed underwater no matter how much she tried not to, as their teeth sunk into her flesh on her arms and legs.
Then she was dragged down and down. Moana kicked and screamed and lost her air supply, and soon dark patches appeared at the edges of her eyes.
Then it all went dark and she did not register whatever followed.
Maui had screamed Moana's name, then immediately leaped in after her. but he knew it would be in vain. One of the largest ones he'd seen apart from the king itself, came at him and driven its teeth into his arm, and others swarming around him started dragging him down. He felt the pressure change quickly as any light from above disappeared and he was pushed into the deep black, watching as Moana was taken far away.