The Heart of Tangaroa✔️

Chapter 13: Playing With Fire

"Is that it?"

"Yep. That's it."

"How do you know?"

"Princess, it's big and spewing fire, where do you think it leads?"

Maui's voice was terse with irritation as Moana chuckled into her hand. They had arrived at the entrance to Te Uranga-o-te-rā i just before dawn, allowing the immortal pair to see the large black volcano spewing out ember lava sitting quietly on the horizon. Maui had gone quiet the closer and closer they came to Te Uranga-o-te-rā i, and Moana didn't really need to guess why that was,

"Worried about seeing your wife again?"

Moana pulls at some ropes near the sheet, pushing Hei Hei back into the canoe's hold with a foot absent mindlessly as her favorite demigod mumbled something incoherent,
"What was that? I didn't hear you,"

"...no, I'm not worried,"

It was a lie, and both Moana and Maui knew it. She could see the firm line his jaw created as he clenched his teeth together, and the way he mindlessly let loose and tied up his hair.

'Funny' Moana thought to herself, observing the demigod work from across the canoe with a half-lidded gaze, 'I've never really noticed those things about him before,'.

Finishing up her knot, Moana slowly used the ocean current to guide them silently to the obsidian colored shore, jostling slightly as they hit the shallows,

"Careful of the sand here, it's pretty hot,"

Nodding, Moana stepped into the water and groaned in pleasure. The water was warm, like a hot summers day on Montuni. The black sand was softer then any Moana had ever felt, and it cushioned her calloused and dry toes, "enjoying yourself, Curly?"

"Yes! Ugh, I wish all sand felt like this,"

"Yeah well, Rohe always enjoyed the finer things in life. I guess her sand isn't any different,"

"Oh," Looking around slightly, Moana picked up Hei Hei from the canoe and held him up to look at her face to face, "stay here and guard the boat, Hei Hei,"

The Bird gave a slight cluck as Moana placed him safely in the canoes hold again and shut the lid gently. There was a moment of thudding inside, before Moana heard the pecking of Hei Hei in the darkness,

"You're really attracted to that chicken, aren't you?"

Maui lifted one of his highly expressive eyebrows as Moana nudged him with her shoulder,

"He kinda reminds me of you sometimes Maui,"

"What? Curly, I'm offended," Maui held a hand against his chest as he swung his hook up over one shoulder. Moana held out her hand and her oar appeared, materializing before her eyes and feeling familiar in her fingers, "you know, I wish I could do that sometimes,"

"You don't like hauling that heavy hook around with you all the time?"

"It's good to have on hand, but heavy is an understatement," Maui chuckled as he looked up at Rohe's volcano and faltered slightly, "I never thought I'd be coming back here,"

"Yeah. How do we get in?"

"We don't," Maui hauled up the rest of the beach to the very edge of the stone volcano, "unlikoe Lalotai or Tangaroa's place, you can't just walk into Te Uranga-o-te-rā i,"

Reaching out his hook, Maui tapped three times on one of the rocks, "we have to be invited in,"

Before Moana could say anything, the sand under Maui suddenly caved in, sending him hurtling down. By the time Moana got there, the sands had closed up again,