Chapter soundtrack :

(*1) You're welcome- Dwayne Johnson

(*2) Battle of Wills- Mark Mancina

Disclaimer:

The movie, 'Moana', is copyrighted by Walt Disney Animation Studio. It was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and the co-directors were Don Hall and Chris William. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2016.

I only claim copyright to the characters, and some of the elements of the story, that are of my own creation.

...

Chapter 3

Thump! Crack!

'' OW!'' I exclaimed as I landed unceremoniously on the hard ground.

After a moment of lingering, I gingerly sat up, my sleeping bag slipping off my shoulders as I reached up to rub the side of my jaw.

'' I really hate seeing that vision-dream. It has been bothering me every night for the past month and I'm beginning to remember every detail by heart,'' I thought inwardly, wincing at the pain in my jaw.

''So have you had enough of beauty sleep, Maija?'' an obnoxiously cheery voice rang out from somewhere beside me.

I turned to look up into the face of the said demigod I'd just been having a vision-dream about. Well, to be truthful it had been more of a nightmare.

I flicked away the hand going for my hair to ruffle it. I already had terrible bed- hair from having been squirming around in my hammock and I certainly didn't want to get it even more knotted.

Seriously, even after spending an entire twelve months with the guy, the demigod was still occasionally a thorn in the backside.

Well, at least Mini-Maui was the constant presence in kicking his obnoxiousness down a few pegs.

My back gave a popping sound as I scrambled to my feet and started untying my hammock from the rocks. Once I'd untied the hammock, I rolled it into a small bundle that I tied with a long strip of the collection of extra rope before stuffing it into my backpack.

I tried hard to ignore Maui's amused laughter as I went on with my morning arrangements, but eventually, his voice became too much for me to endure.

'' You know, you shouldn't be laughing at me, Maui. Especially right after I'd had such a vivid dream of how you stole the heart of Te Fiti and got smote from the sky by Te Ka's flaming fist. Then you lost your magical hook and the heart of Te Fiti. And then you ended up here, stuck until the end of time with me. A girl who doesn't have a clue as to how and why the gods decided to bring me here,'' I told him, smirking at the demigod without any mirth in my expression.

'' Are you done with the lecture, Maija?'' Maui asked me with a smile on his lips, but with a hint of warning in his expression.

'' Honestly, Maui, I can go on and on about the ridiculousness of being stuck on this puny little island. And we have a boat from the damned 20th century which we can't repair. But I won't because that would just make me a crazy raving person,'' I answered with a sarcastic smirk.

'' And you are also a right pain in the behind sometimes. But then again things could be a lot worse. I could still be stuck on this island on my lonesome,'' Maui answered with a genuine smile.

I stifled a wide smile at the demigod's words. It seemed that he did appreciate my presence on this island.

And to be honest with myself I would not have known what to do if I'd been stuck on this island on my own. Therefore his presence had been and was greatly appreciated.

I'd much rather be stuck on this island with this guy than be entirely alone.

Considering the reality that I'd been flung into this world, or age, without any clear purpose or reason, putting up with Maui's antics was the lesser evil.

The boat I'd been sailing with had been ripped apart from the bottom and there was nothing on the island that I could have used to repair the tear in the hull.

So here we were, stuck together on the drab little island where everywhere you looked there was rocks, boulders, seaweed and sand.

It had been quite a forced chore to get to know each other at first, but in the end, it had been worth it.

Maui had the potential to be a kind person, but it was by his need to impress me with his posing. He didn't have to pose, brag or prove his strength and prowess to me, for the stories and feats tattooed on his body spoke for themselves. Not to mention, those tattoos had actually moved when Maui had wanted me to see the scenes of his stories, and not just hear them from his lips. And Mini-Maui was almost constantly jumping around in every direction on the demigod's body as he acted as a conscience to the demigod.

But Maui was also the kind of person who hadn't been in contact with another person for a thousand years. He had been lacking company capable of understanding him; therefore I couldn't really blame him for wanting to talk, or rather brag most days.

In turn, for having listened to his background, I had given him some background information as to how I'd been like growing up as a small child. Followed by some snippets of my early adulthood before I'd almost died on my sailing journey.

I recalled Maui being in a state of shock and disbelief over some of the information I'd told him about the 21st century, but how could I blame him for that either? While I could definitely believe in the stories tattooed on Maui's skin, I felt it was alright for him to not believe in everything I'd told him.

As for what was to become of us, I hoped that in the future our lives would take a turn for the better. I hoped that in this lifetime I would get off this island with Maui. I was constantly tormented by the message in my dream vision; of the black, ashy plague draining the life out of every island. We had to find some way to stop it from happening, but how exactly? The only way it would be even remotely possible was for us to get our hands on the heart of Te Fiti.

And on a less important reason to get off this island, if we didn't, I was to go completely stir crazy. I had to wonder how Maui had been able to stay sane for so long. Was it because he'd talked to the sential tattoo of himself?

I loved sailing, and for that reason, I'd braved the ocean for the long journey to Finland. 

And I wanted to sail on a boat again! I wanted to see what this world had in store for me! Because I had the feeling that I'd never see my parents, or my world again. There hadn't been any decipherable signs that there was a way back to the coast of Wanaka where my sailing journey had begun and had turned afoul in the end.

I turned to Maui with a sincere smile on my face.

'' I agree with you, Maui. I could have been stuck on an island on my own.''

The smile widened on his lips.

'' I think, we should get off our laurels and go find some worms we can use for fishing,'' he replied, gesturing at my fishing-rod with an expectant look on his face.

I lifted it from where it had been leaning against the wall of the cave, my mind recalling the next day following my first meeting with Maui.

It had been the day following when the demigod had discovered that the boat I owned wasn't sea-worthy. But while it wasn't seaworthy, I did have certain items that were of great use for the both of us. The thought of devouring fresh fish from the ocean, while raw, had been something of great joy to the guy who had not been able to go fishing for a whole millennium.

I smiled, twirling the rod between my palms as I followed the tall, muscular demigod out of the cave entrance.

'' I discovered that food is a way to a man's heart on that day,'' I thought jokingly, hopping over several boulders on our way to the other side of the island.

As we turned the corner I was greeted by my wrecked and partially stripped boat as we turned the corner. It lay there on a bed of rocks and sand.

My smile faltered momentarily at the sight of it until I noticed something else lying there. I sucked in a sharp breath of exhilaration upon realising that I was looking at another boat. I could hardly believe my eyes.

Maui didn't waste time hurrying over to the vessel that lay abandoned on the sand. With ease, he lifted it up with just own arm.

'' It's a boat, Maija! The gods have granted me a boat!'' Maui exclaimed with a cheerful cry.

'' What do you mean by 'just you'? Don't you mean us, Maui, or do you intend to leave me alone on this island?'' I enquired with an unimpressed look crossing my face.

But Maui only chuckled at my answer. He opened his mouth to reply, but the sudden sound of a loudly cleared throat had him glance down.

He was greatly startled by the sight of a young curly-haired teenager staring up at him; he screamed like a girl and instantly dropped the boat back onto the sand.

I howled with laughter and fell onto my back, clutching my fishing-rod with a death-grip.'' Oh my god, that sure made my day, Maui. It serves you right for laughing at me,'' I finally managed to splutter out. 

I watched, still giggling, as Maui lifted the boat a second time to catch a better sight of the teenager who cleared her throat.

Maui turned to face the girl who had somehow sneaked behind him without the guy noticing her movements.

The girl ducked quickly as her canoe came swinging at her head, following the movement of Maui turning to face her. She stared right back at him with determination.

I smiled at her spunk when I realized the teenager was holding the paddle in a way that greatly made it look like she was pointing a spear at the Demigod.

'' Maui, Shapeshifter, Demigod of the wind and Sea, I am Moana...,'' the girl begins to say with a very rehearsed air.

But Maui cut her off, saying: '' You forgot, Hero of men.''

'' Eh, w-what are you...?'' the teenager spluttered out.

I had to stifle another laugh at the sight of the absolutely dumbfounded expression on Moana's face as she gazed up at the demigod.

'' It's actually Maui, Shapeshifter, Demigod of the Wind and Sea, and Hero of Men. Sorry, I Interrupted you, Curly. Let's begin from the top, now, you say 'Hero of Men'.''

Moana blinked for a moment in utter dumbfoundedness before eventually regaining her wit. She began to repeat her earlier sentence, but Maui once again interrupted her mid-speech.

'' Sorry, sorry, sorry, I forgot to add 'women'. Its men and women, you see?! I don't have a girl-guy thing. Maui is a hero to all. You are doing great, Curly.''

He winked at the teenager with a pompous smirk on his lips.

'' W- what?! No, I came here to..., '' Moana stuttered.

'' Yes, yes, yes, of course! Maui always has time for his fans.''

I could only sigh and shake my head at the banter that was going on in front of me. I watched as Maui gently dropped the boat onto the sand and snatched Moana's oar from her hands.

''And here's a bird to write with,'' Maui added as he stooped to grab a very thin, strange looking chicken that had been walking by his feet.

The poor animal squawked in indignation as Maui began to carve over the wood, using its beak as a pencil.

'' Here you go, Curly, I call this tweeting,'' Maui said as he handed the oar back to the flabbergasted girl. He then leaned against the canoe with a wide smirk on his face.

Moana suddenly glanced over at me in a way that looked like she was really noticing me standing there for the first time. She opened her mouth, most likely to inquire what I was doing on the island, but snapped it shut when her soft brown eyes trailed to the other boat which was lying half stripped and discarded on the sand.

I nodded at her wordlessly as Moana's eyes turned back to me with understanding and compassion.

Our moment was interrupted by the very inopportune comment from Maui who had been looking up at the clear blue sky.

''Well, Curly, are you totally dazzled by my presence or something? Well, can't blame you for being filled with amazement, as it's not every day you get the chance to meet your hero.''

That casually spoken sentence was, apparently, the last straw for Moana.

She suddenly scowled and swung the oar forward to connect with the pompous demigod's stomach, before smacking the other end of the paddle against the sand in an upright position on the sand like it were a flagless- pole.

Maui uttered a gasp as the hit knocked the air out of his lungs and grabbed at the area of impact.

I struggled not to laugh when the teenager lunged forward to grab hold of the guy's ear.

'' You are not my hero! And I'm not here so you can sign my oar! I'm here because you stole the heart of Te Fiti,  and you will board my boat, sail across the sea and put it back,'' Moana snapped as she tugged his head down to her level.

'' Yeah, well it almost sounds like you don't like me,'' Maui drawled out.

He straightened without effort and ended up pulling Moana across the sand when she had been trying to reach for the discarded paddle.

I did giggle out loud when Maui lifted the stunned girl's feet off the ground. His large palm grasped the entirety of the islander's cranium with unbelievable gentility as he relocated her away from him.

'' Which is impossible, because I got stuck here for a thousand years for trying to get the heart as a gift for you, mortals, so you would have the power to create life itself. Yes, so I believe you are trying to say is 'thank you','' Maui continued blandly, making a flourishing motion with his hands.

'' Thank you?!'' Moana deadpanned, looking utterly dumbed out over the demigod's ever puzzling manners.

'' You're welcome, Curly," Maui exclaimed with an annoyingly smug expression.

'' But...no, I- I didn't...I wasn't...why would I ever thank you?'' Moana stuttered, slightly back-pedalling.

As Maui once again interrupted the teenager, I had to shake my head in exasperation.

His chuckling was truly beginning to get on my nerves.

(*1)

Ok, ok, I see what's happening here

You're face to face with greatness, and it's strange

You don't even know how you feel

It's adorable!

Well, it's nice to see that humans never change...

I quickly tuned Maui out the minute I heard the first few notes come out of his mouth.

''That dummy! He is actually making things worse by singing to the already confused girl. This is like a repeat of what he had done to me the day after our first meeting, and I mean the incident when he had tried to steal my boat, only to discover that the bottom had a deep scar and wouldn't stay on the surface for long before sinking,'' I thought, rubbing a hand over my face.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the boat in which Moana had arrived on the island.

I started walking around it, inspecting the hull from every angle, before coming to a conclusion that even though this canoe had been caught in the storm that had hit last night, (and looked rather old), it was entirely sea-worthy.

This boat would sail, and the proof lay in the fact that Moana had travelled on it from her home-island.

I couldn't say the same for my poor, unfortunate boat.

I stepped on board and strode over to the strong wooden beam holding the sail together. I ran my fingertips over the stitching to feel the fabric. I could feel the roughness of the fabric against my fingertips. I then walked to the front of the canoe and sat down on the gunwale. I traced a hand reverently over the beautiful carvings running along the entirety of the hull.

I closed my eyes, blocking the singing going on in the background as I tried to imagine how it would be to sail on one of these ancient boats before actually sailing on said vessel. 

But instead of just imagining such a scene I found, much to my shock, that I was seeing a huge canoe-group sailing across the ocean. The biggest of the canoe- boats were in the lead, and there were many people on the gunwale of working together to steer them on course.

I gasped sharply, opening my eyes and blinking for a long moment until my vision cleared out and I was staring out to the familiar scenes of rocks and sand everywhere around me.

This had been another one of those strange visions I tended to have whenever I closed my eyes and touched an old artefact. I'd never figured out why I kept seeing them and I'd told no one about these visions. I had even been hesitant to discuss the matter with my parents for fear of being seen as unstable. And those fears had been amplified following my depression seven years ago.

I'd come to believe that even if I had tried to explain that these visions had been part of my life since my teenage- years, my parents may have seen it as me having delusions. It would have lead to them insisting on me needing even more therapy sessions when I knew it hadn't been necessary.

https://youtu.be/3LKAQEzCudE

I focused on the sky for a long moment, trying to calm my nerves before my mind was abruptly slammed back to earth by the sudden rocking of the canoe.

I yelped as the boat was lifted off the sands and lowered into the water.

Maui had come back from wherever he had taken Moana. But where exactly was the girl?

'' Maui, what have you done with Moana?'' I asked with a raised eyebrow, moving my palms to my hips as the demigod dropped the rooster onto the boat deck.

'' Oh, I just took her on a stroll around the island and then showed her our very safe, dry and homely cave,'' Maui answered while sprinkling a handful of nuts and seeds in front of the creature.

He shifted the chicken's head when the creature started tapping on the gunwale instead of the food.

'' Okay, this animal is officially verified as a complete nutcase,'' I thought sarcastically, watching the bird goofing-off.

'' In other words, you decided to mind-trick her with your song and trap her within that cave in the same way you used to trap me out of the said cave. Gods, you can't just leave her stranded on this thrice-cursed island!'' I exclaimed.

'' Well I did it, it is done, so I did do that, Maija,'' Maui answered looking entirely unconcerned.

Even Mini- Maui shook his head in disappointment at his much larger counterpart.

Maui ignored the both of us and focused on adjusting the ropes of the boat before sitting down with enough force to make the boat jump.

'' Don't look at me like that, it's a beautiful cave, she's gonna love it,'' Maui replied.

I couldn't believe my own stupidity at leaving those two to their own devices, but how could I have foreseen Maui having the nerve to be so callous to that poor teenager?!

'' You've sunk half your brain, Maui! She isn't a demigod who can go for a week without water, or eat next to nothing and still be healthy. So do you honestly hold no concern for her life?'' I raged at him with a withering glare on my face.

I shifted to the side to avoid the sail that Maui playfully moved to see whether he could catch me off guard and fling me into the ocean.

Then I ducked away from the path of another swing from the sail without breaking eye-contact with the demigod. I growled under my breath as the sail once again swung towards me, crouched quickly before coming back up with my rod swinging right at the guy's head.

SMACK

I couldn't lie that I'd held no satisfaction in seeing him grab his head with a pained yelp.

'' Seriously, Maui?! If you honestly feel you can just leave her here in good conscience I'll say you can forget about the 'hero of men and women' title because that's not you right now,'' I growled out even as I pulled my fishing rod away from Maui's reach.

Maui opened his mouth to retort but whatever he was going to say was drowned by the young, teenaged Islander's high pitched, fury filled shriek.

I looked up just in time to see Moana jumping from atop the cliff and soar through the air towards her boat, but she fell short of the landing.

SPLASHHH

I cringed when she made a great belly-slam into the water and sunk under the surface. That had to have been an extremely painful landing.

'' I could watch that performance all day,'' Maui commented as Moana surfaced and gasped for much-needed air.

'' Seriously, what is wrong with you today?'' I muttered, just as Maui flipped the wrist holding the mooring rope.

The wrist-movement unfurled the sail and the boat lurched forward when the wind caught onto the material.

'' And what do you think you are doing, now? Moana, grab the fishing-line!''

I flung the fishing- rod forward, triggering the hook and line to sail through the air before dropping into the water with a faint splash. 

The young girl quickly swam towards the thin line and grabbed it tightly with one hand.

I immediately began to reel the line back towards our boat which was quickly leaving the island behind.

'' This day can't possibly become any weirder. Now Moana's like a hooked shark on the end of my line.'' I thought, watching the poor girl swim towards the boat.

Thankfully her movements eased some of the water friction.

''I cannot believe you are actually doing that, Sweetheart! She isn't a mackerel to be reeled in,'' Maui howled out with tears of mirth in his eyes.

'' Or a mackerel on the end of my fishing line,'' I concluded inwardly with dry sarcasm as the demigod laughed himself silly.

'' I really can't stomach your witty comments right now, Maui. Help me with this, or I'll ask the sea to pull up a sea-monster to gobble you up,'' I said irritably after letting him laugh for a few more seconds.

'' Who is the one making bad jokes, now, eh?'' Maui laughed out.

'' Who said I was joking. Hey, ocean, bring us a sea monster from the deep to get rid of this demigod! He's been absolutely unbearable all morning!'' I retorted as I yanked hard at the rod.

'' Hey, ocean, bring us a shark to gobble up our fisherman and her bait! At least then I'd be ridden from all annoyances!'' Maui hollered back.

'' I'm not the one with a dislocated brain today,'' I grunted out just as, much to my utter shock, the ocean actually responded by torpedoing a shocked Moana across the water and towards her boat.

The water had taken the form of a massive great- white shark with its mouth wide open.

'' Whoa, scratch out my earlier statement; this day definitely got weirder!'' I cried out, loudly, and began reeling back the line as fast as my hands could work.

SPLASHHH, SMACK

'' Ouch,'' I groaned out as the force of the descending seawater threw Moana at my chest.

The both of us were immediately flung off the boat in a flurry of tangled limbs.

''Okay I didn't see that coming,'' Maui gasped out between a mouthful of seawater just as Moana and I breached the water.

The ocean had actually given us both a nudge up to the surface.

'' How can you possibly miss a shark-shaped wall of water propelled at you full blast?'' I inquired with heavy sarcasm, which earned me a spray of seawater in the face. I was left me coughing violently.

'' I don't think the ocean is very agreeable with either of your sarcasm,'' Moana said scoldingly with her hands on her hips.

'' Seriously, I was on your side of the argument the whole time and I've been trying to convince this 'big buffoon' to turn the boat around ever since we set sail,'' I sputtered out before clearing my throat one last time.

'' You know, I'm starting to miss those days that you turn to your silent and brooding moments,'' Maui said blandly.

I stiffened in outrage at hearing that sentence come out of his mouth but before I could so much as open my mouth to retort, Moana determinately stepped forward to face Maui.

'' I am Moana of Motunui, you will..., ''

Maui unexpectedly used the paddle to make the boat jump and this time I was thrown off the deck when Moana lost her footing and stumbled into me.

'' And as for the girl of Motunui, I wouldn't say no to a silent brooding moment from her, either,'' Maui exclaimed with a raised voice just as I resurfaced.

'' Oh, Maui, there were many moments on that island where I wished you had just kept your big mouth shut,'' I retorted with another glare as I tread water and coughed up seawater for the third time within a short time- frame.

Moana, much to my slight consternation, was given a lift to the boat deck by the blob of water while I was left treading water.

Moana cut in before the confrontation between Maui and I could escalate any further.

'' I am Moana of Motunui. This is my boat and you will board it, sail across the sea and...,'' she exclaimed but was immediately grabbed around the waist and thrown right over Maui's shoulder into the ocean.

'' I've just about had enough of hearing that same sentence repeated over and over,'' he grumbled out.

SPLASHHH

'' And she's back, once again,'' Maui uttered in utter exasperation.

The ocean had, indeed, deposited an entirely soaked and no doubt vexed, girl back onto the gunwale.

'' You might as well just accept that she is here to stay because the ocean is just gonna reel her right back onto the boat,'' I commented, swimming over to the outrigger side of the boat.

I grabbed hold of the wooden beams and noticed the defeated slump to Maui's shoulders before he turned his glare on me.

'' That is correct, and you, will travel across the sea and return this,'' Moana agreed, sending me an amused glance.

She took something out from a shell- necklace and turned her attention to Maui. Not giving him time to retort, she shoved a faintly glowing green rock into his line of vision.

I gasped quietly at the sight of it; it was the same green stone that I'd seen in the vision-dream that had been bugging me for the past two weeks.

Maui eyed the stone for a split second, but instead of being receptive, he snatched the object and chucked it in the air and Moana's shocked cry accompanied the rock's descent towards the water yards away from the boat where it landed and sunk into the depths of the ocean.

'' Have you completely lost it, Maui? Moana said to return the stone to Te Fiti, not chuck it into the ocean!'' I exclaimed as I heaved myself back onto the boat.

'' Trust me, sweetheart, the stone is cursed; the second I took it I was knocked out of the sky and I lost my hook. It's better to get rid of it than having it in our company,'' Maui answered with a charming smile on his face.

''I can't believe you! We have an all life affecting curse to get rid of and the only way to stop the disaster is for you to restore the heart of Te Fiti!'' Moana screeched out in outrage.

Maui scoffed at her words, just before something whizzed through the air, passed perilously close to my face before bouncing off the demigod's forehead.

I struggled not to laugh as Maui fell backwards onto the boat deck by the force of the impact.

The stone had been chucked back by the very sentient water, and it had done the deed with vengeance.

It seemed the ocean itself was losing its patience towards Maui's continues refusal to take responsibility for his actions one thousand years ago.

'' What is his problem?'' Moana gritted out to me when the demigod got up with a nonchalant demeanour.

'' That is it, I'm off this boat,'' Maui muttered before he dived headfirst into the ocean and began to swim away from from the shadow of the canoe.

'' Yeah, like you can get very far without a sail-boat,'' I thought as I shook my head at his futile efforts.

I turned to the girl who was looking at me earnestly.

'' Don't give up on the reason you actually came to his island. His resolve will eventually begin to crack if you continue pestering him,'' I sighed out and flicked my long braid back over my shoulder.

SPLASHHH

Maui was pushed back onto the boat deck by the very adamant ocean.

'' Hey, come on!'' Maui spluttered out before choking on a face-full of seawater.

Moana stomped over to the demigod with distaste in her expression.

'' Wiggle like a hooked fish, for all I care! You can't run away from restoring Te Fiti's heart, Maui! The plague came to be when you stole the heart. We have to stop it before it reaches all the islands in the world,'' she spat out.

'' Well I think that you should just give up this mission and sail homewards because that stone is a homing beacon of death,'' Maui replied.

He then visibly cringed away from the stone that Moana was once again shoving towards him.

'' Are you afraid of this stone, Maui? It's the heart of the mother island so you should be more afraid of her wrath than whatever it might home us,'' she said incredulously.

'' Quiet, you little fool! Anyone can hear you out here. You want to get us all killed, girl?'' Maui exclaimed with forced calmness.

'' Moana, I think you should listen to him. I just remembered that sound is amplified by the water,'' I gasped out in sudden realization, slapping a hand against my forehead for my forgetfulness.

'' What's gonna come for us except for maybe the sea-monsters you were so keen on getting to the surface?'' Moana retorted.

'' Honestly, why is she turning her frustration on me when all I'd been trying to fight her cause since we'd set sail?'' I thought in frustration, glowering down at the shorter teenager.

I opened my mouth to answer that monsters were a very real possibility when...

SWISHHH

I immediately swirled around to face the direction of the sound of something whistling through the air.

THUNKKK

My heartbeat quickened when a sharp, jagged harpoon barely missed Maui's leg and struck the wooden sail pole just inches from Hey Hey's head.

'' Gods I don't believe it! Our journey across the ocean has only just started, and already we are facing enemies bent on hampering our mission to restore Te Fiti to her former self,'' I thought with dread.

End of Chapter 3

...

Author Notes:

Yeah, I know this chapter is a massive time skip from where Maija's story first begun. But I'll be adding moments where she's thinking back to the past to give some background as to how she had dealt with living on the island with Maui for an entire year.