Chapter Seven

Another month passed and Maui was beginning to feel a little restless. He had flown around the neighboring islands many times but they were small. There were so many other islands that were much larger and filled with exciting new adventures, but he refused to leave for more than a day. If Moana's tree was here Maui would be too.

. . . . . . .

A few months later

Time wasn't supposed to affect immortal beings, but it was starting to crush Maui. As much as he loved the flowery twig, he was having a hard time sitting still. He went on super long hikes, flew to the farthest reach of the sister islands, and played small tricks on the locals every now and then.

He had done everything he could.

"Maui, you're still here?" Kamapua'a asked with great amusement. Maui sat stubbornly beside Moana's tree and looked over the ocean. "You do realize that she is safe here… don't you?"

Maui remained silent but he continued to fidget slightly. Kamapua'a chuckled and moved his eyes from Maui to Moana's tree.

"Aramoana, what do you think of this demi-god? Is he stifling you?" Kamapua'a asked and laid his hand on the tree's bark. His smile widened and he laughed.

Maui glared at the pig god. "...Aramoana?"

"Pathway of the Sea," Kamapua'a translated. "She led her people across the ocean. Through her, the ocean gave safe passage."

Maui looked back at the ocean and frowned thoughtfully.

"I will watch her while you are gone, Maui," Kamapua'a stated.

"Why would I leave? I only just got her back," Maui argued.

"Because you can barely sit still and even trees get sick of people," Kamapua'a smiled again. Maui thought it over and looked up at the Plumeria tree.

"Yeah, well, tricksters can't be trusted. I should know," Maui smirked.

"But two tricksters add up to one honest man! Tricking you would only start a battle that would never end. As much as I like you Maui, I don't want to commit to an eternal relationship," Kamapua'a quipped as he leaned on the Plumeria tree lazily.

Maui's brow furrowed and he thought.

"One week," Maui stated sternly. "I will be back in one week. Keep her s…"

"Yes, yes... Shoo! Go on. I won't be here more than a week so make it count, demi-god," Kamapua'a nimbly climbed to the top of Moana's tree and sat on a branch playfully.

. . . . . . .

"CHEEEEEEHOOOOO!" Maui yelled as he flew through the thunderclouds. The winds were strong and lightning cracked the sky dangerously but Maui enjoyed it. He was on an adventure!

*scream*

Maui's slowed and he listened.

He heard it again.

Maui dove through the clouds and flew above the massive waves. Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and Maui's eyes finally saw it. A small fishing boat was being thrown about by the storm and a young boy was clinging to the side of the boat. It was that boy from Pele's hut!

"Lani!" Maui yelled. A massive wave crashed into the boat and swallowed it whole.

. . . . . . .

"There has to be a way to get rid of it," the cloaked woman said with frustration. She lifted her cloak high on her thigh to show the mark on her skin. "Talk to Rehua for me. He refuses to answer me."

Pele frowned as she sat forward on her rocking chair to get a closer look at the woman's skin. "He is a stubborn old man who likes to meddle in other peoples' business… But I can try speaking with him if you can find a way to pay me back for it."

"Thank you," the woman said gratefully.

"What do you plan to do about your other little problem?" Pele asked with a smirk.

"I… haven't quite worked that out yet," the woman answered sheepishly.

"You know, things are different now. Maybe…" Pele began thoughtfully.

*CRASH*

Both women jumped in surprise as Maui burst through the hut door, dripping seawater all over the floor. He looked up at the two of them. Pele stood from her chair in anger while the other woman quickly covered her thigh with her cloak. But Maui ignored their actions and set his wet bundle of cloth on the floor.

"Maui?! What are you doing here! Get out! Get out of my hut!" Pele yelled.

"Now is not the time," Maui stated sternly. Pele stopped. She had only ever seen this look in his eyes one other time.

*whimper*

Pele gasped as she realized the bundle of cloth was shivering. She knelt down and pulled some of the material away.

"My Gods… Lani," Pele gasped. She pulled the rest of the cloth away and carefully pulled the shivering boy into her arms. "Shhhh…. There, there, everything will be okay."

"I found him on a fishing boat in the middle of the storm. He had just been swallowed by the ocean when I got to him," Maui explained seriously.

"He doesn't know how to sail. Why would he be on a fishing boat?" Pele asked.

"I don't know, but he was out pretty far," Maui answered.

Pele lifted the boy from the ground and sat down on her chair with Lani on her lap. "Thank you, Maui," she whispered, not meeting his eyes. As she rocked on her chair, she warmed Lani's body and chased away the water that soaked his clothes.

Maui smiled a little and stood from his spot on the floor. His eyes turned from Pele to the woman who sat quietly in the corner. She wore the hood of her cloak over her head so he couldn't see her face but he could tell she had long dark hair and perfect tanned skin.

Pele saw the direction his gaze had taken. "I hear that Kamapua'a has come to visit these islands. What is his business here?"

"Oh, please," Maui muttered with a smirk. "You know he only bothers to come here because of you. Speaking of Pig boy, I thought you both had a good thing going. Why did you become so hostile all of a sudden?"

"Personal reasons," Pele blushed a little.

"Right," Maui smirked. Pele looked away and Maui's eyes moved. The woman in the corner turned her head away from his gaze.

"Take good care of Lani," Maui said with another look towards Pele. She opened her mouth to answer but Maui was already out the door.

"Go. I'll talk to Rehua," Pele said as she continued to dry the boy in her arms. The woman in the corner got up from the corner and hurried out the door.

. . . . . . .

4 days later

No matter what Maui did, the stars kept switching around. His hook in the sky was now curved in the wrong direction and the North Star was on the wrong side of the sky. Everything was out of place.

The only constellation that didn't move was the heart.

Maui was still stuck on the island of Hawai'i and most of the week was now gone. There was no way he could navigate his way anywhere without the guidance of the stars. He could probably find a few islands if he kept flying in one direction but he wouldn't be able to find his way back before Kamapua'a left.

So he stayed and visited nearby villages. The one he found today was called Pahala. It was small but it was well known for its sugar fields and the people seemed happy enough. As Maui walked through the village, children pointed at him and gasped in awe. The mothers were mortified by their indiscretion but Maui laughed and made faces at the kids when their mothers weren't looking.

When Maui was done riling up every child in the village, he was just about to walk to the next settlement when he heard a group of men speaking in hushed voices as they fished.

"Do you think she'll stay the night?"

"Probably. We have the best sugar of the sister islands. Besides, I'm pretty sure the whole village is in love with her. She would have to fight her way out if she wanted to leave now."

"I heard that she agreed to stay in my Auntie's hut for the night."

"Great! You should invite us over for dinner so we can meet her!"

"Grow some coconuts and meet her yourself!"

Maui chuckled a little. "They're just boys. I'll show them how a real man should meet a girl," he thought to himself.

Evening came quick and the whole village had found a way to stuff themselves into poor Auntie's hut.

"Geez," Maui muttered to himself as he watched the last of the villagers push his way into the hut. "Either they don't have enough women for their sons to marry or this girl is a goddess."

Maui shook his head, shifted into a lizard, and crawled into the hut through an open window.

"My Gods! All of you sit and calm yourselves," an older woman ordered the villagers as she stood in front of her bedroom door. "The poor girl is shy enough as it is without you all suffocating her!"

The group grumbled a little. Most of the men stood to save legroom while the women sat on the floor holding their younger children. Maui had just hidden in the corner of the room under Auntie's chair when the back bedroom door began to open.

*creeeeaaaak*

The whole hut went silent as the bedroom door opened and a woman hesitantly walked out to meet everyone.

"Heeeeeey… everyone!" the woman chuckled nervously and stood next to Aunty with a smile.

"That voice," Maui thought to himself. He poked his head out a little farther and tried to catch a glimpse of the woman's face. There were too many people blocking his view. He carefully crawled out from under the chair and tried to see past the woman in front of him.

The woman leaned a little to the left, which opened a gap for Maui to see through. He frowned. He could only see her legs. Just as he was about to look for another opening, he noticed something on her skin.

A tattoo of a heart-shaped constellation.

Maui's curiosity peaked. He quickly crawled to the next opening and looked through. This time, he could only see the very top of her head. As he moved to the next gap, a small child spotted the reptile, pushed past his mother, and grabbed Maui's tail.

The child laughed as Maui desperately tried to wiggle out of his grasp but the toddler had a rather strong grip. His mother shushed and tried to pick up her son until she saw what he had in his hands.

"Kai!" the mother yelled. "Kai! Let that poor little lizard go! It's mean to grab animals like that."

Everyone in the room laughed as her son squeezed Maui harder and refused to let him go. The boy flung him around and laughed.

For just a moment, Maui caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman's face. She looked just like...

When the mother had finally pulled Maui free, he climbed up to the window and looked back at the group inside the hut.

The woman with the tattoo was gone.