Holding it Together


Moana was truly, as Maui described, untamed and wild as her hair. Kiakaha heard her before he saw her and when he saw her, she had jumped over the startled demigod, rambling about how worried she was.

"Where were you? What took you so long? Are you ok?"

Maui cleared his throat as he dubiously comforted the girl clinging tightly to his chest with soft pats on the back. "I-I'm fine. We took a detour on our way here. Sorry we made you wait."

Moana's arms circled Maui's torso in a crushing hug as she shut her eyes tightly. "Thank the gods. I thought the worst had happened."

Kiakaha witnessed something stirred inside Maui, whose face went from troubled to tender and touched. Forgetting his shyness, he circled Moana's small frame with his own muscular arms. The role of spectator was now becoming uncomfortable and if nothing was done about it soon, it would later be highly awkward for the three of them. Kiakaha politely looked away and coughed intentionally loud.

That seemed to do the trick.

Moana casually parted her hug and acknowledged him distantly. Maui didn't recover that quick. The unconsciously terrified face he made resembled that of a child that just learned his pet died. The smug and confident Maui resurfaced a few seconds after but his eyes avoided meeting Moana's.

Kiakaha was not the brightest man in Mangareva, or the sharpest, but the unrequited love before him was ridiculously clear for anyone with eyes. How on Earth did Moana never notice the demigod's poor attempts to hide it was beyond him.

"Chief Moana." He greeted with a bow.

"Kiakaha. Glad to see you ag-"

"You stayed." He hissed.

Moana didn't like the interruption. She lifted her chin.

"I have the right to stay. At least until the day after tomorrow."

"Right? It is a permission, graciously granted by Mangareva's chief who can rightfully revoke it if the conditions you agreed to are not met. That includes-"

"Not to impact this side of the tombolo, right?" Her eyes twinkled with mischief. She was pleased of having her revenge. "Well, we are not in Mangareva grounds which means I haven't violated any conditions."

"But you are planning to… aren't you?"

"I can't walk away from this… from them." Her arm pointed back at Mangareva.

He wanted to be firm. To say no and go straight back to his village. But he knew if he did, her pleading voice would haunt him for years and the view outside his window would become unbearable. Besides, didn't he wish to save his mother? Didn't he, a long time ago, hope to make a change? He used to be brave, he used to care about others. He blamed his father for years for what he became to be but his mother endured an abusive life with Nanakia and still remained the most selfless person he ever met. Was he a coward or just as selfish as his father? Someone who does nothing is just as bad as someone who does wrong.

He sighed. He was scared but maybe, with Moana and Maui's help, something good could be born from this, even if they fail.

"It will not be easy..."

Moana's face brightened at the unexpected answer. He supposed she was ready for more resistance from his side.

He raised his hand to keep Moana from talking. He wasn't done.

"And it will be dangerous. Our chances to accomplish something and make it out unscathe are slim. We are risking our lives and the lives of my own people and yours. Are you truly ready to take responsibility for the consequences?"

He let Moana absorb his words. She frowned as everything sank it and her eyes stared at nothing on the ground. Her fists began shaking under the wave of fear and stress.

She finally took a deep breath, straightened her back and nodded.

Kiakaha turned to look at the demigod, directing the same question to him.

"I'm with Mo." He simply said. Maui raised his hook and rested the giant weapon on his shoulder, showing the developed muscles in his abdomen and arm.

Moana smiled with pride at her loyal partner. She looked at Kiakaha with expectant eyes, daring him to prove his own conviction.

Kiakaha swallowed. The feeling of dread dried his throat and tensed his jaw. "I guess we really are doing this, huh?" He felt the blood draining from his face and he suddenly needed to grab the nearest tree to keep his balance. He bent over at the chance of flavoring his breakfast all over again but in a less than appetizing fashion. The gagging never came but the disgusting acidic taste of gastric juices still reached the back of his throat. He thank the gods for allowing him to keep the bits of food his mother had generously given him. He wouldn't want to waste the few scraps of roots and fruit she offered from her empty shelf.

A small, gentle hand began to draw circles on his back. Moana guided him to the nearest rock for him to seat and settle down.

"Sorry. I don't handle stress very well."

"No shit?"

Moana glared at Maui for the unnecessary crude remark before turning back to Kiakaha. "Don't worry about it. Let me get a coconut. A drink might help."

While Moana inspected the palm trees nearby, Kiakaha found himself under Maui's not very sympathetic eyes.

"You better get a grip, man. Or else." The threat lost no severity when hissed. In fact, he would much rather have it screamed at his face.

Kiakaha swallowed the excessive and bitter saliva in his mouth. Any traces of friendship were gone and it pained him to know how fast they vanished. He guessed that endangering Moana had something to with it. Or at least, he hoped that was the reason. He wouldn't like to learn Maui's carefree company was meant to lure him into their plot but he didn't think the demigod was that manipulative, even though he was a famous trickster.

"Here. Drink it slowly." Moana handed him an opened coconut as he wondered how she'd react if she knew of Maui's threat. He decided that it was better this way. He didn't feel in actual danger and maintaining the harmony between them was more important than starting a silly brawl.

He followed Moana's instructions and took tiny sips between deep breaths. His stomach settled and the world was no longer spinning after a few minutes.

"Thanks." He sighed relieved. "I guess… if we are doing this, you need to know the whole truth."

Moana sat on the floor and nodded, urging him to begin his story. Kiakaha cleared his throat and spoke for the first time of a tale that began way before he was even born.


Sorry I haven't been updating as frequently as you and I would like. Holidays really consume your time. Moments of inspiration are fleeting and, as always, directed to a new idea instead of an already ongoing story. Any Shokugeki no Soma (Food Wars) fans in here? I might release a IkumiXSoma one shot sometime in the future. As I said, inspiration comes and goes as it pleases. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!