Moana was overjoyed for Keoni, having known how much he stressed over the fate of his sister. The young woman was safely on Motunui, and Moana had a gut instinct her parents had taken the initiative to welcome her. That said, she understood that their road to stability would not be easy; since she did not know the extent of what trauma Huihana had to experience. That, adding Keoni's own trauma, they needed to take things one step at a time.
She concluded that she would discuss the situation with her parents and the council when they arrived on Motunui. For now, it was a matter of getting home.
She couldn't read or study the stars while in Fetia's realm, from what it seemed. And there wasn't a discernible way to determine direction. As Fetia talked with Keoni, Lawai'a, and Maui, Moana looked around the tiny island.
It was in the shape of an eight-pointed star, and from what Moana knew about the sun and the moon, was that the moon always rose in the east and set in the west, just as the sun did. Then, the warm pinkish glow of the sunrise slowly creeping up past the horizon caught her eye.
The sun caught the attention of the Fetia and the others. With a motherly smile on her face, Fetia turned to Keoni, the latter of whom knew it was time to say goodbye.
You'll see us both again. Fetia assured, taking her son's hand in hers, sharing Hongi with him.
This whole time, Maui had remained mostly quiet, allowing Moana and Keoni a peaceful moment with Fetia and Lawai'a. But his presence wasn't forgotten or ignored.
And Maui. Fetia said, getting the demi-god's attention, I must thank you as well for aiding my son and Moana on their journey together. Maui just grinned, casually leaning against his hook.
"Ah, no worries! Wherever Curly goes, I go." He winked at Moana, who just rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smile.
Then, Maui glanced down and saw the tattoo of Mini Maui and Mini Moana shift. To Keon's utter amazement and disbelief, he watched as a Mini Keoni appeared on the canoe with Mini Moana, the two figures grabbing hands and waving.
Both Moana and Keoni's eyes flew wide open, and they felt their cheeks warm, Keoni rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile on his face, and Moana twirled her hair around her finger. A resounding chuckle followed their bashful reactions. It was then that Moana understood what it meant, though she was unsure if Keoni also understood that they were meant for each other.
Now, as much as I would love to spend more time with you all, Moana and Keoni must make the journey back to Motunui. Fetia announced. She then took Moana's hands in hers and closed her eyes as she whispered something in an ancient language. Moana was mesmerized as swirling, shimmering light surrounded her hands. When Fetia pulled away, she said, you'll be able to read the stars anywhere you go, and the stars will protect you. This is my blessing for you and for my son as well.
There were no physical changes to Moana's hands, nor could she feel anything different, but it was the knowledge of being blessed by the goddess of the stars that filled her with a new sense of purpose.
"Thank you, Fetia."
With Fetia's blessing, Maui helped Moana and Keoni pack the canoe for the journey back.
At last, the group embarked on the sea once more, and as they departed Fetia's pocket realm, the sky was filled with stars once more, and the star constellation was no more. The brilliant light from the star-shaped island was also gone. Not a trace left.
Maui stayed with the pair for a day or two, then informed them of some Demi-god duties he had to attend to.
"Pulling up more islands?"
"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."