Written for the 10_hurt_comfort challenge on Livejournal. Can be viewed as part of the I'll Come For You universe but you don't have to read that to understand this.
Chin scanned the beach and frowned.
The waves were good today, cresting at just the right height for Kono to tackle them easily and yet she was nowhere to be seen. Kono's dad had taught her how to surf a few months ago as her tenth birthday present and since then, there wasn't a day where she wasn't out in the ocean riding the waves. Now that he was waiting for the new term to start at the Academy, Chin had the time to come down to the beach almost every day to watch his little cousin take to the waves like a fish to water.
Chin checked his watch. It was almost six PM. Kono should've been in the water for about an hour by now and getting ready to come ashore. Chin scanned the beach again, this time looking for any member of the Kalakaua clan that could point him to her. He spotted her father sitting on a bench under a palm tree. He jogged up to him.
"Hi Uncle," he greeted. The man looked up and smiled tiredly.
"Chin!" he said, patting the empty seat next to him on the bench. Chin took it as an invitation to take a seat and did so. "I've been waiting for you. Kono sent me here and told me that I wasn't allowed to go home if I didn't bring you with me."
Chin laughed. That sounded just like her. She had her father wrapped around her little finger.
"Why isn't she here today?" Chin asked curiously. Uncle sighed.
"She caught a nasty bug from one of her classmates in school so she's not allowed out of the house," he replied.
"Is she alright?"
"She's much better now. Yesterday night was a nightmare, that's all I can say. Your Auntie and I got about four hours sleep each."
Chin nodded thoughtfully. Kono hated being sick. She was an active child and didn't like being confined to the house, let alone to the bed.
"Why don't I stay the night?" Chin offered. "I don't have anything planned for tomorrow so I can stay up as late as she wants me to. That way, you and Auntie can get some rest."
Uncle's face lit up.
"Kono'd like that," he said. "Are you sure it's okay?"
Chin grinned. "Wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."
Kono sat on her bed and gazed out the window, a pout on her lips. Her surfboard was propped against the door where she had left it. Although the last time she had gone surfing was only two days ago, it felt like a lifetime. She cast a longing look at her surfboard and sighed. She hated falling sick. Not only did she feel icky, she couldn't go out and do the things she wanted to do.
She sneezed.
Kono scowled as she reached for the box of tissues her mother placed on her bedside table next to a bottle of water. Pulling one out from the box like it had done her a personal wrong, she blew her nose then chucked it into the trash can that was sitting within easy reach.
"Stupid Martha," she grumbled. "Why'd she have to pass her stupid cold to me?"
The sounds of a car crunching gravel caused her to perk up. She scurried off her bed and went to the open window, looking down just in time to see her father step out of his car.
"Daddy's home," she said to herself, anticipation building within her which meant…
"Cousin!" Kono shouted hoarsely. She winced as a sharp pain lanced down her throat. Chin looked up with a frown. Kono waved frantically, a goofy grin on her face. Chin's frown softened into a smile as he waved back.
"Stay there," he called up just as Kono was about to bolt out the door and down the stairs. "I'm coming up."
Kono nodded energetically although the action made her feel like her brain was rattling in her skull. She hopped back into bed, straining to listen as Chin exchanged pleasantries with her mother.
"Kono's in her room," she heard her mother say and she tensed in anticipation. Kono was bored out of her skull, sitting in her room sniffling and coughing, when she longed to be in the water or out doing something fun.
There was a knock on the door. The door swung open as Chin's head popped in.
"Hey there keiki," he said, smiling. "How're you feeling?"
Kono resisted the urge to run to the door as Chin strode in and plonked himself at the foot of her bed.
"Much better!" Kono rasped enthusiastically. The earlier shout had aggravated her sore throat some but she wasn't about to admit it, not when Chin was here and they could do cool things like build a fort. Chin was the only cousin who was willing to do stuff like that with her. All of her other cousins were either too young to play or older and didn't want to play such games with her anymore. Chin's eyes narrowed. He reached out and grabbed the bottle of water. Then, he uncapped it and passed it to her.
"Drink," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. Kono smiled meekly as she took the bottle from his hands and emptied a quarter of it. Her dry throat felt much better.
"Before you ask me if I'll bring you to the beach," Chin said in a mock stern manner. "You're not going anywhere."
Kono scowled.
"But I'm feeling much better!" Kono protested. Unfortunately, the declaration was rendered useless by the sneeze that rattled her. Chin raised an eyebrow as he pulled a piece of tissue from the box and passed it to her. She blew her nose noisily and dropped it in the trash can.
"I can tell," Chin commented wryly. Kono huffed and sulked. Chin shook his head and opened his bag, pulling out a small stuffed toy. It was a puppy.
"Guess what I brought you?" he asked as he passed the puppy over. Kono's expression brightened as she took the stuffed puppy from him.
"What's his name?" Kono asked, stroking the stuffed puppy's head like she would a real dog.
"I don't know," Chin replied thoughtfully. "Since he's yours now, what do you think his name should be?"
"He's mine?" She hugged the puppy close. "Thanks Chin! I shall name him…" She looked thoughtful for a moment, her young features twisted into one of concentration.
"Flipper!"
"Flipper?" Chin echoed, looking bemused. "Wouldn't that be a better name for a dolphin?"
"His name's Flipper," Kono insisted, nuzzling the puppy's nose. "'cause he's gonna be a brilliant surfer like I'll be one day."
Chin smiled fondly and ruffled her hair. Kono beamed as she lay her head on the pillows and stretched out, all thoughts of going to the beach erased. She yawned, suddenly tired. The excitement of Chin's arrival was fading and it had taken more out of her than she thought. On top of that, she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before as she was tossing and turning in discomfort.
"Sleepy?" Chin asked. He gently pushed a lock of hair out of Kono's eyes. Kono nodded. Now that Chin was here, going out to surf didn't seem like such a fun prospect anymore. Sure, she loved to surf and all, but being with Chin made her feel happier.
Chin stretched out next to her and she snuggled close, burrowing into his side.
"Go to sleep, keiki," Chin said softly, wrapping an arm around her. Kono nodded and let her eyes drift shut.
An hour later, Auntie came in to check in on Kono and to ask her if she felt up to going down for dinner. Chin placed a finger to his lips as she opened the door. Her concerned expression melted into a soft smile.
Kono had shifted in her sleep and was sprawled half on top of Chin. One arm was wrapped around his chest while a leg was thrown carelessly across his thigh. He looked ridiculously like her human bolster.
"How did you manage to get her to fall asleep?" Auntie whispered as she tucked a lock of Kono's hair behind her ears. "Your Uncle and I could barely get her to sleep last night. Every time she heard a noise, she'd wake up."
"Poor thing," Chin said as he smoothed her hair down. "I think the lack of sleep was just catching up on her."
"Thank you for offering to sit with her, Chin," Auntie said. She offered her nephew a fond smile. "Come down for dinner. I made your favourite."
Chin looked down at his cousin, curled up at his side. She snuffled in her sleep and burrowed closer, her arm tightening around him for a moment before relaxing once more.
"It's okay, Auntie," Chin said with an affectionate grin. "I'm not hungry."
Thank you for reading (: