The next morning, Maui saw Lalotai in the distance. He grinned, knowing April could be there. He glanced at Moana who was still asleep on the deck of the boat before smiling.
Almost there, Mo. He thought, looking straight ahead again, Just a few more minutes... He then smirked as he got an idea. Maybe I can spray water at her before I dock. He chuckled to himself as he thought of how she could react to his little wake-up call.
He then felt something on his chest and assumed it was Mini Maui shaking his head at him before looking down, seeing that his tattooed counterpart was, in fact, shaking his head, his hand to his face.
"What?" Maui asked with a shrug, "It'll wake her up faster than me just saying her name to get her up. And it'll work instantly!" Mini Maui then shook his head before pointing down in Moana's direction.
Confused, Maui looked down at Moana to see her already sitting up on the deck and rubbing her eyes. She then yawned as she looked up at Maui, who just rolled his eyes.
"Get enough rest, Princess?" He asked, looking straight towards Lalotai before seeing they were there and docking the boat, "Beause we're about to go in." Moana nodded before getting up.
"Ready when you are, Maui." She said with a smile as Maui grabbed his hook before stepping off the canoe. She followed closely behind before she heard a splashing sound and looked to see that the ocean had drenched Maui.
"Oh c'mon!" He complained, turning towards it with his arms spread out as Moana giggled, "It was going to be a small spray, just enough to wake her up!" Moana looked at the tattooed version of Maui, who was now smirking.
"I guess it doesn't like you messing with me." She said playfully with a smile, "Besides, we princesses do need our sleep, right?" Maui just rolled his eyes and shook his head with a snort.
"Sure, Mo." He said, walking to the rock wall of the mountain before twirling his hook and turning to face her, "So, we gonna climb this thing? Or do you wanna take a ride on my back as I fly to the top of the mountain in my hawk form?" Moana grinned.
"I wanna take a ride on your hawk form." She said as she walked over to him, "Besides, it'll be the first time I ever rode on an animal."
Maui smiled as he twirled his hook around before the familiar flash of blue light appeared. Moana smiled as she then saw her friend standing before her as a hawk.
"Well? You gonna hop on or not?" Maui asked as he tilted his head, still smiling. Moana nodded before going over to him and climbing onto his back, Maui allowing her to do so by getting low to the ground.
Maui then let out his signature battle cry as he immediately flew up into the air, giving Moana a rush of adrenaline as she held on tight, the wind blowing through her hair. The biggest smile Maui had ever seen was stretched across her face as he glanced at her before watching where he was going again.
"Having fun Curly?" He asked her, feeling he already knew the answer. Glancing back at her again, he saw her nod, the same smile stretched across her face.
"I've never rode on a giant hawk before!" She exclaimed happily before Maui reached the top of the mountain. As he landed, he smiled at her once more before changing back to his human form.
"You wanna do it again once we get out of Lalotai?" He asked, holding his hook over his shoulder, "I mean, you can choose whose back to ride on."
Moana was about to ask if he meant that April was a shapeshifter too, but feeling she knew the answer she just nodded her head yes.
"Alright, hawk ride it is." He said, twirling his hook as he began walking to the center, "First let me open up the gate to Lalotai and we'll be on our way to find April!"
Moana watched as he did the haka that opened the gate, then saw the center open up once he was finished and she ran over, allowing Maui to jump first knowing he most likely wanted to get in first to find April.
After they had reached the bottom, Moana and Maui started looking around as they headed for Tamatoa's lair. They both found it a few minutes later, seeing that Tamatoa was no longer where they had left him.
Huh... Maui thought as he mentally shrugged, I guess she is here.
He and Moana cautiously walked to the entrance of Tamatoa's lair before peeking around the corner to see inside. They then saw the pile of treasure lying on the ground, Moana knowing from their last adventure that it wasn't just a normal pile of treasure lying there but treasure from the giant crab's shell.
"Does he know that disguise isn't fooling anyone?" Moana asked quietly so as to not attract any unwanted attention towards herself and Maui.
Maui was about to answer before something quickly flew into him, forcefully knocking him onto his back before immediately transforming back to its human form.
"Well well well, if it isn't Maui." The female sneered, her wavy brown hair in front of her shoulders, dark blue eyes staring into his as she glared at him, "What brings you back here? I thought Tamatoa already kicked your sorry a–"
"Look April." Maui began, cutting the female off as he pushed her off him and stood up, "I know you may have a grudge on me for taking Tamatoa's leg and wanting to steal the Heart, but...how do you know he was able to beat me that time?" April rolled her eyes.
"Duh! Isn't it obvious?" She asked as if it was some kind of joke as she pushed her hair back behind her shoulders, "I know because I was there!" Maui frowned.
"What?" He asked, confused, "But how?"
"Not telling you." She growled, glaring at him again, "All I'm going to say is that we're both shapeshifters, remember?" Maui rolled his eyes.
"Look, April, I know that." He said, now becoming just slightly annoyed, "Now can I tell you why I came here?" April snorted and crossed her arms.
"What, you're gonna ask for me back?" She questioned with a smirk, "Because if so, it's a no. We were friends before you started doing all these crimes Maui! You blew it for yourself, I didn't! And I'm pretty glad I got to see you so vulnerable and miserable without your hook! It really was karma!"
As Maui's anger rose and he held his hook out in front of him, April quickly brought out her staff. Tamatoa stirred before rising, a few shiny treasures falling from the pile on his shell, but Maui was too distracted with April to notice.
"Does Crab Cake have anything to do with the way you're acting towards me?" Maui asked through clenched teeth, "Because if so, we've fought before to see who was better and I won." April snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Please, that was back when we were friends." She spat, her staff glowing blue at the end as she gripped the handle tighter, "Now I know how to beat you since your last fight with Tamatoa proved you have a disadvantage without your hook. If I can get that away from you, then you'll have nothing to fight me with!" Moana looked confused as Tamatoa watched in amusement.
"Wait, you guys have the same powers, right?" Moana asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "If you do, wouldn't it take a long time for the battle to end?" Maui and April both looked at her.
"Well, uh...I tend to shapeshift more often to make things harder for my enemies." Maui explained, rubbing the back of his neck, "And I've been teaching April – well, I was teaching her before we had that big argument – but she was learning slowly."
While Maui was distracted, April took the opportunity to rush toward him and tackle him to the ground. She then held her staff to his throat as he quickly kicked her off.
"What is wrong with you?!" Maui shouted, glaring at her as she lifted her head up from the ground and glared back at him.
"Tamatoa told me everything about you." She said in a low voice, "He told me you don't need us which is why you took his leg and went off to steal the Heart by yourself!" Maui looked surprised.
"I didn't– What?!"
"I thought about it after he said it and thought that since you were bent on stealing the Heart and even took his leg, you probably didn't care much for your old friends!"
Maui could see the hurt in her eyes as she said that, even though she tried to hide it. He then figured what Tamatoa had told him about trying to be tough during their last visit also applied to her, too. He smirked inwardly, seeing an advantage.
"Look, we've both been through tough times, I know." Maui said, looking down, "But I... You see, what I did wrong was out of my own selfishness. And taking Tamatoa's leg was out of rage..."
"We know that, duh!" April said as if he were stupid, "And don't forget you beat Tamatoa before you took his leg, too! That's why he–"
"Will you please let me finish?" Maui asked, interrupting her and giving her a look. She just glared at him in response, her glare telling him he deserved the karma he got from last time.
"But we're both short-tempered." He continued once he saw she was silent, "So I understand you're angry – and hurt – that I abandoned you." He then looked down with a sigh before closing his eyes and clenching his fists. "I'm no better than my parents... I...tend to–" He interrupted himself as a lump rose in his throat, unable to say the last words that he wanted to say.
April would've rolled her eyes at this, but she couldn't – not when Maui was confessing something and having trouble getting the words out.
"I know..." She said, looking down herself, "You tend to abandon people when you get angry." She also closed her eyes. "I shouldn't be angry at that... I should've only been angry at you taking his leg."
Maui's eyes shut tighter as he tried to keep the tears back, unable to bring himself to look at Moana in fear she'd be upset at him about the truth.
"Oh look, little Maui's trying not to cry." Tamatoa teased with a smirk, "See, that's exactly what I mean when I say that you try to be tough but don't have hard enough armor." April glared at him.
"Shut up." She said, walking over to Maui, "All you seem to do is pick on people who are broken in some way just to make yourself seem – or maybe feel – better. Sure he took your leg, but that's no excuse to pick at his weak points, because he never did that to you."
She then went to hug him but he moved away. She was curious as to why, but she just decided to leave him alone for now, making sure to stay by his side.
"Look, I'm sorry I put you through what I did earlier..." She apologized, looking down, "I-I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry..." Now she was on the verge of tears. Maui glanced up at her.
"Hey, it's okay." He assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "We all make mistakes... And besides, I understand you were upset about me taking his leg. I should've just realized that before getting mad at you." Moana and Tamatoa both watched in silence, Tamatoa still kind of in shock from what April had told him since he thought she was completely on his side before then.
"A-Are we still...friends?" April asked, a bit shy to ask that after the way she'd treated him earlier, "If not, I understand..." She looked down at the ground. "I've lost a few friends due to my temper." Maui glanced at Tamatoa before looking back at April.
"I have too." He said with a smile, wiping away a few stray tears that had managed to escape her eyes, "But it doesn't matter as long as we have each other" – he looked at Moana, still smiling – "and maybe a few other friends" – he then looked back at April – "by our side. Besides, we all make mistakes and all we can do is learn from them." April smiled at him then hugged him, a long forgotten feeling growing inside her as he hugged back.
Is this love? She thought with a smile, hugging him a bit tighter, It must be. They then gently pulled away from the hug.
"So, you wanna go on adventures again like old times?" He asked with a grin, twirling his hook before holding it over his shoulder, "My treat!" April smiled at the offer before casting a sideways glance at Tamatoa.
Well it wouldn't be like old times without him... She thought, I mean, I spent all this time with him and can't leave him behind. Maui frowned.
"Something wrong?" He asked, wondering what she was thinking about. April shrugged.
"I know you guys hate each other but...I can't leave him" – she gestured to Tamatoa – "behind..." Tamatoa's eyes widened before he shook it off.
"You can't leave me behind?" He scoffed, narrowing his eyes, "Well you did with how you took his side." He then glared at Maui.
"Look, Crab Cake, she's trying to be nice." Maui explained, planting his hook on the ground before crossing his arms, "Are you coming or are we just going to leave you behind?"
"C'mon Tamatoa." Moana said with a smile, "Don't you want to be friends again?" Tamatoa rolled his eyes.
"Me? Be friends with him?" He questioned, glaring at her, "Please, if I wanted to lose another leg I'd do it." He then crossed his claws like arms as he stuck his nose(?) into the air. Maui snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Okay." He said casually, "Your loss Crab Cake." He then turned around to face the entrance to the lair. "C'mon guys. We don't have time to waste on beady-eyed bottomfee–" Suddenly a claw came down hard on him, knocking him face-down on the ground. April silently gasped.
"What did you just call me?" Tamatoa asked in a low voice before yanking Maui up by the hair as he was in the middle of getting up from the hit. He then held Maui to where the demigod was face-to-face with him.
Oh boy... April thought, just staring at them as she watched, This is not going to end well.
Okay I had a feeling this was a good place to end this chapter: at a cliffhanger. Anyway, tell me what you think! I'd love to hear feedback from you, if you have any. If not, that's cool too.
See ya in the next chapter!