The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 15

"You know it!" With a flash of purple, Maui flew off into the bright afternoon sky.

With him gone, Moana decided now could be the perfect opportunity to finally teach Keoni how to wayfind.

She presented the chance by gently knocking the end of her oar on the canoe a few times, garnering Keoni's attention.

"I think..." she began, circling him with a playful grin on her face, "that it's time to finally teach you how to wayfind, just like Maui and me."

"You think I'm ready?" A confident nod. With a deep breath, Keoni accepted, wrapping his good hand around the handle of the oar, resting it right above hers. Their eyes met, and he could see the confidence and genuine affection for him. It left him with a warm tingle in his chest that had been growing for some time.

He knew he hadn't known her for that long, but the chances of the first person he interacted with in two years was this incredibly kind, confident, and proud young woman who had suddenly come into his life. It was certainly intentional in some way, and he knew how lucky he was that it was her.

That said, he wanted to get to know her more. See what kind of a leader she was on her home island, and feel out the people she was leading. He knew he would become part of her community, and he wanted to fit in.

Moana started by teaching the different parts of the canoe, their names, and what their functions were. She then instructed him to use different things when she requested it, like adjusting the ropes or pulling the sheet. He did worry about how well he could do certain things with one hand, but Moana assured him that he didn't have to do everything. It was teamwork, and communication was key.

He soon figured out a way to work the ropes with one hand as best he could, though he would slowly attempt to use his left hand as the pain was lessening in his shoulder.

One partly cloudy night, Moana closed the sail so the canoe wouldn't stray off course as they took a break. Once she closed the sail, she fetched her supplies basket from the hull, pulling out the medicinal ointment for the wound and a needle and thread just in case some stitches had broken. She sat him down in front of her, both sitting cross-legged. She gently pushed the sling out of the way and peeled off the leaves. The wound looked much better than it was a week ago, but it still had a long way to go.

The healing skin was cracking and a little red. Through the cracks, she could see some blood and other fluids leaking out, but it did not appear infected, at least not severely so. She knew, though, that her treatment could only do so much for him while they were at sea. Her supplies wouldn't last much longer. As soon as they got to Motunui, he would immediately go to the healer for more extensive and much-improved treatment.

The middle of the wound had opened slightly, the broken stitches poking out. She assured him she would take care of it but warned him this was going to be a bit painful. So she gave him a rag to bite down on as she removed the broken stitches, cleaned the area, and put in a few more stitches. From where the needle poked him, trails of blood rolled down his back, and Moana did what she could to quell the bleeding.

Unfortunately, she was out of banana leaves, so she used unused rags to cover the wound, slathering that part of his back with the ointment. Then she readjusted his sling, securing it in place.

The whole ordeal sucked, and Keoni had a few tears that fell due to the pain.

"You doing okay?" She asked, coming to his side after she put everything away.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Just can't wait for this stupid thing to be off."

"I know. How well do you think you can use your other hand?" He frowned, unsure. He wiggled his fingers and rotated his wrist. To his surprise, it barely hurt, if at all. While that was great news, he doubted he could do very much while his arm was still bound to his chest.

She saw the flicker of doubt cross his features. She didn't know what his thoughts were saying, but it was evident that something deeper was bothering him, not just his shoulder.

Eyebrows knitting together, she tilted her head down, trying to get him to meet her. Her hand naturally found its way to rest on his thigh in a comforting fashion. His head shifted just enough for her to see the look on his face was no longer of doubt but something else. Frustration. She had seen him upset before, but now, she could also see the anger building. This was different.

"Keoni," she began gently. His frown was sharp, the lines creasing on his face more prominent.

"I don't get it," He said, his tone as sharp as his frown.

"Don't... get what?"

"Ugh! I just... I spent so fucking long on that island, alone. I prayed and cried out to the gods for days, for months, and nothing ever changed. Even when my island was restored, I still received no answer. I thought that maybe... my village would've come back. But they didn't," he practically spat out that last word.

"I thought... I thought that I did something wrong. That maybe I had somehow wronged the gods to deserve being spat out from the Ocean on a dying island."
He cut himself off, as if afraid to admit something.

"Keoni..." His gaze met hers once more; this time, his dark brown eyes were filled with guilt, and... regret?

"You can tell me," she assured, both hands on his shoulders. He swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to put the words together, struggled to get them out.

"Listening to my mother... tell us, everything. I couldn't help... I felt... betrayed," The last word spilled from him, dripping with shame, "I was so overwhelmed and relieved knowing my mother wasn't gone... but, I felt so hurt knowing that she knew everything, and simply waited for everything to fall into place... lining up with what she created..."

"She knew... she knew that I missed her, so so much, that I didn't know what happened to her. That I was alone, not of my own free will, and forced to wait for something to happen. I could've died, and there would have been no one to mourn me but the earth..."

Moana was silent as she allowed Keoni's words to sink in. She understood the pain and hurt he felt. She remembered how vulnerable and guilty she felt when she had her fight with Maui and gave the Heart back to the Ocean, feeling unworthy of being the Chosen One. She could have gone back to Motunui with her gramma, but instead, she chose to persevere and try again, restoring her own self-worth and understanding who she was meant to be.

She watched him for a long time, though unsure of what she was looking for exactly. Her gaze took in every detail of him, from the way his nose scrunched up when he was thinking or when he was focused, the angle of his strong jawline that became prominent when he tilted his head up a certain way; or the way he fumbled with his hands when he was nervous or doubtful, much like what he was doing now.

She took in the way the muscles of his chest and abdomen flexed and moved with every breath he took, the faint moonlight casting a soft glow on each strong curve of muscle. Although he had fine definition, he was still on the lean side.

Yes, he was attractive, she would admit that. But there was something more to it. He did carry an air of doubt still, but he also carried sheer determination, a will to persevere, no matter what life threw at him.

The words tumbled naturally out of her, pouring her heart into words she believed were true to him, confessing her admiration for his strength, both inside and outside, and, whether he would admit it or not, his belief that everything was going to be okay. She knew that he believed in things being worth the try.

He was silent, utterly enamored by the passion and conviction in her voice. He then fondly thought back to their first meeting and how he joked about her being his motivational speaker. His words rang true.

He couldn't help but laugh, breaking them from the heavy atmosphere, "You're definitely my motivational speaker."