Chapter 15: Water and Fire

Moana felt somewhat honored. It wasn't every day, after all, that she got to watch Rohe, the goddess of the Underworld dress for battle. But then again, Moana was the one who had challenged Rohe to the duel in the first place...and she had a sinking feeling that she was going to get pummeled,

'Me and my big mouth,' Moana thought to herself, watching from one side of the throne room as many holoholona brought metallic pieces of armor to their goddess. The pressed silver shined and blazed like fire, and contrasted against Rohe's dark and gold arms as a winged helmet was placed over her braid, and a long spear was set into her hand. Moana held her oar tightly, like it would somehow protect her from Rohe's wrath,

"I am ready for our battle, little Wayfinder," Rohe said confidently, "my special battle request was my armor, and my weapon is my trusted spear. What of you, child?"

"Uh, my weapon is my oar," Moana held out the wooden tool in demonstration, "and...uh, my special battle request is a-a bowl of sea water,"

"Sea water? Whatever for, child?" Rohe asked, though waved for one of her holoholona to fetch the request anyway. Swallowing thickly, Moana pulled her hair into a bun,

"It makes me comfortable,"

"Mm, you're a strange one," Rohe commented, "but your request has been granted,"

Turning slightly, Moana watched as Pele came and placed a golden bowl of water at her feet, glancing up and winking slightly. Moving hurriedly to one side, Rohe extended her arms,

"First, we bow to one another. As customary,"

Moana did so, keeping an eye on Rohe as her cinder eyes glowed with excitement, "and now, we can begin our battle!"

Moana stiffened slightly as Rohe laughed, spinning around gracefully as a ball of fire burned between her palms. With little warning, it was soon hurtling towards Moana's face as she cried out and ducked to one side. Rolling across the carpet, Moana watched as Rohe summoned up another attack. Turning rapidly, the young wayfinder opened her own palm, dragging the ocean water from the bowl she had requested. It was somewhat lucky that she was a water controller, as Moana threw up a shield as a fireball was engulfed by it. Taking Rohe's momentary surprise as an advantage, Moana threw an attack of her own.

It was a blade of water aimed directly at the fire goddesses feet, causing her to fall to the floor with a yelp and and happy laugh. Bringing the water down on her from above, Rohe continued to roll out of its path before taking cover behind a column,

"I think I may have underestimated you, Wayfinder!" She called, "but you can't defeat me that easily!"

Placing her hands against the floor, Moana jumped up in panic as a trail of fire suddenly shot across the marble, nearly ensnaring her feet as Moana used her water to douse the flames. This, unfortunately, gave Rohe enough time to recover. Tossing a few more fireballs, Moana dodged them with some ease, remembering all the times she ran through the thick forests of Montuni,

"Stop hiding and come face me," Moana growled, though her voice betrayed her own nervousness, "or are you scared of some puny demigoddess?"

"Pfft, please child. Not even the tide would be scared of you," Rohe insisted, coming out from behind her pillar. Moana shot a few quick water blades at her, but they were evaporated into nothing but steam as Rohe chuckled,

"Fire beats water-"

"Ahh!" Moana charged Rohe directly, catching the goddess off guard as they crossed weapons, oar against spear as Moana stared into Rohe's ember eyes. 'I won't let you take Maui, or that comet,' Moana hissed in her mind, pushing against Rohe, once again causing her to stumble. Using the flat of her oar, she smacked the woman in the chest, only to be sent backwards as a current of fire entered her body. Landing on her back and whimpering in pain, Moana writhed slightly as the goddess of the underworld clucked her tongue,

"Surely you didn't think this was just regular old armor, did you, Wayfinder? Now, to finish you off,"

Rolling and grabbing her oar from where it had fallen, Moana once again used its flat to deflect the spear point which Rohe tried to drive through her throat. Then, using the handle, Moana flipped it against Rohe's unprotected shins, causing her to cry out and take a kneel,

"Thank my cousin for that one," Moana stated with her own laugh, scrambling to her feet. Summoning up her water again, Moana brought all of it down on Rohe at once. Soon, the room was engulfed in steam as Moana ducked behind a pillar. To her horror, there was a scream as a massive golden woman rose out of the cloud, hair blazing like fire as her armor melted away,

"Insolent child! Look what you've done!"

'She has a strong resemblance to Tē Ka,' Moana thought curiously, watching the woman lean on her hands as she blew away the steam with her breath, 'I wonder if they are related?'

"Moana! Moana where are you!"

Maui's voice was distraught from somewhere which Moana couldn't see. Did he think she was dead?

"Come out, come out, child! I want to finish what we started!"

"Here I am, Rohe," Moana called, throwing her voice across the room as the goddess whipped around in the wrong direction. Leaning out from behind her pillar, Moana turned the remaining steam into pure water again as she tossed it towards Rohe. There was a feminine shriek as the goddess swung her massive hand, collapsing the pillar where Moana had taken cover. Thrown against the opposite wall, Moana covered her head as rocks fell about her, and a large, hot hand suddenly came to take her about the waist.

"Moana, no!"

Struggling in the tight grip, Rohe laughed as her orbless eyes flamed from the inside,

"Look at you," she cooed, "so desperate to save him. But let me tell you child, Maui will never love you,"

"That's a lie! Moana don't listen to her!"

Moana's eyes were transfixed on Rohe though, as several images flicked across the back of her eyelids. It was Maui, all the good times they had together. Him...hugging her? Smiling and laughing with her. Wayfinding...

"Pathetic, little Moana," Rohe cooed, using a finger to lift Moana face slightly, "he'll always leave you. He'll leave you to be on your own, to wonder where he's been. He'll make you love him, trick you to feel for him. And then, when the time is right,"

Moana grunted as Rohe tightened her grip, "he'll break your heart and fly off again,"

"Moana that's not true! I swear it's not true!"

"He's a trickster girl!" Rohe roared angrily, opening her palm so that Moana was sitting with her back up against her large fingers, "I can save you from him," she said with a toothless smile, "you can live here in the Palace. You'll never have to deal with your responsibilities, or humanity or him," Rohe made a point to glare in Maui's general direction, "ever again. So why don't we stop this silly little fight? And I'll make you the princess of my realm."

Moana slowly got to her feet, breathing hard as she glanced between Rohe, and then down at Maui. His face was turned towards her, his eyes wider and more human, then Moana had ever seen him before,

"Moana, you know none of that is true. I'm human too, not just a demigod, I realize that now. Please, I...I love-"

"Lies!" Rohe steamed, "enough of this. Make your choice girl,"

Moana hiccuped slightly and bit her lip hard. Maui loves me? Like, really, actually loves me?

"I-" Moana hitched slightly as Rohe smiled, "I think we all need to cool off!"

Opening her palms, the floor of Rohe's palace opened, and Moana felt herself falling. As the fire goddess traveled down, down into the ocean, steam rising up towards the ceiling, Moana made hard contact with the floor. The last thing she heard was Maui calling her name, and everything faded away to blackness.

It could have been a few hours, or a few minutes before Moana awoke again. Her shoulders were gently being shaken as Pele's happy face came into view,

"Awaken, young wayfinder. You did it,"

"Uh?" Moana blinked slowly as another hand helped her to her feet,

"Glad you aren't dead, curly," Maui stated, revealing himself to be the other assist as Moana immediately threw her arms around him,

"Maui, you're alright!"

"Thanks to you, hot shot," the demigod said, "are you ok?"

"Uh, a little dizzy, but I think I'm ok," Moana stated, slowly getting to her feet, "what happened?"

"You did a number on Rohe," Maui stated, lifting Moana with ease so she was sitting on his shoulder. Glancing up, Moana could indeed see a number of holoholona, flurrying about Rohe's throne, trying to get her back to normal again. Soon, Moana actually saw the goddess of the underworld. She looked tired and disheveled and...human? Rohe didn't look any older then Moana herself. The goddesses skin was dark almond and covered in darker designs, and a head of obsidian curls fell naturally to about her shoulder blades. A pair of teary, brilliant green eyes stared out from behind her hands as the goddess sneered,

"Take a good long look, Moana of the Great Ocean," Rohe hissed, revealing a mouth of normal teeth, "look at what you have diminished me to. I'm hideous,"

Gently hopping down from Maui's shoulder, Moana didn't fail to notice her own make up had been washed off. Feeling bold, the wayfinder took great strides towards the goddess and stood before her,

"I...I don't think you're hideous,"

"Of course I am!" Rohe growled, "he did this," the goddesses pointed to Maui, who looked ashamed down at his feet and scuffed the floor, "my face will never be the same,"

"Your face?" Moana knitted her brows, "can someone get me a mirror, please?"

Moana held out a hand as a holoholona placed a polished stone slab in her grip, "I don't see anything wrong with your face, take a look,"

"No," Pele refused haughtily, "I will not,"

"Just look. Come on, I know you want too," Moana insisted, wiggling the mirror in her hands as Rohe scoffed and turned, only to freeze upon seeing her reflection. Taking the mirror and feeling her face with a hand, Rohe's jaw unhooked,

"You look just fine to me. Beautiful, even," Moana stated, "you got all riled up over nothing,"

"I...I don't understand. I was so hideous before-"

"I think you really did just need to cool off a bit," Moana chuckled, "you know, get everything off your chest to someone who will listen?"

Moana motioned to herself as Rohe placed the mirror aside, "I-I suppose I've made a grave mistake,"

"I think...forgiveness is the first step remedying that, great Goddess," Pele spoke from the floor, "Maui has something to say,"

Turning slightly, Moana smiled as the demigod sighed and looked at his ex-lover,

"Rohe, I...I'm sorry for switching our faces. I knew how much your beauty meant to you, and...well, this is all my fault. I am sorry."

"And...I am sorry for overreacting," Rohe rasped weakly, "all of this could have been avoided if I hadn't been so vain. I have so much to thank you for, young Wayfinder. More then I could ever repay,"

"Well, stealing things from other people isn't very nice," Moana mumbled, "I believe we had a deal?"

Rohe blinked and nodded slightly, removing the glowing comet from around her neck and placing it in Moana's palm,

"Take this back to Rehua. And...tell him to tell Auahitūroa that I'm sorry for taking it,"

"Hmm, well," Moana smiled at Pele, who came to place a hand on Rohe's slightly slumped shoulder, "its definitely a start. I guess Maui and I should be going if we're to make the deadline,"

"You have our eternal gratitude, young Wayfinder," Pele stated while touching her heart, "you are always welcome here in Te Uranga-o-te-rā i,"

"No, thank you. We'll come back to visit sometime," hurrying down towards Maui, Moana flashed a smile at Pele, "after all, we've got an eternity,"

"So long! Safe travels!"

Waving, Moana felt herself being picked up by Maui as he transformed into a giant hawk. Clipping the comet around her neck while in flight, Moana glanced up at Maui and frowned. 'Maybe I need to cool off too?'

•A nice long chapter for all my lovelies! As this story will soon be coming to a glorious ending, what should happen between our favorite immortal couple? Will Maui stay? Will Moana allow him to leave after all they've been though? Till my next update!•