Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Moana was standing in the palm of Te Fiti, awestruck by the Goddess. Maui stood beside her. He was smiling sheepishly. They had just restored the heart of Te Fiti and now she was thanking them. Moana had never felt more powerful than she did in that moment.

Te Fiti first offered a new hook to Maui. The demigod couldn’t stop the delighted smile that lit up his face. However, he quickly calmed down and looked pleadingly at Moana. It was clear that he wanted her opinion. This brought a silly smile to her face and she nodded. “You know; it would be rude to not accept a gift from a goddess.”

Maui’s face split into a large grin and he promptly took the hook from Te Fiti’s offered hand.  He cheered loudly, much to Moana’s amusement. She elbowed him in the side, a reminder that he was in the presence of a goddess. Maui once more beamed sheepishly at Te Fiti and offered his gratitude. She nodded in acknowledgement before Maui transformed into a giant hawk and took off, circling around the island.

Te Fiti’s attention turned to Moana and, much to the surprise of the chief’s daughter, spoke into her mind. “Moana, you have done a great service to me. I wish to offer you a gift in return.” He voice was powerful, yet it held a wispy tone to it.

Moana thought being in her presence was gift enough. “You owe me nothing, Te Fiti. I gave you your heart back because it is yours. It was a great service to do this task for you.” Moana explained.

Te Fiti simply made the motion of chuckling, though there was no noise. “I want to reward you, Moana. If you so choose, I would like to make you a demigoddess. This is not a decision to take wisely, but I know it will suit you well.”

Moana was shocked by her proposal. She, Moana, a demigoddess? Never in a million years did she think that this would be a choose for her to make. She would undoubtedly become a legend if she agreed. She could go on many more adventures with Maui and save the world. She would become immortal.

Now that was an interesting thought. She wasn’t sure what to think of it. On one hand, if she were immortal, Moana could stay with Maui forever. He would never be alone again and he would have someone who truly cared for him. He would have a friend. On the other hand, she would be forced to watch everyone she knows and loves die. Her parents and her people would pass on while she remained a constant fixture in the world.

It was an enticing offer. She just couldn’t decide what to do.

Te fiti smiled at the girl’s struggle. “You do not have to make a decision now. Return home, Moana. Speak with your family and your tribe. When you are ready to make a decision, just touch the ocean’s surface. She will tell me you are ready and I will come to you.” Te Fiti reassured her.

Moana sighed in relief and nodded. She was grateful that she needn’t choose now. Te Fiti leaned her heard forward and closed her eyes. Moana did the same and their foreheads touched. They stayed like that for a few seconds before pulling away. Te Fiti then gently set her on the ground. Maui swooped in, still as a hawk, and transformed into a man while landing beside her.

Te Fiti waved her hand and flowers blew around them, dancing in the wind. Nearly the oceans shore, the wind picked up and the flowers spun quickly. When they disappeared, a new canoe appeared. Moana smiled in appreciation.

Te Fiti then grew high, towering above them, and then laid down on her side. She became the mountain once more. Together, Moana and Maui gathered supplies from the island to stock the canoe for Moana’s trip home. When everything was settled, they turned their attention to Heihei- who was once again being destructive to himself.

Maui laughed wholeheartedly and picked him up. “I’m gonna miss you drumstick.” He beamed as he put the chicken into the boat. Moana smiled at the demigod. “You could come with us; you know? My people could use a master wayfinder to show them the ropes.” Moana offered.

“They already have one.” Maui informed her. Moana smiled softly back at him, feeling warm by the compliment. It was the second nicest thing he had ever said to her. She was really going to miss him. “See you around.”

Moana waved as he transformed into a hawk and took off. She watched him go with a heavy heart. Hopefully, she would see him again really soon. Until then, Moana boarded her canoe and set sail for Montunui. It was a weeks’ journey and she wanted to be home as soon as possible.

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When the island of Montunui finally came into view, Moana’s heart soared. She had tears in her eyes when she pulled up to the sandy beach. Her entire trip had come to greet up, her parents in the lead. She had barely stopped when she jumped from the canoe and flew towards Chief Tui and Sina.

Her parents threw their arms around their daughter and hugged her tightly. Both were relieved to have her back on Montunui, safe and sound. Moana smiled sheepishly at her dad. “I maaay have gone a little passed the reef.”

Chief Tui simply smiled. “It suits you.”

The rest of the tribe then greeted them and Moana found herself being passed from one person to another. Everyone was excited to have the daughter of the chief home once more. And they were all looking forward to whatever story she had to tell.

Moana was more than happy to tell it, but soon enough she needed rest. After all, she hadn’t really had a chance to get a good night’s rest in quite some time. It was difficult to sleep when you were one a dangerous quest. She promised her people that she would tell them everything the following day. They reluctantly let her go.

Her parents followed her back to her hut. They weren’t ready to say goodnight to their daughter quite yet. Moana was actually grateful to have them at her side. She had really missed them both. She entered her hut and sat cross-legged on the ground. Her parents sat down a crossed from her. Moana knew they were waiting on her to speak.

“You guys look like you have questions.” Moana finally spoke. Her parents gave a look that suggested that that was definitely the case. “Anything specific you want to know?”

“I think the biggest question we have is, what happened?” Her father asked, not to Moana’s surprise. She figured they’d open with the most open-ended question. It would take a lot of explaining to cover everything.

“Lots of things happened. I meet the demigod Maui, we fought off some kakamora- they are not cut, by the way. So don’t even try to suggest they are.” Moana emphasized, much to her parent’s puzzlement. She didn’t give time to ask questions before continuing. “Then we sailed to Lalotai, which I actually went into. Like, it was the real realm of monsters. Maui didn’t think I would do it, but I did. I even saved him from a giant, narcissistic crab. Then we faced the lava demon, Te Ka. We nearly died though and Maui left because his fish hook was nearly destroyed. I wanted to give up then, but Gramma appeared and convinced me to follow my heart. My heart wanted me to return the heart without Maui’s help. So I set sail once again. This time I faced Te Ka on my own. Luckily Maui appeared and saved my life. He helped me get to the island that we believed to be Te Fiti, but it turned out that Te Ka was actually Te Fiti. I got her attention and I returned her heart.” Moana stopped then to catch her breath.

Her parents had an odd look of worry and pride on their faces. Moana simply chuckled nervously, unsure of what to say next. She was afraid to bring up Te Fiti’s offer because she wasn’t sure how her parents would react.

Her mother must’ve seen that there was more. “What happened next?” Sina asked her daughter, voice thick with apprehension.

Moana bit the inside of her lip and sighed. “Te Fiti was impressed by me. She wanted to offer me a gift. She- she offered to make me a demigoddess.” She finally revealed. She had spoken hastily, wanting to get the words out quickly. Now she was watching her parents, trying to gauge their reactions.

Both of them were staring blankly at their daughter, frozen in their thoughts. Moana was becoming more and more nervous as the silence stretched. Finally, it became too much. “Mom… dad?” She asked quietly.

Her parents blinked several times, as if they were coming out of a dream. Her father spoke up first. “And is this what you want, Moana?” He asked her, his voice was kind and held a certain level of understanding. She knew that whatever choice she made, her parents would stand by her side.

“I’m not sure. I do, but I’m also afraid. I would be immortal and I would have to watch everyone I know and love get old and die. It would bring so much heartache.” Moana finally answered. Her heart and mind were battling which option was the right choice.

“Moana, you will hopefully outlive your father and I no matter which decision you make. But it has to be your own choice. We will support you. Go with your heart. You know the answer; you just have to let yourself accept it.” Sina explained to her only daughter. She couldn’t be prouder of her little girl.

“You’re destined to great things, Moana. And we are so proud of you.” Her father added as well. Moana took a deep breath and nodded. She thanked her parents. She hadn’t made a decision yet, but she was close.

Her parents stood up and took turns kissing the top of Moana’s head. They bid her goodnight and took their leave. Moana watched them go before she stood up and blew out the fire that lit up her hut. Then she curled up on her mat to sleep. She closed her eyes and was instantly out.

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Moana dreamed that she was on her canoe. She had no destination in mind and was simple staring up at the stars, allowing the water to take her wherever it please. Her mind was filled with so many thoughts that she could barely focus as it was.

She heard the cry of a hawk and watched as Maui flew passed her. He didn’t land, just kept on flying. Then, the water glowed a bright blue and a giant manta ray swam beneath her. On the other side of the canoe, her gramma appeared.

“Gramma!” Moana shouted and threw herself into the older woman’s arms. Tala laughed as she hugged her granddaughter back. “I miss you so much.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Her gramma chuckled and pulled away from the younger woman. Tala pat Moana’s hair. “So I hear you have an interesting choice to make. I always knew you were destined for greatness, dear.”

Moana face fell and she looked away from her gramma. “I don’t know what to do. I want to accept Te Fiti’s offer, but I just don’t think I’m good enough. What if I mess everything up? I could bring about the destruction of the world! I mean, just look at Maui. I know he didn’t mean to, but he almost destroyed everything. What if I do the same thing?”

“I suppose it’s a possibility that you could screw everything up. But, I do not think you would.” Gramma Tala explained to her granddaughter. “It’s true that Maui made a mistake, but, with your help, he fixed it. The two of you could do so much good in this world and I truly believe this is the path you are meant to take.”

“Will Maui want me by his side for all eternity?”

“I don’t think he’d want anyone else. I cannot tell you what to do, but you know which path you’d like to take. You just have to be brave enough to do it. I know you are. After all, not many mortals can say that they’ve jumped into Lalotai and came back alive.” Tala winked at her granddaughter. Moana chuckled and nodded. Her grandmother had a point.

Moana knew what she was going to do.

She was going to become a demigoddess.

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Moana woke up the next morning feeling ready for anything. Now that she knew what path to take, she felt she could take on the world. She got up and left the hut to find her parents. She needed to tell them what she had decided.

Sina and Tui were talking to some of the villagers when Moana found them. With one luck, they knew what her decision was. They embraced Moana and told her how proud they were of her and that they knew she was making the right choice. She had always been destined to be great, and now it was actually happening.

Moana then gathered her people around and told them her story. Everyone was enthralled from the start to the finish. When she told them her decision to become a demigoddess, they cheered in delight. That night, they held a feast.

The villagers ate, laughed, and danced well into the night. Moana joined in with their fun, feeling lighter than she had in quite some time. Now that she had a path laid out for her, she was finally able to relax and be who she truly was. All the while, the ocean called out for her and she couldn’t wait to return.

Once the last villager had gone to bed, Moana went to the ocean. She was greeted with a playful squirt to the face. “Nice to see you too.” Moana laughed. “Would you please tell Te Fiti that I have reached a decision.”

The ocean swirled around before lifting up and giving a quick nod. The wave flattened and the ocean became calm. Nothing happened for several seconds. And then, everything changed.

The grass behind her rose and she watched in awe as a smaller version of Te Fiti appeared. The goddess smiled at Moana. “You have reached a decision?” She asked Moana, once more in her head.

Moana nodded. “I will gladly accept your gift.”

Te Fiti’s smile grew. “I knew you would accept.” She giggled before waving a hand. Once more there were flower petals dancing in the wind. This time they swirled around Moana. “Moana of Montunui, I know deem you the demigoddess of all that is flora and fauna. You will have gained the powers of speaking with animals and the ability to heal plant life. You are immortal and it will be nearly impossible to kill you. Everyone will know your name.”

The pedals calmed and disappeared, revealing a new Moana. She had matured into a grown woman. Her hair was longer, and even more wild, but silkier than it had ever been. Her clothing changed to create a pattern of animals and plants. A flower crown now rested upon her head. Moana approached the sea and looked at her reflection, gasping at the change.

“You are beautiful. I know you will do incredible thing, Moana.” Te Fiti complimented before she shrunk down into the ground once more.

Moana just stood there for several minutes, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was now a demigoddess. “Moana, demigoddess of all that is flora and fauna. It certainly has an interesting ring to it.” She hummed thoughtfully. She supposed it made sense that she was goddess of the land. Maui already had the sea covered.

She wondered what he would think when he saw her. It would certainly shock him. She looked forward to seeing his reaction. Moana was immortal now, just as he was. The two of them could protect the world. Neither of them would be alone.

This thought alone comforted Moana.

Chapter Text

Moana had been staring out into the ocean for quite some time after Te Fiti left. She was looking to the horizon, hoping to see a giant hawk flying towards her. She desperately wanted to tell Maui the great news. She was a demigoddess now. Moana was a powerful, immortal being, just like Maui.

However, she couldn’t see anything for miles. Moana wasn’t sure where Maui had gone after they left Te Fiti’s island, but he certainly wasn’t in any hurry to return to her. Why should he be? He didn’t know what had happened. Maui probably thought of her as they same curly-haired princess as he has in the beginning of their journey. Something told her that wasn’t true, though, and she hoped she was right.

Moana felt something brush up against her leg. The bristled fur told her it was Pua. She looked down and smiled at her friend. “Hey boy, did you miss me?”

Pua smiled and, much to her surprise, spoke. “Of course I did, Moana. I always miss you when you’re gone. Though this is the first time you’ve left the island. It was the longest time I’ve ever gone without seeing you.” He talked really fast and his voice was kind of squeaky. But it was just how she always imagined he would sound if he could talk.

“Pua, I can understand you.” She marveled. Moana sat down on the sand and Pua jumped into her lap.

“So that’s why your mana has changed. It’s a lot more powerful now that it was before. You’re a demigoddess now, aren’t you?” Pua wasn’t shocked by this new information. Moana was a special girl. He had known so since the moment he had laid eyes on her. He was in awe by the bright aura her mana gave off. There was so many colors swirling around. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with now.

“My mana? I hadn’t thought about that. I suppose it would become more powerful now that I am a demigoddess. You can see it?” Moana asked in awe.

“Of course. Certain animals have the ability to see mana. Not all of them, of course. Heihei, for example, can barely see life threatening hazards, so mana is certainly out. I was born with the ability. I can teach it to you, if you want?” Pua looked excited by the prospect. He’d always wanted to communicate with his best friend, Moana. Teaching her something would be incredible.

Moana giggled and stated that she might just take him up on it. The two of them sunk into silence then. Moana was petting his head, while he laid comfortably in her lap. Moana wondered what it would be like to talk to Heihei, and she giggled at the thought. She imagined that conversation with him would be very interesting. Maybe now she could get him to understand the difference between food and rock.

She doubted though.

The sun began its ascent, much to Moana’s surprise. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been out there. Despite having no sleep, she didn’t feel tired. Moana supposed that was because she was a demigoddess now. Sleeping wasn’t as important. Moana felt weird. She was a demigoddess now. She was no longer mortal. She didn’t need the things that mortals needed. Sleep and food weren’t as high on her necessity list now. Everything had changed in such a short amount of time. Frankly, it was a tad overwhelming.

However, Moana was sure she would get used to it. Until then, she was going to enjoy her new life. There was so much for her to learn and see now. And she had all the time in the world to do whatever she please. Death wouldn’t stop her now. She was free. Now that was an interesting thought.

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Nearly a hundred years had gone by since Moana was made a demigoddess by Te Fiti. She had spent the majority of that time with her people, leading them to do great things. They had sailed all over the waters, finding new islands and meeting new people. All of whom was in awe of the great Moana.

Moana was reveled at every island they visited that was inhabited. It seemed her story had been spread all over, presumably by Maui. Everyone was impressed by the mortal girl who had sailed the great ocean with the demigod Maui and restored the heart of Te Fiti. They were even more fascinated when they discovered that Moana had been gifted immortality as a demigoddess by Te Fiti.

She was worshipped.

Moana felt just a smidge awkward by all the attention.

As the years went by, Moana watched as her parents aged and became weaker. They got too old to sail so Moana returned them to Montunui, where they wished to be buried. It was difficult watching her parents fade away. And when they died, Moana mourned for days.

She realized then that she couldn’t stay any longer. Being with her people was too painful. Moana needed the ocean, it’s call was still as strong as it had been her entire life. It was time for her to truly walk her path as a demigoddess. So, with a heavy heart, she picked a new chief for the tribe, someone she had known their entire life and whom she trusted to take care of her people.

They held a large feast for her the night she left. Moana stayed to enjoy the festivities. They danced and sang. All of them demanded she do a dance for them as well. It was her final farewell, after all. She obliged, of course.

And then, when the moon was high in the sky, Moana bid her tribe goodbye. Many of them cried as they watched her off from the shore. She waved from the canoe given to her by Te Fiti. Moana watched as the island that had been her home for so long shrank in the distant. And when it disappeared altogether, she finally allowed a tear to fall.

She cried for a good while, getting out all the heartache she had faced in the past several weeks. And finally, when she had cried out all her tears, Moana sucked in a deep breath and became determined. She was off to find Maui now. She hadn’t seen him since Te Fiti and it was time he knew the truth of who she was now. At this time, it had been fifty years since she’d seen him last.

Moana didn’t know it would take another fifty to find him.

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It was kind of funny how Moana and Maui were reunited. Moana had been after a monster for a good ten years. It was known as Pea-pea-makawalu, or "Pea-pea the eight-eyed." Legend said that his name was Lupe and he could sometimes be a pigeon and other times a man. He had been causing all kinds of trouble on some islands Moana had visited and she made it her mission to get rid of him.

Pea-Pea was unfortunately a step ahead of her. He snuck up on Moana and carried her away. She had struggled, but he was stronger than her. Lucky for her, Maui had seen the whole thing. He hadn’t realized who she was, but he was Maui. He was a hero and planned on rescuing her.

She had been brought island full over people who were loyal to Pea-Pea. She was told that she was now one of them and that she must be loyal to Pea-Pea. Moana didn’t like this. She managed to sneak to the ocean, where she told her to find Maui. He was her only hope, for there was no way off the island. Not unless you could fly. Moana had thought about swimming, but Pea-Pea had filled the ocean with monsters that wouldn’t hesitate to eat her. The ocean had warned Moana there were too many for her to help.

Pea-Pea had turned into a man once more. He was a grueling man, and his strength mirrored Maui himself. Moana had demanded he take her back to the island he had taken her from, but Pea-Pea simply laughed.

She was stuck there for three days and three nights. The villagers were distant and cold, so she avoided them and Pea-Pea. They mostly left her alone. There was no where she could go, after all, so there was no need to keep an eye on her. She spent those days talking to the birds and other animals that would visit her, usually that would be bunnies and deer. They all were in awe of her mana and, when they discovered she was the demigoddess of flora and fauna, they practically worshipped her.

She just enjoyed their company.

It was on the third night that she saw an interesting bird. Despite being the demigoddess of fauna, she had never seen a bird quite like that one. Something about it seemed safe, however, and she felt hopeful then. The other villagers were curious about the bird, but Pea-Pea called out, “This is my bird. It is Tabu.”

This bird flew out over the sea, skimming the surface before rising gracefully back up. It then flew towards the beach, where the villagers caught him. He was put in the chief’s sleeping house; which Moana had been staying in with Pea-Pea. She was forced to go with them, as it was time to settle for the night.

Moana wondered over to the bird and looked at it curiously, while Pea-Pea settled down to sleep. He had closed only one eye, while leaving seven awake. Moana looked into the birds and nearly gasped in surprise. She could see Maui within it, hiding and waiting. He was stunned to discover it was her who had been kidnapped, and even more surprised to see how young she looked, despite having not seen her for over one hundred years. However, he smirked at her and winked, before motioning at her to keep quiet.

Moana turned to Pea-Pea and noticed her had only three eyes open. She walked over to her designated mat and laid down, pretending to sleep. She watched Pea-Pea out of narrowed eyes, hoping he’d close the rest of his eyes soon enough.

It was nearing dawn when two more closed, leaving only one open. Moana was afraid that he wouldn’t close all his eyes before the sun rose and she would be stuck there another day. Thankfully, his final eye closed and Pea-Pea slept. Moana sat up and watched curiously as Maui climbed out of the bird suit. She definitely wanted to hear the story behind that later.

Maui approached the sleeping eight-eyed man and used his fish hook to slice off his head. He stuffed it into the bird suit and then turned to smirk at Moana. “Well, well, well, princess. I did not expect to see you here.” He teased, but she could tell her was pleased to see her.

“Well, if you were so hard to find, you would’ve known by now. I’ve been looking for you for fifty years, Maui. Where have you been?” She asked, genuinely curious to know. The sun was beginning to peak in through the windows and they could hear the villagers waking. Maui jumped up and punched a large hole into the ceiling.

“I’ll explain everything later, but for now, let’s get out of here.” Maui transformed into a hawk and motioned with his wing for Moana to climb on his back. She grinned, having wanted to do this since she first saw him transform. She ran over and climbed on. Maui flew out the hole in the roof. Maui cheered as they glided through the air, he twisted and flipped around several times. Moana laughed as she held on for dear life. She trusted Maui to catch her if she fell.

They flew for quite some time. Moana gave him directions to the island she had been taken from, where her canoe was hopefully still located. When they arrived, Maui landed on the shore right next to her canoe.

“Alright, Curly, how did this happen? You should be dead by now.” Maui got straight to the point, much to Moana’s amusement. She’d forgotten how blatant he could be.

“Well, after we restored Te Fiti’s heart, she offered to make me a demigoddess.” Moana began, shoulders held back with pride. “I didn’t accept at first, she told me I could take some time to think about it. So I went home, talked about it with my parents, dreamed about my gramma, and decided to go for it. I wanted to tell you right away, but you never came back.”

Maui frowned. She sounded a little upset that he hadn’t returned. He hadn’t meant to not visit, but he’d lost track of time. In the past century, Maui had been catching up on all thing he had missed during his solidarity on that barren island. He had visited all the island he had pulled up from the sea and told the stories of their adventure with the heart of Te Fiti. Time was a fickle thing to Maui. Before he knew it, fifty years had gone by. He had figured that, after all that time, Moana wouldn’t be interested in talking to him.

Maui could see that he had been wrong.

He chalked his error up to his inexperience with humans. He’d never befriended one before Moana. Maui had always been afraid of forming any sort of relationship with a human because he knew they’d die one day.

He supposed that was another reason he avoided Moana all these years. He allowed her into his heart when he befriended her. When she would die, it would just be yet another mortal leaving him. He didn’t want to face that sort of pain. It was better if he just stayed away, and that’s what he told himself all these years.

But now, here they were, a century later and Moana was still alive. She never left him like all mortals do eventually.

No, he left her.

Moana looked for him.

She cared about him.

Maui could only stare at her in awe.

Moana felt her cheeks heating up at his gaze. “Maui?” She asked hesitantly. He surprised her when Maui suddenly reached forward and pulled her to his chest in a crushing hug. Once the surprise wore off, Moana smiled softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him back just as tightly. She had really, really missed him.

Maui pulled back after a minute, a sheepish look on his face. “You know I’m not usually one for apologizing, but I am sorry, Curly. I hadn’t meant to stay away, at least not consciously. Time just sort of got away from me.”

Moana shrugged, but the grin on her face showed just how pleased she was. “Hey, it’s cool, we’re cool. It happens. We’re here now, and hey! You’re kinda stuck with me for all eternity.” She winked playfully.

Maui laughed. “I guess that’s true. I suppose having a princess around won’t be so bad. What’s your specialty then?”

Moana glared at him for the princess comment, but otherwise let it go this time. She wasn’t going to deal with him calling her that forever. “Flora and fauna. I can speak to animals now, which is really cool. And I have the ability to heal and grow plant life. It’s pretty cool, actually. I’ve visited quite a few barren islands and made them absolutely beautiful.” She replied merrily.

“I bet talking to the drumstick was interesting.” Maui joked. Moana felt a slight pang in her chest at the mention of her old pet. It had been quite some time since Heihei and Pua had passed, but she still felt the pain of their deaths from time to time. She really missed them. Pua had tried so hard to help her see manas, but Moana wasn’t any good at it. She wishes she had been able to do so though; it would be something to connect them together.

Heihei had indeed been interesting to talk to. He asked so many questions when he realized Moana could understand and talk to him. Sometimes they would spend hours with him asking her the same things over and over again- he always forgot the answer. She enjoyed the time with him nonetheless.

“You have no idea.” Moana chuckled, the sound only slightly sad. She shook it off though and smiled yet again, “Okay, tell me the story about that bird costume now. Why didn’t you just shapeshift.”

“Pea-Pea would’ve known it was me.” Maui said as if it was so obvious. Moana rolled her eyes, but prompted him to continue nonetheless. Maui launched into the story and Moana listened with rapt attention. She had missed listening to him tell her stories of his adventures. He was such a vibrant story teller. He gestured with his arms, and occasionally he would shapeshift. Moana would laugh at his exuberance. It was so him.

By the time he finished, night was falling once more. Moana hadn’t realized how long they had been there, just sitting on the beach in front of her canoe. “Well, that was quite the tale.” She chuckled.

He smirked. “You have no idea.”

A crack of thunder sounded and the two of them looked at the darkening sky. “We should probably find some shelter.” Moana said and Maui agreed. He picked up her canoe, only slightly dazzling her with his strength (though she’d never tell him that), and put in far enough from the waves that they wouldn’t drag them out to sea.

Then the two of them walked towards the trees of the island’s jungle, hoping to find a cave somewhere. Preferably before the storm began. They walked for a few miles into the jungle before coming to a clearing. There was a little lagoon and a cave behind it. The cave was large enough for the two of them to stay comfortably.

Moana went and collected some fruit, using her powers to grow some sweet and ripened coconuts, melons, and bananas. Maui gathered firewood so they could make a fire before night set. When they had everything they needed, the two of them went into the cave. As soon as they went inside, it began to downpour. “Huh, perfect timing.” Moana remarked with amusement.

Maui chuckled, nodding in agreement, before starting the fire. Moana ate a banana and watched him as he worked. There was something amazing about the way he did, well, everything. She could watch him for hours doing the simplest things. He always managed to make it interesting.

Moana felt a fluttering in her chest, and frowned at the feeling. She’d never felt anything like that before. It was strange, but not in a bad. Maui looked up and smiled at her. There was something in his eyes that Moana didn’t quite understand. It made her heart speed up and her cheeks flared.

Moana wasn’t sure what she was feeling, or why Maui was looking at her the way he was, but something told her things with them were certainly going to get interesting.