Hiding Under the Ninth Earth
Book 02 : A Bit Of All Right
by I Got Tired of Waiting

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*Edited for FF.net--just a little--201 sexy words were sacrificed on the altar of the rating gods.

I apologise if this "feels" choppy, but coitus writus interruptus is never a pretty thing. Remember, if you are of age, the full version is available at my site.

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Part IV : Resolution
Chapter Forty One : 'A'ohe 'Ukulele Nana E 'Aki

16 July 2003 (Continued)

"Malia was right, everything is here in the guest book," Severus said from the lounge chair on the lanai.

Harry, sitting relaxed and sated in an identical chair right next to him, laughed, pointing out at the ocean. "Only you, and maybe Hermione, would be reading a book during a sunset like this one."

Severus looked up and, seeing the orange streaked sky, set the guest book aside on the table next to him and picked up his glass of juice (found in a small cooling box as promised). He chuckled ruefully, "You're right, but I find my other hunger picking up and was seeing how we could acquire sustenance without leaving the comforts of this deck. While pleasant and certainly delicious, the inadequate stock of the fruit basket left for us in the dining nook upon our arrival has me suddenly desirous of something more substantial. And I'm not inclined to share our time with the other guests. Unless, of course, you wish to go public?"

Harry couldn't help it, he chortled. Severus raised his brows knowing Harry had caught the flying double entendres with the same skill he'd once exhibited snaring snitches. He chuckled to himself when Harry retorted, "Oh no, I want privacy. What does it say about feeding our desires?"

"It says plenty, but we'll worry about it later. You do well to remind me I'm wasting a perfect moment." He reached for Harry's hand at the same time it was offered; their fingers entwined, resting on Severus' thigh. Each were lost in their own thoughts as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon; they could almost see its movement. There was a sharp blaze of colour across sky and water, and then it was gone. Just like that. Harry's face held the wonder of a child.

"So beautiful," Severus mused softly. He watched his lover, trying to figure out which was more moving, the fading glory of the day's ending or the rare peace and stillness in Harry's normally mobile face. As he was trying to decide, Harry tore his eyes away from the twilight display to gaze back at him, his love shining naked in his eyes. Severus felt bits of him thawing under his warm regard like a frozen pond in the early spring sun.

Harry hitched a breath, a whisper of hope in it. Slowly, almost as if he was unsure if Severus was just talking about the sunset, he replied, "Yes, it was beautiful, wasn't it? And so fast." When Severus turned back to the fading light over the ocean, unable to answer the questions in the young eyes, Harry sighed and asked, "So, what's for dinner?"

Severus was about to reply when a bright light went on overhead, partially blinding eyes used to the semi-darkness. Startled, he let out an oath and jumped out of the chair, peering up at the offending lamps mounted to the wooden wall of the cottage. Yellow spots dancing in his vision, he exclaimed, "What the hell is that?"

Wary, he could see Harry swallowing his smile as he replied, "I expect they have the lights either on a timer or set to come on when it gets dark enough," he said blandly enough, rising from the lounge chair. The lanai was blazing bright, but the rooms inside were dark. "No candles here, Sev. We'll have to turn the other lights on and these off."

Severus grunted, feeling sheepish. He'd forgot the Muggles used electrical energy for most of their conveniences. "What a shame. Candles are so much more pleasant. We'll have to see what we can do to get some--this light is far too harsh." He picked up the guest book again. "If I recall, Malia said our valet would obtain the menu for us, and since there is one in here, I can only assume he stopped by sometime this afternoon while we were napping to insert it into the guest book." Or at least he hoped it had been while they slept; he couldn't remember if they'd kept the door to the bedroom closed or not. He made a note to tell their 'man' to make his presence known next time. "The menu is extensive and I confess I've not heard of half the things on it; perhaps you are aware?" He started to hand it over to Harry, opened to the appropriate place but found him gone. He heard him pad over to the sliding door and go in. A few moments later the lights outside went out.

"Better?" he heard from inside as a few softer lights went on in the other rooms.

"Yes, much. Thank you." He was about to go in when he noticed off to his far right a softly lit pool of water on the deck. He went over to investigate and found something they'd missed the first time they were out here. He snorted, not surprised. They'd not been exactly exploring the cot the last time they'd been out here. He walked over to the screen and called out, "Harry, did you know we have a small pool out here of our own?"

Harry came back outside a few doors down and paced to where Severus was standing. "It's a whirlpool. I think the Yanks call them a 'hot tub'. I've heard of them, but never seen one. Aunt Petunia was always onto Uncle Vernon to get her one for the backyard."

"A hot tub? What does it do?" It looked like an ordinary, if small, pool of water to him.

Settling on his haunches, Harry lifted the lid on a small box set into the wooden floor of the deck. Inside were some knobs. He fiddled with them and the water suddenly agitated. "There. I turned on the 'jets' and the heater. It says it will take an hour or so to warm up properly."

Severus bent down and placed his hand in the cool water. His hand was slapped away by the force of a current churning within. Noting the bubbles, he asked, "Air? It uses air to stir it up?"

"Air and water jets through some nozzles on the side. I remember seeing it in one of the brochures my aunt brought home. It's supposed to be good for sore muscles and joints. It's sort of like our bath at home only the water moves more."

"Intriguing," Severus muttered. "I wonder if we could do this to our bathing pool."

About to answer him that he didn't see why not, they both turned at a knock on the front door. Severus traversed the wide living room, feeling naked without his wand; the caution was deeply ingrained. He opened the door slightly and then stepped back as Malia and two companions swept into the room.

The first, a solid man, a little shorter and older than Harry, hefted a huge tray with apparent ease. The other, a willowy girl, younger than Harry, carried a basket with a cloth over the top. Both had almost black hair, and similar strong features. The khaki shorts with white polo shirts, which constituted the uniforms of the hotel staff, set off their tanned skin and dark eyes. All three of them were barefoot and Severus noted the addition of three pairs of shoes on the tray by the door.

"Good evening to you. Kalani said you were sleeping this afternoon when he stopped by and when I didn't see you in the dining room, I took matters into my own hands and brought you both a light supper. I hope we haven't disturbed you." She turned her fascination away from Severus who was standing there clad only in a pair of long, loose athletic shorts riding low on his hips.

Severus caught her looking at him as if he were a tasty dish best served hot. He shook his head, perplexed by the attraction as much as he had been with the girl at the airline counter this morning. He was about to go see what they'd brought when he noticed Harry had seen her look. While his good-natured amusement at it did not surprise Severus, the fiercely possessive scowl that followed did, catching him off-guard. It made him feel unaccountably good.

He cleared his throat and looked away from Harry, filing the exchange away for later. "No, your interruption is timely. We were just looking over the in-room menu," he replied, somewhat taken aback by the invasion.

"Kalani, please set the tray up at the table," she said, watching Severus' reactions closely as the local man levitated the tray in front of him on his way past Severus into the back of the suite.

Severus' brows were up as was his amusement. Harry laughed out loud. "Witches and Wizards in Paradise?"

Malia chuckled and motioned to the young woman holding the basket. Severus suddenly recognized her as the same woman from the front counter, but he couldn't remember her name had his life depended on it. She set the wicker hamper on the table and began unloading Ever-Burn candles and other familiar items missing from this Muggle world, including three bottles of potions.

Severus felt a memory tug at him and he said as he examined the sun blocking potion, "You're Poppy's sister, aren't you?" He opened the top and the smell of coconuts and flowers filled his senses. He'd never heard of the ingredients hand-written in a neat hand on the back, but he assumed the local potions maker knew his or her business.

"Right in one," she laughed gaily. "I'm the youngest of four, Poppy the eldest. I came here in 1923 with my first Muggle husband and stayed when he passed nearly 30 years ago. I met my current husband while visiting Poppy a few years later and lived in both England and Hawai'i for many years. I had no difficulty pursuading him to move back once the war was over. Now we couldn't leave if we wanted to. There's a small community of us here but none on the other side. The solitude suits us and the locals, some of whom suspect, treat us with respect and affection."

With graceful hands she motioned towards the girl tucking the cover into the basket. "Kehealani and Kalani are my children from my second marriage. Both help me out when we get Wizarding guests, which is not often. I find it makes it easier. They are here to serve you; please make yourselves at home. Oh--and if you have any questions on those," she said gesturing at the potions he was still examining, one an insect repellant, the other a digestive, "let me know--my husband makes them."

Kalani came back in the room, his dark eyes twinkling. "The meal is laid out; I've placed warming and cooling spells, so you may enjoy it at your leisure. Will there be anything else?"

Severus noted Kahealani had disappeared. He turned his attention to Kalani, "Nothing I can think of for the moment, thank you." It had been a long time since he'd had to deal with servants and was not sure what the protocol was for the offspring of one's hostess. He mentally shrugged; good manners were always an appropriate fall-back in every situation.

Harry spoke up, "How are we to reach you should we need anything?"

Kalani answered him with a grin, his white teeth contrasting with his deeply tanned skin. "Call on the telephone. The staff knows we have been hired exclusively for your stay and will contact us. Otherwise, the fireplace in the bedroom is connected to the local Floo Network. If I'm in my rooms, I'll hear you. Same for Kahea', although she is here to see to your housekeeping services rather than your personal needs." He leaned in and whispered, "She's rather limited in her magic--not quite a squib but not fully trained either."

Severus nodded, "Thank you, we'll keep it in mind."

A memory stirring in his mind, Harry asked, "Malia, if you have a moment, I have a question. At the airport this morning, the girl at the counter said something about Mahu. What does that mean?"

Malia looked taken aback. "Was she friendly?" she asked.

Harry chuckled, glancing sideways at Severus. "She was disappointed."

"That's all right then," she said, and then muttered to herself, "I can sympathise." Harry, the only one to catch her words, snickered. She threw him a sharp glance, saying, "Well, I'll give you the short version. You're both Mahu. It's a Hawaiian word the locals use to refer to gay men and not always nicely." She shrugged. "It's all in how it's said, although it seems to be changing back in usage to mean the same things it once did.

Severus raised his brows. "Oh? How was it originally intended?"

"This could take a while--you sure you want to hear it?" she asked.

"Please. Have a seat," Severus offered.

"She can get pretty dry talking," Kalani said with good humour as he went over to the counter and opened a bottle of wine pouring four glasses. He returned with them and a glass of juice on a tray and, after passing them out, kept one for himself.

Malia sat in one of the chairs; the others followed suit including Kahealani, who'd just returned with a wad of bedding and towels which she'd stuffed into the basket. She took the glass of juice, the mystery of where she'd been solved. Mildly embarrassed that she had their bedclothes, Severus and Harry cautiously sipped the wine; both were pleased by the mellow taste even though neither was partial to white.

Malia continued, "All right--the longer short version. In ancient Hawai'i, the Mahu had a respected place amongst Hawai'ians; especially among the Ali'i, or ruling class. They danced the part of the goddesses in the temples where women were kapu, or forbidden. They were frequently asked to name people's children and were the keepers of the culture from the hula to the oral histories. They could get married to each other like everyone else."

She sipped her wine. "And then it all changed. When the white Christian missionaries came to Hawai'i in the early 19th century to "convert" the native peoples, they destroyed their way of life because they saw it as an obstacle to their mission values. They quickly discarded the Hawai'ian religious beliefs, language, oral history, and culture."

She sighed. "The Mahu took it upon themselves to keep as much Hawai'ian culture alive as possible in secret--most importantly, the hula. When Hawai'ian culture was outlawed, they gathered clandestinely, their own way of life an anathema, and continued to celebrate and teach the time honoured Hawai'ian ways, keeping them alive and vibrant. Through them, the cultural history has been returned to the Hawai'ian people of today."

"How long did they remain hidden?" Severus asked, thinking of the similar history of Witches and Wizards.

"The cultural practice briefly resurfaced in the mid-1800's," her eyes took on a faraway cast, "but by the time I arrived here, most of the Hawai'ians, not just the Mahu, were underground; many of them reside here in Hana and the surrounding area. The older families even went so far as to change their names to hide their Ali'i heritage. A goodly number of them work for this hotel and have for generations. There was not much tolerance; the Americans have a lot to answer for. I would say the current resurgence started in the late '60's to early '70's. By that time, most of the Hawai'i the tourists saw was watered-down with cute haole girls in grass skirts and coconut bras."

She snorted, "The hip shaking hula most tourists think of as Hawai'ian is actually from Tahiti. It's been a gradual change; there is nothing more lovely than the hula kahiko, or chanted hula, which is performed by both men and women, although the hula 'auana, or modern hula, is fun as well and amusing for the keiki just learning it. Come to dinner tomorrow night. I'll make sure you have front row seats to see our presentation of both. The Halau (or schools of dance) here have won many awards for their portrayal of both styles." She laughed, "We don't do 'tourist' hula here."

Standing, she said, "I've kept you long enough. You know how to reach us. Your cottage is warded, by the way, against casual invasion; you'll have total privacy here despite your proximity to the beach path. Take care and I will see you on the morrow." She gave Harry a hug, speaking to him alone, "Take heart, Hana is magic." When she embraced Severus, she whispered, "I am very relieved to see our sunshine is thawing your reserve--and your heart. Be well." And they were gone.

"That is one amazing lady," Harry said quietly.

"She certainly is." He threw Harry an amused glance. "Much like her sister, who is an entity unto herself."

"Who, Poppy? You haven't been apprenticed to her. She's more like a force of nature and a little scary," he grinned.

"All good women are a little scary," he chuckled. "Speaking of frightening, shall we go see what they brought us for dinner? I'm starving."

They went over to the table where Kalani had set them up two places with another opened bottle of the white wine chilling in a bucket. Severus removed the covers, and mouth-watering scents of grilled fish and fruit assailed them. A placard on the table said:

Pan seared Ahi on a bed of Ipo with Taro Chips and Wasabi
Local greens salad with Maui Onion House Dressing
Grilled Ahi (rare) with Mango Salsa and sweet potatoes
Haupia (cold)

"I have no idea what any of this is, but it smells delicious," Harry remarked, forking a square of thinly cut fish. He bit into one and groaned. "It's almost raw, but it's sooo good."

Severus made similar noises as they tucked into the meal discovering that Ipo was a salty type of feathery seaweed and the green pasty cube of Wasabi, when tested, made their eyes water and upper noses sting, but tasted delicious on the grilled fillets of tuna. They stopped only to make pleased remarks about the freshness and quality of the food. Everything was perfect down to the mild wine, which was vinted in Kahana Valley. The haupia turned out to be a custard-like coconut pudding.

Finally replete, Harry leaned back in his chair. "Anything that good can't be good for me."

Severus smiled. "Even the portions were perfect--I'm not too full. I suspect someone told Malia we needed fattening up."

"Yeah, she's always grousing we're too skinny isn't she? Well, with food like this, portly doesn't sound too bad after all. Think we can take some of the recipes back for the house-elves? Dumbledore would love the haupia!"

"Yes, he probably would." He eyed Harry. "Are you tired?"

"No, the nap this afternoon was enough to tide me over. Why?" he asked, hope shining in his eyes.

Severus shied away from the feelings Harry's look engendered and concentrated more on his apparent enthusiasm. "I was wondering if that tub of yours was ready." His hooded eyes spoke volumes.

"No other way to find out than to try it." Smiling, he took his glass of wine. "Come, let's see."

Severus rose from the table, his own wine in hand, and they made their way to the deck, turning the lights out as they went. The water was still, but hot, the lights around its edge bright in the dark. Harry knelt at the controls. "It's on a timer. Here, I'll turn it back on." As the water started churning lightly (he'd set it on low) he switched off the lights. The whole area glowed under a half moon.

"There, that's much better." Harry took the glass from Severus' unresisting fingers and set it and his on a low table convenient to the pool and obviously there for drinks and such. He turned back to Severus and skimmed his hands lightly up his chest to lock loosely behind his head, which he pulled down, running his tongue lightly over his lips. Severus sighed, opening to Harry's kiss. He slid his hands around his waist, holding him close and arched into him. The kiss deepened and Harry's shorts eventually fell to the wood deck. He stepped out of them, kicking them behind him.

Harry ran his hands down Severus' arms and lower. Their arms shifted, pulling them closer. Harry slid Severus' shorts down as well. Severus' chuckle rumbled through his chest, changing to a gasp as Harry pressed them together skin to skin. The ever-present soft breeze ruffled their hair and worked its way around them, caressing them like another hand.

Harry broke away and took Severus' hand. They both sat on the edge of the tub dangling their legs in the warm water. "The water is just right," he murmured.

"Yes, not too hot," he said just as quietly. Severus stepped onto the ledge and then into the deep water. He turned to Harry, running his hands up his thighs, when Harry stopped him, bending down, his hand on his chest. "Not tonight," he whispered. "Although, I admit it's my favorite, it's not what we--I need. I just need to be close to you--together with you. Do you feel it, too?" Severus nodded, understanding.

He jumped into the water. "Just like we were right before your party." His eyes bored into Severus'. "I could have stayed there forever." He couldn't keep his hands still; they travelled everywhere they could reach. "If I had nothing else, I would want that--the closeness we shared that evening." He kissed him softly, their arms loose around each other, moving and stroking, their skin slippery in the warm water.

He felt Severus husky voice through his skin. "It was like air. I needed it to breathe." He lightly traced Harry's lips with his tongue, tasting him. He broke away slightly, his lips teasing Harry's. "I still need it," he breathed into him, each word punctuated by a nip of his lips, "You. Still Need You. Like Air. Like life." He pulled him close, backing until his legs hit the ledge. Harry wrapped his legs around him, letting the water buoy him. Severus sat on the ledge, taking Harry with him as he leaned back against the sloped face of the pool, his neck cushioned by the soft edge. He pulled Harry's body close against him, their mouths mating, the kiss long and easy. Harry took the lead, showing Severus what he needed.

The need building, Severus groaned, the pleasure spiking from the base of his spine while Harry lightly suckled his way across the sensitive skin of Severus' throat. He raised his head off the side of the pool to capture Harry's mouth in a burning kiss. His hands twined in Harry's hair, holding him steady while he slow-danced their tongues. Their passion built rapidly.

Severus knew he was going to explode from the inside out; the warm swirling water caressed his sensitive skin. Harry threw his head back in abandon; Severus licked and nipped his way up Harry's neck, loving the way Harry's soft growls vibrated through his tongue. Without warning, Harry stiffened against him, crying out. It was the impetus Severus needed to follow him over the edge. And he did explode, the throbbing waves riding through him. Spent, they fell boneless, Severus against the edge of the pool cushioning Harry. The warm water surrounded them, kissing their skin.

They lay like this for quite some time. Harry leaned on Severus, his head resting on his shoulder unless it was raised for a kiss. Their hands made soft random strokes and neither wanted to move. They were startled when the timer went off and the water stopped churning. Harry made to get up, resigned, but Severus stopped him with his arms. "It's all right. Let it be. We're fine without it." With no argument in him, Harry went back to where he had been--safe and snug and loved in Severus' arms.

The half moon shone on their tangled bodies in the warm still water. The breeze wrapped them into its soothing embrace, while they lay against each other joined at their hearts, their sated fires banked for the moment. The stars stood guard over them, giving them this sweet moment of togetherness.

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A'ohe 'ukulele nana e 'aki.
Literally--Not even a flea to bite.

Perfect comfort.