A/N: Sorry it took a while for an update guys. I've been fighting a nasty bug the past few days and have been recovering. Anyway, if you don't know, Rapa Nui is Easter Island, at the very Eastern tip of the Polynesian Triangle. This chapter is loosely based off what we know of its culture, though most of it is made up. So, don't quote me on my history ;) please enjoy the chapter. Rose, out!

Chapter 8: Rapa Nui

"Before Maui leaves next time, I'll be sure to tie his sorry butt to the bottom of the ocean," Moana mumbled angrily that morning, yanking uselessly at her sheet as the wind tucked it towards the right side of her canoe, "demigoddess of the ocean, pfft. Once I return this heart to Tangaroa, I'll just be normal Moana again. Then maybe Maui will stop avoiding me,"

Mini Mo didn't seem impressed, sitting on the shores of a small inked island and holding a coconut in one hand. The poor tattoo girl had been listening to Moana's frustrated ramblings all morning, and had taken up a sitting position a few hours before.

Meanwhile, the young wayfinder was currently wrestling with the ocean. Even as a demigoddess of the waves and sea, Moana figured out she had little control over the weather. In fact, there was a dark, merciless looking cloud coming upon the horizon now, tossing the waves like grains of sand as Moana prepared herself. It was certainly nice that she didn't have to put as much effort into her wayfinding as before, as the ocean seemingly knew where Maui had gone. But she still had to put some effort in to keep from capsizing in bad weather.

Even as an experienced wayfinder, Moana found herself out of her element during storms. She could navigate them of course, and wait it out till the anger passed by, but she couldn't help but think of before her adventure to Tē Fiti. Her father lost his best friend to the ocean. Though, it wasn't technically the ocean's fault. If Moana had learned anything about her greatest ally in the past few years, its that weather and sea didn't mix well.

"Things are about to get rough, Mo," Moana stated, pulling in her sail to keep it from shredding in the wind as a harsh wave broke over the deck, "hold onto something,"

The little tattoo girl did as she was told as Moana clutched to her ropes and leaned off the back of her canoe, rising up on a harsh lull. On top, she could see the horizon rising and falling, the morning air crackling with fresh electricity. Groaning as they fell back down into the trough of the next wave, Moana took the time to tuck her neckless under the hem of her shirt as sharp water droplets splashed across her face,

"I am Moana," the wayfinder growled out, ducking and gasping as water stuck in her long dark curls, "demigoddess of the ocean - woah,"

Moana stumbled slightly as a wave lifted the right side of the canoe into the air, nearly causing her to go overboard as she shifted her weight to the opposite side of the raft, "I am the Chief of Motunui, and ally of Maui,"

Moana pulled her sheet as the white foam of another surge took over the canoe, the wind catching in the cloth as the canoe rose high into the air before crashing down again, "and I command you, Tangaroa, god of the great sea, to take back your heart!"

There was a bright flash of lightning as Moana held to her ropes, only to gasp at what had suddenly formed before her. It was made completely out of dark foam and water, staring at her through soulless eyes as it's long limbs spread from the wave itself. To Moana (who had very little experience with Maui's world), it looked similar to the light Rongomai sent by Auahitūroa. Except, this one was made of her own element,

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?!"

Moana gasped as the creature turned to face her, mouth open and face staring as it's hand reached out towards her canoe. Mini Mo was panicking on her shoulder as Moana let loose her sails, "abandon ship!"

Jumping into the dark water, Moana swam away as her canoe was destroyed by a large hand of water, sending it careening down into the depths. Paddling uselessly against the waves, Moana avoided another large hand as it tried to grab hold of her. Preoccupied, the drowning wayfinder barely noticed how her heart glowed and vibrated against her skin, illuminating the blackwater as her lungs burned with a need for air.

Just then, as Moana thought of giving up and letting the waves overcome her, she felt something soft touch her hands. Grabbing onto it out of unconscious thought, she was suddenly propelled towards the surface as her head broke through and she took a deep gasp,

"What the-?"

Turning, Moana could see the Rongomai flailing about in its own storm, pounding at the water for Moana, who was no longer there. Shifting her eyes downward, the chief could see a soft, velvety fin protruding from the water, as well as a sleek grey blue body holding her up. Around her, many more backs arched out of the rough seas, breaching and blowing up steam through their foreheads. Dolphins?

Moana had only seen such creatures when she was on the open sea. They liked to play in the spray of her travel canoes, jumping and clicking as they raced. Now, Moana was clutching to one, as it took her away from the danger and towards somewhere Moana didn't know,

"This is amazing!" Moana breathed, feeling the ocean spray once again on her cheeks as the group of animals darted in the water, clattering and twisting about as Moana watched them. It seemed the Dolphins were the only creatures which didn't want to kill her. Glancing down at Mini Mo, she was clutching onto her mast, shivering as Moana chuckled and stroked her hair with a finger, "I think we'll be ok, Mo,"

Moana didn't remember landing. In fact, she didn't remember much of her trip with the Dolphins at all. Groaning slightly and fluttering her eyes, Moana was immedatly met with a floor, four walls and a ceiling. Gasping slightly, the young wayfinder sat up, only to wince at the soreness of her entire being. (Being tossed around by an ocean God and then hitchhiking with Dolphins would do that to anyone, Moana supposed). Rolling her neck and clenching her teeth, Moana looked at herself. Mini Mo was curled up sleeping in her canoe, and a new tattoo had appeared on her opposite shoulder.

It was another version of Mini Mo, clutching the back of a Dolphin while the Ocean Rongomai was small in the background. Rubbing it slightly with a hand, Moana glanced up when someone entered the hut,

"Oh! You're awake!" The woman was tall and slender, as well as dark skinned. In her hand was a bowl of what looked to be paint, and she had her dark hair in long, thin dreads, "welcome to my home, traveler. Who are you?"

"Moana, Chief of Motunui,"

"Oh. You're a long way from home then, Moana. I am Rina, mother of the Chief here on our little Paradise,"

"I hate to be rude, Rina, and I appreciate your hospitality, but where exactly am I? How did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" Rina questioned, sitting down before Moana with her bowl of paint and a concerned frown, "some of the fishermen found you clinging to the cliffs last night, barely conscious. Did you blow in with a storm?"

"Uh," Moana glanced at the Dolphins on her opposite shoulder and smiled weakly, "something like that. What-what do you call this place?"

"You, Moana of Motunui, are on Rapa Nui,"

"Rapa Nui?" Moana breathed, knitting her brows. How far had she actually traveled? Shaking her head as she rubbed it tiredly, Rina patted her knee with a hand,

"No worries, dear. We'll just get you painted up here, and then I'll give you a little tour of the island. It's not big, but it's home. Now, how old are you?"

"Uh, I'm 19? What exactly is the paint for?"

"It's to mark your age and status here on Rapa Nui. Just hold still now,"

Doing as she was told, Moana felt the coolness of the paint on her skin as Rina set to work. First, she made a band of 19 dots on Moana's upper right arm, then, four streaks of paint right under her eyes, and three more dots above her eyebrow. Finally, Rina switched out her white paint for red as she traced a line from the bottom of Moana's nose, down across her lips and to the bottom of her chin,

"There. This red one will mark you as a visitor here. Now get freshened up, I'll wait outside,"

Nodding slightly, Rina left the small stone hut as Moana stood up and looked about the room, pulling her hair up out of habit as she glanced at herself in a polished piece of stone hanging on the wall. The wayfinder almost didn't recognize herself with the paint on. Pursing her lips, Moana turned to look at Mini Mo who was trying to get her attention,

"Listen, the Ocean brought us here for a reason. Besides, I don't want to refuse Rina's hospitality. Now shush,"

Mini Mo looked offended as she rolled her eyes and took up position, allowing Moana to head outside the hut. Rina was just outside, petting a strange, four legged animal with odd, rectangular eyes,

"What is it?"

"It's a goat. You really must be far from home if you've never seen one of these before," Rina said, patting the animal so it ran off, "well Moana, what do you think of our little paradise?"

Glancing around cautiously, Moana was surprised at the vast difference of culture she was seeing. There was very little vegetation on Rapa Nui, and instead, vast patches of green grass grew over top of flat roofed stone huts. The paths between them were made of dirt, and towering above were massive stone statues,

"What are those for?" Moana asked, pointing to the statue as Rina bristled proudly,

"Moai, statues of our ancestors which protect our island from the wrath of Tangaroa,"

"His wrath?" Moana questioned, taking a woven basket Rina handed to her as the two woman began to walk through the narrow paths between huts. Nodding, Rina chuckled,

"Oh yes. Our greatest ancestor, Hotu Matu'a, took this island from the ocean king. Supposedly, he used his Moai to hide the entrance to Tangaroa's realm, so he would get confused about where the entrance was and couldn't escape,"

"Oh?" Moana glanced slightly at the large statues and felt a shiver go up her spine, "what happened?"

"Tangaroa got angry. Let's just say Rapa Nui used to be bigger,"

Rina chuckled heartily as she filled Moana's basket with small stones from the pathway, waving to other people as they walked by and shouted unfamiliar greetings. Before Moana could ask more about the history of the island and Tangaroa, the sound of drums could be heard. Turning on her heel, the young wayfinder blinked at what she saw. Four bare chested men were parading a very familiar giant hawk through the village, the creatures wings tied to a stick as it struggled. Watching as they passed, Moana and the bird made eye contact, and she didn't need to guess whom she just happened to run into. Maui.