Ok, this one is rather depressing, but it ends on a lighter note. Thank you for taking the time to reading this and my other fics!
Sun and Lillie decided to end their date night at a local malasada shop, and they brought their friend Hau along with them. It was a simple ideal date spot, nothing too romantic. The couple did do some shopping at the mall where they also partook in the Battle Buffet, and they made it interesting by seeing as to who could rack up the most food, with Lillie being the victor because Sun took too long to defeat his last opponent.
The 17-year-olds originally planned to call it a day after their escapades at the mall, but as they left, the couple spotted Hau strolling around the city with a dejected look on his face. When Sun and Lillie yelled 'Alola' to him, his face immediately perked back up to his usual self. Sun and Lillie pretended to not notice his distress as they asked him if he wanted to join them for a bite at the malasada shop nearby. The Island Kahuna happily accepted their offer as they went off to the pastry shop.
Hau munched on a set of Chocolate and Aspear-flavored malasada, feeling his problems drifting away. Sun and Lillie shared their own set of the confection, a Cinnamon and Pecha-flavored variant, though they didn't devour the food like their best friend. It was nice to have Hau in their presence, he'd always come up with the best choice of words, no matter how silly it'd sounded, just to brighten someone's day. The Island Kahuna took his responsibility seriously when Tapu Koko had chosen him to succeed his grandfather Hala when he was only 15 years old.
However, Sun and Lillie wondered as to what made Hau so deflated a bit ago. They didn't want to meddle in his affairs, but they cared for him as a friend.
"Nothing like a good way to end the night by eating some malasada and downing it with a cold glass of Moo Moo Milk!" Hau triumphed in victory as he ate a piece of his favorite treat, earning a chuckle from the couple. "Oh, and thank you for tagging along with you guys. I hope that I'm not ruining your date."
Sun and Lillie shook their heads in response. "Of course not, Hau. You're not bothering us in the slightest." She assured their friend.
"Yeah, you're our friend, dude." The Alola Champion added on.
Hau flashed a smile at the two as he took a drink of his milk to calm his nerves. Despite making countless friends since the start of his journey back when he was 11 years old, the Island Kahuna held Sun and Lillie at a higher regard the most. He has been battling self-esteem issues ever since his father had left him at an early age, and as for his mother, that was a different story to be told later. To cope, he's tried his best to brighten up people's moods whenever he could, even if it meant ridicule on his part.
"Thanks, guys. That means a lot, truly." Hau replied as he rubbed his stomach. He made up his mind by telling the two why he was moping around at Hau'oli City.
Sun and Lillie noticed that Hau's expression turned serious, which was rather a rare sight to witness. They assumed that he was going to tell them about his change in behavior recently. The couple sipped on their Tapu Cocoa before he spoke.
"Well, you see, I have been feeling a bit down lately," Hau paused as he felt that a malasada shop wasn't the best place to discuss. "actually, let's go to the Marina." He finished, leaving his friends puzzled but they understood his decision.
The trio left a tip before they walked off with a to-go order for their Pokémon, and Hau thanked his friends for paying his meal. It wasn't a daunting journey to get to their destination, but the atmosphere was tense to begin with. As they arrived at the Marina, Hau made his way to the rails and rested his arms on top of it. The expression on his face became melancholic again.
"You see, today happens to be the anniversary of when my dad left." Hau started, which had Sun and Lillie speechless. So, that was the reason why he felt depressed today. Out of respect for their friend, they kept silent as he continued to ramble on.
"It's been like a tradition for years now," Hau sighed as he felt a prickle of tears in his eyes. "and I still wonder why will he never come back." His hands proceeded to clench on the metal bars as he gritted his teeth.
"I-I may be a Kahuna, but would h-he even appreciate being the f-father of one? H-He couldn't even a-accept being the s-son of a Kahuna." The Island Kahuna began to cry, his throat feeling very pale.
Hau's father left him when he was very young. From what the Island Kahuna had been told, it was because his father couldn't stand being known as the son of Hala, the former Kahuna of Melemele Island. During his journey to complete the Island Challenge, Hau had stumbled across children enjoying themselves with their fathers, which fueled his envy in a way. He wanted that kind of happiness in his life, but fate was just cruel to him in the end. Sometimes, Hau wondered if Tapu Koko made a mistake to choose him as Kahuna because he was way laid back and lax on his responsibilities despite Hala assuring him that he was doing a fine job.
"To me, I-it's like being a K-Kahuna is a curse on m-my part because he would n-never want to a-associate with someone like m-me." The Island Kahuna uttered as his body shook due to him crying. He didn't want to express his grief to his friends, but deep down he wanted to be heard. Rarely does Hau ever open up to anyone, even to Hala. However, in the presence of Sun and Lillie, he knew that they were trustworthy enough to confide to.
"I just want him back!" Hau shouted, lowering his head down as his sobs became erratic. "I'm s-sorry for being weak in front of you guys."
Hearing enough, Sun and Lillie rushed towards Hau, enveloping him in a hug. To see Hau in such a state pained them. While they each had a parental figure in their life, Hau was left without any of his parents to witness him progress in life. He was always full of cheer and wonder, and bottling his negative emotions must've overwhelmed him to an extreme point.
"Shhh, we're here for you, Hau." Lillie whispered soothingly as she patted her friend's back while her boyfriend did the same. The Island Kahuna had his eyes closed due to the thought of embarrassment for being emotional.
"Remember, you may think that you're just a Kahuna," Sun halted, taking a deep breath. "but you're just Hau to us."
The Island Kahuna's sobs quelled down as he started to look at his friends who still held him in their hold. Afterwards, Sun and Lillie stood side by side their friend respectively, placing an arm around him as the faced the night sky.
"Take Olivia's word to heart. You're also not just the grandson of Hala nor the son of your father. You're only Hau, a unique kind of Hau who's irreplaceable to us." Lillie reminded to Hau what the former Island Kahuna Olivia had told him in the past. "We may never truly understand how much you've been through, but know that we'll always be by your side."
"Yeah, we're your friends to the end, Hau. We want to return the favor as well since you've done so much for us, even if you don't realize it." Sun commented in order to support Hau. The couple knew that what transpired today won't immediately resolve Hau's distress, but with them by his side, he wouldn't have to go through it alone.
"Remember this, too, it's okay to cry. It doesn't make you any different to us." Lillie added on, a soft smile formed on her face afterwards.
Hau was astounded by his friends' convictions that he couldn't suppress the urge to cry again when his mouth started to quiver.
"T-thank you guys so much!" Hau happily tried to reply as he proceeded to cry his heart out without a care in the world. Sun and Lillie comforted their friend, showing their undying support without judgement. They simply told him to just let it go as it was a natural thing to do, and to never feel bad about it.
Because after all, crying shows that you're human.