Ova Da Rainbow: HAWAII'S STORY (3)

Hair and Feathers

A/N: Sorry this took so long, as personal family issues delayed me working on this chapter. I hope you all enjoy, and happy pride month you gay frogs. (And the not-so-gay frogs too).

Late August, 1966

The airport terminal was bustling with travellers, all hurrying to get to their destinations and to get off the plane. The sound of suitcases rolling on the concrete floors and the chatter of people echoed in Hawaiʻi's ears as she made her way down the hallway, scanning the crowds for Yua's familiar face.

It was going to be so good to see her again.

On the way here, she had stopped at the house, to make sure the blackout curtains were drawn tightly and everything was locked. It was fine. Such a pretty day, why worry about things like this?

As she turned the corner, she finally spotted Yua, standing near the baggage claim. She let out a sigh of relief, and the tension in her shoulders relaxed. Yua, with her long, flowing hair and a now sunburnt face, was hard to miss in the crowd. She wore a simple dress and leather sandals, and a small smile played at the corners of her lips as she spotted Hawaii.

Hawaii felt a warm sensation spreading from her chest as she approached Yua, and the anxiety that had been gnawing at her turned into elation. She ran up to Yua and picked her up, laughing and smiling the whole time.

The moment lasted only seconds, but it was enough to wash away the stress of the past few months. Yua was the one who pulled away first, holding Hawaiʻi at arm's length with a small smirk on her lips. "Somebody missed me. You didn't burn anything down without me, did you?"

"Of course not." Hawaiʻi said happily, before burying her head in Yua's chest. For once, she didn't care who saw "You really do not realise how happy I am to see you. I have missed you so much."

"Hey, I'm here now, right? Let's get ready for another good year, alright?" Yua said, smiling. "I love you."

"I love you too." Hawaiʻi said back, and she smiled. Something felt so nice that Yua was back. This day really couldn't get any better.

—

It was silly, really, how strongly Hawaii felt about her hair.

Every month, on the twenty-eighth, she would cut it back down to a short bob, and it had been that way since the 1920s. Sure, the length of the bob had gotten longer and longer, but she didn't feel worthy of letting it grow the way it used to.

She looked in the mirror, and stared at her reflection for a few moments. She hadn't cut her hair since the letters started, and now, she almost recognised herself again. Part of her saw the girl she was in the past, naive, happy, willing to believe everything was alright.

She laughed to herself quietly, a small, bitter sound. The girl she used to be was long gone, swept away like the dust on the floor.

But the smile she had carried back then wasn't there. Sure, there was a smile. Rarely did she show her face without one, but this one was a defensive, not a welcoming, warm smile. It was one to keep everyone from questioning what was wrong with her.

Oh well. One day, maybe, she'd let her hair grow.

Hair was often seen as a status symbol, a sign of how much mana a person held, and for Hawaiʻi, her own hair was no exception. For as long as she could remember, Hawaiʻi had been almost obsessed - some might even say vain - when it came to her hair. One of the biggest signs of defeat in the old times was for the loser to cut their hair. That, or it be done by force.

So, right after the overthrow, when she woke up from the fire... That fire, and had looked in the mirror, it wasn't just the seal, that stupid, godforsaken seal that had made her fate to forever be a phoenix, that had jolted her awake from her daze.