Whare Potae (The House of Mourning)

Chapter Eight

He tried flashing her a smile, but it felt out of place, and Moana just shook her head.

"It...It's not fine at all," she mumbled, although she did drop the oar, letting it fall back into the boat with a clatter. "Maui, I...I was supposed to make this right. I was supposed to convince the sea to stop being so angry and to stop killing my people, but I didn't. Instead, I..."

She trailed off, biting her lip, and Maui felt a pang in his stomach as he watched the frustration and embarrassment on Moana's face.

"Instead," he said slowly, "you decided to save me."

Moana shook her head again.

"I didn't 'decide' to do anything," she whispered. "I had to."

"No," countered Maui, "you didn't. You could have just left me there."

"Oh, sure." Moana turned on him angrily. "Yeah, I guess I should have just left you to handle everything on your own. I bet you're going to tell me that you had the whole situation under control, right? Because I'll be honest with you, Maui, that's NOT what it looked like from where I was standing!"

Maui opened his mouth to respond, to say something flippant, to assure her that yes, in fact, everything had been fine and that he hadn't needed any help at all from some little mortal with a savior complex who hadn't made any effort to see or contact him in years.

When he tried, however, he found that he couldn't form the words. Moana looked angrily hurt, confused and miserable, and he'd never seen that look on her face before. He found himself struggling with the idea that he'd created this new Moana, this more mature, more dejected Moana.

He hated it when people looked at him that way, like he'd let them down, and Moana was probably the last person in the world who he'd have wanted to disappoint like that. It made the sick little knots in his stomach tighten even more. This wasn't the triumphant reunion he'd guiltily envisioned maybe a million times, even while he was assuring himself backwards and forwards that it wouldn't matter one way or another if he never saw this silly little mortal girl ever again.

He was supposed to be her hero.

They stood in silence for a moment, neither of them looking directly at the other one. Maui was aware that there were probably a few things he needed to say, but they all seemed stupid when he ran them through in his head.

"Uh...I like the new tattoos," he managed, shrugging helplessly. "Very nice."

Oh, that was just great, he thought sarcastically. Yeah, good one, Maui. Really suave.

"You like them? Oh, good," muttered Moana. "I was afraid you'd be angry. I mean, about your hook. I sort of...borrowed it."

"Angry? Nah," Maui assured her. "I mean, if anybody's got a right to borrow it, it's you, so...no harm done. It, uh, it looks good on you."

"Thanks." Moana sighed.

Again, they lapsed into silence.

After a few minutes, Maui muttered, "Listen, there's something I need to know. Why'd you come for me? You could have just left me in Rarohenga, and I mean it. It would have been much easier for you, that way."

Moana looked up at him in surprise.

"The whole thing would have blown over eventually," he went on. "With me out of the way, Hine-nui-te-po would've given up on being angry eventually, and everything would have gone back to normal. The sea would have quieted down. You could have lived in peace."

"She would have killed you," insisted Moana. "And then-!"

"-and then she'd have been miserable," interjected Maui, "but she'd have gotten over it. Out of sight, out of mind, right? The sea might even have turned against her, if she went that far, and that would solve all your problems. You didn't have to come for me to save your village, and I'm sure you know it. So...why'd you do it?"

He waited, trying not to hold his breath, while Moana pursed her lips and appeared to consider that.

Eventually, she met his eyes again.

"You would have come for me," she said simply. "You did before."

Maui's heart sank.

"Right," he said. "So...this was payback, then. You're returning a favor. I get it."

"What?" Moana shook her head hastily. "No, that's not what I-!"

"It's fine. Forget it." Maui's took a quick breath and tried to choke down the rising tide of totally ridiculous emotional garbage that was welling up from somewhere within, somewhere he hadn't been in touch with in a long time. "Listen, I appreciate what you did. I really do. You should be proud of yourself. This is the second time you've saved the life of a demigod. No, it might even be the third. We'll make a legend out of you yet, Chief Moana of Motunui."

He tried to smile again, but it still felt wrong, and Moana just looked even more troubled than she had before.

"M-Maui," she began hesitantly.

Maui swung himself into the canoe.

"Come on," he said, looking out to sea rather than at the expression on her face. "Let's get you home...to your people, where you belong."

Moana lingered on the beach for a moment, as though there was something she wanted to say. Eventually, however, she forced a half-smile and pushed the boat away from the shore, clambering into it at the last minute. Together, she and Maui watched the island getting farther and farther away as the wind caught the sails and the boat picked up speed.

"Okay," said Moana, sounding less than enthusiastic about it. "Thanks...I think."

"Yeah," agreed Maui, sighing to himself. "You're welcome."

Author's End Note: Plenty of angst in this one, just like I promised.

Don't be too angry at poor Maui and Moana. Relationships can be hard. We'll see a lot more of their interactions, of Hine-nui-te-po and possibly some other gods and goddesses in upcoming chapters, but I absolutely cannot work on this computer any longer. It's driving me crazy. I hope I'll see you all soon, when I find a new machine to work on. Thanks for reading!