Maui knew what it was like to feel depressed. Sometimes he knew what it was like to feel alone while depressed as if he was the only one suffering through depression. He didn't know anyone else who suffered it like he did, so feeling alone was natural when he was depressed. No matter what he'd heard about not being alone, it didn't help him and the lonely feeling still stayed with him even when he tried to remind himself he wasn't the only one suffering, making him feel like he truly was alone.

The times his depression acted up though was when he was reminded of his abandonment, the memory – and tattoo – leaving a permanent scar. He had no idea why he'd earned the tattoo in the first place, nor why the gods would give him the tattoo. He always hid it behind his long hair so no one would see it or ask him about it. Heck, when it came to the tattoo he hated to think of it as a tattoo he'd earned, which is why when Moana asked him about his tattoos he sounded kind of upset when he mentioned them showing up whenever he earned them.

Though he never expected to be approached by Moana one night while he was looking out over the ocean while sitting in the sand on Motunui's beach, reflecting over his own abandonment and wishing he had his own family like Moana did.

"Hey, is something wrong?" She asked as she walked over and sat next to him.

"Not really." Maui said, looking down with a sigh, "It's just that I wish I had a family of my own to love me. I mean, you have one and I'm happy for you, but..." He trailed off, not knowing what else to say as Moana frowned.

"But you have us." She said softly, "Aren't we like your family? All of us love you for who you are, not what you are." Maui closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah but...I don't think I was meant to have a human family." He explained as he looked at her before moving his hair aside to show his tattoo, "I mean, why do you think I'd have this tattoo if I was meant to have one? Why would the gods give me this tattoo? I know they show up when I earn 'em, but...why'd I earn this one?" Moana smiled at him.

"I don't know." She said with a shrug, "Maybe you earned it because it's important somehow." Maui snorted and rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah, how is it important Curly?" He asked as he shook his head, "Is it important to let me know I'm all alone?" Moana frowned again.

"What do you mean?" She asked, curious, "What I'm saying is, maybe they wanted you to know you're not alone; that there are many other people just like you who were abandoned by their families too." Maui glanced at her, no longer sad.

"Really?" He asked with a smile, "You think so?" Moana smiled back.

"I know so." She replied, "And trust me, if you weren't meant to have a human family, you wouldn't have me or even us." Maui grinned even more as he wrapped her up in a hug.

"Thanks, kid." He said as she hugged back, "That really means a lot to me." Moana's smile grew.

"Hey no problem!" She said as she gently pulled away from the hug, "Anything to make you feel better."


Okay, so I started writing this when I lived with my parents a few months ago (before moving with my sister) and felt depressed. I stopped writing it I think after the part where he said he doesn't think he was meant to have a human family but wrote a bit more to it not too long ago. But today I decided to finish it.

I wanted Maui in this story to relate to how I used to feel whenever I was depressed (and how other people suffering depression may feel) before I saw the movie. And by "before I saw the movie", I mean that before seeing it I would feel I was alone when I was depressed, and no matter what I saw about people saying that you're not alone when depressed, I still felt alone.

But somehow in the scene where Maui explains his abandonment, it helped me not feel alone anymore since he seems depressed when he talks about it. And that stopped me from feeling alone. Even though he's a cartoon character (and I'm aware of that too), he somehow helped me get over the feeling of being alone whenever I was depressed just because of that scene.

So to anyone who suffers depression like me and does feel truly alone, remember that you're not alone and that there's someone out there who is suffering it too and there's a chance they may be going through the same stuff you are (though don't worry, I was never abandoned).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story! And if you do suffer depression, I hope this story helped you. Because no matter what you think, you are never truly alone. And this wonderful movie taught me that.