Maui had been determined to move on, to take his own advice that he gave Moana―to forget and move on. But instead of neglecting the bittersweet memory of her, the feelings curdled into longing for Moana's stubborn persistence and unrelenting mode of speaking.
Her warm gaze remained his first thought when he awoke before dawn, with the lingering taste of her lips overtaking his dreams every night. Being with her had become as natural as breathing, but it was no surprise, they had spent an innumerable amount of days and nights navigating the ocean together, and now… staring pensively into the sea, they were separated by that same water mass.
It's been a year since the last time he saw her. However….regardless of his decision to forget and move on, Maui had secretly hoped that Moana and her people would find his quaint island in their voyaging adventures, that their journey didn't end here. No.. no… you stupid fool! You can never offer her the future she deserves, think about what you have! Home? Superpower? Immortality? Status? None of them…! You are just one insipid recluse!
He looked down; his bare chest greeted him… but this time there was no Mini Moana and Mini Maui… in fact, there was nothing at all! Perhaps this is for the best, Maui brooded over Mini Moana's absence. Otherwise, her existence would be a bitter reminder of all he'd ever wanted, he could never have. Maui breathed an aggrieved sigh as he glanced at the gently lapping sea. The sun cast its vibrant hue against reflective surface of the water. He quietly pondered if Moana could feel his anguish through the currents.
That night, curling up alone in his bed, Maui wilted into a troubled sleep. In his dreamscape, he revisited his life thousands of years back.
"Hahana… ?"
The girl replied him with her mysterious smile. With a wisp of nostalgia, he remembered his past life.
"Does… something bothers you?" she asked, casually depositing herself next to him. Maui stayed silent, his eyes ghosting over the woman's slender frame, meticulously studying her distinctive smile.
"Let me guess...A girl?" she prompted again.
The question startled him. "What―… hell, no!"
"Maui…." she breathed, shaking her head. "You are such a terrible liar, you know that?"
While he appeared to be more than a little shaken, Hahana detected a quiet, intense storm was surging behind those watery eyes. In that pulsing silence, his hands crept to his chest, where the depiction of the girl used to reside...on his heart.
With an expel of heaviness, he confessed. "Yes…" he admitted in defeat. "And I have to let her go. Just I did you…." He ran his palms over his face, breathing dejectedly.
An old sentiment strung the pair together, some foreign connection from years past. She fixed him with a kind affection Maui remembered seen of her when she was with him, "It is better to have love and lost than have never to love at all. It's too late for me now," she reached to fondle one of his hand. "...But it's not too late for you."
Maui lifted his face to see her. The last memory he had of Hahana was of the blooming twenty something years old maiden―a healer, attractive and courageous. Back then, he was young, impetuous and wild―always flagrantly pursued the attention of the fairer sex. However, there was hardly any depth or sincere passion. His pursuit always seemed to be lust-driven, superficial and temporal as opposed to anything substantial.
Hahana was his first exception.
She was a straightforward and practical-minded woman who took pleasure and happiness in family, love, good conversation, a kept promise and a fond memory. In the end, those were things that matter―a legacy that would live on past her grave.
"I was stupid to even allow myself to feel this way with anyone anymore," Maui told her.
The woman stared at him with sympathy. "I'm sure that no one could ever plan on who we should fall in love with," she chuckled softly. "When I met you, I thought you are one boisterous… vain…handsome scoundrel."
She paused to let her words sink in, and for a moment enjoying Maui's scandalized expression over her claim. Well...at least she still admitting he was handsome.
"But later on, I discovered I've found a treasure―a heart that loved me at my worst, and arms that held me on my weakest. I learned that love isn't about finding someone to live with, but someone who I couldn't live without."
In Hahana's eyes was a shadow of something Maui hadn't seen before. Is it….regret?
"But I can only offer her nothing," he said stubbornly, a familiar sadness filtered through his soul as he said those words.
However, his insistent statement was only to be answered by her patient smile. "Maui, love isn't about finding the perfect person, it's about realizing that that imperfect person can make your life perfect."
The next morning, with a new resolution in mind, Maui had asked the ocean's help to invite Moana to come to his hiding place. He figured out that he much rather confronted her in privy rather than having the entire Motunui witnessing their reunion.
After a few hours that felt like eternity, the girl appeared in his view.
Concealing himself behind the thick shrubbery, he watched Moana as she explored the clearing. Her hair was tangled from the wild ride, with bits of leaves and dust of sand stuck on it. Her dress befouled with dirt and grime. He thought she looked utterly adorable.
When Moana's gaze appeared to focus on him, she shook her head in bemusement and incredulity. "Maui?"
Moana was still as beautiful as Maui recalled the day they last met. If not, more.
Instead of a rapturous reunion, all he got was a fatigue sympathy. Moana stood frozen and intrigued in front of him.
"Maui?" Moana's heart felt like it might soar right out of her chest. Could it really be? Was she allowed to hope?
"Hi, Curly," his rich baritone never once changed from the way Moana remembered it. It was still husky and deep, but this time instead of laced with his prideful vanity, his voice was tinged with an edge of melancholy. For a moment, she truly believed she'd lost her mind along with her heart. Moana's heart felt like it might soar right out of her chest. Could it really be? Was she allowed to hope?
He looked different, but she couldn't pinpoint what or why.
"I see that haven't forgotten about me," he said, smiling. But it wasn't the usual disarming smile touching his lips, it was forced and barely reached his eyes.
Moana wanted to rebuke him, but her lips were paralyzed and her vocal chords cruelly forsaken her. Forgotten about him? How can she? Even after she thought he died, she still clung firmly to the memory. Isn't that what people say: that true love leaves memories no one can't steal? And heartache no one can heal?
The rain seemed to come to a standstill, droplets of water dramatically frozen in mid-air. Moana stepped closer, eyes never left his, her curious hands tracing his solid, large hands, making their way into his chest where she could feel a definite thud from a pulsating organ underneath.
After a long moment of realization, a little breathlessly she finally responded. "You are…. alive?" The girl peered up and down at his figure in disbelief.
"I let you tell me," he said, inviting her to touch him again. She moved forward with skepticism, but once her curious finger tasted the warmth of his skin for the second time, she was convinced.
The semantic awkwardness revealed genuine angst in their unconventional relationship. Were they friends? Superficially yes, but underneath, it was a pile of tangled emotion.
Moana regarded him curiously,"But, how could this be? I thought… Tane… Kailua…?" All assortment of question jumbled in her head, making it hard for Moana to articulate her own thoughts coherently.
Maui had anticipated a plethora of different responses, but a slumping of her shoulders as she let out a sorrowful sigh was not among them.
"Why did you leave me? Why did you never speak a word to tell me that you are alive and well? And why you never try to find me?... Why Maui?!" she demanded. Her face furrowed into hundreds of indented lines of anger and betrayal. He knew how she felt for him, yet he implicitly declined. It was tempting to slam her oar onto his face, abandoning him much the way he had abandoned her all these months. And that bitter smile as he sent her away, the safe way, where she would free to start her life anew, without him.
Maui was stunned silent, unable to respond to her angry tirade, or honestly think. It wasn't until Moana let out an annoyed huff and headed back to her canoe, purposely avoiding looking at the man who, until a few hours ago, she thought had left the mortal realm. That was enough to spur him to action. Following her, he snatched her by the hand to halt her.
"Wait!" His voice pleaded. "I will tell you what happened."
Moana whipped around. A shock coursed through Maui reminiscent of a strike of thunder when he realized her eyes were wet with tears.
"How could you decide things without my agreement, Maui? How could you leave me without saying proper goodbye? How could you decide my life, my relationship, without my permission? And do you know how much I've suffered these months thinking that you're dead?! How dare you, Maui!"
Her brave mask crumbled and more tears slipped.
Moana readied herself for an equally thunderous response. They had moments like this more often than she cared to admit. They were both individuals with polarizing principle and conviction. She had stood up to Maui in such a manner before and considering her attempts in the past had garnered vicious retaliation, she could only imagine what this would incite.
But instead of anger, she was answered with his kind eyes, gleaming with tears of his own. Maui felt his world shattered at his feet. "I… I'm sorry," he breathed with quivering lips. A confused and damaged expression hung over his eyes. He didn't enjoy seeing her upset, especially when realizing he was the root of such torment.
Another moment of deep contemplation passed between them, glum and thick with emotion. It was Maui who shattered the silence.
"Moana…. I know, I know I was supposed to die. But...but I didn't. The gods spared me but took everything else," he explained simply. Casually mentioning his death as though he were remarking on the weather.
"Everything?" she echoed.
Then, as though the veil in front of her eyes was lifted, she began to notice what seemingly different about him. There was no Fish Hook in his hand, no tattoos spiraling every inch of his body and there was no Mini Maui and Mini Moana either. The only marks left was the scar from Akoni's lashes and deep indentation from the ravine debacle, marring his otherwise perfect, bronze skin.
"Yes, everything," he mouthed dejectedly. He invited her to sit, this time she complied.
Maui would be lying if he claimed anything other than relief at gaining Moana's understanding...Hell, he wasn't even expecting her to forgive him. He just wanted her to know that there were aspects of his actions over the course of the last few months that he did grow to regret. Consumed by a bruising to his ego that almost reverted him back to that of an unsecured demigod, whose worth was merely reduced to nothing when he lost his Fish Hook, his power, and immortality.
He said he was still Maui without his Fish Hook, but what could he offer her? Life in a dinky cave away from civilization? Mundane life of eating, sleeping, working and repeat? There would be no thrilling adventure; beating monster would be far too dangerous. Was this the kind of future he could offer someone he claimed to love with every fiber of his being?
Reality could be painful, that was true for every person.
This couple of months Maui began to understand the struggle of a limited mortal. Moving heavy things became a real chore, his body suffered ache and pains, and it wouldn't heal just as quick as before.
"But that still doesn't answer my question, why you never look for me?" Moana asked, this time wasn't as accusing as she did.
She saw his face fell, his shoulder sagged, the radiance of hopefulness left his eyes and a long crestfallen sigh escaped his lips―this was the look of a man that had put everything at stake and lost.
"Because I couldn't be your man like this! Not like this!" he exclaimed as he stood, the frustration in his tone rising with his height.
"And I couldn't be your woman like this!" Moana hadn't meant to yell, but she found herself escalating her voice, feeling far more annoyed by Maui's behavior than enamored. "How could I be…. on my own, unable to sleep at night for worrying what really had happened to you. Wondering whether you died alone, in agony... wondering if you are suffering, frightened and broken. I don't want it this way, but gods…. ―I made the best of it if I have to. Because you are alive! And I take you deaf, mute or blind. You don't know me yet, Maui! I love the very bone of you. The heart of you!"
His eyes widened, astounded at the fierceness of her love. Any person could say "I love you"... but very few could prove it's true… and Moana was one of them. How could he be so blind? All this while he had been wasting away in his prison of loneliness….over nothing! He was worried over nothing at all!
Without much thinking, he practically leaped to press his lips against hers, taking them both by surprise. But she didn't pull away. She met him with equally warm, eager affection, kissing him back like she was a sojourning explorer in the vast ocean and he was her home.
He wasn't a cultured Chief, aristocratic prince nor hero of men…. Heck, he wasn't even a demigod anymore. But she didn't care, because he was hers….and that all she wanted.
"Ouch!" Maui fell flat, his face sinking into the warm wet sand. Okay, that's hurt… he was beginning to regret letting Moana to vent her anger by using him as a punching bag. 'Just let it go, it'll be good for you.' He was such a damn idiot. But if this equated redemption and forgiveness, Maui wasn't about to give up his second chance.
He stood up again, but before he found his footing, another blow landed on his back. "Argh―!"
She definitely had grown stronger. "Watch it, Princess! I am not as young as I used to be." And who said oar couldn't be a lethal weapon?
"Then forfeit, Grandpa!" she smirked.
Gah, that little….
"I'll show you 'Grandpa'!" he growled.
He struck and she ducked, moving backward and deftly climbing the rocks before jumping up in the air, hitting him hard on his butt. Damn her nimbleness! But he saw something that soothed his aching rear-end and melted his heart: she was smiling.
She was smiling like a little kid caught a fish for the first time.
Wait, she was smiling at his misfortune, but at least she was smiling. He wasn't complaining, If kicking the crap out of him would cheer her up, then it was all it mattered.
As both of them finally reconciled their differences, Maui went on to explain the biggest mystery of his unexpected salvation.
Tūmatauenga, the God of War and Agriculture, had never expected the young mortal to succeed. Not that he gave the young Chief of Kailua the sorts of bewitched trials in order for him to fail, but came to revisit the impossibility of the request―to kill or capture an immortal creature with such power as Maui, was in itself a mammoth task to accomplish.
The mighty diety couldn't hide his surprised reaction when Tanemahuta took the Demigod with him. Better still, Maui was unfettered and alive, although displaying no sign of resistance or opposition. He had no idea what the young man had said to persuade the immortal, powerful creature like Maui to obediently submit to his will.
"I see you have succeeded, young man," Tūmatauenga said as a way of congratulating him.
Both supplicants fell on their knees as the mystical fire figure approached from a few yards down the beach.
"Yes," came Tane's firm reply. Tūmatauenga wrung his hands and waited for the young mortal to express his wish or went on straight to the business. Unexpectedly, Tane just stood there mutely, as though ambivalent of what to do next.
"Go on," Tūmatauenga encouraged, "Do you need a weapon? Just say so, because I have plenty." With a flick of his finger, an array of blade appeared in front of them. Tane's eyes just shifted with tight precision between him and what lay on the floor.
"Mighty Tūmatauenga," Tane breathed, a slight quiver in his voice didn't complete go unnoticed by the god's excellent sense of hearing. "I came here to take Maui as I promised. But, my honor as a warrior had prevented me from committing something I would regret for the rest of my life. Hence, I bring him alive."
"Every acceptable sacrifice requires a life to trade…."
Tane appeared reticent, folding his hands over his lap as she took a seat in front of the God of War and Agriculture. Finally, with an air of regret, he continued,"I understand Mighty Tūmatauenga, but having lost my parents… How could I afford to take someone else's valuable life deliberately?"
Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Tūmatauenga replied. "Very well. I'll hold our covenant and thus, you may return to Kailua in peace. My blessing shall be upon your land as your step your foot. Your fields will be fruitful, your produce will be ample, and your storage will never be empty."
The young man cut his glance to the side, as though wordlessly apologized to Maui. The Demigod, in turn, placed his hand on his shoulder as a response of reassurance. "You've done the right thing."
After the young mortal had left, Tūmatauenga began. "Demigod, please understand that I have nothing against you. I have no desire to take your life. However, you must understand―for my power work, I need your mana from you," Tūmatauenga explained.
"I understand," Maui replied, preparing himself for his imminent death. "Can I have one more wish before I die?"
Tūmatauenga studied him before nodding his approval. "Try me."
"Can you take Akoni's dead son… to witness to his father of what exactly happened between him and Tui years ago? I don't want that old man to find another victim like Tane to be twisted and manipulated to avenge his dead son."
Maui's thoughtfulness spurred Tūmatauenga to contemplate his decision again. If he hadn't felt another wave of sympathy over the Demigod's selflessness, there was a good chance that he would have killed Maui this instance and let his mana transformed into the energy that would restore the island. But apparently, there was part of this story… the part that he wasn't aware of… not until a few minutes ago.
"Now, you do as you pleased," Maui announced, interrupting the god's train of thoughts.
Tūmatauenga smiled. "Your spirit of charity has won my favor. Therefore, I will take your immortality, your power, and your godly privilege. But you may still live," he said, gesturing his hands and chanted something incomprehensible.
I still can be…. alive? Said the incredulous voice of his inner monolog. Maui took a moment to consider the profound effect this may entail.
If he were a mortal, they would be perfect together. Him and Moana.
Perfect. The words shouted a mocking tone at him. If only she were here to laugh with him about it. "God and man should never be together" those were his words, but even now a mortal man... would he be perfect for her? He had lost everything… and Moana, she deserved more. He swallowed acidic bile in his throat.
Did he even wish to be alive… without her?
Maui was barely managed to keep his wits about her as he saw the last glimpse of Mini Moana disappeared into the color of his skin. He reached his hand to his chest, not wanting to be reminded for all that he lost, not wanting to mourn over a woman who was never destined to be his.
"Now you go, live in peace. But remember, you are a mortal now, your days are numbered."
The curse had been broken, the wager had been settled, and he had been freed…. but Maui felt more like a prisoner than ever, locked in uncharted islands, alone. The outside world held nothing for him now…..not without her. But, he had learned to be selfless, he had learned to let her go and now he had to learn to live without her.
And deep down, in some way that he couldn't articulate, Moana had completed him, filling the emptiness he had inside. Therefore, he decided to do what a man with undying love did for his loved one. Sacrificing his demigod privilege in exchange for her freedom was a trivial choice to make.
Meanwhile, on the different part of the ocean, another man having his own internal struggle. Tane knew he had completed what he perceived as an impossible task. But at the moment, his trepidation outshone his pride. Tane was aware one person that mattered the most was severely disappointed with him. Despite his knowledge that Akoni had manipulated him for his own benefit, the old man had been kind and affectionate throughout Tane's life. Akoni had taken him, the lost orphan under his care, loved and showered him with attention as he would with...Kauri. He had been the voice of wisdom, teaching and molding him to be the charismatic leader that he was now.
As Tane had predicted, when his canoe moored onto the Kailua's beach, he saw a throng of eager citizen greeted him. The island was the same but different. Everything remained in its proper place, all the shrubbery, the jutting rocks on the beach were placed in the exact same spot as Tane remembered them. And yet it was so…foreign. He felt like he had left Kailua a lifetime ago. Then he realized... Tūmatauenga was right, upon closer inspection, Tane noticed the subtle difference in the landscape of his home. The soil was no longer dusty and hard. It was dark just like normal, rich, sandy loam that he saw on the other island.
Most of the men come to him, hugging him, shouting his name, while the women cried tears of joy. But the moment of jubilation halted when Akoni's silhouette emerged in his view, and coherently the crowd dispersed as though they weren't keen to witness whatever may take place.
"I can explain." Tane was the first to begin.
"You don't need to, I've seen enough!" Akoni closed his eyes, laughing sarcastically to himself. "And among all the people here who I've considered my family... you are the last person I would ever think who dared to-"
"Betrayed you?" Tane finished for him. "I know you've done a lot for me, and I forever indebted to you for them. But that doesn't mean I will assassinate someone to repay you kindness, Father..." he said with the intimate way he addressed him.
"Don't you dare to call me father! You are never a son to me! I only have one son... and he is dead!" With that, Akoni spun angrily, barking and commanding a few man to prepare his canoe.
"Where...are you going?" Tane followed him.
"Motunui. If you are not willing to do my revenge for that crook, I can do it myself," the old man replied without looking. There was undeniable anger on the way he walked. Tane's eyes widened for the second time that day.
"Wait, let me come with you."
His proposal was answered with a vicious glare. "So that you can ruin my plan again?" accused Akoni.
"No," Tane breathed patiently. "Look, Father... I am just worried about your safety. Even when the ocean is calm, the journey to Motunui is a long and treacherous one. Let me come with you. I promised I would not meddle with whatever you are going to do with Tui."
It took Akoni a few breaths to consider Tane's offer. The memory of the orphaned teen flashed before his eyes. Despite Akoni and Tane having rather polar opposite dispositions, the two bonded instantly. Tane learned not to take his unenthusiastic, grumpy grunt personally, and Akoni had learned to decipher the young man's apprehension between the feigned boldness that he constantly put on especially when they were in front of his subjects. It wasn't love or pity that bond them as friends, rather the mutual understanding of heartache. If anyone knew how it felt to be separated from people they loved prematurely, accustomed to the sorrow and metaphorical pain of grief, Tane would be one of them. This world did love irony.
Akoni didn't say anything, but something in his face had given Tane the answer.
They sailed that evening, just the two of them. Akoni hardly talked, and Tane didn't feel he wanted to strike the conversation when he knew the old man wasn't in the mood.
"You go to sleep," he heard Akoni's voice. This time he sounded calm and collected. "I take the watch. You've just returned from your long journey to see Tūmatauenga. A little rest will do you good," he said gently. Somehow, Tane could sense the brokenness between those words.
This was the usual Akoni that Tane knew, sensible, considerate and wise. Under the perusal of wan moonlight, Tane studied the man's reflection. The man was pensive as he quietly gazed his eyes towards the sky. The scene brought memories of nights down here came flooding back. All good memories. Nothing tainted, nothing diminished. So many great things had happened while they sailed together. Island's discovery, fishing trips, rescue missions. Their first shipwreck. The first time they consoled each other over their loss. Suddenly Akoni looked so frail and old, his body held a deep curve, the bags under his eyes hung low, and the creases on his forehead had traveled all over his features. He looked hardened. He looked worn. All those years of resentment had beaten their marks on his posture. Would he die in old age, carrying the bitterness over his son's death to his grave? What ill-intent had he done in his life to deserve such fate?
Akon's loud gasp was the next thing that Tane heard. The young man immediately stood in a battle stance, brandishing his weapon to whatever invisible enemies that were lurking in the dark. But there was no monster, no pirates... only another young man, perhaps slightly older than him, standing on the other end of the canoe. There was a strange pearlescence glow around his body. He was wearing traditional clothing, smiling amiably as he bowed slightly towards their direction, but the next sentence that fell from his lips nearly sent Tane's heart to a stop.
"Good evening, Father."
Tane did a quick scan from the man's pale colored lavalava skirt, passed his bare muscular chest, all the way up to his face. His features were the same as Akoni, but his overall look was so young and poised. It was like looking at Akoni at a whole different time.
It was clear that Akoni recognized the man... a ghost, as Tane concluded later on, must be Kauri.
Akoni seemed to be acting on some old instinct. And the next thing he knew, he had pulled the young man into his arms, and he was holding him. Kauri's smile was warm and familiar, his arms were strong and wonderful, the same way as he remembered him in his faded memory. As he pressed closer to his immortal body, he felt Kauri's grip tighten, not roughly but more securely. Like he was afraid that giving even an inch would make him vanish. To be honest, he felt the same.
They engaged into an emotional hug before the man introduced himself to Tane and explained why he was here.
"Maui had requested me to see you."
"Maui... he had asked you?" Tane suddenly interrupted the pair. He knew he shouldn't, but the urged to prod for the truth was a greater power to overcome.
"Well, that was Tūmatauenga told me," Kauri clarified before turning back to his father. "I am sorry, I departed without a proper goodbye."
Kauri's words seemed to incite many dark thoughts started ricocheting off each other, the distant memory of the island and people that claimed to be his faithful confidant, and Akoni couldn't seem to escape them. But thankfully, Kauri was perceptive enough to notice this.
"Father, I come to tell you that Tui is blameless. Of all the friend I have, he was the most loyal and trustworthy."
Akoni bobbed his head, his lip wobbling as the emotions starting rising to the brim. Managing the pain was becoming more challenging now that his apathetic barriers had been removed.
"I know you have a lot of question, but please take my word, that he and Sina meant to be together, and my death wasn't caused by anyone...it was an accident."
That one, gentle sentence was all it took to still him—and for the first time in years, even though his eyes were filled with tears, Akoni felt he was free to breathe. An image of little Kauri, excitedly welcomed him when he got home from work, how his innocent voice seemed to cheer his tired soul, and how his little hands were capable of lifting the most burdensome load off his shoulder. He had forgotten Kauri had the power to do that, to make him stop overthinking, to ease his mind.
"So please... with the remainder of days you have, forgive and forget." Kauri's voice filled the silent gap. "I want you to be happy, Father... to be free from this baggage of vengeance that had been holding you for years."
Akoni just nodded gently, seeming to understand more of what was happening with him than he did. Kauri gave his father's arms a final rub, before gradually dropping them and turning to Tane.
"Thank you for taking care of my father while I wasn't there."
Tane didn't reply. And the silence hung between them. Neither of them made a move, until Kauri finally said, "Until we meet again." And with another soft look, he turned to go.
"I promise I will be here for him..." came Tane abrupt reply. The ghost of Kauri turned to smile and said a brief, "Thank you."
"So…. that's how... ―that's...everything," Maui breathed, finishing his story. "I visited Kailua about a month after Tūmatauenga took my immortality and everything else... and Tane told me about Akoni's plan to visit Motunui... in peace."
They both sat in silence, minds recovering the upheaval of various events that happened in their life.
"Return with me to Motunui," she said firmly. "And this is not a request."
Her stoic statement incited a broad grin on his lips. He approached on quiet bare feet to kneel beside her, holding out his hand to her in invitation. Reluctantly, she slipped her hand into his welcoming palm, and he slowly pulls her into a standing position with him.
"Mo, I wouldn't want it any other way…."
They sailed together, like the olden days, weaving through the sea with breeze caressing their hair and racing waves galloping right beside them. His presence startled as her back pressed against Maui's solid, steel-hard chest right behind her. Moana realized for once that she wasn't alone standing on the wooden plank of her canoe. With a blush on her cheek, she quickly shifted, creating the illusion of personal space between them. She was suddenly very aware of his muscular arms that occasionally rubbed against hers, holding the canoe stirring and the ropes firmly. It was strange, Moana had never thought of how attractive Maui was, but now, she was acutely conscious of the sheer manliness in him, his powerful posture and magnificence, the faint musky smell of sweat and the salt water. It stirred something unknown in her, made her heart quickened a beat or two and her chest suddenly felt tight.
"Okay, now… Curly, hold on tight," Maui said, smiling faintly with sheer determination and conviction.
"Why―?" Moana looked at him dubiously. She didn't like the way he grinned.
Without warning, he pulled wide the sail, spurring the canoe faster.
"Maui!"
He put one arm around her, holding her securely. She heard his rich, deep voice close to her ear."Don't worry Kiddo, I got you. I know what I am doing," he announced with his typical smugness.
With a burst of speed, the canoe propelled towards the narrow gap. Moana felt her heart stopped as their sailed over the small orifice between the two rocks.
Maui took her hand and grinned. "I know you missed this as much as I did."
The nostalgia whistled past both of them, drenching the horizon and their bodies in memories of the humid days and star-stretched nights, the fits and the friendship, the words neither of them admitted until months later. Instantaneously, her apprehension subsided. She was comforted by his gentle voice that contrasted nicely with his strong, callous hand. She knew Maui meant every word.
He gazed at her, her raven hair and bronze skin glinting away in the perusal of sunlight. Her soaking wet garment clung tightly to her figure, accentuating all the sloping indentation, Maui swallowed a sizeable knot on his throat, wresting desire that grew within. Gods, any living creatures with eyes would fall for her.
If Maui had to describe her soul, he'd described it as melodic laughter, rays of bold light, wild adventures and melodramatic romance.
If Moana had to describe his soul, she'd described it as an unpredictable storm, a deep sea with treasure hidden at the bottom, a conundrum she was dying to solve.
Maui was more of himself as soon as he saw the throng of admirers hooting and howling his name when his feet barely touched Motunui's shore.
"People! Your hero...is home!" he boisterously proclaimed.
Home? Has he always consider this his home? Moana felt comforting warmth crept in her chest. Yes, her hero had come home.
Without hesitancy, Maui displayed his usual gregariousness and gratitude by hugging every single fan. "I know you all miss me, but your wait is over," he declared with his usual smug attitude. Moana couldn't help but to smile at Maui's shameless bragging proclivity. The reunion was strangely a sedate experience. Despite their happiness, the citizen of Motunui was mainly still perplexed to see how the Demigod had mysteriously survived the ordeal.
"Moana!" a familiar figure of a woman wrapped in traditional clothes leaped out of the crowd to hug her. She froze in her position when her sight fell on the hulking man, who also immediately became conscious of her scrutinizing stare.
"Maui?" Sina let go of her daughter and turned to him.
It took her a couple of tight breaths to fully reconcile the fact in her mind.
Sina was the kind of person who saw the best in people. She was a soft-hearted woman who knew that people could change, believed in the value of redemption and forgiveness….and whatever his explanation would be, she was glad he was alive, and he had decided to return.
"Uh, Ma'am," his voice was small, very unfitting coming out from a figure as massive as his. "I know I owe you...explanation. However... there's a more pressing issue I would like to address. May I, er…. ―" he closed his eyes, clearly working up some courage and concentrating hard on getting the word out.
"It's not often you lost for words, Maui," Sina teased him. "Where have you been?" Her question was answered by yet another wordless stare. Sina followed the curve of Maui's hand, only to realize he was holding Moana's.
Sina gave Tui a slight nod, a silent truth passing between them. "Can I talk to Maui in private, please…" Sina requested, sensing that the man needed to address something in absolute privy. Clearly, Tui was picking up the same vibe, raising his hand to summon the congregation to disperse.
Beneath her stare, the hulking giant seemed to have his courage shrunk a little more. Sina smiled, taking pity on him."You want to ask my permission to court my daughter? Yes?"
"Ugh, yes," he squeaked, casting his eyes back to the imaginary point between his toes."I thought… I would never come to this, that I won't make a good match for her. But I.. ―"
"You're a good man, Maui." Sina said sincerely, voice no longer teasing."You've shown decency, treating her with integrity and respect."
"You...are not mad at me?" said the part of him that immediately questioning Sina's baseless compliments. Maui had anticipated Sina (or perhaps Tui) would seriously scold him if they did not burst in angry tirade like Moana did.
"No... of course not. I've heard of brave things that you've done for many," she replied. "Besides... I am not my daughter," she whispered, chuckling softly."I am surprised you escape relatively unscathed. I was just about to offer you the assistance from one of our healers."
Well, yeah... nearly, Maui thought, feeling his butt-cheek suddenly throbbed in pain again.
"I take that as a yes then?" Maui affirmed. The paralyzing trepidation in his eyes was replaced by a sincere earnestness and zeal of fiery determination as he held his sight on her. Formality suspended, leaving only two people with a common love of certain girl between them.
Sina nodded. "But do remember, she'd been in love and she'd been hurt. It will take time and care to mend a broken heart."
Maui quirked his brow, slowly his haughty mannerisms returning to him,"Of course! I'll make her the happiest girl in the world!"
Tui, who had been discreetly eavesdropping, finally went out of his hiding place. Both men stared at each other for a long quiet moment. Maui astounded to behold once again those brilliant, accepting eyes, which always studied him with unrelenting compassion. Tui was the first to break the monotony. "Well… here you are…. I don't think I need to tell you." Sheer gratitude crossed his face as he spoke, placing a hand on Maui's shoulder.
"You don't," Maui smiled, but his voice was serious. "I'll take a good care of her."
The two men embraced in a melancholic hongi, which for Sina, was as bizarre as it was oddly natural to see. Tui's face visibly softened when they parted. In typical male fashion, they swatted each other on the back, before the ex-demigod shot her another smile—which she leisurely reciprocated.
A few months later, things began to settle into a comfortable routine. Despite his initial skepticism about his ability to blend into the village life, Maui enjoyed living among the mortals and had finally dwelt in a proper fale on the edge of the village.
That peaceful late afternoon, Sina was weaving a new mat, quietly reflecting on the series of events that transpired this couple of months. Since Moana's return from her voyage to Kailua, Akoni had turned up in Motunui. It seemed like Kauri, Tui's departed best friend and Akoni's deceased son, mysteriously had clarified and settle the misunderstanding among them. Tane also had visited twice since, on both occasions he was proudly taking the island's first harvest with him. Everything seemed so blissful and perfect, just imagine... what other better news could top it up?
A sound of footfalls approaching broke Sina from her mindless daydream.
"Hi, Mom," greeted Moana, as she deposited herself and peered over her mother's diligent ministration.
"You returned early. I thought Maui is taking you on a special escapade. It's your birthday after all….I am sure your father won't mind a slight slack in your chiefly duty," Sina commented without looking.
"Yes, he threw a lavish island getaway," Moana replied. Truthfully, lavish would be an understatement if Sina knew that Maui had decorated almost every corner of the island and caught fish enough to feed the whole population of Motunui.
"I hope you thank him properly," Sina smirked between pulling the thread.
"Yes, I made him lunch," Moana responded casually.
"That's not quite what I meant."
"And then…. he asked me to marry him."
Sina froze where she was. She looked at her daughter straight in the eyes only to discern the weight of truth in her casual manner of announcing Maui's proposal.
"Heavens!" Sina burst out laughing. "What did you put in them?"
"What do you mean by…them?"
"The lunch!" Sina went on, another peal of laughter threatened to tear her throat.
"Mom...sometimes, you can be curiously unfeeling," Moana quipped. "You helped him to design the ring. Don't pretend that you don't have any part of this."
Sina grinned. "Fine, my bad. Guilty as charged. But… aren't you pleased with the surprise?"
"Well, there is actually another….surprise…"
This time Sina truly tensed, she could feel her pulse quickened and almost punched through her ribcage."What is it?" she asked, her undertone saturated with anxious concern. Gods, please don't tell me she is pregnant. Even as much as I crave to cradle grandchildren, please save us from all the salacious gossip.
"Maui has been offered his immortality….and his Demigod power," Moana informed. She saw her mother let a quiet exhale, sinking back in her seat as though someone just released her windpipe from strangulation "He took me to this island… proposed me….and as our betrothal gift, Te Fiti... ―Mom, are you okay?"
"Oh… I'm fine, I'm fine," she said as she began to laugh again, this time deliriously.
"Aren't you not going to say anything?" Moana prompted, clearly confused with her mother's unconventional response. "No congratulation? No hugs? No tears of joy?"
"No," her mother cackled. "I thought you are about to say you are with a child."
Moana couldn't decide whether her eyes should be nearly jumped on their sockets or rolling in exasperation. "Mom!"
"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Sina said between undignified snort. Moana feigned an annoyed glare.
"Te Fiti even offered me the same thing... but I don't know, having both of us living forever sounded... wrong to me. So, neither of us had accepted it."
"Ah yes, immortality sounds good," Sina quipped, grinning lucidly to the fabric on her lap as her fingers nimbly resumed their activities. Wedding… feast….grandchild… grandchildren. Her fantasy was clearly getting ahead of herself.
"Mom, you are not making any sense…" Moana sighed. It was clear her mother wasn't very interested whether she and Maui would live another two decades or two millennia. To her, that was hardly relevant.
"So….are you looking forward to the wedding? The celebration? The feast?" came her mother's questions. Moana could hear a broad smile in them.
Moana fell into a deep contemplation, painting an image of her future in her mind. Their future―hers and Maui. She gazed at the modest bracelet on her wrist―a gift he bestowed that had compelled her to find the truth.
Pikorua―she still remembered the meaning behind the emblem engraved on its surface: It is believed that in life, we all take different paths and bends to end up in the same place. It is a representation of life and journey that it takes. It also signifies the joining together of two people or two cultures for eternity, and even though we may experience life's up and downs, we would remain bonded by friendship and loyalty for life….
Reflecting on years that had beaten their marks on the bracelet surface, It was interesting how turns of events and decisions had molded and gave their platonic relationship a new definition.
"Mmm….I'm looking forward to all sorts of things," Moana replied, smiling to herself. "But, at the moment….a new mat for our new home would be great."
mana: (in Polynesian, Melanesian, and Maori belief) an impersonal supernatural power which can be transmitted or inherited.
Note:
Dear lovely reader...thank you for all of your support throughout this story, I had a fun time writing this.
Thank you for my beta reader theaterinspired, jadeoccelot, Jenny Campbell, and gsmith, thank you… this piece won't be this perfect without all of you.
As you may have known, I posted the sequel (short one) of this story titled Five More Days. The scene whereby Maui proposed Moana is included on that fiction. I know perhaps some of you questioning whether Maui regained back his immortality and Demigod power, to be honest... I prefer that he isn't, but I understand that some of you of Polynesian descent prefer that he did... so I assume that at some point, he accepted Te Fiti's gift for him, as for Moana... I let your creative imagination to decide whether she would accept her immortality or leave it. The main idea is that no matter what condition Maui was in, mortal/immortal, with super power/normal man, blind... broken or deaf, Moana would still love him nonetheless... and Maui should, while the opportunity is there, loved her freely without thinking much about what he could offer her.
And, don't forget to see a surprise gift from me at the bottom of the last chapter (chapter 25) of 'It's arranged' in Ao3 (under the same username). I will also post it on my wall on Tumblr. This picture is meant to be attached to the last chapter of 'Five more Days'.
If you have time, please do review my other Moana fictions, until next time!
And a little extra for you is the last ending paragraphs of 'Five More Days'
Days right after his miraculous recovery seemed to fly by like lightning. There was plenty of adjustment to be dealt with, from aiding the villagers, helping Moana with her chiefly responsibility, doing his usual cool superhero feat… to taking turn babysitting a rowdy, overly energized five years old. Undoubtedly, it was a steep learning curve for someone who usually squandered his time pleasuring about his solitary island, singing and dancing to himself. Maui knew, if he wanted to be the man who deserved a woman as wonderful as Moana, he had to remain focused, and thanks to his obstinate proclivity, normally Maui succeeded in doing so.
However, today his mind refused to concentrate and the vow that he had rehearsed until his jaw ached, seemed to transpired into distant memory.
His eyes traced the woman in a simple red bandeau and lavalava skirt, emerged on the horizon, and suddenly he felt his chest tightened and his heart thundering violently in his ears. Maui swore there was nothing as captivating as the sight he beheld. Next to him, Sina smiled gently, reminding him to breathe.
It was nothing like a wedding he had imagined during the blissful days of their courting. There was hardly any crowds, and his bride was dressed ever so simply with only a large red hibiscus adorned her tresses. Her eyes never left his as she approached him, their little toddler rested on her side.
Despite everything, he smiled. Maui had always fantasized what Moana Waialiki might look like kissing babies and taking a proper feminine role... and he had to admit the real picture did not disappoint.
She was beautiful…. And she was his.
They stood in front of a few elders, who went on with the sequence of ceremony. Somehow, their voice almost drowned like unwanted background noise, diffused into the sound of the crashing waves. At one minutes or the other, Maui captured something playful crossed her features, but he didn't have time to understand it, before she grabbed his face, crashing her lips into his. He was too shocked to properly respond at first, but soon enough he started moving with her, an equal give and take—which frankly was much more forceful than he'd anticipated. She kissed him with zeal, with a raging fuel he'd always loved about her, but to experience her like this went beyond his fantasies. She tasted better than he remembered, like freedom and salvation.
As his tongue danced with hers, the pressing guilt of being away from her for years was forgotten. All he could smell and hear and feel for ten glorious seconds was Moana. This was like having a hard blow on his head all over again, except it felt good.
This was hope and dream and reality, all blended together in one searing mouthful.
This was exactly where he belonged, not as a demigod, not as a hero, but simply being the man who loved Moana Waialiki with all that he had.
You are mine always. And I just want the chance to be yours….
THE END