Disclaimer- No, if you know them, then they aren't mine. I just like to play with 'em.

Rating- K+/ PG

Notes- A little KoVe sweetness

The waves break against the dark beach in the first, pink light of dawn, and the birds are loudly waking up as I walk out of the water after my morning swim. Wrapping a towel around me, I realize that I have just enough time left to get ready for the day, so I run a bit to get back to my place. I throw on my usual uniform of a t-shirt and cargo pants with a pair of sandals so I'll be more comfortable than on a usual day. This morning, the whole team has been invited to come to a local beach which is held sacred by the native people for a couple of hours, where we will receive a special blessing by a native priest. I know Chin and Kono are looking forward to it, and so am I. It's one of those kindnesses that I would have never expected when I took this job, but which seem to sometimes come when least have met this man only once, when we had to get his permission to cross some sacred land to get to a nest of smugglers who were hiding out in a small hut a mile back from the road on the property. He was apparently impressed, and we were told yesterday that he wanted to offer us the blessing of his people because they are aware that we are trying to protect the way of life they enjoy and he appreciated that we are doing it with respect for native traditions. I love the idea. We can use all the blessings we can get. After all, twenty-four hours ago, we were in a fight for our lives in the jungle, taking down a terror suspect. Of course, we won, but two men were killed in the process.

While Kono, Chin and I are actually happy about this, Danny… well, Danny is a haole, and he will never quite fit this morning will help- maybe it won't- but at least he agreed to come, even though he would have rather stayed in the office in his tie and solve crimes. That's the first step, right? It's funny how he is starting to get comfortable with the rhythm of the islands, though, no matter how much he may say he hates it. Yesterday, I actually caught him eating a shave ice while he was out for lunch, with his tie course, he would deny it if I confronted him about it, but I know.

As I head back to the beach, I hear a soft voice behind me. "Hey Boss!" She gently laughs as I turn around in surprise. The sun reflects on her dark hair, and the friendly smile she gives me is as warm as the sun. "I figured you'd be here morning, isn't it?" She is in a soft dress, not her usual street clothes, and somehow she almost seems a different person. It's hard to imagine her taking down some dirtbag in her native-print sun dress and sandals, but we both know she would.

"Hey Kono. How're you?" I try to break my eyes away and get myself together a bit, but she punches me on the shoulder-just a light tap, but not an uncommon greeting from her.

"I'm good, Brah. Surprised at all of this fuss, though." With that, she motions to the small cluster of people who have gathered down the beach in front of a large bonfire. "Who are we to deserve this? We're just cops. We were just doing our job."

I can't help smiling back at her now. "Yeah, I guess. But apparently, we have done something right. And our job… is something we know we do right. We might not always do it in the usual way, but we do it the way it has to be done. It just seems like someone actually appreciates it for once."

"Yeah, we have done it right. It's kind of nice to have it appreciated, though." For the first time, I'm distracted by her. The soft voice that I've heard before is the same, of course, but somehow… it's different. Her edge is just a little less intense than is can sometimes be on the job. For all the times we've been back to back in a firefight, and all the times when I've been damned glad she was there beside me, this softer side is a nice change. Of course, I don't dare even CONSIDER anything more than friendship- or do I? She's my subordinant, not to mention Chin's cousin. He might not like it, which would ruin our team's ability to function. And Catherine… I can't forget her. But for a moment, it's just Kono and I, and those things seem far away. All I can think of is her. She's in her natural element, just like the first time I ever saw her, and she is practically glowing with happiness. I have to look away, because the temptation to say something I might regret is too strong.

She stays beside me as we arrive at the ceremony, both of us taking off our shoes and then watching the action as the priest prepares a large bonfire and speaks a few incantations around it. I usually like the morning, and I've always thought it was the most beautiful time of day. Today, though, it's even more we stand there, Danny and Chin arrive, and we are all given leis by the priest's assistants while we wait. Chin takes his shoes off as he arrives, and his wildly printed shirt is open. He's absolutely at home, and more confident than I can remember seeing him.

Danny, of course, has to complain about the heat, but the smile on his face gives him away, as does the tilt of his head toward the sun as it rises. He's like a big cat soaking in the sun. Given a chance, I think he'd purr. A moment later, Grace runs up to him and jumps into his arms- he must have had to jump through some pretty big hoops for Rachel to allow her to come at this hour on a school morning. After finally releasing her Dad, Grace runs around and hugs all of us, brightening the morning even more. I watch Danny while she makes her rounds, and the smile never leaves his face, despite the sand beneath his surprisingly bare feet. He might not admit it, but he's falling in love with this life, just the same as the rest of us. Grace takes his hand and they stand together as we all wait for the ceremony to begin.

As we quietly chat among ourselves, the priest approaches us, speaking in the flowing native tongue. We are to His assistants lead us to the fire, encouraging us into a big circle around it as he begins to speak. It's a lovely scene, even though I cannot understand everything that is said quite as well as I would like to. I'm just a little rusty, I guess. He comes over to us, and burns sage around each of our heads as we stand there. Then he asks us to hold hands. Kono is nearest to me on my right, and Danny on the left, so I take both of their hands while the priest places his hand on ours and prays a slow prayer. Kono quietly translates for me. "May you be blessed in your work, and remain always safe while protecting this land and her people, and may your lives and the lives of all your family be full of happiness." The words mean something more than they ought to to me today, though I can't pinpoint it. Then I look into Kono's eyes for a second, and I know. She cares for me- maybe even more than that. How could I have missed it before now? How many times have we locked eyes at a moment like this- like there's something left unsaid between us?I sometimes think she can read my soul, and in return, I am slowly starting to learn to read hers. Today, there's no question what she's thinking. We are blessed, indeed. We protect our community, and we have our community's support in return. Better than that, we have each other- all of the individuals who are part of our team and maybe, just maybe, each other- as our family. I can't get Kono out of my mind, and her quiet gaze shows that she has me in her mind as well. That says something, even if it doesn't say as much as I might like.

My mind wanders a bit as the ceremony continues- thoughts buzzing around my head like mosquitoes. As I listen to the prayers, Kono squeezes my hand gently- just enough to get my attention. I watch her for a second, admiring her. She's carved perfectly, like some Polynesian idol. "Beautiful, isn't it Boss?" Is she talking about herself or the ceremony? Somehow, the beauty of both has blinded me. It's like I've fallen into a black hole and I can't quite break free.

I can't help a smile as I look along her soft lines, stopping at her lovely smile. "Yes, it is."