Searching for the Answer

A Moana x Maui Fan fiction

Chp 1 – A Sorrowful Goodbye

"See you out there Māui"

"See you out there Moana"

The waves were calm and serene as they gently crashed into the canoe. Moana softly waved bye at Māui after storing the last items needed for her long trip. Her eyes took one last look at the magnificence of Te Fiti - the vibrant greens, blues, and reds that colored the island so vividly. The sun was high in the sky as the warm wind blew through her hair. As she looked at Māui, but now with sadness in her eyes, her heart skipped a beat. She looked down at Hei Hei to distract herself; he was pacing back and forth in the storage unit of the canoe "Ba-gawk" the silly bird yelled. An ocean tendril shook his head at the ever-confusing bird.

Laughing at Hei Hei, Māui looked over at the unaware bird "I'm gonna miss ya drumstick" Maui stood there with lowered shoulders, holding his hook horizontally across his legs.

Moana redirected her attention to her supplies and double-checked everything for her departure. She felt a tug at her heartstrings as she started to push her canoe into the water. She didn't understand this feeling but it made her uneasy.

Māui waved goodbye feeling truly lonely. If he was honest with himself, which he often wasn't, this loneliness was different from his time on the island of rocks. He stood there confused as this new feeling he just couldn't place overwhelmed him. He stood and watched Moana sail away until he could no longer see her.

Mini- Māui started to bounce around furiously, pointing to him then to the ocean indicating he needs to go after her. Māui looked down at his chest addressing the clearly distraught Mini-Māui.

"She has a family and her island to get back to, where would I even fit in"... plopping down feeling defeated…. "she belongs somewhere, I don't."

Mini-Māui started waving his hands explaining that Māui should at least make sure she gets home safe. Māui couldn't argue and he did sort of relish in seeing Moana again. He also really did want to make sure she was okay. He suddenly realized he always wanted to make sure she was okay.

Māui, legs apart and both hands on the bottom of his fishhook, took his stance. His fishhook started glowing a bluish-purple light and he transformed into a giant hawk. He circled the perfectly blue sky until he could spot her canoe. He lowered his body close to the water and transformed into a fish so that he could fall into the water without much noise. Once underwater, he transformed into a mid-sized Orca whale in order to keep up with her canoe since he was too small as a fish to travel that fast.

As Moana sailed home her happiness was bittersweet as she realized how fond she had become of Māui over the last weeks. She felt lonely on her canoe, alone for the first time since they met. And while she knew she would see him again someday, she didn't know when or where.

As the island of Montunui came into view she felt a keen sense of nostalgia. Her canoe came up to the shore and her parents ran to greet her, the tears flowed from happiness. She was home and she was safe.

Maui slowed down as her canoe floated closer to the shore. He broke the surface of the ocean and his heart sank as he watched her embrace her family. He was happy she was home and safe but he missed her already.

"Moana! Oh, how I have missed you" Sina, her mother, yelled as she tightly hugged Moana. Her father towering over both of them hugged them all in a tight embrace.

The rest of the village gathered around in support as the family wiped their happy tears. Moana knelt down to pick up Pua and greet the children that had gathered around her. Everyone was talking and clamoring to greet and hug Moana.

Tui stood tall and proud announcing to the village, "Let us have a grand feast in honor of the return of my daughter, The Hero, and the Future Chief of Motunui!"

Moana blushed as the villagers started to disperse to begin making arrangements for the greatest feast they have ever thrown.

Sina looked over at her daughter, seeing the tired look that suddenly washed over Moana. "I think a nap would be best given the long journey you just had."

"I can help out really! I'm flowing with energy!" Moana responded still looking exhausted but trying not to.

"I insist, please" Sina responded, lifting Moana's chin in the motherly way only she knows how.

Moana reluctantly agreed. She stepped into the open pasture that was all too familiar. The scent of the roasted pork still lingered in the air from breakfast. She walked past the majority of the group of hale's (houses) to hers, which was further up the hill a little separated from everyone. She walked into her cozy hale noticing the tapestry hanging on her wall. She lit a small fire to help warm up before napping. Once Moana finally laid down she realized how much her body hadn't rested on her journey. Sleep came all too quickly as the next thing Moana remembers is waking her up to knocking after what seemed like minutes of her eyes being closed.

Birds chirped as Moana blinked her eyes a few times, stretching her whole body she realized she slept through most of the day and all of the night. As she stood up yawning there was another knock on the door.

"Are you dressed my little minnow" her mother's voice sang out.

"Mom?" Moana asked as she opened the door.

"Good morning sleepy head, you look well rested"

" I guess I needed more sleep than I thought," Moana said as her mother came in with some roasted coconut, eggs, and bread for her to eat for breakfast.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to get all the rest you needed since today is such a big day" Sina chimed in, looking to see if Moana knew what she was talking about.

"You mean for the feast tonight?" Moana asked as she stuffed her face with bread

"Yes, but you have been away for so long, we also need to bring you up to speed on your chief training, what's happening with the island, meetings with the council and ..." her mom looking at her softly "... marriage"

Moana stopped eating and looked out the window and instantly felt like running to the ocean. Maui flashed through her mind as her thoughts wondered. She hadn't thought about being chief or marrying or having duties for weeks. She was free on the ocean but her love of her island and for her people never wavered. She knew where she was needed.

That night's festival was the most extravagant one she has ever witnessed. She blushed most of the night from all the praise as well as the attempted courting. Many of the boys she had grown up with were also coming of age where they were expected to start moving toward marriage. She had had a few crushes when she was younger but nothing ever serious enough to consider for marriage.

Her best friend, Akamu, plopped down next to her after most of the villagers had dispersed to mingle. Pushing her playfully on the arm, swaying her a little "I missed you! It was so boring but then really scary without you here"

"Really? Scary? What do you mean?" Moana said turning her head to him with strong concern.

"Well, yea…" Akamu confirmed, looking down "The plants started turning black, we barely had food to eat, there were no fish, the water was barely drinkable…. That is until you came back" Akamu looked up at her with hope in his eyes. Akamu, who was tall and slender with the start of an intricate tattoo on his lower left arm, had had a crush on Moana for as long as he could remember but he had never told her or acted on it. Akamu was similar to Moana in a lot of ways; he has a deep desire for adventure and is very intuitive and idealistic.

"I ….I'm so sorry Akamu, that sounds absolutely-"

"Moana! Moana!" her mom rushed over 'it's time for the ceremonial dances, the girls are waiting for you…"

Moana stood and gave Akamu a crooked smile that said I'm sorry for having to leave. Akamu's heart fluttered and his slender shoulders sunk in despair as she walked away.

Maui sat as a small bird watching Moana interact with Akamu. He ruffled his feathers and mumbled under his breath about how she needed a man's man that could support her. Really he just wanted to be back on the ocean with just him and her tackling the world.

The night was long and Moana could not wait to return to her bed. But a good night's sleep did not await her. She tossed and turned as she dreamed of her and Maui exploring the world. She woke up in a cold sweat feeling like she was being watched. She looked around at her empty hale. She could not shake the feeling someone was watching her. She felt pulled to the ocean. She put on her soft, red wrap and walked down to the shore. She looked up at the clear blue night sky with all the constellations. She looked off into the distance where Maui's fishhook constellation shined bright. Her heart felt heavy after thinking about how long it had been since she had seen him. It had taken her 2 weeks to get back home. She looked down longingly at the ocean that had been keeping her company.

"Why hasn't he visited?" Everyone that night was enthralled with the tale of the demigod of the wind and sea. Asking if he was with her, where he was if he was real. Noticing how her thoughts had wandered to thinking about Maui "I really miss him, huh" she said absently to the ocean. The ocean looked up inquisitively at Moana as she continued to walk aimlessly down the beach.

*3 years later*

It had been 3 years since she returned home to Montunui. It had been 3 years since she had seen Maui with no sign of him on the ocean or on Montunui.

Moana had woken up almost every night since she returned home. She had an emptiness inside her that grew with every passing day. And while she had a purpose on her island she felt lost. She clothed herself in one of her wraps and walked out into the courtyard to head to the mountain of chiefs. She sat at the highest place on her island engrossed in different thoughts. She was the future chief of Montunui. She was amazing at her duties and was dedicated to her people. She was making great progress in her training; watching, delegating and managing. Her father was proud, that much she knew. Her parents knew she would make an amazing chief when her time came. But they worried about her not having someone with whom she could potentially marry. She was not betrothed to anyone. There were a few guys that tried to seriously court her but those all lead nowhere. She felt all the relationships up to this point were stifled and forced. Nothing felt natural, she was the future chief with her dad as the current chief, all the boys were always on edge around her, and nothing felt natural and free. She missed Maui. She missed the ocean. She missed the feeling of being unrestricted and spontaneous.

"Why hasn't he visited?" She asked and left the question hanging in the air as she stared out at the moon shining flawlessly over the calm ocean.

"But honestly, who am I kidding, Maui – demigod of the wind and sea – with his new found freedom visiting me, why would he? He has a whole world to catch up on, why would he…." Her voice dropped off as the realization finally hit her that he wasn't coming back. In the back of her mind, she didn't know why she still longed to see his smiling face and hear his voice after all this time. 'I guess I wasn't as important to him as I thought" Tears started to form but she quickly wiped them away and took her attention to her village that was sleeping. There was a peaceful hum over the island as everyone slept.

She walked down the mountain and onto the beach. As she waded in the tide, the ocean wrapped around her feet in a hugging motion making her stop in her tracks.

She knelt down to greet the ocean. No words were needed, as the ocean seemed to know just how she was feeling these days.

In the distance Maui sat perched on a tree as a striated heron, blending into his surroundings…He could feel Mini- Maui pulling on his chest to go down to the ocean but something stopped him from moving. It was the same thing that has stopped him for the past 3 years.

He looked down at his chest addressing the unseen Mini-Maui "I can't go down there, she has responsibilities, she has to marry, she has somewhere she belongs, I would only be a distraction" Mini- Maui continued to pull and argue against his reasoning.

"Okay, even if I did go down there….what would I say, it's been three years she would be absolutely furious with me. Better to just let her forget about me and move on with her life." Mini – Maui was relentless…. Maui soared off of the branch and down to the opening of the forest to the ocean. He sat and marveled at how pretty and graceful Moana still was. As she sat and stared out onto the ocean, his thoughts drifted to what life could be like if he did show himself and Moana was still able to go on adventures with him.

Mini- Maui continued to pull at him. Maui looked down and said 'stop' to Mini-Maui a little too loudly. Moana was startled and turned around looking directly where Maui was sitting as a bird. Maui held his breath as he took in the way Moana looked under the moonlight.

"Is anyone there?" Moana asked with an ever so slight tremble in her voice but Maui picked it up. The ocean popped up looking in the same direction with the water tilted, staring curiously.

Maui stayed silent and Moana turned back to the ocean. "I guess its late, I should get back to bed." The ocean gave a nod and Moana stood up and started walking away from where Maui was standing, still in bird form. As Maui watched Moana walk away he felt an emptiness and a new loneliness that was far greater than when he was stuck on that pile of pebbles for a thousand years. As she was almost out of sight, Maui transformed into himself and walked into plain sight as Moana turned around to see him. Their eyes locked and Moana's heart skipped a beat as she started to realize who she was looking at.

"Maui?"

"Hey Curly" Maui said sheepishly, nervously rubbing the back of neck with his left hand