The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 20

Just as Moana promised, she began going to Alaula's fale more often to see Keoni and was delighted to know that he was getting better. Her visits were frequent enough that Alaula offered to show Moana her differing treatments and how to do them properly. And Moana couldn't say no to such an offer.
Aside from her regular duties throughout the village, Moana made it her personal duty to attend to Keoni, demonstrating to him that she did care and hadn't forgotten about him. Not that he had, obviously, but he did appreciate and savor her presence each time she came by.

It became routine for Moana to stop by usually in the evening, right around sunset. It was the easiest time of day as activity in the village would settle down and there were fewer chores to be done. During her visits, Moana became more experienced and familiar with the steps to caring for Keoni's shoulder. However, it was the only thing she intended to learn about, as Keoni was her main focus.

With the back wound healing quite nicely, Alaula determined it would be good to start doing some simple physical therapy exercises to get Keoni's arm partially functioning so that when the sling was finally off, he wouldn't have an entirely limp arm.

And during each visit, the two friends would talk about their day, feeling comfortable and confident in sharing details with one another. Keoni was especially interested in Moana's daily activities and asked questions about what it was really like being a leader. She found his interest touching and fascinating and didn't mind indulging him.

Keoni had found himself more eager every day when he waited for Moana to come by. His heart beat faster, and butterflies were more present in his stomach. He'd never felt this way before about anyone, not even girls his age on his old island. Sure, he'd had his fleeting crushes occasionally, but never something like this.

He knew Moana was different. From the moment he met her, his subconscious knew something he didn't.

And although he was offered to stay in the chief's fale after his arrival on Motunui, Alaula had spoken to Tui and had remarked that Keoni's injury was still severe enough that he needed to be supervised and stay in the healer's fale, to which Tui understood and agreed.

So, because of his new situation, he had seen little of Moana at first. But now, he saw her nearly every day. That said, his sister's presence was deeply healing.

One particular day, Huihana entered the fale with a smile on her face. Keoni didn't question why, as seeing her happy made him feel the same.

"There's my baby brother!" She greeted, sliding down next to him as he ate a small bowl of pork.

"You're in a good mood," he commented, swallowing a bite, "What've you been up to?"

"Oh... well, Enele took me on a walk around the village! And! He showed me the cave where Motunui's old voyaging canoes are!"

"Really?"

"Mhm! It was cool! He even told me about how Moana's grandmother helped her rediscover the legacy of her ancestors. Sure, everyone knows, but there's just something about how Enele tells it that I just... ah!" She continued on about her day with Enele, and even past interactions she'd had with the young farmer. It didn't take a blind fool to know that Huihana was clearly smitten.

"Someone's in loveeee..." Keoni teased, nudging her as she lounged on the floor next to him.

"Psh! You're one to talk! I've heard how you speak about Moana! And the way you watch her whenever she leaves the fale." Huihana argued in an equally teasing tone, and Keoni turned bright red.

"Ha! I knew it! You've never been able to hide your emotions," Keoni rolled his eyes.

"So what's your point? Moana said it's a good thing to be expressive and not hide anything."

"Moana said that, eh?" A nod.

"Seems she knows you pretty well, I wonder what else she knows about you that I don't?" Keoni stared at his sister suspiciously, he knew that tone well, even if he hadn't heard her use it for so long. What was she getting at?

"Huihana?" She grinned cheekily, cleverly switching the conversation around, not giving Keoni time to question her further. He soon forgot about it, moving to encourage his sister to pursue Enele, since he could tell she was in love, and if Enele made her happy, then he'd be a shitty brother if he didn't allow her that.

Aside from his physical healing and reconnecting with his sister, Alaula had told Keoni that it would be in his best interest to focus on his health. And he didn't need to ask her what she meant by that. He knew that his health was also a step in his healing overall, and it became more of a priority. Another physician in the village came to Alaula's fale to perform an exam on Keoni, just to analyze what needed to be worked on.

Eventually, the physical concluded that all Keoni needed to focus on was regaining a healthier weight, and perform some mindfulness exercises, as that would aid in his mental health, which would lead to a healthier body.

After the physician left, Keoni asked for a mirror to look at himself. And upon staring at his reflection, he truly understood how much work needed to be done.

"Maybe I need a haircut, too."