Haikili had been wandering about after being left alone for an afternoon while Kaipo took care of business in the nearby town. Ever since Valu had followed him that short while, Haikili had been uneasy and refused to even go near that path for fear the boy would find him again. It was not as if living with Kaipo was a dangerous thing nor would Kaipo harm anyone, but Haikili simply didn’t want Valu to be involved with anything he did going forward. It was for the best so that the boy would be protected and not get caught up when Haikili went out to find his revenge for his mothers. And so he wandered the halls of the home built into the cliffs by the secluded cove that Kaipo had claimed for himself. It was only when he walked to a room that he had never truly taken care to enter before that Haikili hesitated before opening the door. What he saw inside truly startled him, Haikili not realizing that so many pieces of art would be behind the door. Some of which he recognized as his mother’s work, the very thought breaking his heart as he moved from piece to piece to look over them. Each little twist of clay, the engravings in the pottery spoke of his mother’s love and gentle spirit. It broke his heart to see so many things in one place that reminded him of the hapuna who had been unfairly slain. “Makuahine…” His voice trembled for once as he reached to pick up a small vase, the twisted structure perfect for holding some fresh flowers that grew in the nearby meadow. The contrasting colors would only highlight the cream and yellow petals, the details of vines along the vase looking like the stems of the flowers themselves.

“Ailani truly was talented.” Kaipo’s voice echoed in the room behind Haikili, startling him into dropping the vase and despite his best efforts the piece fell to the floor where it cracked. “Ah, I should have thought about that.”

“I didn’t realize you had so many pieces here.” Haikili managed, his voice low as his heart twisted at the sight of the broken pieces. “Well, one less now.” His fingers curled at his side, frustration rising that he had been so careless. Even if Kaipo had startled him there was no need to drop the vase, his damn emotions had once again caused a mistake. A terrible one as well considering this was one of the final pieces his mother had made since she…well she couldn’t craft any longer, could she? The thought made his gaze burn as he bent to gather up the pieces.

“I know an artisan who can fuse the pieces back together.” Kaipo offered, joining Haikili as he picked up the pieces. “I should have told you about my art room, but I was afraid of hurting you. There’s so much of Ailani in here.”

“I see.” Haikili managed as he carefully gathered the pieces. “I also understand why you would keep this away from me.” Even now he didn’t know if he was ready to truly face his mother’s memory and it had already been over a year since he moved in with Kaipo. Haikili’s green gaze slowly swept over the room, pain written on his expression as he moved from piece to piece with his eyes instead of going to touch them like before. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with the broken vase. I shouldn’t have come in here without you, my apologies.”

Kaipo frowned. “Haikili…” He reached out towards Haikili but the younger hybrid was already on his way towards the doorway to leave the room. “You can come back whenever you’re ready, I’ll leave the door open for you.”

Haikili paused before nodding. “Thank you.” He managed, closing the door behind him to leave Kaipo with the mess that he had made of the vase. There had been other pieces in the room there were more intimate, more telling of Ailani and her passion, and Haikili didn’t think he could face them just yet especially the one depicting a pair of Kahi with a small child holding their hands. That one had been on the shelf at his home before her death…he was touched that Kaipo had managed to save it even though it also broke Haikili’s heart to see it. It seemed that the vase was not the only thing truly broken, after all, and unlike the vase Haikili didn’t know any artisan who could simply piece his spirit back together.

[770]