Hey, guys, I'm still alive! Sorry for another extremely long update but life's been hectic (and being sick during term break certainly made it worst)
Anyway, it's a semi-long chapter this time and there's quite a lot of things going on. Hopefully, it'll be easy to follow.
Once again this chapter has gone through minimal editing so don't be surprised to see changes in the future.
And please forgive me if any of the characters are OOC in any way, I honestly tried the best I could (though I feel I could've done a whole lot better than this!) I will try to do better next time!

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Seven: Huranga (Part two)

Her eyes quickly shot opened and she sat up. Scanning her surroundings she saw that she was still inside the old fale. Tala stood up in shock and then took a step forward. She felt something under her foot and took a step back before she quickly looked down and saw that the instrument was planted right by her feet. She bent down and reached for it and held it close to her chest before she turned toward the fluttering tattered.

Suddenly she heard the whispers of her friends blowing in the wind. Lalotai… Lalotai… Lalotai…

"Lalotai?" Tala whispered tilting her head to the side. Lalotai? Her eyes widen in realization. That tall rocky mountain she saw—it was the entrance to the realm from her parents' stories.

Her little eyes narrowed in determination and her fingers tightened against her gift. She turned around and ran forward as fast as her legs run; her little feet beat against the earth and grass as she raced home.

IIIIIIII

Her feet were stinging and sore from the constant running and the sharp twigs that embedded her little feet. She heaved as relief washed over her, finally, she's close to home. And she finally made it, five minutes later and saw the glint of the sun's rays barely peeking out of the horizon. She hurried toward the front of the fale and raced up the stone steps to the paepae. Once there she pulled the sheets to one side and peeked inside. She then let out a sigh of relief; her parents were still asleep. She turned and saw that Hina was still sleeping too. Suddenly she heard her father shifting for a moment before he stirred and sleepily turned to lie on his left side. Hina's head limply turned to the left and laid there.

Tala slowly walked over toward her and knelt down beside her sister and leaned forward, completely unaware that her heels pressed against her father's back till she heard him ask, "What are you doing?" Tala quickly straightened up turned to see her father looking at her over his shoulder.

She replied, "When you moved Hina's head dropped left." Maui let out a long sigh before he slowly sat up and half turned to face her before his eyes slowly turned to Hina.

The sounds of slowly soft twinkles resonated from Maui's tattoos; both Tala and Maui looked down and saw Mini-Maui sitting on a tattoo rock staring at Hina with sadness as small tattooed depictions of teardrops trickled down his face.

"Don't be sad," Tala said to her father's tattooed counterpart as she walked over and went over to brush her finger over his wavy patterned hair and then his chin, mimicking the comforting gesture The Ocean had given her the day before, "Hina's gonna wake up. Matai Vasa said so."

Soon she felt her father's hands grabbing her slowly by her sides before he whispered, "C'mere kiddo…" And lifted her up to his left shoulder. He started to pat her mournfully and Tala could feel it from the light, soft, thumps of his fingers. Matai Vasa had shown himself to her and so had her great-grandfather Soba, and he'd told her that Hina was lost in Lalotai and that she could show her parents the way.

Part of her wanted to tell him everything that she saw but patience was the verse her heart sang and if her heart told her to wait, then she would wait and her journey would be a secret… for now.

Her eyes slowly closed before she reached over and put her arms over his shoulder, the fingers of her right hand just made it toward his nape while her left fingers curled against the side of his neck in a hugging fashion. She wanted to say sorry to him for keeping secrets but she also knew that doing so would give her secret away and another part of her felt unsure if doing this was the right thing?

"Okay, what's bugging you?" Her father asked.

"It's a secret." She replied honestly with a soft cheeky smile on her face. Soon that smile slowly changed into a frown the very second she saw the tired and sad look on her father's face a few seconds before he put her down.

"Do you wanna go back to sleep Daddy?" She asked, tilting her head slightly with a worried look on her face. Maui turned to her and for a split second, he could've sworn he saw a four-year-old Hina standing there in Tala's place. "Daddy?" Tala called out again. His mind finally registered her question and he responded with a slow simple nod before he turned and laid down on his left side so his back faced her.

He'd just closed his eyes when he felt his four-year-old daughter press her hand on his back and started rubbing it in circles—mimicking the way her mother would rub her back whenever she or her sister felt bad.

"It's okay Daddy, Hina'll get up, Matai Vasa said so."

"Sure he did Kiddo…" He sighed not making an attempt to conceal his doubt as he laid there with his eyes closed, "Sure he did…" A few seconds later he felt a hand on his cheek. His eyes slowly opened and he saw Moana looking back at him with sympathetic and sad eyes as she forced a smile before she nodded encouragingly at him.

He sighed and then asked Tala reluctantly, "So what else did Matai Vasa tell you?"

"I can't tell." Their little girl replied.

Moana then asked her, "Okay, is there anything else that you're allowed to tell us?"

Tala then climbed and half-hung herself off the edge of her father's shoulder before she slowly opened her mouth and then sucked her lips in before she immediately shook her head to her mother's question. Tala gasped and then giggled as she felt her father's hand slipping underneath her stomach to lift her up and set her down beside her mother. Tala turned around to thank her father, but Maui had already shifted to lie on his right side just so he could face Hina once again.

"Daddy?" She called out.

"Kiddo, I'm tired so I'll play with you later okay—" He felt her left arm draped across the back part of his shoulder and her tiny fingers barely reaching the front part while her right arm rested against the nape of neck to the bottom of his thick curly haired head in some sort of hug.

"Thanks for carrying me, Daddy." She said.

He paused for a moment and then felt her leaning against him as her hands pressed against his head and the front of his shoulder. Slowly he lifted his left hand and gently patted her right hand and replied while trying to sound slightly enthusiastic, "Okay, okay, you're welcome."

Moana patted the spot in front of her, Tala immediately laid down and Moana put her arm around her daughter, "So? Did Matai Vasa told you to keep secrets did he?"

Tala replied forcing down a yawn, "Uh huh… he said I can't tell you till the time's right."

Moana smiled and then replied with a cheeky tone in her voice "Okay. Well, there's one thing that I know that you don't know."

"Mmmhmmm?" Tala responded as her droopy eyes slowly started to close and within seconds she fell asleep before Moana could even answer.

The twenty-seven-year-old Chief smiled at her daughter and spoke in a soft motherly whisper, "Goodnight, Little Nai'a."

IIIIIIII

Everyone took shelter in their fales with their pola sheets down. Two-year-old Hinatea had wandered into their fale about half an hour earlier and was currently sleeping in his lap completely undisturbed by the sound of rain… till the loud rumbling of thunder came.

She woke up with a scream and a start her round eyes immediately darted toward one of the flapping sheets. A flash of lightning and another loud booming lightning was what done it. Hinatea screamed and quickly crawled behind a seven-year-old Hiapo and crawled under his sleeping mat.

He acted too and he peered over before he lifted the sleeping mat up, "It's okay Hina. Everything's going to be okay." He told her. The thunder BOOMED in the background and Hinatea screamed once more and sprinted into his arms, knocking him off his feet.

Hiapo's back and head smacked against the floorboards as he fell and he let out a pained cry before he laid there flat on his back.

"No! No! No!" Hinatea cried out after the thunder BOOMED in the background. She ran around the fale looking for a place to hide when Hiapo grabbed her, gently, got up and carefully tried to settle her against his hip before he started swaying her back and forth the same way he did with Aimata's new baby boy… though swaying a baby was much easier than swaying a two-year-old.

Then Hinatea pressed her chin against his shoulder as she tried to hide her head away from the lightning, followed by another loud shot of thunder that Hiapo jump and Hina sobbing. Hiapo patted her back and continued swaying her while he paced around, and bouncing her once or twice so she wouldn't slide off his side, "It's okay, everything's going to be okay." He reassured her as he turned toward the fluttering pola sheets…

IIIIIIII

"Hiapo, wake up. Wake up." His mother called as she started to shake him by the shoulder. Hiapo slowly blinked his eyes open and turned to lie on his back and then saw his mother looking down at him with a concerned look on her face. He slowly sat up and turned to face her, unaware that he of the fact he'd been crying in his sleep till he felt her thumbs wiping the tear stains off his cheeks.

He immediately closed his eyes and muttered, "I'm sorry Mom…" Waiola put her arms around him and held him close in her motherly arms.

"It's not your fault, Hiapo." She told him just as they pulled away, "I hate to say it… but I shouldn't have—" Hiapo quickly took his mother's hands in his and held them tight in a comforting gesture as he reminded her,

"You didn't know, Mom… we didn't know she couldn't sail—I'd thought Moana managed to teach her by now."

An uncomfortable silence passed between mother and son as they both knew what thought ran through both their heads and the more Hiapo thought about it, the more he realized that Hina had, in fact, brought this upon herself by taking off and hiding from her responsibilities—Suddenly Hiapo felt his mother's hands pulled away from him before she spoke, standing up in her fit of irritation as she started pacing about.

"I warned him…" She clenched her hands into fists before she took a deep breath as she finally stopped in her tracks and turned to stand at the edge of her fale finally she uttered, "If he hadn't put those pig-headed thoughts in her head none of this would've ever happened." That lost look dared climbed its way to her face as she stared out into the small patch of jungle and her eldest daughter's fale in the near distance. Slowly Waiola lowered herself to the floor, folding her legs under her before she closed her eyes, bowing her head down.

A few seconds later she felt Hiapo's hand on her shoulder.

Waiola slowly put her hand on top of her son's and took a deep breath as her short fuse finally disperse before she looked up at the full moon in the brightening sky.

Hiapo looked up and saw the faded moon in the sky and blurt out, "I had a dream about Hinatea last night."

Waiola slowly turned to her son and leaned forward as before she nodded, encouraging him to continue. Hiapo slowly took a deep breath and carried on, "It… it happened the day Dad died—"

Her hidden mourning flashed through Waiola's eyes as she immediately corrected her son and said, "You mean during the devasting storm when she came waddling over to the fale?"

Hiapo paused for a second, then remembered the unspoken agreement between them before he continued, "Yes, I mean during the bad storm—" He quickly shut his eyes and took a deep breath as the three words triggered his recent encounter at sea. He felt a soft squeeze to his right shoulder and turned to see his mother's worried face looking back at him. He relented as he looked down sheepishly, "I still feel like I gotta help her… but I can't… not anymore."

She reached out and gently placed her hands on his cheeks and pointed out in a loving, motherly voice, "You're already helping her, son…" She then reached up and tucked a thin strand of his wavy hair behind his ear and added, "She called out to you and you listened."

Hiapo let out a deep long sigh of doubt before his face started to scrunch up as the recollection started to play in his mind and he said, "I should've climbed up the mast and…" Waiola immediately put her arms around her twelve-year-old son and started rubbing circles on his back,

"Shh... Shh... Shh… shhh... you did all you could, Hiapo. You did all you could…"

Slowly he lifted his head and looked up at his mother with tears appearing in the corner of his eyes, "No. I didn't." Hiapo pulled away from his mother and stood up. He turned around and headed toward the front of the fale and pressed his hand against one of the wooden poles and stared at the direction of the ocean, blocked by the dense jungle of tropical trees and bushes.

He shouldn't have given into her threats. He should've just let his mother scold him for refusing her attempt at an apologetic gesture.

After letting out one more long sigh he took one forward and climbed down the steps from the paepae. He stopped for a moment and turned around to face his mother as she stood there.

"I'm just going down to the beach for a minute—y'know just to—"

"All right." His mother replied, "Don't forget to get the fish while you're at it."

Hiapo nodded and said just before he left, "I'll be back soon."

IIIIIIII

Hiapo's feet slowly trod against the grass, ground, and sand as he walked down the slope to the beach where he could see the sky slowly turning red in the horizon. He stared at the horizon just watching as the sun's rays shot out from the horizon line before his eyes slowly turned to the fishing boats resting on the sand and focused on his boat before his gaze once again shifted to the sea.

"Please forgive her." He started, "She was just a little girl—I'm sure she didn't mean…" His eyes slowly shut took a deep breath when another emotional urge came up, and he let out a pleading whisper, "Please help her… please."

"So you've come to pray, Hiapo?" Tui's voice echoed from behind him. Hiapo whirled around in shock and saw Tui standing behind him. He took a deep breath and replied, "No, Matai Tui, my mother asked me to go collect some fish for our meaalofa…" His lips clamped shut and he felt like kicking himself for not being able to give a better gift—a suitable gift for the grieving family.

"And are you sure you're ready to sail?" Tui asked purely out of concern.

"I… no, but it's what my mother wants and it's our jobs as children to respect and obey our elders and parents. So, Matai Tui, may I have permission to go fishing?"

Tui stood, putting his arms behind his back, straightened his spine and told him, "If the fish is meant to be your gift then who am I to stop you?"

Hiapo smiled politely and replied, "Thank you." Before he turned around and headed toward his boat when Tui suddenly called out to him. Hiapo immediately whirled around to face him again as he walked over holding something in his clenched left hand.

"We found this entangled in Hina's hair." Hiapo looked the down the same time Tui revealed what he'd kept hidden in the palm of his hand. It was a thick piece of woven coconut fiber from the remnants of his late father's net—fashioned into a simple pendent-less necklace.

Hiapo reached forward and graciously took the cord from him before he put around his neck and fastened it. Hiapo's fingers slowly reached up and gently curled against this priceless cord that undoubtedly carried his father's mana within. Then he unexpectedly spotted three strands of Hina's hair—a source of her own mana intertwined with the cord. Finally, he looked up at Tui with a perplexed look on his face before he reached up ready to take it off when Tui stopped him and said, "Keep it as Sina's, Tala's and my gratitude for your part in trying to save Hinatea."

Hiapo slowly pulled his hands away from the back of his neck and bowed his head respectfully, "Thank you, Matai Tui."

Tui nodded his head in acknowledgment before he proceeded to walk over toward one of the geysers located a few feet in front of them.

Hiapo stood there awkwardly for a few minutes and asked, "Would you like me to escort you back, Matai Tui?"

"No thank you, Hiapo," Tui replied as he stared out into the sea attentively for a few minutes, then the two spotted something in the water swimming toward them. Tui slowly stood up and made his way down from the geyser toward the beach and into the sea, stopping when he was waist deep in water. Suddenly Hiapo saw a stray large gray manta ray with strange geometric tattoo-like markings, making its way toward Tui before it slowly swam around him and stopped only to let Tui brush his hand across its smooth skin.

"Hello, Mother." He greeted softly as the large manta ray continued circling around him.

"Mother?" Hiapo inquired as he approached Tui. The middle-aged Matai turned around and slowly began to step out of the water.

"You're well aware of our people's beliefs Hiapo, those who've passed on before us are still with us in one form or another." Tui turned back to the glistening sea and saw his mother's reincarnated form swimming toward the sea.

Hiapo slowly approached Tui as he stood on the edge of the beach letting the waves. "Are you waiting for Hina's spirit too?" The twelve-year-old boy asked.

"Yes," Tui replied slowly nodding his head as the two watched as the manta ray then started jump and dive and circle the water before jumping up again in a specific routine about thirty feet away from the shore, "Yes I am."

IIIIIIII

Hours passed and the sheets to the maota tofa were pulled up, palm leaves surrounded the front of the fale and fifteen fine mats were placed around the front of the large fale where the elders and high ranking villagers would sit.

Hiapo, Waiola, along with her five daughters, five son-in-laws, and their children had arrived and sat down on the third row among the other fishermen.

They all turned their heads when Moana's tuiga could be seen in the distance as she sat down inside her fale toward the middle left side with no one sitting beside her.

"Where's Maui?" His five-year-old niece asked as her eyes searched for Maui within the fale only to find him missing, "How come he's not here?" She asked, Aimata immediately urged her daughter to keep quiet and she did; although Hiapo could see the worriment and the curiosity in her eyes. He could only guess why Maui wasn't there for his own daughter funeral… for his first child's funeral—the loss was too great. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see his mother nudging her head forward, signaling to him that it was time for them to give their gifts to Moana. Hiapo nodded before he and his mother stood up. Waiola took the lead with her daughters, Hiapo, her five sons-in-laws and her older grandchildren following behind her.

Tui announced their names and Waiola and Hiapo walk over to Moana, knelt and presented one basket of fish to her while his mother gave the other basket to Sina. His eyes slowly turned toward where Hinatea laid. It felt weird to see her being calm and still for once—it didn't feel right at all. Hiapo felt a slight pull on his arm and turned to look up and saw his mother silently urging him to go.

He pulled his arm away from her and he stared back at her apologetically before he turned to Moana, Sina, and little Tala, and turned back to Moana again, he got down on his knees and bowed forward with his hands laid flat beside each side of his head, while he pressed his forehead against the surface of the fine mats that carpeted the river stone floors.

"I'm sorry Chief… I'm sorry I couldn't save her. I know apologies won't change anything but I—"

"Hiapo," Moana told him, he slowly lifted his head from the floor and straightened up. He looked at her and she looked at him forcing a smile as she continued, "You tried to do the right thing and you risked your own life to save hers, you've done everything you possibly could…" Moana closed her eyes as the tears started forming and sniffed once before she took a deep breath to regain her composure before opening her eyes again, she looked at Hiapo again and said with such genuine gratefulness in her voice, "…thank you for being there for her when Maui and I couldn't."

Moana then turned to Waiola and said to her,

"Thank you for trying to bring her back and for helping me deliver her into the world, Waiola."

Waiola nodded slowly with a sad smile on her face before she stood up with Hiapo standing up after her. The two then turned to where Hina laid with her family's 'ie toga covering her from the chin down.

Mother and son knelt pressing their foreheads against the stone floor to pay their respects to the deceased seven-year-old girl before they sat back up, while Aimata, Ikaika and their children's approached Moana, Sina and Tala to present their gifts.

Tears were ready to run down Waiola's eyes as she looked down at the girl, a child of their village, the third baby she'd been called forth to help deliver. She bent forward pressing her forehead against the edge of the large fine mat as her tears for the third baby she'd helped deliver finally fell from her eyes. Hiapo immediately sat behind his mother and started rubbing circles around her back with his right hand before he turned to face her once more with a remorseful look on his face before he slowly clutched the cord with his left hand.

"Don't cry Waiola." Tala spoke out as she got up and went around her sister's body to give her a hug as she declared, "Hina'll wake up soon. Matai Vasa said so."

Hiapo immediately opened his mouth to dissuade Tala from uttering her claims but then he closed it back up again—thinking it would be best to let her believe what she wanted to believe till the burial, then they all could explain the reality of the situation to her.

IIIIIIII

Night fell and most of the villagers had returned from their homes to collect their sleeping mats to lay at the front of Moana and Maui's fale, where they would sleep for the next three days.

Hiapo was just a few seconds away from falling asleep when he saw a shadow flying over head. His eyes slowly opened to a flash of blue behind him—followed the sounds of loud limping thumps and dragging coming from the direction of the beach toward the fenua. He quickly turned to lie on his side and closed his eyes as the thumps got closer and closer. Eventually, the demigod's footsteps walked past him. Hiapo then slowly sat up and turned to see Maui walking through the crowd of the sleeping villagers surrounding his fale before he proceeded up the steps to the foundation, where the lit candlenuts illuminated inside the home.

IIIIIIII

Maui slowly walked past Moana, Tala, and Sina and just sat down at the edge of the fale with his back hunched over slightly in defeat as he stared out at their land with his fish hook lying on its side next to him. Moana half-lifted herself from her sleeping mat and turned to where her consort sat with his back facing her. She slowly stood up and walked over to sit next to his left. She then turned her to face him and saw the bruise on his cheek and the cut on his lip. Moana sighed and then got up and then came back two minutes later with a bowl of seawater and a small u'a cloth. She soaked the undyed tapa cloth in the seawater and said, "This might sting a little." Before she started dabbing it against the cut. He didn't even flinch or show any signs of pain and a worried look flashed through her eyes as she stared at him for a moment but he didn't even bother looking at her.

"Maui—" She started.

He cut her off and explained still avoiding her gaze, "I couldn't find her…"

A look of sympathy came to her eyes along with fresh tears ready to trickle down her face. He continued, "I went to Hawaiki and Rarorenga… got attacked on the way there… and I still couldn't find her." He started to blink away his oncoming tears and vaguely caught sight of Moana putting the cloth and bowl of seawater down so she could wipe the corners of her eyes. He slowly turned his to face her.

"What were you trying to do?" She asked as she slowly turned to him with disapproval mixed with the grief in her eyes.

He paused trying to get all his feelings into words before he finally answered, "I was gonna bring her back. I want her back."

That nearly done it, and Moana felt one stray tear trickling down the corner of her left eye. She wiped it away as he continued on after he turned his head away from her, "Some demigod I turned out to be—I slowed down the sun, I pulled islands outta the sea… but I can't bring my own daughter back to life."

He heard her let out a deep shaky breath beside him then she spoke out and said, "I want her back too… but she's gone Maui, she's gone and we just have to accep—"

He cut her off, closed his eyes tight and practically begged, "Don't say that."

She turned toward him, leaned forward and reached out for his right cheek with her left hand, turning his head to face her before she pressed her forehead against his and whispered with a grieving tone in her voice, finally letting the tears run down her face. "I want her back too…" With their foreheads still pressed together her eyes slowly closed the same time as his as she repeated in that same mournful whisper, "I want her back too…" He put his arms around her shoulders the same time she put her arms around his neck and her silent tears turned to sobs.

IIIIIIII

Tala slowly sat up from her sleeping and turned to where her parents were sitting and then reached into her blanket. Her fingers curled the nguru and she slowly pulled it out. She put the mouthpiece to her lips and blew on it softly before she hesitated then a sudden breeze formed inside the house and blew out the candles. She quickly turned to where her parents were sitting, wondering if they noticed—then she felt a hand on her shoulder, Tala slowly looked up and saw her great-grandfather Soba standing there, with a reassuring smile on his face as he sat down behind her and put his hands on hers, positioning her hands and fingers said only for her ears to hear, "It's time." She took a deep breath and put the mouthpiece to her lips as her great-grandfather's fingers guided hers to play the right notes.

Soon a melody slowly resonated from behind them, it was low humming soothing sound with a twinge of sadness and lulling serenity. Her grieving heart slowly became calm, her eyes slowly closed as her whole body started to relax as she gradually fell into a deep, deep slumber. Maui seemed to have fallen under the same unnatural sudden boast of slumber, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he tumbled backward, hitting the floor with loud THUD!

IIIIIIII

It felt he'd gotten to sleep and woke up. But the only difference was he felt freer than he'd ever been before and the fact his skin had a pink, bluish-white glow to it with a very faint pink full body halo that circled his spiritual body. Maui looked down at his glowing faint bluish-pinkish hand.

He turned to look over behind his shoulder and saw that his back was fading upward like bluish twinkling star dust being blown up to the sk—ocean floor? A look of confusion slowly appeared on his face slowly made its way to his face. Suddenly he heard Moana groaning behind him, he immediately turned to look over his shoulder and there she was in her glowing glory.

She caught sight of her hands and immediately gasped and then she got up to study her surroundings and to her dismay, they were back in Lalotai. A few seconds later she could feel someone's eyes on her and turned to see Maui staring at her. His eyes were wide as he fixated his gaze on her middle. Puzzled, Moana slowly raised a perplexed eyebrow and out of nowhere, she spotted a tiny round glimmering bluish-white glow coming from her lower abdomen.

Her eyes went wide out of pure shock as she slowly reached the spot a few seconds later Maui's left hand enveloped hers and the two immediately looked to one another as a smile slowly made its way but before they could begin to savor the joyful discovery Maui quickly grabbed her and hid behind a rock.

"Maui what?" She tried to say, only for it to come out as mmhmi mhut instead.

He shushed her and peeked out from the large coral they'd hid behind and then turned to her before he mouthed the words, 'Crab-cake.' Moana's eyes widen in shock.

Didn't they leave him lying on his back eleven years ago?

She turned to Maui, wondering if he'd been the one to help him get up sometime before their marriage; but her consort stared back at her, appearing just as bewildered as she was.

The loud thudding sound of Tamatoa's seven in a half legs trudging against the sand as he walked past the coral. Maui and Moana let out a soft sigh of relief and then froze when he heard him come to an abrupt stop.

Tamatoa stopped in his tracks when he felt a funny sensation overcame him.

Achoo! Bouts of white spit-like liquid shot out his mouth. His large buggy eyes narrowed as he turned his eyes to see what made him spit out?

Maui and Moana crouched tensely behind the coral with their nonphysical backs pressed against its surface and his hand pressed against the lower part of her stomach to conceal their unborn son's—or daughter's glowing orb.

Seeing nothing, Tamatoa dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his claw before he marched and carried on his merry way.

The two slowly peeked out from behind the coral just to make sure he was really gone. Finally, they both sighed in relief.

"How'd we get here?" Moana wondered.

"Dunno and I don't even wanna find out." Maui replied as he walked past her, "All we gotta do is figure out how to get out of here."

His voice trailed off and Moana felt a subtle tug—a call that she could hear but couldn't be answered yet. The only thing she knew was that Hina had to be her—she's here—Maui's irritated voice, his hands shaking her roughly by the shoulders and his exasperated expression snapped her out of her trance, "Earth to Curly! We gotta go—"

Moana threw her arms up to free herself from his grip before she blurted out, "She's here, Maui. Hina's here." A puzzled look came to his face as he stared at

And then he took a deep breath before he declared as he slowly turned to walk away from her, "Okay, you're talking crazy talk—"

"Can't you feel it?" Moana's question came out as a desperate plea as she rushed to his side and put her hands on his chest as she directly in front of him, preventing him from taking another step. "She is here. I know she is." She saw the hesitation in his eyes and then stated, "You feel it too, don't you."

Once again Maui closed his eyes and said, "Yeah, okay, I feel her too—" He saw her opening her mouth and immediately slapped his hand on her lips, clamping it shut before she could even utter one word, "—I'm not taking a pregnant lady to get her. 'Kay?" He took his hand off her mouth and crossed his arms over his chest, "Say what you want—you're not going—"

She began with a reluctant sigh, "Maui, you're right. It's dangerous…" She then took her hands off his chest and waved her left arm at their surroundings, "…but look where we are?" She paused for a moment and took a good look at them both, analyzing their state of being before she pointed out, "Look at what we are… I can't exactly will myself back to Motunui. I'm—we're here like this for a reason and until that reason is made known, I can't go home."

He rolled his eyes disgruntledly—part of him knew she was slowly catching on what happened? And he hoped that she wouldn't—

"That melody we heard," She began, "That was a karakia wasn't it?"

He closed his eyes and let out an annoyed grunt before he answered, "Yeah it was—and no I don't know who did it but when I find the guy… I'm gonna make him wish he was never—"

Suddenly a young girl's screams echoed from the far distance and the two parents immediately froze. Eyes wide, Moana quickly turned to look over her shoulder toward where the cries came from. Moana quickly followed her motherly instincts and made a mad dash toward the source of the scream.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Mama!" Maui grabbed her by the shoulders, lifted her up and turned to put her behind him. "We can't just go rush in without coming up with a plan first."

Moana took a deep breath to calm herself down finally she pulled herself away from Maui and walked a few feet in front of him, her eyes scanned the terrain—trying to pinpoint exactly where the scream had come from?

"There!" She pointed a far-away cavern behind Tamatoa's lair. Maui walked over behind her and squinted his eyes to where she pointed and he saw something flying in the distance, heading right towards them. Suddenly more of the flying creatures started to appear and Maui immediately recognized the frightened flock to be a group of giant eight-eyed bats.

Without any warning he put his hands on Moana's shoulders and pushed her down to the ground while he got on top of her, hiding her and their unborn child's soul from the bats' view.

Finally, when he was sure that the bats were gone, he got off Moana and helped her up. She thanked him and turned to where the bats came from before she turned to him again and asked, "Okay, so… what's the plan?"

Maui let out a quick deep breath before he told her, "I'm working on it." Moana stared at him in annoyance and groaned in exasperation and finally, he said in annoyance, "Okay then, you come up with one!"

Moana crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Fine…" An awestruck look slowly made its way to her face as she faltered, "…I… will…?" Maui saw that she was looking at something behind him, so he half turned and peered over his shoulder where an unexpected glowing figure stood just behind him.

His eyes slowly widened in disbelief.

Standing behind him was none other Marama himself staring at them both with his pleading eyes as he held his tendril like hands in front of them, raising the tips up in a stopping motion and let out a soft resonating mournful growl. Maui slowly and instinctively got in front of Moana to block Marama from getting too close to her and when more spirits appeared all around them, then he felt Moana moved beside him with her eyes wide in awe as she stared at each and every one of her ancestors from her father's side of the family, and her mother's. Her eyes then stopped at one female, dressed pink puletasi pulled up with several white four-leafed floral patterns aligning the middle of her attire, with fastened loop around her neck. She also had white wavy-curly hair gathered up and fastened into a complete topknot. This woman had her mother's head shape, but with a slightly darker skin complexion and slightly darker eyes.

This woman was her maternal grandmother, Tasi, who'd passed away when Hinatea was only about a year old. Moana stood there in complete shock as her other grandmother walked over and gave her a quick hongi and then gazed at her adult granddaughter with her reassuring eyes, before she turned and took several steps back, rejoining the other ancestors before Matai Vasa himself stepped forth and approached them both.

IIIIIIII

WHACK! The bat screeched in terror. Hina's breathing increased to loud panicking pants. WHACK! And with one quick swoop, the bat was gone.

Hina's heavy breathing continued as she stared at the opening. Then she accidentally let out a gasp as she saw someone standing in front of the entrance. Suddenly she saw a long bony finger being pointed at her,

"Come out where I can see you!" A frightened Hina let out an accidental gasp. The Woman heard her and commanded, "Come out!"

She was too scared to move. Without any warning, she felt the woman's long skinny fingers wrapped around her wrist. Hinatea look down and with one tug from her outstretched arm, Hinatea was forcefully pulled out of the crack and she came face to face with a hollow-cheeked woman dressed in a tattered, withered ashy puletasi and whose face was made from nothing but dying cinders.

Hina's breaths quickened as The Woman who now had grown fifty feet height in size brought her closer and closer to her. The little girl's mouth slowly opened, she started crying from fright at the sight of the woman's sunken, lifeless eyes, as the little seven-year-old screamed desperately for her parents as The Woman grew in height and her bony fingers now wrapped themselves around her little body, leaving her completely caged to her gruesome whim.

A sudden flash of light swooped straight through The Woman's wrist, her ashy hand disintegrated and Hina fell to the ground.

Finally a fit of fury, The Woman screamed in pain before she swatted her attacker with her remaining hand. The attacker was sent crashing to the cave wall. The Woman then turned to her target and saw that Hina had already made a run for it.

The Woman got down and reached out to stretch her arm—but before she could even extend her limb, she found herself entangled by four water tendrils that were stretched out from the ocean above them. Enraged she quickly turned toward the culprit and her sunken eyes immediately widen in shock. The person—The woman standing before them, with the long flowing black hair, dressed in a sea blue pari with black and white diamond design, followed by a traditional piupiu, and a sparkly tri-coloured night blue, white and pink korowai made entirely from star-dust whose face was covered by a white glowing mask with moko on its chin with a design that looked uncannily familiar.

Finally, Hina's savior took off her mask and revealed herself to be none other than Tangaroa's ill-fated daughter, Rona-whakamau-tai or as she was commonly known as Rona the tide controller.

Notes:

List of terminologies

Meaalofa: The Samoan word for 'gift' (such as food, treasured possessions, fine mats or things of monetary value) is usually presented during occasions such as funerals and weddings.

Nai'a: The Hawaiian word for dolphin and porpoise.

Hawaiki: Is described as the land where all of the Polynesian people originated from, and it is also described as the underworld in legends. It is also known traditionally to the Māori people to be the home of Io the supreme being where all life began and in some cases, it's also known as the home the gods, including Maui.

Pari: The Māori word for a bodice or brassiere.

Rarorenga: The Underworld in Māori mythology is the realm of Hine-nui-tepō and the home of Maui's father Makeatutara, a guardian of the underworld.

Karakia: The Māori word for prayer, incantation, spell, and chant. It's also used to describe a ritual that performed during a chant or a spell.

Korowai: A Māori cloak made traditionally from flax and feathers.

Piupiu: A Māori waist garment made from flax strands all held together with a belt (or in modern times by a waistband)