The boat wrecked on a tiny island.
It was rather small and didn't deserve to be called an island. Instead, the term "pile of pebbles" seemed to fit it better.
The jars and baskets were all turned upside down like the boat itself. Hei-Hei had somehow managed to get a bowl stuck on his head. Clucking, he took a step and fell off the boat's mast and into a pile of sand.
The pile then moved as Moana sat up, caked in sand with her curly hair a mess. Spitting some sand out of her mouth, she looked at the island she was stuck on.
Gasping in alarm, Moana checked her gramma's necklace. The heart was still inside.
She exhaled in relief before brushing the sand off her face. She stood up and took a step, only to trip over Aukai's unconscious body.
"Aukai, wake up," she said as she touched his face with her foot.
"I'm awake!" Aukai shouted as he sat bolt upright.
Moana stormed over to the water's edge with rage on her face.
"Um... What?!" she shouted at the water. "We said help us! And wrecking our boat? Not helping!" She then tried to kick the water, only for the ocean to pull back and for her to land on her backside.
"Fish pee in you all day!" Moana shouted to the ocean. "So... grrr."
Hei-Hei clucked as he continually ran into a boulder, the bowl still on his head.
"Hey, look at this," Aukai said. Moana gasped as she followed his pointing finger. Etched onto a giant rock were a thousand groups of tallies. Each group had 365 marks and were shaped like fish hooks.
"Maui?" Moana asked the ocean.
The mass of water gave a single nod before vanishing.
Aukai drew his sword as he heard oncoming footsteps. Moana saw along a wall a large shadow lumbering closer.
"Maui!" she said. Grabbing her oar and Hei-Hei, who had finally gotten the bowl off his head, Moana ran for cover behind her boat. Aukai joined her.
"Maui, demigod of the wind and sea," Moana whispered, "we are Moana and Aukai of Motunui. You will board our boat."
"Hold on," Aukai whispered. "Let me try that line." He then pointed his cutlass at an invisible enemy. "You will board our boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti."
"Awesome," Moana encouraged. "We are Moana and Aukai of Motunui. You will board our..."
"Boat!" a voice said from behind them. "A boat!" Maui then picked the boat up with his incredible strength.
"The gods have given me a..."
Maui screamed as he saw the kids and dropped the boat on top of them. Realizing they were just mortals, the demigod picked the boat up and only saw Hei-Hei rise from the sand.
Aukai cleared his throat and pointed his sword at Maui, who turned to face them. Moana and Aukai had to duck, dodging the boat's front before facing him.
"You're Maui?" Aukai asked.
"Yes," he answered. "I am the mighty hero Maui." Aukai just looked at him in disbelief.
"No, it can't be," the pirate boy said. "You mean we sailed the entire ocean looking for... this?"
Paying her friend no attention, Moana planted her oar into the sand with a hand on her hip.
"Maui, shapeshifter," she said, "demigod of the wind and sea, we are Moana and Aukai of..."
"Hero of men," Maui interrupted. "It's actually Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of men. I interrupted. From the top. Hero of men. Go."
"This guy has such an ego," Aukai muttered under his breath before speaking more clearly. "As she was saying, we are..."
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Maui interrupted again. "And women. Men and women. Both. All. Not a guy, girl thing. You know, Maui is a hero to all. You guys are doing great."
"What?" Moana asked as she pointed her oar at him. "No! We're here to..."
"Of course," Maui said as he set the boat down. "Of course. Yes, yes, yes. Maui always has time for his fans."
He then grabbed the oar from Moana and picked up Hei-Hei, using the chicken's beak to scratch into the wood.
"When you use a bird to write with...
"It's called tweeting."
After throwing Hei-Hei behind him, a smiling Maui handed Moana her oar again, which was revealed to have a heart scratched in with a fish hook.
"Huh?" Maui asked as Aukai took the oar to inspect it. "I know, not every day you get a chance to meet your hero."
That tore it.
Gripping the oar, Aukai swung it into Maui's stomach as Moana grabbed his ear as he doubled over.
"You are not our hero," Moana growled. "And we're not here so you can sign our oar! We're here 'cause you stole the heart of Te Fiti!"
"And you will board our boat..." Aukai added as he struggled to push Maui toward the canoe as Moana strained to reach for her oar, which was planted in the sand. "And sail across the sea and put it back!"
"Um..." Maui said as he stood upright, dragging Moana with him. He then grabbed both teenagers and placed them in front of him as he continued. "Yeah, it almost sounded like you both don't like me, which is impossible because I got stuck here for 1,000 years trying to get the heart as a gift for you mortals. So you could have the power to create life itself.
"So what I believe you were both trying to say..." Maui continued, "is 'thank you.'"
"'Thank you?'" Moana and Aukai asked simultaneously.
"You're welcome," Maui answered.
"What?" Moana asked. "No, no, no!" Maui just crooked an eyebrow as Moana continued stuttering. "We didn't... we weren't... why would we ever say that?"
"Okay, okay," Maui chuckled before singing.
"I see what's happening
"Yeah."
As he continued, he raised his tooth necklace, revealing a tattoo of him holding the sky. But what happened next caused Moana and Aukai to both gasp.
The tattoo gave them a salute as he winked at them.
"You're face to face with greatness and it's strange
"You don't even know how you feel
"It's adorable!"
Maui threw his necklace away as his tattoo self moved up to his giant bicep.
"Well, it's nice to see that humans never change
"Open your eyes
"Let's begin!"
He spun Moana into Aukai's arms as her hair flew into her face. She fixed it as Maui continued.
"Yes, it's really me
"It's Maui
"Breathe it in
"I know it's a lot
"The hair
"The bod!"
After showing his muscles, Maui's tattoo self began jumping from one giant pec to another as Maui himself popped them.
"When you're staring at a demigod
"What can I say except
"You're welcome
"For the tides, the sun, the sky
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay
"You're welcome!"
Maui carried both teenagers as he continued, all of his tattoos moving as he told his story.
"I'm just an ordinary demiguy
"Hey!
"What has two thumbs and pulled up the sky
"When you both were waddling yay high?
"This guy
"When the nights got cold
"Who stole you fire from down below?
"You're looking at him yo
"Oh also I lassoed the sun
"You're welcome
"To stretch your days and bring you fun
"Also I harnessed the breeze
"You're welcome
"To fill your sails and shake your trees
"So what can I say except
"You're welcome
"For the islands I pulled from the sea
"There's no need to pray
"It's okay
"You're welcome!"
As the song continued, Moana and Aukai looked at each other with small smiles. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad.
"Ha
"I guess it's just my way of being me
"You're welcome
"You're welcome
"Well come to think of it..."
Maui then waved a blanket in front of them and showed them strange things he had done as he began rapping.
"Kids, honestly I could go on and on
"I could explain every natural phenomenon
"The tide, the grass, the ground
"Oh that was Maui just messing around
"I killed an eel
"I buried its guts
"Sprouted a tree
"Now you got coconuts
"What's the lesson?
"What is the takeaway?
"Don't mess with Maui when he's on a breakaway
"And the tapestry here on my skin
"Is a map of the victories I win
"Look where I've been
"I make everything happen
"Look at that Mean Mini-Maui just tickety tappin'
"Ha ha
"Ha ha
"Ha ha
"Hey!"
On his shoulder, his tattoo self, who he called Mini-Maui, began tap dancing with his fish hook as Maui tapped on a coconut. Moana and Aukai's smiles grew as the song continued, Maui giving them fruit and lei necklaces as he held onto their oar.
"Well anyway let me say
"You're welcome (You're welcome)
"For the wonderful world you both know
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay
"You're welcome
"Well, come to think of it
"I gotta go
"Hey it's your day to say
"You're welcome (You're welcome)
"'Cause I'm gonna need that boat
"I'm sailing away away
"You're welcome (You're welcome)
"'Cause Maui can do everything but float
"You're welcome
"You're welcome!"
He then spun the two into a cave, where it was revealed the fruits and necklaces were just rocks and seaweed.
"And thank you!" Maui shouted as he loved them in with a giant boulder.
"Hey!" Moana shouted as she and Aukai ran up to the boulder, pushing on it. "Let us out!"
"Why you lying, slimy, good for nothing, son of a..."
——
Maui hummed the song he just finished to himself as he made his way to the boat.
"You're welcome," he sang as he clicked his heels. "You're so welcome."
However, his smile and humming vanished as he felt Mini-Maui pull on one of his arm's tattoos, letting it go with a snap.
"Ow!"
Mini-Maui then gestured back at the cave.
"No," Maui said to his tattoo. "I'm not going to Te Fiti with a couple of kids. I'm going to get my hook. You have yours and I'm not Maui without mine."
Maui continued on his way, only for Mini-Maui to try and stop him again.
"Okay, talk to the back," Maui said as he flicked Mini-Maui onto the island tattooed on his back.
Maui continued humming as he neared the boat. His smile grew when he grabbed Hei-Hei by the neck with a single thought.
"Boat snack."