The shallow waves moved beneath the boat, pushing it out of the hidden cave and into the open ocean. Kairi prayed that her muscles would atleast remember how to sail. From the boat, she could see Lea's fire blasts among the village's torches. She reassured herself that he had everything under control; the village would be safe.

Moana stood at the stern and gripped the line that controlled the sail. As they continued farther out, she turned her attention from the oncoming waves back to her island. Her eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip.

"Cheer up," Kairi smiled, "you'll see everyone again in no time."

Moana clutched the locket around her neck, "Not everyone," she replied. Her eyes welled with tears the moment she spoke.

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

"My grandma, she-" Moana paused to clear her throat, "she was the only one who would listen. She showed me my people's history." Her hand still encompassed the locket. "She gave me this, told me that restoring the Heart of Te Fiti was the only way."

"She knew you were something special," Kairi said.

Moana nodded. "But right after she gave it to me, she became ill." Her voice shook, and her hand was practically shaking. Tears began streaming down her face, just like they did when she first freed Kairi. "I begged to stay with her, but she just kept telling me to go. I...I don't think she'll make it," She fell to her knees and cried, holding her locket with both hands.

Moana's words hit Kairi hard. Despite their brief acquaintance, Tala had been kind to both her and Lea, and thinking of a world without her made Kairi feel more empty. She fought back the urge to cry, however. She couldn't imagine losing her own grandmother, and there was only one person on that boat who deserved to mourn the loss of Tala.

"Moana, I'm so sorry," any other words had escaped her. She knelt down and rested a hand on the girl's back.

Tala's final words to Kairi weighed on her even more heavily. Protecting Moana wasn't just for the sake of returning the Heart. Her granddaughter's safety and happiness meant everything to her. If fulfilling Moana's destiny was the woman's final wish, then the best way to honor her would be to fulfill her promise.

Suddenly, a burst of air reverberated from the island, snuffing out all lights in the village, even Lea's fire.

"Lea!" Kairi shouted. Panic grew within her - what if another large Heartless came, or the Darkness had already come in full force?

There was movement under the waves, illuminated with a bright blue hue, coming straight for them. As it quickly approached, Kairi recognized the form - a large manta ray.

"It's her!" Moana jumped and ran to the edge of the boat. The sway forced Kairi to use the mast for balance. Having seen Tala's tattoo and witnessed her dancing with rays, she was inclined to believed the same.

Moana returned and took a seat. As the creature passed below them, she pulled the line which opened the sail to the wind. Kairi had to duck to avoid its path. Immediately, wind filled the sail and accelerated the boat forwards.

The waves guarding the reef had seemed much smaller from the island, yet they towered over them from only several feet away. Their guide was unphased by the size, riding the wave with ease and breaking the surface as she reached its peak.

If she could do it, so could they.

The first wave sent their small boat flying forwards. Mist grazed their faces as the wood met water again. Even on her Keyblade rider, Kairi had never felt so exhilarated. As the second wave swelled ahead of them, Kairi leaned forward and invited it in.

One by one, Heartless fell under his blade. Fire came naturally, but Lea still felt out of practice when fighting without his chakrams. Unsurprisingly, the number of Shadows fell once Kairi left, and he assured that she wouldn't be followed. The village was also more difficult to protect when many insisted on fighting, though there wasn't much he could say or do to stop them.

A gust of wind blew past him, powerful enough to knock him down. He groaned in frustration as it extinguished all of his fire, but the Heartless all fell to it as well. Setting his Keyblade aflame, he canvassed his surroundings and reignited the village's torches that had been snuffed out.

The chief ran in the direction the wind came from, and Lea sprinted to catch up to him. He followed him into a hut, only to immediately duck back out after what he saw. Several people crowded around a bed in the center. On it lay the woman who'd brought him to the village, and she didn't look well. Slowly, he stepped away from the entryway to give them space.

He contemplated leaving, but he knew he couldn't until it was safe. In the meantime, he could atleast be out of sight, and perhaps they would just forget he was ever there. He was on his way back into the forest when a small kid stood in his way.

"Hey mister," he'd been sobbing, "is it safe?"

Kairi was much better with kids than he was, and in that moment he wished she'd never left.

"Um, for now, but you should find your parents, kid."

The crying continued, and the kid began shaking. "I can't find them." Lea couldn't tell if he was cold or scared. Before he could say anything, the kid attached himself to Lea's leg.

Cold. He was definitely cold.

After what Lea saw inside, there was no telling what could have happened to his parents, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be there to find out.

"I don't know if I could…"

"Please?" beady brown eyes pierced straight into his soul. He caved and picked the kid up.

"Alright, let's find your mom."

There had been silence as they positioned the sail to collect as much wind as possible. If they were going to be sailing alone for a while, Kairi thought she may as well gain some clarity.

"Listen, Moana, I -"

"You've got some explaining to do," Moana spoke at the same time.

Kairi put her hands on her hips. "Likewise."

"First of all," Moana gestured to Kairi's whole form, "that...thing you did, how do you do that?"

"Oh, this?" Destiny's Embrace materialized in her outstretched hand, startling Moana back.

"Yes, that!" she stood to take a closer look, "I've never seen anything so...shiny." She took it from Kairi and held it up to the sun. As she tilted it back and forth, the sun's rays reflected off of the twirling vines and flowers. Moana jumped again when it suddenly disappeared from her hand and reappeared in Kairi's.

"I can't really explain it easily," Kairi said, "it's just a part of me, I guess."

Moana shrugged, "Fair enough. Now, second of all, who the heck are you, really? You're obviously not from around here."

She debated how far into detail she should go about her background, not that Moana wouldn't believe her after witnessing everything.

"I really am from another island," Kairi began, "but one that's far away."

"And your friend?" Moana crossed her arms.

Kairi shook her head, "Even farther."

She scratched her head in confusion, "I see."

Her expression said otherwise. "Do you really?"

Moana laughed, "Of course not! I feel like I'm in a dream right now. How is any of this possible?"

"I feel the same way," Kairi giggled, "Now it's my turn."

"What for?" Moana asked.

Kairi smirked, "You're not the only one with questions."

"Alright," she leaned back, "ask away."

"Not to come off the wrong way, but why did you want to be the one to restore the Heart?"

"I didn't want to," Moana folded her hands, "I was chosen."

Who could have had the authority to choose someone for the task, and why couldn't they just have done it themselves?

"By who?" Kairi asked.

Moana ducked her head as if she were hesitant to answer. "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

Kairi giggled and folded her arms, "Try me."

"It was...the ocean."

Kairi raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to the endless water surrounding them. Of everything she'd seen or read, a sentient ocean was a first. The waves gently rising and falling under them did feel an awful lot like breathing, but that was caused by currents and movement far beneath the surface. Atleast, it was the case on her islands.

She knelt down and hovered her hand over the water. Moana shrugged, "See? Told you it'd come off crazy."

"No, I mean, compared to everything else that's happened, what's one more crazy thing, right?"

"I hope you'll get to meet it," Moana smiled.

Kairi gestured around herself, "Isn't it already here?" she laughed.

She shook her head, "You'll know it when you see it."

There was an awkward pause. "You know, now that I think about it," Moana said, "I was named after the ocean. Maybe it's just destiny."

Kairi perked her head up. She, too, was named after the ocean. Perhaps Destiny played a larger role in bringing her to Motunui than she had originally thought.

"I think you're right," Kairi smiled.

During the day, the sun guided their path, and at night, constellations marked their destination. Moana pointed out one shaped like a fishhook as their mark. Surprisingly, the sea wasn't harboring any Heartless, atleast not yet.

She wondered if her adventure with Sora and Riku would have been similar had their island not been consumed by Darkness. Their raft hadn't been nearly as sturdy, so it was unlikely that they'd have made it a few miles from shore.

One night, while she was resting, she was abruptly awoken by a clap of thunder. She turned to find Moana just as surprised as her. In the distance, lightning bolts stretched across thick storm clouds.

"I'm sorry," Moana was frantically reaching for the line, "I must have dozed off."

Kairi stood and searched the sky for the familiar constellation, only for the stars to be completely blocked from view. The wind grew stronger, and the change in direction caused the unsecured sail to swing from one side of the boat to the other. It caught Kairi in its path and pushed her overboard.

She heard Moana calling her name and broke through the surface.

"I'm fine!" she yelled, "stay with the boat!"

She was a good swimmer, but had been out of practice since she'd begun training. She made her way back, concentrating her strokes as much as she could.

"Um, Ocean?" Moana called out, "now would be a great time to help!"

Just as Kairi reached the boat, a shadow grew around her. A large wave was building nearby, coming straight for them. If this was the ocean's way of helping, it sure had a sense of humor. She'd had enough experience to know the safest place to be with a wave that large.

Pulling Moana off of the boat, she dove under.

The kid leaned against Lea's shoulder as he went from hut to hut, asking for any information. He'd had no luck, but atleast the kid had stopped sobbing and shaking. Suddenly, a woman's cry came from behind him. She ran towards them with her arms forwards.

It seemed she found them first, and Lea breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mommy!" the kid cried, reaching his arms out for her.

Lea set the flailing child down so he could run to her, and the two met in an embrace.

"Oh, baby, I was so worried," she was practically squeezing him out of protection, "are you okay?"

A corner of Lea's mouth twitched upwards as he turned to continue on his way.

"Lea helped me!" the kid shouted, causing him to stop in his tracks. He'd remembered his name?

She stood and approached him. "Lea," she took his hand, "Thank you so much."

"It was nothing," he glanced down, scratching the back of his head, "things got pretty crazy for a while."

"Will you stay?" the kid asked.

Lea caught the chief's glance from a distance. "We'll see, but you gotta stay with your family. Got it memorized?" He tapped his head.

"Got it," he repeated the motion.

His mother picked him up, "You are always welcome here," she said to Lea before heading home.

He averted his gaze downwards as he approached the chief.

"I'll be out of your hair soon," he waved, "sorry for the trouble."

"No," the man said, "you helped save my people. It is I who should be sorry."

Lea raised an eyebrow at the chief's sudden change of heart. "You're not mad?"

He shook his head, "I was only afraid. Please understand, my duty is to my family." He paused and looked around himself, "speaking of which, have you seen my daughter?"

Lea chuckled awkwardly, "Yeah, about that…"

He had some explaining to do.

Kairi awoke on what felt like solid ground. Last she recalled, she'd dived under a crashing wave with Moana. After the wave had already passed, however, something had kept pulling her farther down. She'd fought to return to the surface, but the distance had kept growing between them. Her lungs had struggled like they'd been under a large weight. Then she'd blacked out.

She stretched her fingers to feel the surface underneath her. A grassy complexion tickled her palms, but when she opened her eyes, they were met with dark blue. That certainly wasn't the color she was expecting grass to be. As her fingers moved along the surface, its hue temporarily brightened into neon.

She sat up in shock, unsure if it was all a dream or not. Large plants and stones towered over her on every side, all covered in purples, greens, and pinks that glowed as much as the ground she was on. The horizon showed no ocean in sight.

A geyser next to her suddenly burst. Her eyes followed the pillar of water and debris. There was no sky above her, but she did find the ocean. It sat far above her like an invisible ceiling was holding the water up.

"What in the world," she said to herself. Fish swam right above the water as if they didn't noticed the glowing realm below them.

A shuffle originated from beyond some nearby bushes, and Kairi approached cautiously.

"Moana?"

A figure sat hunched behind the bushes, but she could quickly tell it wasn't any human. Several appendages stuck out from its side, twitching in extremely jarring motions.

Hearing her approach, the figure turned. At the center of its painted glowing face sat the symbol she'd come to familiarize herself with.

"Heartless," she summoned her Keyblade.

The type was unlike any she'd seen before. It leapt for her, but she rolled out of its way. If she ended up in some kind of Dark realm where Heartless were more powerful, then it was the perfect opportunity to test how powerful her Light magic was.

"Get back!" she directed the tip of her blade at the Heartless.

A flash of Light burst from it, sending the creature stumbling back in pain. Light still engulfed her Keyblade as she drove it into the beast's side. It took quite a bit of strength, but she finished off the Heartless.

When her surroundings were safe, she reached for her armband to activate her armor and leave the strange realm. Instead, her hand met the skin of her shoulder, and her stomach sank. She checked on every inch of skin and inside every pocket for the crest, but it wasn't anywhere on her.

"Kairi, you idiot!" she hit her palm to her forehead, "of all the things to lose!"

She grew faint at the realization of her circumstances. Even if she found a way back to the surface, she'd have no way to leave the world without the device. Still, she couldn't wait around for someone to find her. Lea wouldn't know the first place to search for her, and she couldn't expect Moana to put herself at risk.

She had no choice but to continue on.

Tui nearly fell back in disbelief as he processed the whereabouts of his daughter. Lea had never been the best at delivering upsetting news, but the chief had to know sooner or later. It was better if he found out from him instead of discovering it on his own. To his fortune, he was in a much more somber mood than when they first met.

"So," he sighed, sitting back against the wall, "my daughter is gone."

Lea nodded.

"First my mother, now my daughter?"

He put a hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, "She'll be alright."

The chief seemed unswayed by his reassurance. "You don't understand," he rested his head in his hands, "I've been out there. It's unforgiving. I lost my best friend to the ocean, I - I can't lose her too."

"She's not alone," Lea said, "Kairi's with her. She promised your mother that she'd protect her, and if there's anything I know about Kairi, it's that she keeps her promises."

Tui looked him in the eyes, "This girl, Kairi," he said, "she bonded with my daughter so easily."

Lea chuckled, "She has that effect."

"Aren't you worried about your sister?"

His assumption flustered Lea. They weren't that similar, were they?

"Uh, we're not siblings."

"Oh, I just assumed, with the red hair and all," he stood back up, "Speaking of which, who are you two exactly? What is that...thing you fight with? How do you command fire?"

That was alot of questions to answer, none of which were easy either. Lea already felt awkward enough that he was done explaining things.

"I guess you could just say we're here to help."

He could tell Tui was unsatisfied with his answer. "Do you think those creatures will come back soon?"

"With the Heart gone? It's probably bought you some time."

He extended his hand out to Lea. "Will you stay for now? Our people are strong, but we could use someone with your skill."

If Lea had been asked that a few hours earlier, he would've flat out refused. Perhaps, he thought, the village wasn't as meaningless as he'd imagined.

On Motunui, no one ever knew or heard of him as Axel. They were ignorant to his past. With them, he could just be Lea, and they could take him or leave him. He'd spent so long assuming he had to apologize to every person he'd meet, but there was none of that on the untouched island. Lea didn't want to let go of that feeling so quickly and return to making up for Axel's mistakes.

He took the man's hand in a strong affirmative grasp, "It's what I'm here for."

Heartless seemed to be around every corner, and Kairi grew more tired with each encounter. She no longer had the luxury of Merlin's chamber that allowed for endless casting. Her magic was a resource she couldn't afford to waste, but enemies in that realm were difficult to defeat without it. She had to choose between tiring herself physically and saving her magic, or reserving her strength by casting more often. After a while, she was running low on both.

She prayed Moana hadn't been dragged down with her.

She stepped forward onto ground that felt much softer than before, and it began to move beneath her. Before she could react, it lifted and a long appendage wrapped itself around her. She swung her blade, but it constricted her faster than she could attack.

The moist, bumpy texture made her nauseous. She was quickly lifted into the air and flipped upside down. She traced the strange arm back to its source to find it wasn't an appendage she'd been wrapped in, but a tongue. Her queasiness only intensified. She squirmed and flailed her body around, but the grip grew tighter with each movement. The beast drew her closer to its agape mouth and large teeth.

A yell of excitement suddenly echoed off of the walls around her.

Out of nowhere, a large man fell from the sky and landed directly on the beast's head. The sudden force closed its mouth onto its tongue, causing it to drop Kairi back to the ground as it screeched in pain. She forced down a gag as she scrambled out of its reach.

As she attempted to rid herself of the repugnant saliva, she didn't notice the man hop off of the monster's head and stroll over to her.

"You're welcome," he flexed his muscles in victory.

His sudden address startled her. She thought the chief was heavily tattooed, but the man before her was covered almost head to toe in markings, dressed only in a grass skirt. Having yet to encounter another human, any company was a relief, though she wondered who would possibly come down to the monster-infested realm on purpose.

"Right," she stood and wiped off as much slime as she could, "I would've been toast if it weren't for you. Thank you." she smiled.

"What's a little girl like you doing down here?"

His remark left a sour taste in her mouth, but she was too exhausted to offer a snide response.

"Actually, I was trying to find my way out." If he knew this place as well as his confidence reflected, he was her best bet. "Can you help?"

He folded his arms smugly. "Well, well, well," he sneered, "another mortal looking for old Maui's help. That's twice now!"

"Who's Maui?" she asked.

"Who's-?!" his eyes went wide in shock, "you've never heard of Maui?"

She shook her head.

"Demigod of the wind and sea? Hero of man?" he pleaded.

"Sorry," she shrugged.

He seemed genuinely offended, "Well, I would help, but I'm down here for one thing and one thing only. You'd just slow me down." He pushed her aside and began walking away.

She moved back in front of him. "I can pull my own weight," she argued, "I won't slow you down."

"Yeah, you were really holding your own back there, weren't you? You're already tired, and you're covered in slime."

She clenched her fists and stood on her tiptoes to get in his face as much as she could. "I have been down here for hours, fighting monster after monster. Of course I'm exhausted!" For a moment, his eyes went wide before returning to a careless stare.

"You're really not intimidating, you know that right?"

Kairi almost preferred dealing with Heartless over him. Maybe it was her fatigue, or maybe she genuinely felt mad, but impatience was overtaking her. She was about to summon her Keyblade and show him what exactly she was capable of when a scream emanated from above them. It grew louder, and before either of them could look up, Moana fell from the sky and landed directly on top of Maui.

"Moana!" Kairi shouted.

She moved to hug her, but stopped when she remembered what was still on her. She would've given anything for a bath. For a world filled with water, it sure was lacking when she needed it.

"Kairi?" Moana asked in disillusion. She reached for her locket and sighed in relief upon seeing the stone still resting within it.

Maui pushed her and dusted himself off, "You two know each other? Why does that not surprise me?"

Moana ignored him, "I'm so glad you're okay! I saw you get dragged under, but I was so powerless I-"

"It's okay," Kairi stopped her, "I'm just glad you didn't get dragged down with me. What are you doing down here, and how did you find me so fast?" She couldn't deny that it was refreshing to see a friendly face, but she couldn't understand what this place had to do with restoring the Heart.

"Fast? You've been missing for a few days, Kairi. That's why I was so worried."

So time passed much slower in the realm below. At that point, each new realization only made her head ache. Her mind raced. So much could have happened in that time. How could Radiant Garden be doing? Where could Sora be? Would Riku have found Master Aqua? Would Lea still be waiting for her on the island, or would he move on? She couldn't help but feel like she'd wasted so much time.

"As far as why we're here, you should ask Maui," she glared at him, "glad you two have met."

"Wait, you're Maui?!" Kairi pointed to him, "you're the demigod of the wind and sea, hero of man?"

"And woman," he added.

"You weren't acting very heroic back there," she smirked.

He groaned. "Mortal's aren't supposed to be down here, you know," he said smugly, "why don't you leave this to me, girls?"

Kairi put her hands on her hips, "Leave what to you, exactly?"

He gestured to Moana, "The princess here wants to restore the Heart? I gotta get my fish hook back first, that's the deal. I'm nothing without my hook."

He pointed to a small tattoo of himself holding a large hook on his chest . To Kairi's surprise, it began to move and dance across his skin. The world grew more strange with every minute.

Moana yanked on his ear like an annoyed parent, "I am not a princess!"

Kairi wished she could say the same. "And why do we need your help to restore the Heart, exactly?"

"Because he's the one who took it in the first place!"

In a way, it didn't surprise her. He seemed like the kind of guy who would steal a Heart for bragging rights. But he seemed somewhat ashamed and regretful at her accusation.

"The sooner we get out of here, the better," Kairi said. She rubbed the empty spot on her shoulder and recalled her predicament. "By the way, Moana, you didn't happen to find an armband after the storm, did you?"

She shook her head, "What's it look like?".

Kairi formed the general shape with her hands, "Well, it's big, round, shiny-"

"I know where it is," Maui interrupted.

"What? How?" Kairi asked.

He shrugged, "If it's shiny, there's a good chance it's in the same place as my hook."

"And where's that?"

"Tamatoa," he spoke the name with a bitter edge.

"What's Tamatoa?"

"It's not 'what', but 'who'," Maui said, "that's why we're down here, where he lives."

"Then that settles it," Kairi stepped forward, "we're coming with you to talk to him."

He sighed, "He won't give up one of his possessions so easily, let alone two."

"And like I said, I can handle my own," she smiled.

Moana nodded and linked her arm with Kairi's, "She's coming with us, like it or not."

He darted his gaze back and forth between the two of them and rolled his eyes.

"We're definitely going to die."

A/N: If you didn't know already, "Kai" and "Moana" both mean ocean. Isn't that cool? It just added another reason why these two characters need to meet and interact.

I also decided to treat the Realm of Monsters from the movie like this world's Realm of Darkness, where Heartless are stronger and time passes slower.

Kairi's a pretty stubborn and unyielding young woman, so I was really excited to write interactions between her and Maui. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thank you, everyone, for reading, and thank you for all of your kind and helpful feedback! I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!