Chapter 10

Gentle waves sounded on all sides. The air was still and slightly warmer than one might have thought.

It's lost...It's lost...Pick it up...Pick it up...No, no. Me...Not them...It was me...It was me...

Tamatoa gasped, and his eyes flew open. He was still kneeling in front of Hina, palming her cheeks. She looked like she was dozing a bit, but her lips were still moving. Tamatoa cautiously removed his hands from her face and moved back. He noticed they didn't seem to be moving anymore, and looked around.

The boat was sitting on the shore of yet another island, so far up onto the sand it might as well have been moored. Light waves lapped at the bottom of the stern. It was still night time, stars hanging around the moon, which was now slightly above them. The beach they sat on led up to some grass, then almost immediately to a dense jungle. A huge mountain rose up out of the tees, tall and dark even against the night sky. That hadn't been there when they'd landed on Niue, so at least they hadn't turned around. That could only mean...

"Ha! It worked!" Tamatoa stood up and jumped off the boat onto the sand, and immediately regretted it. He'd almost forgotten the physical extremes he'd just put himself through; as a result, he had to freeze against the painful spasms that wracked his body. When the pain subsided, Tamatoa still managed a smile. It felt great to be back on solid land. "We made it! Not bad there, Your Moon-ness." He looked back at Hina, grinning, only to gasp. Hina had pushed herself to her feet, only to sway violently and slump over. "Whoa, hey!" Tamatoa rushed over as Hina pitched sideways off the boat. He caught her just before she fell face-first into the water. She was completely limp, her limbs and head hanging like beached seaweed. Tamatoa hefted her up as best he could, holding his breath against more muscle pain. "Hina, what's wrong?" he asked tightly. Her head lolled against his arm, and her eyes fluttered but didn't wake up. He heard her murmur something, but it was so quiet he couldn't make out what it was. He leaned in to listen again. "What? What is it? What's wrong with you?"

"Too...Too weak," she whispered. Her voice was weak; she seemed to be having trouble just stringing words together, or at least having trouble moving her mouth. Tamatoa tried to keep her in a semi-standing position, but she sagged heavily against him.

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you weak?" Hina shivered.

"It took...a lot to...keep the boat straight. The moon demanded...a lot of me." Tamatoa sighed, and had to adjust his footing as she dropped more weight on him.

"Okay, okay," he said gruffly. "Just hang on a sec." He bent down and lifted her into her arms, cradling her against his chest. She leaned into his shoulder and sighed with exhaustion. Despite himself, Tamatoa blushed.

Stop that, one part of him chided. Tamatoa shook his head again and turned towards the beach, looking for an appropriate place to set up camp. The beach was shallow, quickly flattening right before it reached the grass at the foot of the jungle. Tamatoa shuffled over to the spot he found that looked most level, taking care not to trip over the thick train of Hina's hair. He set her down as gently as he could, then turned back to get sleeping mats from the boat. However, he felt a pressure on his arm. Tamatoa turned to see Hina weakly gripping his wrist.

"What?" he asked. "I'm going to get us something to sleep on. Hina shook her head once, too weak to manage any more. Her eyes were still closed.

"My leg...it needs bandaging. And...we need a fire." Tamatoa looked down. He'd forgotten about the wound Te Tunaroa had managed to inflict on her during their escape. He leaned down to get a better look. It was a long and slightly jagged cut on the outside of her calf, running from the side of her knee to her ankle. The wound was deep enough that blood still seeped from the exposed flesh, but it didn't seem to need stitches. Luckily he'd set her so no sand had gotten in it yet, but it would still need binding heal properly. Tamatoa grimaced; he didn't know how to treat flesh wounds.

"You're going to have to walk me through this," he muttered. Hina nodded and winced.

"Bandages are in the boat," she whispered, "with the sleeping mats. But we need a fire first. Use driftwood." Tamatoa sighed again, but nodded and stood up. It wasn't as if he had any reason not to do what she told him; she was no good to him injured. Plus, she needed his help. He couldn't decide which was more important.

"Alright, I'll be right back." He turned to leave, but Hina said something he couldn't hear. "What?" She breathed before trying again.

"Bring a spearhead too, next to the food. And...grab my headband, please." Tamatoa nodded, then remembered she still wasn't able to open her eyes.

"You got it, milady," he said.

Tamatoa took a couple trips to and from the boat to bring the appropriate supplies. He settled Hina on a sleeping mat, making sure her injured leg was facing up, put the supplies to the side, then went to find some firewood. Despite the gentle movement of the waves, plenty of driftwood had washed ashore, ripe for collecting. Tamatoa followed Hina's instructions as best as he could. He dug a small divot in the sand to stick the wood in, then used a flint and a rock to strike a fire. He blew on the flames until they caught enough of a blaze. He put Hina's headband at the end of her length of hair, and it slowly reattached to the strands. The hair even re twisted itself back into a braid. Hina was on the verge of passing out, but she managed to stay awake to tell Tamatoa how to dress her wound.

"Take that spearhead, and put it so an edge is in the fire," said Hina. Tamatoa frowned and looked at her.

"What?"

"Heat the edge of the spearhead," she said. "Have it sit in the fire until the edge steams. Then, set the edge to my wound." Tamatoa coughed in surprise.

"Whoa, whoa, what? You want me to burn you?" Maybe the demigod had gone a bit mad from exhaustion.

"The heat will seal the flesh and stop the bleeding," Hina said softly. "It will keep the wound from festering as well. I don't think you could handle stitching it, so you'll have to do this instead." Tamatoa bit back a retort; he didn't think he could handle a stitch either—he was already queasy from looking at the wound so long—but he didn't like the weakness being pointed out.

"Fine, I'll do it." Tamatoa set the spearhead halfway in the fire, then went off to get some food and the water skins. He also pulled the boat all the way onto the beach, just to be sure it didn't get dislodged by the tide. After about twenty minutes, the spearhead was steaming. Tamatoa carefully picked up the cool side between his fingers.

"Okay, it's hot enough," he said, "now what?" Hina didn't respond at first; she seemed to have drifted off. Tamatoa sighed, then leaned over and gave her a shake.

"Hey, wake up," he hissed. "I've got a hot stone here." Hina inhaled sharp breath and trembled.

"Set it...to the wound," she said. Tamatoa leaned over, but hesitated again.

"Um...so, how do I do this?" he asked.

"Don't hold it...for more than two seconds," she answered. "And move touch it in spots, not all at once." Tamatoa nodded, but still wasn't sure.

"Won't this hurt?" he asked. He wasn't very familiar with wounds of the flesh, but based on how much he was hurting, he imagined it wouldn't feel great to have hot stone pressed to an open laceration. Hina managed to open her eyes, look up and give him a weak smile.

"I'll deal with it," she said simply. Tamatoa's throat tightened; she'd put herself through so much already, and now she was showing a brave face at the prospect of her flesh being burned. He realized how much he didn't want to hurt her; he wanted to spare her as much pain as possible. Tamatoa shook his head, growling to himself.

Don't be such a wuss, he scolded himself. She's a demigod; she can handle a bit of heat. But he couldn't help it; the prospect of hurting Hina was giving him an ache in his gut.

"I'll try to do this as quickly as I can," he said gruffly. Hina gave a weak nod, and clenched her fist. Tamatoa breathed in deeply, swallowed, and then pressed the edge of the spearhead to the top of the wound in her calf. Hina winced, nearly jerking her leg away from him. But she quickly stilled herself, her hands trembling, breathing heavily through her nose. Tamatoa counted to two in his head, then quickly removed the spearhead. The scent of burning flesh curled in the air, nearly making him gag. He held his breath and touched the stone to the next few inches of the wound. So he continued, quickly and carefully, for the next minute or so. For her credit, Hina didn't move again or make another sound.

Finally, Tamatoa sealed the last inch of the wound. For all the terrible smell, it didn't look like he'd actually killed any of the tissue. At least the bleeding had stopped. He then took half of the bandages and wrapped Hina's leg up tight, after making sure it was cleaned. Exhausted, Tamatoa settled back onto his sleeping mat and let out a sigh. He flexed his hands, which ached after such an extended period of careful minute work. Having sated his hunger for the evening before patching Hina up, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. On the other side of the fire, however, he heard a whimper. Tamatoa opened his eyes and looked over. Hina's face was creased in pain, and she shivered despite being near the fire. Tamatoa sat up, frowning.

"Hey," he said leaning over, "you okay?" Hina's lips twitched, but she didn't answer. Tamatoa rose to his knee and scooted over to her side. He put a hand on her shoulder, and felt her tremble beneath his palm. "Hina, are you asleep?" Hina whimpered. Without opening her eyes, she reached up and took his hand in hers. Tamatoa's eyes widened, and a heat spread into his chest. "Hina?"

"Don't...go," Hina cried softly. "Don't...go. Don't leave...me." Tamatoa leaned in; she was saying it so quietly he'd had a bit of trouble hearing her.

"What? I'm right here; what are you talking about?" Hina shook her head, her eyes still closed.

"Don't leave...Don't go..." She said again. "Toa...don't go."

Tamatoa reeled back, his heart suddenly racing. The sound of that name had dropped on top of him like a falling rock. It was like he was standing on a cliff edge, teetering precariously. He blinked, shook his head, and took several deep breaths. He hadn't gone anywhere; he was still on the beach, kneeling beside Hina. She'd said a name. He wasn't sure if she had been talking to him or if she'd just been dreaming. It probably had been the latter, yet he wasn't sure. Something about hearing that name was...unusual. It sounded almost like it could be a nickname for his own name; Toa, short for Tamatoa. He'd never been called by a nickname before, but he could somehow tell that would be it. He wasn't sure what to think. Hina whimpered again and squeezed his hand.

"Toa," she said again, "don't leave me...Toa." Tamatoa's breathing hitched again. He tried to calm himself down, but an emotion was bubbling up from somewhere deep within. It was overwhelming. Something prickled under his eyes. Tamatoa reached up to itch it, and realized tears were leaking out from his eyes. His vision swam; what in the world was happening to him. Reverting to old ways, he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He breathed in and out through his nose several times, his eyes squeezed shut. After what felt like an eternity, Tamatoa somehow managed to get himself under control. He sniffed and wiped roughly at his eyes, and looked down at Hina. She looked like she might have calmed down as well, though her mouth moved up and down still. Tamatoa heaved a sigh, his body feeling heavy. He pulled Hina's bed roll closer to the fire, then went back to his own mat. He sat there, watching the slow ebb and flow of the ocean in the dark. He was tired, so unbelievably tired, but he didn't think he'd be able to sleep.

"Toa..." Tamatoa looked over at Hina again. She was breathing steadily, but there was still unrest in her brow. "Don't leave me Toa." Tamatoa stared at her, for what felt like a long time but was probably just a minute. He then reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. He gently rubbed his thumb over her skin, noting how soft it was. "Don't leave me..."

"Don't worry," Tamatoa whispered, "I'm not going anywhere."

Hina surfaced from a heavy and restless sleep. She inhaled deeply and stretched a bit, then winced as a sharp pain flared in her leg. She looked over and saw the bandages covering her left calf. They were wrapped tightly and cleanly, and there wasn't any sign of blood seepage. Despite his inexperience with first aid, Tamatoa had done an excellent job as far as she could see. It hurt terribly, but there was nothing to be done about that. Hina looked over the back of the fire and saw Tamatoa sitting on his sleeping mat, his knees drawn to his chest, gazing out onto the ocean. He looked pensive, no really looking at anything in particular. Hina's eyes softened as she watched him, silent and thoughtful. It was so rare lately that his brow wasn't marred by a frown, his mouth not pressured into a grimace or a grit. He simply...was. She hadn't seen him so calm, not since...guilt pinched Hina's heart, and she let out a painful sigh.

"Awake, now, huh?" Hina opened her eyes and saw Tamatoa watching her. He still looked thoughtful, but there was a shadow across his eyes. Hina smiled lightly.

"How long did I sleep?" she asked. She noticed night was still hanging over their heads, so it couldn't have been long. Tamatoa shrugged.

"Not long. Maybe an hour or two." He returned his attention to the ocean. "You talk in your sleep, you know." Hina breathed a tiny gasp; no one had ever told her that before, not even Maui. She was a little embarrassed to hear it.

"I what? I don't remember that." Tamatoa scratched his head and flicked his hair back a bit.

"I didn't think you would," he said. Something in his tone sounded off to Hina, like he wasn't letting on what was behind its meaning. Tamatoa stretched and sighed, then lay down on his mat, facing Hina. They lay abreast of each other, the fire at their feet and going strong enough to radiate heat to their bodies. Shadows danced across their features and their skin was colored orange and red. Tamatoa lay his head on his elbow and looked at her, his face impassive. "Feeling any better?" he asked. Hina balked a bit, and felt a heat grow in her cheeks.

"Um...A bit," she said, looking at the fire. "You did a good job dressing the wound; I doubt it will fester. It will leave a bad scar, but where's the harm in that?" Hina heard a small chuckle from Tamatoa.

"What's one more scar, right?" Hina looked back at him. Tamatoa gave her a smirk.

"I know a thing or two about scars, babe." He held up his right leg to free his left, and gave his peg a little shake. Hina wasn't sure if she was supposed to laugh or grimace at this. Once again, guilt poked at her. She curled up a bit more.

"You know," she said, her voice meeker than she wanted, "I've never heard the whole story behind that leg of yours." She looked up again, and saw Tamatoa's eyebrows raise.

"Really?" he asked. "I would have thought your d...your brother would have bragged about that battle. He has it tattooed on himself, after all." Hina nodded, smiling despite herself.

"Oh, I've heard him tell it before," she said, "many times. But I'm curious about your side of it." Tamatoa's eyes widened, his face opening in surprise.

"My side?" he said. Hina nodded.

"Sure," she answered. "Why not?" Tamatoa looked over at the fire, frowning slightly. He reached own and rubbed at his knee just above the prosthetic leg.

"Well, it's a bit hazy, actually," he said. His voice didn't betray much at first, but then a sulky, kind of bitter tone soaked in. "Maui came to my cave one day while I was organizing my treasure—I had a bit of a system before putting things on my shell. He started yelling at me about something." He frowned deeper and rubbed at his forehead. "I don't remember what he was saying; it didn't make any sense to me at the time. If I try to remember what it was, it just sound like gibberish." He gave Hina a skeptical look. "No offense, but I might have thought he was drunk on something to be raving on like that. He wouldn't shut up. After a while, I got annoyed. I told him to go away, and he wouldn't leave. He started to threaten me. I threatened him. He attacked me; I defended myself." He scowled and crossed his arms. "You know the rest. We fought, he took my leg, he got away. You can see why I don't like him much." He rolled his eyes. "It just didn't seem fair; he turned it into some big heroic story for himself, but the truth is, he started the whole thing."

Tamatoa glanced back over at Hina, and saw her seemingly on the verge of tears. A burning rock dropped into his gut. He certainly hadn't expected his story to upset her this much; he'd expected a little reaction to him bad-mouthing her brother, but he was only being honest with her. It wouldn't be fair if he exaggerated anything. He did wonder why he cared how she took the story, but he couldn't come up with a reason. He cleared his throat and tried to look apologetic; he figured something he hadn't said before might have been a good thing to add after such a story.

"I'm, ah, sorry about what happened to Maui," he said, so haltingly he wondered if he even managed to make it a real sentence. Hina shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"No, that's alright," she said. Her voice shook by the tiniest amount. "Maui did what he thought was right; we wouldn't have made it here if it wasn't for him." Tamatoa somehow doubted that, but he guessed she must have been referring to Maui fighting off Te Tunaroa. If that was true, then she was kind of right. "Plus, I don't think that's the last we've seen of him." That got a raised eyebrow from Tamatoa. Though it was less likely, he sure hoped she meant Maui. He didn't tell her what he was really thinking, though; he'd already upset her enough. Perhaps it was time for a subject change.

Tamatoa looked up at the sky. The moon hung above them, tilted slightly to the west. This reminded him of something he was surprised he hadn't thought of before.

"Well, since we're sharing stories," he said, turning back to face Hina. "I haven't heard yours." She blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard Maui's origin story, and you're his half-sister. Surely your story is a bit different from his? Why did the gods pick you to be a demigod?" Hina's face fell and her eyes drifted. It was as if she'd seen something distressing.

"It's...not a happy story," she said. Tamatoa shrugged.

"What demigod doesn't have a sob story?" he said. "Apart from those who are born, that is." Hina breathed in deeply, and met his gaze.

"Maui and I share a father. He met my mother first; they fell in love and married young. But, my mother died in childbirth, leaving my father to raise me alone. Five years later, he fell in love with the chief's daughter. When the chief passed away, his daughter and my father married. She bore their first child within a year; a son. But, the chief was a proud, vain woman; she thought her son was too ugly to be worthy of her, much less be an heir to the title of chief. When my father was away on a fishing trip, the chief decided to get rid of her baby. I remember the day; I was six. The chief took her son to a cliff at the edge of the island, and threw him into the sea. My baby brother..." Hina paused, her mouth clenching. "I was too scared of her to say anything to my father; she simply said the baby had taken ill while he was away.

"Over the years they bore more children, ones the chief deemed worthy to be hers. Two girls and a boy; she made the boy her successor. The previous chief had always been disappointed he'd never had a son, so my father's wife wished her son to be chief after her. The years passed, and the chief became jealous of me. She...thought my looks outshone her own daughters', as well as her own. Her words, not mine. When I was an adult grown, she decided she'd had enough of me.

"When my father was once again out fishing, the chief lured me to an isolated cove. She attacked me, catching me off guard. She...slashed my eyes, blinding me. She cut all of my hair off. Then, she threw me onto a raft and pushed me out to sea." Hina rolled onto her back and gazed up at the sky. Tamatoa stared at her, unable to look away. "It was the moon who found me, who spoke to me and kept me company while I drifted alone. The moon told the gods where I was, that I deserved a second chance. They gave me new eyes and grew my hair back. They put power into my hair, so it would be the toughest material possible, growing at my whim. They gave me the necklace, my own demigod artifact. It gave me the power to see what the moon saw, and walk where the moon went. And, of course, they gave me the divine strength and immortality of a demigod. I was given new life, and a new name."

As Tamatoa watched, Hina tucked her hands behind her head and sighed.

"The first thing I did as a demigoddess was go out to find my half brother. Based on the stories told about Maui, the demigod of the wind and sea, who shaped the world as we knew it, I knew it had to be the baby the chief had thrown away." She shifted, and looked over at him. "Needles to say, I was correct." Tamatoa was unsure what to say. He had known Maui's tragic backstory, of course; most immortals did. It was the first tattoo he had earned as a demigod. Hina's, however, was more tragic than he could have imagined. He scratched his head, trying to find something to say.

"Why did you and Maui stop talking?" he asked. Hina gave him a questioning look. "It's pretty widely known that you two haven't spoken in a thousand years. Did you have a fight?" Hina's expression darkened.

"Yes, I'm afraid that's right," she said. "You see, he gave up on someone; a friend to us both. He needed us, and Maui turned his back on him." Her face tightened. "I...wasn't ready to let him go. We fought about it, and Maui and I went our separate ways. That was just before he disappeared, struck down for stealing the Heart of Te Fiti."

According to her expression, Tamatoa worried he might have upset Hina by asking about her brother. He tried changing the subject again.

"So, do you have a drawback?" he asked. Hina frowned slightly.

"Sorry?" Tamatoa grimaced; that had been a clumsy question. He was feeling a little tongue-tied for some reason.

"Well, Maui is always looking for ways to make humans appreciate him, right?" he said. "All those world-shaping deeds, it was all to get praise from the humans. Yet everyone knows it's never been enough; it's a hole he's always been trying to fill." He gave a bitter laugh. "The gods have been known to give a catch to any demigod they make." Hina looked thoughtful for a moment, then her eyes saddened, and Tamatoa worried if maybe he'd gone too far.

"I can never return to the island where I was born," she said softly. Tamatoa started. "No matter how hard I try, I can never find it. It's the one place the moon can see that I can't." She bit her lip, eyes growing bright. Tamatoa's chest tightened. "It's kind of cruel, you know. Despite what my father's wife did, I still miss my family. I miss my father, my brother and sisters. I loved them as they were my full blooded siblings. Even though I know they're all gone now, I would want to see the island where they lived." She closed her eyes and silent tears leaked from beneath her lashes.

Tamatoa's chest was full to bursting. He couldn't remember ever feeling sorry for anyone, yet here it was, right in front of him. It wasn't the shallow kind of feeling sorry either, like simple sympathy or pity. This was coming from a place of true emotion, for someone you cared for. Did he care for Hina? He tried to find an argument against such a thought, but he couldn't find anything. He simply didn't like to see her cry; there wasn't any denying it. It hurt a part of him he didn't think he had, but he was sure was there. Tentatively, unsure of himself or what might happen, he reached over and wiped a tear from Hina's cheek. She gave a small gasp and looked up at him, eyes wide.

"I'm...sorry," Tamatoa said, his voice barely a whisper. Hina stared at him. For the longest time, they held eye contact. Tamatoa was almost scared to look away. Then, Hina moved. She got up one one elbow and moved towards him. Tamatoa nearly recoiled, but something held him back. He watched her. She moved closer, still staring at him. Her face was something he didn't recognize. She moved closer and closer. She was right in front of him, her face close to his. Then, she did something very odd. Hina leaned in and touched her lips against his.

Tamatoa's eyes widened. Tingling sensations spread from his mouth all the way down his body, sending a shiver up his spine. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move; he was paralyzed. The thing was, it wasn't with fear. Hina removed her lips from his, and they stared each other down again. Her eyes widened, probably as much as his. Horror cut across her face, and she put a hand to her mouth.

"I...I'm sorry," she gasped. Her fingers trembled and her lip quivered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She scrambled back to her mat and collapsed on top of it, facing the sky. She inhaled, then burst into tears. She sobbed so noisily that Tamatoa wondered if she could breathe. "I'm s-s-sorry for e-e-everything," she cried. "Everything that's happened has been m-my fault!" Tamatoa swallowed a knot in his throat.

"Hey, come on now," he said. "It's not all your fault. Old Daddy Eel was the one who stole your necklace in the first place." He wasn't sure why he said it, but now he believed it. "He's the reason we both ended up here." Hina shook her head, covering her eyes with her arm.

"You don't understand," she said shakily. "You...can't understand." She lapsed into quite, heavy weeping. Tamatoa grimaced and rolled over onto his back, staring up at the stars. He reached up and touched two fingers to his lips. The feeling left there by Hina's lips was still there, like a footprint in the sand. Once upon a time he would have smacked anyone who dared come so close to him, much less touch him in any way. But then again, once upon a time he was a giant coconut crab. But now...He wasn't sure how he felt about it. He knew he wasn't angry, he knew he wasn't afraid; the only thing he didn't know was what he was. From what he could tell, though, it wasn't a bad thing. He thought on it more, but Hina's sobs kept distracting him. He looked over to her. She looked so distraught, so vulnerable. So...Something pushed at him from deep inside, something he couldn't ignore. Against what little judgment in his divided self he had left, he stood up and crossed around the fire. He knelt down next to Hina and gave her a small tap on the arm.

Hina gasped and uncovered her face, and found Tamatoa sitting beside her. He was watching her with the oddest look on his face; she couldn't even tell what it was. Hina's stomach fluttered and she blushed, her previous grief temporarily forgotten.

"What?" she said, a little more accusingly than she'd meant. Tamatoa's brow folded a bit, but not in anger as far as she could tell.

"That thing you did...with your mouth," he said evenly, pointing to her face. "Why did you do that?" Hina blushed deeper and curved her arms around herself. Why would he ask her that?

"It just...I don't know," she said. Well, that wasn't true; there was a reason why she did it. The real question was, should she tell him? She met his gaze; he waited. Hina licked her lips and swallowed. "I did it because...I wanted to." Hina watched Tamatoa closely as she said this. He didn't show any kind of reaction at first. But then she saw him swallow.

"You wanted to, huh?" He cast his gaze down to the right, and Hina could swear she saw a flush spread across his cheeks. "Well, what if I said I wanted you to do it again?" The fluttering in Hina's gut flared into a drum, as did her heart beat. She looked hard up at Tamatoa. There was something in his features. He looked embarrassed for sure, but there was something else there, something she didn't recognize. At least, not on him. Hina suddenly sat up, and Tamatoa flinched a bit, his eyes wide.

"You want me to kiss you again?" she asked. Tamatoa bit his lip, refusing to meet her gaze.

"I'm not sure," he murmured. He pinched his mouth, and something that looked like pain crossed his eyes. "I don't know...Something's eating at me." He finally looked at her, and Hina saw the rawest emotion she'd ever seen in anyone's eyes. "There's something I'm feeling, in here." He put a fist to his heart and tapped a few times. "I can feel it. It's so strange, I don't know what it is." He fell silent for a moment, looking down at this knees. Hina tilted her head to try to meet his gaze again, but he met it himself. "I want...At least, I think I want...I mean, I..." He sounded so distressed, almost at war with himself. Hina slowly reached over and took his hand. Tamatoa's hand twitched beneath her palm, then his fingers curled around hers. She looked into his eyes, those same eyes she knew so well. They were bald in their confusion and turmoil, and that soft emotion she couldn't place. It made her feel warm all the way through. His lips worked up and down, like he was chewing on his words. Hina leaned in.

"What...do you want?" she asked. "Tell me, please."

Tamatoa swallowed for what felt like the hundredth time. His mouth was so dry, and his face felt hot. His gut burned and his chest was tight. Hina was staring at him in a way he couldn't quite deal with, yet he couldn't look away. He didn't want to look away. Something was tugging him towards her, pulling, pushing, insisting that he be closer, be near. It was strange, but he somehow felt like he knew this emotion, that he'd had it before. Not just that, but this emotion had something to do with Hina before, even though that was impossible. Though, he supposed it was time he stopped thinking things were impossible. Whatever this whole thing was, he couldn't ignore it any longer. If he did, he'd go mad—or at least more mad than he already was. He sighed, and took Hina's other hand. He brought both hands up between the two of them. He caressed the backs of her hands with his thumbs, and tenderness settled into his heart. At the moment, Tamatoa realized he didn't really care about the why or the how of this situation. It was pointless to keep wondering about this thing he was feeling; it just ran him around in circles. He just settled on the fact that, whatever this was, he couldn't fight it. He didn't want to fight it.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I'm really not good at this kind of thing, whatever this thing is." A light touch at his cheek brought his gaze back to Hina. She was looking at him with such affection he nearly cried. Did she feel the same way?

"You said you wanted something," she whispered. "What is it?" Tamatoa gulped. He still didn't know what to say.

"I..." But he was spared having to answer. Hina reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself against his chest. Their noses were almost touching, and her eyes filled his vision. Oh gods, he thought frantically. He temporarily forgot to breathe.

"Do you want...me?" Hina asked. The question was so quiet he barely heard what tone was in it: the tiniest, almost imperceptible amount of hope. Tamatoa melted.

"Yeah," he breathed, realizing the truth in it just as he said so. "You've done something to me, babe, something I can't explain. It's...overwhelming." Hina's lips parted, her eyes bright with something that made his blood boil. He swallowed. "Do...you want me, Hina?" he asked. He hoped he said it right. He wasn't even quite certain what they were talking about. Or, at least, he couldn't place what it was. Hina gave a nod, her breathing hitching.

"More than anything." Tamatoa was sure he was going to faint. Instead, however, he brought his arms up to encircle Hina's waist, his hands at her back.

Yeah, that feels about right.

"So, now what?" Hina gave him a tender smile, then leaned up and once again pressed her lips to his. Instead of freezing, Tamatoa moved his mouth with hers, his eyes sliding closed. Some unknown instinct kicked in, telling him how to go forward. This felt right in so many ways he couldn't believe it. When they finally pulled apart, Tamatoa was breathless. Hina moved her lips down to the corner of his mouth and kissed a path across his jaw to just below his ear. He shuddered, but not in disgust. She nuzzled his neck, sighing.

"I wouldn't do anything you don't want me to do," she said softly. Tamatoa leaned his cheek against her head and gave her a squeeze.

"I have no idea what's happening," he said, although at this point he wasn't even sure if that was true. "You're the boss here, milady." Hina gave him a smile and kissed him again. This time, she pulled him down onto the mat.

He didn't stop her; he didn't want to.