Tamatoa awoke, drifting slowly out of sleep's embrace. He cracked one eye open, then the other. The watery light streaming in from above hurt his eyes and intensified his piercing headache, but closing them again was worse—giving life to memories of the nightmarish darkness he had only just barely escaped.

There was a warm weight against his neck, though. Maui was still there, leaning against him. It was oddly comforting, reminiscent of days when he was younger. It steadied him, providing at least a partial bulwark against the rising tide of aches and pains that rose up as sleep fell away. There was a lot of pain to contend with, too. Without the blanket of exhaustion numbing him, all those forgotten aches made themselves known and absolutely everything hurt. He hurt in places he didn't even know could hurt. His head ached, his pincers were tender, and there was still a faint buzz of static running through his antennae. The worst of it, though, was the fiery pain spidering across his shell. He could feel the network of cracks shifting and widening with every movement. He knew what that meant.

With a groan, he closed his eyes against the pain and let his head rest heavier on his claw.

"Hey, you okay there?"

Maui's voice encouraged him to slowly, flinchingly reopen his eyes. "I thought you were still sleeping."

"Wish I was. I'm just too comfy to move, though."

"That makes one of us."

Maui gave him a long look.

"I'll be fine," Tamatoa assured, trying to convince himself. To prove it, he moved to stand. He needed to get up anyway, he was direly hungry.

Standing turned out to be an ill conceived idea. It sent waves of pain through his shell, making him somewhat lightheaded. "Eugh," he groaned again, wobbling a bit on unsteady legs.

"You're not okay, are you?"

Tamatoa sank back down. He'd rest a little while longer, then try again. "Not really, no." He sighed, resigning himself to what he already knew was an inevitable, unavoidable reality. "I'm going to have to molt," he mumbled despondently, covering his aching head with his pincers.

"Well," he heard Maui begin pointedly, "aren't you—I dunno—a little overdue anyway?"

Tamatoa poked an eyestalk up to give him a narrow, huffy glare.

Maui threw his hands up placatingly. "I'm just saying! It's been a long time, hasn't it?" More than a thousand years, all in. But who was counting? "Why haven't you done it in so long, anyway?"

He lifted his claws from his head tentatively, peering at Maui. "Uh—"

How could he explain? He hadn't really felt the need to in any serious way in centuries, though he wasn't sure whether that was just due to his age or some other environmental factor. Regardless, he'd molted only once since returning to Lalotai and it had been a harrowing experience in a realm full of other dangerous monsters. His old island had been isolated and safe. Before that, Maui had always been somewhere nearby. Allowing himself to be so vulnerable in Lalotai, by contrast, was not an appealing notion. So when the urge to molt had grown less pressing, he hadn't seen any reason to invite trouble in. Even if it did mean he spent the past thousand years on three legs.

It didn't help that he'd have to completely redecorate his shell, which for the past several centuries had been just the way he wanted it. Admittedly, that seemed a moot point now, with his treasures damaged and in disarray. He would have to rearrange them all anyway to get what remained right again.

Then there was the other thing: the reminder. As much as he hated it, part of him wanted the endless reminder with every off-balance step of a betrayal so deep—a stark warning against making such mistakes again. Now, however, that thought was far from his mind. Maui was here. Maui had apologized. Maui had offered his friendship once again.

Maui was looking at him expectantly.

Tamatoa floundered for words, but finally went for a simple explanation. "—uh, it's dangerous here in Lalotai, man. Lots of other monsters around. Risky, you know?"

"Well, why don't I stay and keep an eye out?" Maui offered immediately, as if without a second thought. "Nobody'll bother you with me here." There was a touch of the demigod's usual boastful pride there, but it was not without basis.

Tamatoa's antennae swept upward and for a moment he just stared in disbelief. Finally, he found his voice and managed to sputter, "What, really?"

Maui grinned. "Sure, it'll be like the old days."

Like the old days.

A few short weeks earlier, those words were enough to throw Tamatoa into a massive fit of temper. Now though, after everything—after thinking Maui was gone forever—there was a certain appeal to them. "You'd do that, huh?" he asked slowly.

"I said I would, didn't I?"

Tamatoa flicked an antenna. "Well—"

"Unless," Maui said accommodatingly, "you don't want me around. It's up to you, of course. I know these—uh—crab things take some trust."

Crab things. Tamatoa managed a lopsided grin. You'd think after all these centuries, Maui wouldn't still be so endearingly awkward about it. Tamatoa elected not to tease him, though. Not this time. Instead, he said with a degree of earnestness that surprised even himself, "Maui, after everything we just went through, I trust you on this."

Maui blinked, then smiled faintly. "About all that," he began, "I didn't really get to say this before, but—well—you did good. You didn't have to do all that, but you did. You saved everyone."

Tamatoa's eyes widened slightly, but then he shrugged although the motion sent splintering pain through his shell again. "I didn't do it for everyone," he said, wanting to make sure Maui had no illusions about whatever heroism he was ascribing to Tamatoa's actions. "I did it for—" He broke off, then his eyestalks sagged a bit. "I really thought you were dead, you know. Don't scare me like that again."

"I'll try not to," Maui said with a wry grin. The he paused, looking a little hesitant. "There is one thing, though."

Tamatoa's antennae twitched curiously at the change in tone. He looked questioningly at the demigod.

Maui went on. "I know I said I'd stay and keep watch." Oh, here it comes. "But I have to go back up to the surface to take care of something first."

Tamatoa's eyes narrowed very, very slightly. "The humans?" he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Always the humans, even now.

Maui nodded. "I won't be long. I just need to let Moana know everything is okay," Maui told him. "She'll worry otherwise."

Tamatoa made a disgruntled noise, but said nothing.

"You need time to get ready anyway, don't you?" Maui pointed out, not unreasonably. He was right, too—though Tamatoa was loathe to admit it. Then the demigod's tone turned reassuring. "Hey, I'll be back. I promise."

Tamatoa wanted to believe it. Maui had stuck with him this far, through all the horrors they'd endured in the subterranean realm below. However, he still couldn't forget that Maui had broken promises before.

Maui, in a stunning display of perception, seemed to pick up on his thoughts without him saying a word. "I know what you're thinking—that I never came back to your island." That was exactly what Tamatoa was thinking, yes. "I won't make excuses for it, but that was a mistake I won't make again." He met Tamatoa's eyes steadily. "I will come back."

Tamatoa still wasn't so sure, but he didn't voice those doubts. Instead he just dipped an antennae in acknowledgement. Deeds would prove better than words and he'd just have to wait and see if Maui actually made good on his promise this time. After what they'd endured together, Tamatoa was willing to give him that chance.

They spent the rest of the morning resting and talking, catching up on centuries of lost time. Eventually Tamatoa felt steady enough to stand and lure down some much needed breakfast. It seemed like forever since he had a decent meal and it improved his mood considerably. He even felt generous enough to share some with Maui.

After a nice afternoon nap that found them both sprawled in the warm sand, Maui took his leave. The demigod said his goodbyes, reassuring once again that he would return. Promising that it would only be a few weeks at most. It was hard not to remember the last time the demigod had made such a promise.

Tamatoa watched him go until he was out of sight and wondered if he'd see him again.

Moana's canoe was right where Maui had left it, tied up securely at the base of the towering spire that lead to Lalotai. How long had it been since he left it here? It was hard to gauge how long they had spent in the underground realm, with no daylight to mark the passage of the days. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Maui wasted no time now. He cast off the bowline, prepped the sail, and set a fast, direct course to Motunui. No distractions this time. He was going to keep his promise. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes again.

It was an easy sail with fair winds, as if the very weather itself was pleased and eager to escort him on his way. Maui let himself enjoy the feel of the wind and the salt spray on his face. The air was clean and fresh and sharp with the tang of salt, a welcome relief after the dark, stale world below. Oh, how he'd missed sailing when he was stuck on that pile of rocks. A thousand years without the wind filling his sails bred a special kind of longing.

Maui's thoughts drifted to Tamatoa, staring with that same longing up at the stars in the night sky. When he had first set out on this journey, Moana had asked him the crab might want besides treasure. Maui hadn't had an answer then, having never really thought about it beyond the superficial level. Now, he felt like he had much better understanding.

He hadn't thought much about it, even when they were younger. Maui had always been too wrapped up in himself, really. He'd always figured the crab was pretty superficial, only really concerned with the next shiny trinket. And maybe Tamatoa was on some level—he certainly claimed as much if anyone dared ask—but clearly Maui had underestimated what lay beneath that.

Maui looked up at the endless sky above him as the canoe glided away from the stony spire that lead into Lalotai. Twilight was just settling in, streaking the tropical skies with vivid red and purple hues. The tapestry of colors woven above him was peppered with the first bright stars of evening.

Then Maui smiled as an idea began to form.

Heart lightened, he sailed on with greater purpose into the night.

Tamatoa carefully pried his treasures loose from his shell, meticulously sorting and inventorying them as he stored them safely away. Many were damaged beyond repair, but those that were in good shape he stowed in various piles and nooks in his home according to an organization system no one but himself could possibly understand. Even those that were damaged seemingly beyond repair he couldn't really bear to part with. After all, they were still shiny even if shattered. He separated them away in their own piles. He'd find something to do with them. Even broken, they were still valuable. Maybe they could even be salvaged. Maybe some things weren't truly beyond repair.

All in all, it was an arduous task, but better to do it now then molt with it all still adhered to his shell. That would only complicate matters.

As he cleared it away, he was able to see the underlying color of his shell for the first time in centuries. Yep, still as boring as he remembered. Of course, he could also see the extent of damage there now too. He knew it was bad, but now he could see just how bad it really was. Burn marks covered most of his back, likely made worse by some of the more metallic treasures there, and the cracks were far more extensive than he had thought and some were quite deep. He shuddered, realizing just how close he'd come to dying on this adventure.

He hadn't, though. He'd survived. He had survived and so had Maui. They had survived together something that they never could have endured alone.

He hoped Maui came back.

Tamatoa had plenty to distract himself with in the interim. He turned back to the tasks ahead of him and tried not to fret about things he couldn't control. Sometimes he even succeeded.

Motunui came into view on the horizon and Maui coaxed a bit more speed from the sail. The little canoe skimmed fast over the waves towards the island and coasted over the reef with ease. Skillfully, he piloted it straight towards the main beach where he had last seen the great canoes being prepped again.

The beach was empty.

Sure, there were a handful of fishermen tending nets and repairing sails, but the voyaging canoes were gone. He swore under his breath as he beached the canoe, frustrated at the setback.

There was no point dwelling on it, though, so he hopped off the deck and hurried straight to the nearest mortal. He skipped the introductions and got right to the point. "Hey, which way did they go?"

Startled at the stranger who was suddenly interrogating her, the villager jumped to her feet and dropped the sail she was mending. "Where did who go?"

"Moana! And the voyaging fleet!" Maui asked impatiently.

The fisherwoman looked him up and down, taking in all the tattoos and half healed wounds. Then she glanced at the highly recognizable canoe beached nearby and finally at the very conspicuous hook laying on the deck. Maui watched realization dawn on the woman's face. "You're Mau—"

"It's a lot to take in, I know," he said quickly. Ordinarily, he would be thrilled to show off for the first mortal besides Moana to recognize him in a thousand years, but right now he was in a bit of a rush. "But I really need to find them. Which direction did they sail?"

Still somewhat starstruck, the woman pointed to the east. "Due east. They left this morning."

Oh, thank goodness. They'd be easy to find then. Another lucky break!

"Thanks!" he said cheerily, giving her a jaunty wave as he skipped back to the canoe. He snatched the hook off the deck and, with a flash of blue light, took to the skies in the shape of a hawk.

Behind him, the fisherwoman on the beach just gaped in open mouthed awe.

It didn't take long to find the fleet and Maui felt a swell of fond joy as he saw the majestic canoes come into view. Moana had done it. She was leading her people on their return to voyaging. She really was an amazing mortal, like none he had ever met before.

He spied the flagship, gliding straight and true across the sea. It was at full sail, riding the waves swiftly. Strings of flowers fluttered in the wind from the mast. As he circled, he could see Moana at the top of the mast—her face glowing with pride and confidence, looking ahead to a future filled with promise.

She caught sight of him as he spiraled down from the clouds and gave him a bright smile. When he landed on the deck and shifted back to his human skin, she rushed to greet him. Once again, he found himself enveloped in a jubilant hug.

"You're back!" she exclaimed, hugging him tighter. Her voice was filled with relief.

He returned the hug with a smile. "I'm back."

It was only when they parted from the hug that Moana noticed the shape he was in. His wounds were healing fast, but he still looked pretty rough with raw pink streaks across his chest and welts still itchy and inflamed. "Oh Maui, are you okay?" Moana asked, clearly concerned. "What happened? Did—?"

"It's fine, I'm fine. We destroyed the war club, it's all done now," Maui reassured.

Moana lifted an eyebrow. "We?" Then she smiled brightly. "So you got him to help?"

"Yep!" Maui replied with a grin. "More than just help, too."

Moana looked intrigued, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Tell me everything!"

By now the voyagers were crowding around to see the demigod who had aided Moana on her own journey. Maui looked at the ring of eager faces, pressing close around them, and grinned. He loved a good audience.

"Well—" he began, adopting a theatrical tone. "Here's what happened."

And he told them everything. Absolutely everything.

If the villagers were put off by the idea of a giant crab saving the world or alarmed by Maui's decision to save the Realm of Monsters, they gave no indication of it. Indeed, they listened with rapt attention and cheered at the end when the war club was destroyed.

When the story was done, Moana gave him another hug. "You did it," she said softly, full of pride.

"It wasn't me," Maui reminded her. "Tamatoa destroyed it."

Moana shook her head. "That's not what I meant." She stepped back to look at him with a wisdom well beyond her years. "You made it right. And regained your friend."

Maui grinned sheepishly. "Well, I guess I did."

Moana's smile was like sunrise over the sea.

Then a voice from the crowd called out. "Stay with us, Maui! Come voyage with us!" The first voice was joined by others, clamoring with invitations to join them.

Moana looked around at her people, then back to Maui. "You're more than welcome to stay," she told him. It was an enticing proposition.

They wanted him to be there—to join them. He let his gaze drift across the faces before him, all filled with warmth. They wanted him to sail with them off to new lands and new adventures. There was adoration in their eyes, beckoning him with love and respect. He was hero to them all and they were welcoming him into their family with open arms. It was the sort of thing he always craved.

Maui shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I have a promise to keep and a friend waiting."

Moana smiled warmly and he could see the approval in her eyes. He'd made the right choice this time.

"Tell him—well—tell him I said hello. And that we all appreciate what he did." Then she stifled a little laugh. "And—uh—no hard feelings."

Maui grinned. "I'll do that. Maybe sometime you can meet him on—er—better terms."

"I'd like that." She smiled. "Safe travels, Maui!"

"And to you, Moana," he replied smiling broadly.

Tamatoa had everything more or less prepared. He'd stripped his shell of ornaments, had excavated out an adequate, if hasty, burrow under his lair, and taken care of everything else he needed to as well. Of course, this was not without copious amounts of grumbling to himself in the process. He hoped it would be at least another millennia before had to go through all this rigamarole again. Such an inconvenience.

Despite his grumpiness at the whole affair, he was ready to go. Now he was just waiting for Maui. It had only been a few weeks, but that unpleasant nagging thought that Maui might not come back was hard to shake. He hadn't set a time limit on it yet, but soon enough he would have to decide how long to wait before just going through with it anyway.

Impatient, he had paced the length of the lair until he'd nearly worn grooves in the sand. He only forced himself to stop his incessant pacing out of concern that he might inadvertantly collapse the burrow he'd made. Finally, Tamatoa had slumped with a huff into the sand, antennae drooping limply. He picked idly at things he found in the dirt. Ooh, was that a stray coin? He'd have to put it—

"Hey, crab cake!"

Tamatoa's antennae perked and the coin slipped forgotten from his pincer. He'd never felt more relieved to hear that annoying nickname. Maui had come back. He really had this time.

Still, he tried to play it cool. No sense in letting Maui know he'd had doubts—that he'd been worried the demigod wouldn't return.

"Took you long enough, man. Did the master wayfinder get lost?" he joked, trying for a casual tone as he swiveled his eyes around to find the demigod.

Maui stood just inside the entrance to the cavern, leaning casually on his hook. He had a stack of baskets beside him and Tamatoa could smell the fruit inside them. Apparently the demigod didn't fancy living off only Lalotai's cuisine for the next few months and had brought his own supplies.

At Tamatoa's words, Maui raised a knowing eyebrow. Clearly, he wasn't buying the act. Tamatoa's antennae fidgeted.

"Winds were bad," he said with a shrug and a half grin, evidently playing along anyway.

The demigod set his hook against the baskets and walked around to where Tamatoa was nestled in the sand. He climbed up onto one of Tamatoa's massive claws, putting him closer to eye level.

"I promised I'd be back, didn't I?" Maui said, looking him in the eye. "And here I am!"

Tamatoa looked back at Maui. Once he could fit into the demigod's hands, now Maui was a small thing sitting on his own claw. So much had happened—both good and bad—between himself and the demigod over his very long life, but now things seemed to have come full circle. For the first time in centuries, Tamatoa didn't feel so lonely anymore.

"And here you are," Tamatoa echoed.

"So, you ready?"

Tamatoa snorted softly, swiftly brought back to the unpleasant matter at hand. It killed his mood fairly quickly, not that it was hard to do—he was always moody before a molt. "As I'll ever be," he groused and laid his head on his other pincer. He made no move to get up.

"Hey, you've done this plenty of times. You'll be fine." Maui gave the claw he was sitting on an encouraging pat.

Tamatoa's only response was a disgruntled grumble.

Maui was quiet for long, thoughtful moment, then gave him a sideways look. "You know, I've been thinking."

"That must have hurt," Tamatoa muttered dryly, still pouting.

Maui smirked at the jab, but let it slide. "As I was saying, I was thinking about that tunnel we came back through."

Perplexed, Tamatoa turned his head to peer curiously at Maui. Where was he going with this?

"There's nothing sealing it up, you know," the demigod said slowly, his eyes on Tamatoa's face as if watching for a reaction. "You could use it to go see the stars again whenever you want."

Tamatoa's eyes went wide. He hadn't even considered that. His heart ached so badly for those stars and the prospect of getting to see them again—whenever he wanted!—was a beautiful lure, but— "You aren't going to close it off?"

Maui shook his head. "Nah, why would I?"

"Uh, to keep monsters from getting to the surface world," Tamatoa supplied, an answer that seemed fairly obvious to him.

"Pfft. It's nothing I can't handle," Maui laughed.

Tamatoa stared at him, dumbstruck and hardly daring to hope.

"I know you miss them," Maui pointed out. "I thought this might help—you know—make up for things."

Tamatoa couldn't help the wide smile that spread on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Maui got there first.

"Just promise me one thing."

He quirked an eye at the demigod, wondering what the catch was.

Maui looked at him steadily. "Leave the humans up there alone. Please."

Ah. Apparently that hadn't gone forgotten.

Tamatoa flicked his antennae, taking a beat to gauge the intent behind Maui's words. It wasn't a warning or a threat—it was a request. Perhaps not an unreasonable one at that. After all, there were plenty of things to snack on down here. It was a fair trade off, really. Maui's friendship and the stars in exchange for leaving a few squishy humans alone? Done.

He shot Maui a grin. "I can do that."

Maui let out a very quiet breath, barely audible but Tamatoa noticed it anyway. For a moment he wondered what would have happened had he answered differently, but it was best not to dwell on such thoughts. Not when things were on the mend.

"Maui," he said, getting the demigod's attention. "Thank you."

Maui smiled. "You're welcome." He didn't even sing it this time.

His mood greatly improved, Tamatoa finally moved to get up. Maui hopped nimbly off his claw as Tamatoa stood and shook the sand off himself. "Well, time to get this over with."

Maui looked up at him. "I'll be up here waiting," he assured.

"Could be a while," Tamatoa said as he uncovered the entrance to the burrow he'd constructed.

Maui shrugged. "I'm a demigod, it's not like I'm gonna gonna die of old age up here."

Tamatoa smirked, then turned to look into the dark burrow apprehensively, but with whatever resolve he could muster.

Maui's voice cut into his thoughts. "One last thing…"

Just about to descend into the tunnel, Tamatoa paused and gave him a questioning look.

"What did you say to Kuikaa to convince him to let you destroy the war club? You never told me."

Tamatoa gave him a long look. "He tried to tell me you weren't my friend. I told him you weren't just a friend, you were family."

Maui blinked, clearly taken aback and caught off guard. Then he smiled warmly.

"See you soon, Tamatoa."

Tamatoa flashed him a smile, then dropped into the enormous burrow and sealed it off behind him.

Maui relaxed under the watery light of the skylight. Arms tucked behind his head, he lay on his back and watched the fish circle overhead. Every so often, a whale would trace a graceful path overhead, singing its eerie, resonating songs. Other times, a shark would cut through the water and send the schools of fish scrambling away until it had passed. Once or twice, he had even seen what looked like the outline of a canoe far above on the other side of the water.

Maui had to admit, it was a pleasant view. He could get used to it. Over the past many months, he'd spent countless hours watching the underside of the water to pass the time. It never really got old. There was always something interesting going on up there.

He'd been a little worried that the months of isolation while Tamatoa was molting would leave him feeling as trapped as he had on that dismal pile of rocks. As it turned out, it wasn't as bad as he feared. He often went out exploring, never straying too far from Tamatoa's lair. There was never any lack of new things to see, though. His exposure to Lalotai had been rather limited, but he was coming to find it fascinating. When Tamatoa was back, he'd have to see if maybe he could convince him to show him more of the place.

Maui was just beginning to drift into a nap, when he was roused back by a scuffling sound. Instantly alert, he jumped to his feet and grabbed his hook. He hadn't had to fight off many intruders, but there had been at least a few who had come poking around. He'd sent them off in various states of ignoble defeat. Not one ever came back.

He held his hook ready, waiting to face whatever showed up this time. Then he lowered it slowly as he heard the sound again. It was coming from inside the lair, under the sand. He laid hook aside with a smile and backed up, making space.

The sand started to cave in a little, shifting with a hiss of fine grains. Then the sand heaved up and a claw emerged, followed by another, and then the rest of the massive crab followed shortly behind.

Whoa.

Maui gaped in utter, blindsided surprise as Tamatoa shook the sand off himself. The crab had gained a little more height and his colors were brighter and more vivid than Maui had seen in many, many centuries, but that wasn't what caught Maui's attention.

Tamatoa was back on four legs again.

Maui stared, mouth still hanging open. He was at a total loss for words, unable to really process what he was seeing.

Tamatoa blinked the sand out of his eyes and turned them to look at Maui. He caught Maui's expression and a sly, toothy grin crept onto his face. "Something the matter, Maui?"

Maui closed his mouth, then opened it again like a landed fish. Words still wouldn't come.

Tamatoa grinned wider. "A bird is going to fly in there and make a nest if you don't close your mouth."

"T-Tama, your—your leg!" he managed to sputter at last.

The smug crab flexed his formerly missing leg, tapping the point of it in the sand for emphasis. "This leg?" he crooned, a mischievous spark in his eyes.

"But—but, how?!"

"Crabs can regrow lost limbs," Tamatoa told him, matter-of-factly but with that gleam still in his eye. "Everybody knows that, Maui."

"Every—but—"

Tamatoa was clearly enjoying his discomfiture, if the amused look on his face was anything to go by. The crab went to take a swaggering step forward, but stumbled. Tripping over his own new leg, he went down and landed with a heavy crash and a blistering curse in the sand.

Maui came out of his shock and hurried over with sudden concern. "Tamatoa! You okay?"

When he got to Tamatoa's side, the crab was laughing. It was a full, real laugh too, not the nasty, unpleasant one that had haunted him most of their journey months earlier. Maui found himself staring again.

"Guess I'll have to get used to this again," Tamatoa was saying between guffaws, then his antennae perked. "Ooh, I can choreograph all new dance routines!" He looked back to Maui, who was standing near where his face was resting on the sand. "You really didn't know, did you?" The crab grinned again.

Maui shook his head, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. His friend was whole again. He looked down at his own hands, then back at Tamatoa. He'd carried this guilt for a thousand years, knowing he'd maimed his best friend in a fit of temper. And now Tamatoa was whole again.

"Oh, ick!" Tamatoa suddenly exclaimed, cutting into his thoughts. "Your eyes are oozing, Maui. Are you crying? Mammals are so gross sometimes. What are you—hey!"

Maui had jumped forward to hug Tamatoa's huge face, what he could reach anyway. The crab looked flabbergasted, but settled down anyway after a moment and curled a claw gently around Maui.

"Hey, what's that?" Tamatoa asked suddenly, breaking the tender moment as usual.

Maui looked up. "Huh?" The crab had an eyestalk curled over him, looking at his back. He turned to look over his shoulder.

The tattoo on his left shoulder had shifted. Where once, long ago, it had showed himself and Tamatoa pulling up an island together and later had depicted their awful fight or pulling up an island sans the crab's effigy, now it showed something new.

Now they stood side by side as friends—Tamatoa's image with a full set of legs and a claw around Maui's shoulder and Maui's with an arm likewise. He could have sworn that the crab's tattoo image was winking.

"Well, how about that." Maui couldn't help but smile.

Tamatoa closely scrutinized the tattoo, admiring his own image there. "Pretty good likeness, don't you think? I like it." He grinned.

It was pretty good, Maui had to admit. A definite improvement.

"So," Tamatoa said cheerfully, an echo from across the centuries. "I'm starving. You save me anything to eat?"

Maui laughed. "C'mon, we'll find you something."

"Pele, I know what you did."

"Oh, do you now, Kū?"

"You didn't think it would go unnoticed, did you?"

"It's none of your concern."

"But Pele, a crab—?"

"He earned it."

"But—"

"Is your power whole again now with Kuikaa's mess cleaned up? Quit complaining."

"Aren't you worried about consequences?"

"Think about the consequences if I didn't. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

A word from the author...

You didn't think I was DONE writing these two, did you? ;)

First off:

Thank you to all the people who have read, left kudos, and written fantastic comments! I LOVE YOU ALL! It's your support that keeps me writing. It means SO much to me, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! This story was one of the most difficult and frustrating I have ever written and it was the support of you all that kept me going when things got tough!

EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to raptormoon from AO3, who helped me through this final chapter in so many ways. I'm not joking when I say that this thing may NEVER have been finished without her generous help-both kickstarting it off when I spent three days floundering and then doing the most phenomenal edit job imaginable. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

And... well... expect more soon! I have a whole notebook full of shorts waiting to be written, including some based off some very, VERY good art that I'm working on next. And as you might have guessed from the final words here, there may be another multi-chap in the cards too. ;) Let's put it this way, I have enough ideas to fill the rest of the year and beyond with no sign of stopping. Sooo... consider subscribing. ;)

I may take a couple weeks break to-you know-sleep and go outdoors and maybe read a book or two, but then I shall be back in force again! :D

Thank you all, once again! Y'all are the BEST! I feel privileged to be here with ya! :D

See you soon!