Maui watched the entire scene quietly from behind the thicket of the shrubbery. He felt his heart doing a somersault in his chest as he saw those men holding her limbs firmly, fettering her down with ropes. He bit his lips until they bled―trying not to allow his protective instincts to kick in was a challenge as he watched her struggle, shrieked and thrashing violently on the ground.

After she was disarmed and perfectly restrained, one of the burly guards slung her onto his shoulder casually. She pounded on his muscled back with her bounded fists to no avail. "Let go of me, you coward!" she shouted furiously, but the men kept on walking, ignoring her convulsive lashing, indignant protests, and empty threats before he deposited her on the ground in the middle of village's clearing.

Maui followed them while mentally wrestling to numb his emotional turmoil, focusing his mind to systematically plan out his ambush. After all, he was alone and there was a good three score of guards at least around her.

But as he ran through his plan mentally, the thought of confessing to Moana made his stomach drop to the proximity of his knees. Truthfully, Maui never believed he stood any chance with Moana―she was betrothed to the refined, confident, ever-so-perfect man, Tanemahuta―her prince charming, everything that she deserved and everything that he wasn't. Any girl with eyes would have waltzed willingly into Tane's arm―it was that obvious. While him? ok, perhaps he could rival Tane's good looks and match his rippling biceps, but personality wise, he was Tane's diametric opposite― a vain, coward and conceited brute. Besides, Moana had to be completely insane to even consider him as her life companion and even more for breaking her engagement with Tane to be with him.

At that instant, his resolve to reconcile with her, to explain and to confess, crumbled to dust.

However, his eyes absently caught something interesting that rudely interrupted his mindless pondering. The demigod saw Moana craftily managed to set one of her legs free. She stealthily remained calm on the ground as the guards around her discussed her fate, while subtly wiggling her hands out from their restraint.

Somehow, this didn't surprise him. The girl had an impossible courage and had no regards for danger. Moana was the first mortal that leaped into the monster's lair in Lalotai, outsmarted and escaped from the grip of a crab Monster Tamatoa, and fought the Lava Monster empty handed―how was surrounded by fully armed men be any different?

Before anyone knew it, she fled, speeding rapidly towards the beach.

"She is running away!"

"The thief! She's escaping!"


Moana ran over the cresting hill until the chilly air tore at her lungs and whipped her face. By then the rain had completely stop. Moana berated herself for not just patiently waited for the rain to subside on the beach, saving her all the trouble meeting this bunch angry guards. She leaped towards the slope underneath to land on the rocky beach, trying to ignore the stinging pain from the sharp surface scraping her skin, and splintering stones embedded in the sole of her feet.

She could hear the sound of incoherent-fuming shout and angry footfall racing behind her. With rebounded determination and her unyielding resilience, she bolted a pace higher, concentrating towards her moored canoe, preparing a string of swift action to set it free into the sea.

But something sharp, small, and fast entered her skin, lodging itself right on her upper thigh.

"Ack!" Moana yelped as she fell. Within seconds her right leg was forsaking all her brain commands, rendering her helpless from the oncoming assault. When she looked down, a small dart embedded through her skirt into the flesh of her thigh.

Venomous dart!

It was then she realized her life was in peril.

Moana cast her sight towards the ocean helplessly. Her thoughts flew to her parents, her family, her village…. and Maui. If she ended up dead or enslaved for whatever reason dealing with this mysterious pendant, she hoped her parents forgave her for failing to return to Motunui. She clenched her fist and squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to choke back her tears.

However, Moana decided to restrain the gulf of morbid sentiments from flooding into her mind. Maybe it wasn't all bad news―if she was killed, beheaded or whatever method of execution―her parents would have the perfect excuse to cancel the whole wedding contract with Kailua.

But, what about Maui?

Unfortunately, Moana didn't have the luxury to muse much about her friend's fate should she ended up being captured. The poison cruised through her bloodstream. Her body began to forsake all of her brain commands, and her mind began to float into a dreamlike daze.

Maui….


With an excellent balancing act between speed and agility for a person his size (despite tripping at least once, and had sand coated his sweaty figure) Maui managed to catch up with Moana.

For a fleeting moment, Maui pondered―perhaps saving her from such demise would be just the redemption he needed to earn her forgiveness after his fatal transgression of leaving her without a word. But then, he realized the domino effect of what his apology would mean―his admittance over his feeling for her. For a few moments, Maui debated with himself. No...no… he wasn't ready to confess to this...it would cost him their already straining friendship. Besides, he was here not to win her heart―he was her to make sure she reached Kailua and returned safely home, so she could marry the man who had fated to be her rightful companion.

Thankfully, another cunning idea sneaked into the trickster's mind.


"Wait!" A loud, overbearing baritone voice split the air."Don't you dare to touch her!" he boomed warningly.

Registering an unknown voice harkening, Moana's ears refocused instantaneously to the ruckus around her. Mustering all the vestiges of her strength, she struggled to lift her head, wrestling relentlessly with her slipping consciousness. From where she laid, a silhouette of a man emerged and poised menacingly between her and the army of men who were after her.

"Who are you?" one of the guards demanded threateningly. "Are you with her?"

"I―well," Maui hesitated, rebuking himself for not preparing a cover story about his origin. There was a pause while his mind prepared some impromptu speech. "I don't have an answer to that," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head groggily for a moment, before recovering to his usual debonair posture―jutting his chest and grinning confidently. "Just think I am some sort of, superhero… yes… that'll do." His smug grin grew an inch wider.

Moana narrowed her eyes, focusing on the elusive man in front of her.

Is that…..Maui? She only knew one man who capable to flaunt like that in front of their nemesis. She was surprised that no other mythical being had a go in murdering him for being a nuisance―Maui's cockiness could get overwhelmingly obnoxious sometimes. But on a closer look, no… it wasn't Maui. Although the man was big and tall and brag the same was as that vain, unmannered immortal―but the stranger brought no Fish Hook with him. Her narcissistic friend would never leave his beloved weapon anywhere. He even cuddled that innate possession to sleep as though it was his wife! (Perhaps, if he ever got married, his wife would rather sleep on the floor than to sleep with a weapon between them).

"Look, gentlemen," the stranger addressed the guards with feigned seriousness. "I'd really love to stick around with such a coolmanly…. bunch of dudes like you all," he added smoothly, flicking his long hair with much bravado. "But really, I have some veeery important business to take care of," he pronounced fluently. "So, if you want to make this quick and painless for all our sake, I would advise you release this girl this instant," the mysterious gentleman ended his conversation with one broad, flashy white smile that could lit the entire universe.

At first, all the guards were gaping like an inept fool; expression was lost between confusion and incredulity.

"Ha!" one of the guards finally sobered,"Not that easy, you fool! In case you haven't noticed, you're outnumbered by… ―"

Wham! He was silenced when the stranger's fist met his face, knocking the consciousness out of him completely. A looked of pure disbelief spread on his comrades' face, looking at their fallen colleague that was sent flying a hundred meters like a bullet just by a single punch.

"Aaaand, you were saying… ?" drawled the stranger smoothly. A secretive, cocky smile played on his lips, and it grew an inch wider when he saw his opponent clearly provoked by his taunt. Moana found this man mock suaveness in handling the case, disturbing and fascinating at the same time.

One of the men that dressed slightly more formal than the rest, raised his hand."Capture him!" he instructed ferociously, the heat of rage in his voice was palpable.

But her enigmatic savior was ready. He grappled each spear that pointed towards him, before swinging it brutally into a group of defenseless guards, bulldozing the massive crowd of men as though they were ants.

By the end, almost all of his opponent were lying unconscious―wiped out at the stranger's feet.


A few of the last strand of guards quickly decided to retreat, perhaps calling for reinforcement or whatever. Moana didn't care for now; her attention was glued to his elusive savior.

When her self-proclaimed accomplice turned around, Moana greeted him with her shocked and dumbfounded gaze. The mysterious man was stunned there for a moment, perhaps taking note of her blanched, flabbergasted face.

Moana realized she didn't have much time. Her sore legs splayed completely uncontrollable by her brain, and her breathing became ragged and heavy as the effect of the poison began to spread into her body. Who was he? Where had he come from? What did he want from her?

"Well, what are you doing lying down there for?" the unknown guy chided, launching to his statement nonchalantly. Moana snapped from her pondering, scrutinizing the stranger with the vestiges of her alertness that undoubtedly would detach without warning anytime soon. The man was wearing an unkempt looking leafy skirt. His muscular, sweaty body was covered with sand, and his hair was long left unruly running over his face. Despite that his appearance was that of a ruffian's, the man possessed an impeccable fighting skill that embodied perfect balance of precision, strength, and speed―as though he was an experienced warrior.

"You're…?" Moana struggled to put the words in her mouth.

Maui was stuck again, (even Mini Maui facepalmed for the umpteenth time since they came to the island.) But the resonating sound of rumbling footfalls and reverberation of a distant chant indicated more guards were approaching.

"Princess, we can do the proper intro later, at the moment I believe we have a boat to catch," Maui said unceremoniously, leaping deftly to her canoe before releasing it unto the sea with one accurate, fluent movement.

Moana was ready to fire her disapproval at the appellation he gave her, but her incapacitated limbs swiftly reminded her of bigger trouble ahead. "My leg... ―!" she whimpered, trying to command it to move futilely. The stranger's eyes widened for a split second, but without any preamble, he shoved her rigorously with his arms and took her away. Moana tried to keep her dwindling awareness intact. However, it was clearly a losing battle, darkness had enshrouded her mind before she had a chance to thank her savior.


Without thinking twice, Maui scooped her before nimbly launching himself towards her canoe, letting the momentum of his weight propel them to speed.

"CHEEE HOOO!" (Why on earth he even needed to shout?) With one of his arms still cradling her, and the other taking hold of the sail's control, he asked the ocean,"Speed us up! We need to get out of here...Quick!"

After a few minutes full of gripping tension sailing into the darkness and zigzagging off their path to throw the guards off their trail, Maui finally was certain their pursuers had lost them. It wasn't a clean escape, but they were safe for now until those guards checked the radius of the ocean nearby and each island in the proximity. He let an explosive sigh of relief and thanked the ocean before returning his attention to the maiden curled peacefully in his arms.

Quietly, Maui's eyes feasted on the sight of her―her beautiful sharp feature, the sloping indentation of her shapely midriff (and ehem… the magnificent curvature of her bosom, but let's not go there), and her lustrous raven hair that framed her pretty face. He marveled how the universe could craft such an exquisite creature; even a demigod couldn't resist her mortal charm. It was such a shame to think she her existence on earth was temporary―such a masterpiece deserved to live forever.

Just like him.

Unfortunately, his life wasn't a fabled legend with a guaranteed happy ending.

Unfortunately, she wasn't a princess, and he wasn't her prince charming.

Unfortunately, he had to wake her up, despite his desire to indulge this wonderful sight forever.

"Hello?" he patted her cheek, trying to wake her up, but there was no response.

"Helloooo…?" he tested again, shaking her listless form―still nothing. The girl in his arms remained quiescent, in fact, her head lolled like a rag doll. Maui felt fear crawled under his skin; something was terribly wrong. Oh yes, her injured leg, he thought he should check it. Maui carefully pulled out the shaft of the dart that was still poking from her skirt. He sniffed the needle.

Poison! His mind screamed in blinding panic. No wonder Moana was looking pale and ill. He deposited her carefully in a comfortable position on the boat, he pulled her skirt up to inspect the extent of the damage. By then his moment of blissful wonderment was long gone, replaced with horror and trepidation on the sight of the laceration from the blow dart that previously had sunk beneath her flesh. The poison had spread, subsequently created a sinister swell of bluish color under the tone of her bronze complexion, from her upper leg towards her hip and her waist.

With an alarming bell ringing in his head, he paced the boat towards the closest island in the vicinity with the hope to find the antidote.

Hang on there, Curly.


This is probably an assumption that I made about Maui's supernatural ability. In his artbook, it's not explained whether he could morph into another form of human being, in my story, I just assume he could. The reason why he did so will be explicitly explained in next chapter, but perhaps some of you could have guessed since the hint is written up there.

Also, note that there is a gap of knowledge between Moana and Maui.

1. Maui didn't know the reason why Moana decided to venture to Kailua, he just knew she is heading there.

2. Moana didn't know the reason why Maui left Motunui without a word, which truthfully because Maui didn't want to be a hindrance for Moana and Tane (refer to the chapter 8, where Rapa explain to Maui that he need to be able to let go.) Maui, knowing Tane didn't like him, decided to leave.

It would be interesting to see how Tane had managed to get the pendant since it sounded like it was stolen.