Chapter Four
Pele gave an exasperated sigh, "It has been 400 years, Maui. A mere human stands no chance against time."
"Then tell me why her constellation is in the sky!" Maui insisted furiously.
"I have no answers for you, Maui," Pele answered coldly. "The appearance of a few new stars does not mean that Moana has made it back to the world of the living."
"But spirits have been known to travel between the land of the dead and the living," Maui contended.
"And that warrants a new constellation? Even if her spirit is roaming the living world, the stars would not move for her," Pele stated frankly.
"Then maybe she was…" Maui started but trailed off.
"Saved?" Pele finished his sentence. Maui flinched slightly. "Tell me, Maui. If she is still alive, why hasn't she come to see you?"
"I… don't know," Maui answered.
"There you have it. Either way, Moana is beyond your reach," Pele said, looking out the front door of her hut. "Now, get out of my hut."
Maui frowned and curled his hands into fists but the tension inside him was disrupted by a chuckle. Pele raised her eyebrows at him in surprise as a small smile began to cross Maui's features.
"You know? I think it is funny that you cherish that little boy. He reminds you of your sister, Hi`iaka, right?" Maui asked. "I can see the resemblance."
"Not another word, demigod," Pele seethed, brusquely walking forward and pointing a menacing finger at him.
"I heard she left you because you killed her lover out of jealousy and that you haven't seen her for centuries," Maui continued, looking at her hand with raised eyebrows.
"You know nothing! Get out of my hut!" Pele yelled, her eyes beginning to glow with hot anger.
"Maybe it was a good thing that I came and made the boy hate you. After all, gods should never become attached to mortals," Maui smiled at her as he backed up towards an open window. Pele snarled and she flicked her hand in Maui's direction. Maui transformed into a lizard and jumped out of the window as a violent gust of wind tore through the room, ripping the cloth of her chair and slicing the walls of her hut.
Pele ran to the window and looked for him but he was gone.
"Damn him…" Pele growled angrily.
. . . .
There wasn't a cloud in the sky as Maui flew to the close by Island of Maui. The new constellation in the sky was all he could bring himself to look at. Occasionally, he would get so distracted by the stars that he would begin to fly too low and nearly crash into the ocean.
A change in the stars wasn't unheard of. In fact, it was almost common. When Maui had become a demigod, some of the stars were moved to imitate the curve of his hook. There were also plenty of other constellations in the sky for other gods and timeless heroes. However, this new cluster of stars made his chest contract and his eyes water.
Shimmering in the sky, right next to Maui's hook, was a heart made of stars. A part of him wanted to write it off as a cheesy message from the gods but these were the same symbols that he had used to sign Moana's oar the first time he had met her. Throughout the remainder of her life, Moana drew a hook and heart somewhere on every new island she found. It was a message from her to Maui.
The constellation had to be a sign.
The next night, Maui landed in the woods on the same hill he had buried Moana. It had been years since he had last visited. He liked to think that her body was there where he had left it. Maybe the gods had been kind enough to at least stop Whiro from eating Moana… but Maui didn't have the courage to check if her remains were still there.
"Moana is gone and the only proof of her existence is the tattoo on my chest," Maui told himself. But the constellation had to mean something.
Maui took a deep breath as he made his way into the clearing where he had buried Moana. His eyes widened when he caught sight of a massive Plumeria tree. Pink flower petals covered almost every inch of the ground and large roots encircled the intricate tombstone that he had handcrafted for Moana. It was as if the tree was consuming it.
"Woe. That is one massive tree," Maui whispered as he stepped into the clearing.
"Do you like it?"
Maui tensed and turned around quickly with his hook clutched defensively in his hands. The only thing standing behind him was a lone Kukui tree. It was not nearly as large as the Plumeria tree but it was also full of flowers.
"Who's there?" Maui asked, his eyes searching the woods surrounding him.
There was no answer.
"Creepy…" Maui muttered, slowly lowering his hook.
A deep chuckle came from behind him. Maui turned his head and he swore under his breath. The Kukui tree that had been next to him earlier had vanished.
"Well, that's just great. I buried her at the foot of a ghost tree," Maui grumbled as he tightened his grip on his hook. The moon and the stars were bright but there were too many shadows in the forest surrounding him to make anything out.
"Fear… Why are you afraid, Large One?" a voice asked, filling the open space with a whisper.
"Pft! Afraid? Maui, the demigod of the wind and sea, hero to all, does not fear haunted twigs. Hell! I crush fear with my bodacious abs and use it to fertilize the coconut trees on this island…"
*snap*
Maui flinched and turned his gaze to the massive Plumeria tree. The shadow of a man could be seen sitting on a thick branch near the center of the tree. A small sense of disappointment trickled into Maui's heart but also a sense of relief. What would he have done if it had actually been her?
"Once you feared loss. Now you fear hope," the deep voice said thoughtfully. A broad smile could barely be seen on the stranger's face.
"I fear nothing," Maui claimed stubbornly. He took a step forward proudly and laid his hook over his shoulder. "I am especially not afraid of a pretty boy god like you, Kamapua'a."
"Hmm," the smile on the man's face grew a little wider and then he turned his face to the moon in the sky. "You haven't visited this place in a long time, my friend."
"I don't remember you ever being my friend," Maui frowned.
"Oh? What about kindred spirits, then?" Kamapua'a chuckled. "We have both caused a fair amount of mischief in our time."
"I have nothing to do with any of the gods," Maui answered bluntly.
"And why not? After all that has been given to you?" Kamapua'a asked, his expression neutral.
"…Given." Maui muttered dryly. "What about the things that have been taken?"
Kamapua'a shook his head and sighed. "Pele did something terrible. It was cruel of her but the lesson she was trying to teach was…"
"Was unnecessary. Moana may have been a mortal but the gods only blessed her. Blessings have never been against the rules!" Maui explained with frustration.
"And what of your heart, demigod? Were you showering the Wayfinder with mere blessings or affection?" Kamapua'a asked, watching Maui seriously.
"W-what are you…?" Maui stammered.
"Don't get me wrong! I have nothing against your methods of seducing women and having a few hundred one-night-stands but… you seemed to put a lot of effort into bedding one mortal woman," Kamapua'a stated with a smirk.
"It was never like that! Moana wasn't…" Maui began.
"She wasn't like anyone else. Right?" Kamapua'a cut him off. "She was a pure woman; a true leader! Born to be a hero among man. A woman worthy of eternal praise and adoration brought to her grave by the filthy hands of a greedy and disloyal husband…."
That is why I answered your prayer all of those years ago."
Maui's heart sputtered in his chest as the pig god gracefully slipped out of the tree.
"What?" Maui choked. Kamapua'a walked forward and laid his hand on Maui's shoulder. The pig god wasn't nearly as big or as tall as Maui but Kamapua'a had a handsome face framed with long dreadlocks that hung down to his waist. His skin was darker than Maui's but it was flawless and smooth to the touch. There was a kindness in his eyes as he glanced up at the demigod's face.
"You…? I don't understand," Maui said with confusion written on his face.
"You never did answer my question," Kamapua'a whispered, "Do you like the tree?"
Maui's eyes widened and his stomach tumbled as he took another look at the Plumeria tree standing before him. Moana had always loved those flowers.
"It's beautiful," Maui answered with a quiver in his voice. Then he smiled with a hint of mischief in his eyes, "It might be a little short, though."
As if reacting to his words, the tree groaned as the wind blew through its leaves.
