Golden sunlight filtered in through the open sides of the fall as Moana awoke. Staring up at the thatched roof of fronds she lay quietly, feeling every single muscle, joint, and bone ache. Her throat was dry and as she opened her mouth her tongue unstuck itself with a loud smack from the roof of her mouth. Grimacing, Moana looked for a gourd of water but with no avail. Instead of getting up, she decided to lay there a little longer, listening to the far off sounds of village life, and the occasional movement of birds and beetles.

"Moana?"

Her name startled her, Moana looked to her right too quickly causing a sharp pain travel up her neck and into her head.

"Yeah, Mom?" Moana groaned, trying to quickly rub the pain away.

Sina pushed aside a lowered tapestry and poked her head in. Now more than ever did Moana notice the fine lines covering her face, the toughness of her mothers skin relaxing in her neck. Ash and gray was her hair, instead of the black that it used to be. However her eyes were still lively and beautiful as ever.

"Oh Moana," Sina called, quickly coming in and hugging her daughter. "You came in so late last night that when I saw you here this morning," A pause, a sucking of breath while Moana was squeezed tighter, "I'm glad you slept, it is late afternoon. You must be hungry."

Moana hugged her mother back, the rough siapo cloth of her mother's clothing rubbing against her bare skin. "If anything, I'm thirsty," She responded slowly forming the words over her sticky tongue. "I need to get dressed and put my canoe away, and empty it."

Sina shook her hands in dismissal, the gesture smooth like she was dancing, " No you don't. Your father and some of the other villagers put it away earlier this morning," Standing, Sina went over to a large basket and opened it, pulling out a red and white tapa cloth, before she continued, "You have other things that you need to deal with today, Moana."

"Like what?" Moana retorted, her temper easily flaring. Maybe she was more hungry than she thought, and gave her mom an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired, hungry," Moana dragged off, looking down at her hands in her lap. There was silence, and she heard Sina sigh, a few footsteps and then she watched her mother sit next to her.

"You were gone for some time, your Father and I were worried about you." Sina said quietly.

"A storm forced me ashore. If I would have stayed out it would not have ended in anyones liking," Moana spoke around a yawn, shaking her head slightly as her ears popped in response. " I was stuck on an island for two days, and on my last leg of the journey to Te Fiti I was down to one mango and a coconut."

"All that matters is that you made it home safe," Sina patted Moana on the leg and stood, leaving her clothes on the floor next to her. Moana watched her mother walk away and before she completely disappeared behind the tapestry she came in, Sina looked back, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Moana swallowed. Her heart fluttered and she just smiled, "Of course." However she knew she did not pull the way over Sina's eyes. The dark orbs scoured her daughters face with a tightlipped smile.

"Of course," Sina echoed and Moana watched her mother and green jeweled beetle disappear behind the tapestry.

Looking back at her empty lap, and her naked legs, Moana let out a long sigh, tilted her head back and ran her hand over her hair. Of course, not was what she really wanted to say. Of course she didn't find Maui on the Island of Te Fiti. Of course she couldn't head to the bottom of Maui's Hook to see if he happened to be on his cursed island.

Grunting, Moana slammed her hands down on the mat underneath her and proceeded to dress herself and make an appearance to her people.

The evening festivities were loud and joyous since Moana that evening to celebrate her return. Everyone was thrilled to see her and asked her about her voyage. It took everything Moana had to convince them that there was nothing exciting that had happened, and that Te Fiti was still as glorious as when she had restored the heart.

Apparently she also had much to catch up on in the village. Two of the girls she grew up with had been married and set off with their husbands to a newly colonized island, an abundance of coconut crabs had shown up on the island, and the harvest was doing just fine.

"They all missed you, Moana." Tui, Moana's Father said in her ear. Moana looked at her father, his Chieftain crown on his head of abalone, Mother of Pearl, and red feathers. He had aged too, it seemed, in the short time that she was gone and her heart began to ache for her Gramma Tala. The wrinkles near his eyes shifted and deepened as he smiled at her, and she smiled back.

"I have missed them too Dad, it is good to be home," Moana responded whole heartedly. Looking out to the gathered village, she saw many people she grew up with, some were not there having passed away, and some left to stay on the few islands they have discovered. Five years was a long, yet short time when you looked at it through a village perspective. So much could happen.

A movement caught her eye in the mens' section of the gathered group and Moana looked to see who it was. She recognized a man that was a few years older than her, Kekoa, a cousin of hers. He was wearing the ornamental red of the royal line, and while he was not directly in line for Chief, his family was well respected. His pe'a that was showing over his lava-lava was freshly healed, dark and symmetrical. Kekoa stepped out in the middle empty row between the two crowds and held his arms open wide, showing new tatau work on his left pectoral. Moana stared at him, he was well built for a fisherman, broad and muscular his pe'a coming over his hip bones accentuating the thick nature of his waist.

"Chief Tui," he bowed, the sleek mess of black waves falling over his shoulder, " I have come to give praise that Moana is back from her journey." Kekoa stood tall again and took a few steps forward, a hand seeking a small bag he had tied to his waist. "Moana," he spoke, close enough to where he used a normal speaking tone, "I have a gift for you."

Moana saw her Chief Tui sit up straighter, a small smile on his lips that he was very urgently trying to hide. Sina peeked around the massive shoulder of her husband, not so shy about the smile splitting her face in half. Turning back quickly to Kekoa, the heavy headdress causing a strain on her neck, she saw the gift in his hand. An intricate string of pearls with abalone shell, knotted together in a design that could only be crafted by the deft hands of a fisherman with the knowledge of knots.

She stared at the gift, beautiful as it was, Moana felt her eyes grow larger, zoning out on the way the pearls glittered in the flame light. Things began to go out of focus, noises became fuzzy and what she thought was a warm sweat was actually cold and clammy down her spine. One brow slowly arched as she tried to collect her thoughts, and forced herself to swallow.

"Ke-," Moana choked, put a hand to her chest and tried to form her words.

"I would like to court you, Moana. The approval has already been granted, please take my gift," Kekoa interrupted, taking a few steps more towards Moana, and placing the necklace just below her feet.

She couldn't breath, all she could feel was the hard thumps of her heart against her chest, and the blood was rushing quickly in her ears. Moana's eyes were large, and locked on Kekoa's face whose smile was broad and bright knowing full well she couldn't say no to her first courter. There was a large hand on her back, bringing her back to where she was and she looked at her Father, who smiled and raised his brows in urgency.

"Yes, I accept," Was all Moana could fumble out of her mouth, tripping over the words, tripping over her own heart beat. She wore the necklace now, only narrowly escaping the crowd that thronged around the two after the meal, during the dancing. Most everyone had gone to sleep and Moana admitted she was tired as well, the only thing saving her was that she must still be tired from the voyage. However it was a lie, and when she knew she was in the Chief's Fala long enough in the dark, for people to assume she was asleep she left and took the long way to shore.

Staring out into the open sea Moana let the ocean lap at her ankles, her body rocking back and forward with the swelling and receding tide. Her hand slowly made its way to her neck, the unfamiliar necklace there hugging her collar bone with rough fibers, not the beautiful necklace of her ancestors. A frown pulled hard at her lips, drawing them down to her clenched jaw where she felt the tightness of her throat choke out a noise, just in time for the well of hot tears to escape her eyes.

Moana cried into the backs of her hands, happy to be on the far side of the island where her tears were drowned out by the waves. The tears soon turned to sobs, her breath pitching her cries and choking her, causing her to stumble into the sea foam where she kneeled and stared up at the Fishhook dangling in the sky, glittering in the black expanse of sky.

"Where are you?" Moana called out to the constellation.