“Did you know it was going to storm like this?” Nanami asked, rushing to close a window that she had noticed was open in the meeting hall. Somehow the slightly cloudy day had turned into a torrential downpour, the skies only lit by brief moments of lightning before another boom of thunder followed. She had not expected to be trapped inside of her family home with her Makuahine because of a storm like this, but here they were. Nanami winced as she thought about the broken figure, her gaze flickering back towards the shelf before looking for her Makuahine who was calmly walking about and checking the rest of the windows on the main floor. Thankfully the crystals in the wall glowed, their presence always guaranteeing there was light within the manor despite the darkness of the storm raging outside. She only hoped her family was safe within the inn that she had left them at, the place looking solid and large enough to protect them until the storm passed. It was a good thing that they weren’t traveling right away, giving Nanami these three days had kept them from wandering out into this storm at least.

“There was no mention of it.” Her Makuahine replied as she returned, holding out a handkerchief for Nanami as she walked into the meeting room. “Did you cut your fingers on the figurine? I saw you wince earlier.” She managed, the older Kawena seeming a bit off as Nanami stood there. Was that actual concern in her voice? Surely it was just the sound of the rain that made her voice seemingly shake like that, right? There was no way her mother would be nervous around her. It simply wasn’t possible….at least she didn’t think so. “Well?”

“Yeah.” Nanami held out her hand, the little scratch having nearly been forgotten in her own nervousness. “I can patch it up myself though.” She gently rubbed her fingers together, a spark of magic helping to ease the skin back into place even as her mother still placed the silk handkerchief into her hands.

“That’s right. You picked up magic though I thought it was used for things other than healing.”

“Ah, yeah.” Nanami nodded, finding her courage despite the initial knot in her stomach. “Thank you.” She added as she held up the offering, wiping the small trickle of blood from her fingers and tucking the handkerchief into her sash. Her mother would have never sacrificed such a piece for this before…things definitely were strange. “I’ll clean and return it.”

“If you wish.” Her Makuahine paused, looking around them. “Well, I suppose we’re stuck inside for a while while your brother and Kane are stuck in town somewhere. I’m sure they took shelter with others or in the tavern since it would be a bit harder to get to our manor in this weather.” She simply sighed before looking back to Nanami. “Should I show you the guest rooms? You probably remember where they are even after being gone for so long.”

“I remember.” Nanami replied quietly.

“Then you can go ahead and rest up, if you’d like.”

“Actually…” As her Makuahine turned away, Nanami found herself moving after her. “I was hoping that perhaps we could talk?” She was no longer the child that simply scurried away to avoid her mother’s judgment. She had crossed the ocean with her family to come here to Hota, not to hide but to finally confront her Makuahine and show her that she was proud of the life she had chosen. It wasn’t the path that her mother wanted, but it was Nanami’s path and one that she was proud of.

The older Kawena hesitated, surprising Nanami with a wary expression as she turned around when Nanami had been bracing herself for a confrontation. “Are you sure? I didn’t think you would want to speak with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your Kane and brother are the reasons you came here, correct? I thought you would want to avoid me as much as possible…”

“Makuahine. I would love to speak with you.” Nanami replied, her own expression softening as she realized her mother’s cool exterior was simply a way to try to cover up her own fears in the moment. Was she afraid that she would have run away again? If not for the storm it would have been tempting, but honestly now that she was home and speaking with her Makuahine again it seemed like it was only right to actually try to talk about things. “I think we both should take this time to just speak honestly with one another. The storm is keeping us here, so why not make use of our time before others arrive?”

“You truly want that?”


“I do.” Nanami offered a small smile, noticing the faint traces of tears in her Makuahine’s gaze. “I came back to see everyone, including you. I’m sorry it took so long. I was just afraid…I thought you didn’t want to speak to me, not when I left as I did.”

“Nanami.” Her Makuahine shook her head as she reached out for her daughter. “I was afraid that you hated me for what I did. I’ve taken the years to reflect over things and I realize I put way too much pressure on you when I just wanted you to be the best that you could be. This path was your choice and I want to hear all about it.” She took a breath, her own voice shaking as she held onto Nanami. “I’m so happy to see you doing well. I was obsessed with a plan, with a vision without even truly seeing those that I tried to drag along with it. When you left I realized what a mistake I had made and I could only pray that I would have a chance to speak to you once more, never knowing if you truly would return home. All I can do now is ask for your forgiveness and do the best I can to make up for lost time while you’re here.”

“That’s everything I wanted to hear.” Replied Nanami after a moment, her own voice shaking now as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. “I think we can work with that…what about a cup of tea?”

“Sure.” And so while the storm raged outside, the pair finally spoke to each other for the first time in years. If anything it was the first real time they truly spoke to each other, Nanami being noticed by her Makuahine who saw her daughter as she was and not as some tool in a grand master plan. And once the storm finished raging then they would work on getting the home ready for the others, Nanami more than eager to introduce her family to each other now that she had finally taken that leap to return to Kahi and face the past. Her only regret was that she hadn’t done it earlier, but then again even Nanami didn’t know if she would have the same courage that she did now without experiencing the journey she had thus far while living in Matori and Oba with Noelani and their family. Still, she had no regrets especially now that she had finally returned even with a storm raging around them at the moment.

[1227 wc]