It’s not bliss.

It’s certainly not delusion.

Ka’au Kuia is just happy to be in uniform, launching spiral after spiral. That’s good news for Kuia and the Kalani Falcons. In part-time duty, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior has 920 yards – second in the OIA White – and four touchdowns on 89-for-187 passing. His younger brother, Keano, emerged as a leading receiver with 30 receptions for 384 yards (third in the OIA White) and three touchdowns.

Can anybody playing for a winless team really smile as much as the Kuia brothers do? And with an abundance of gratefulness.

Ka’au missed his entire junior season, a year ago, at Aiea when a mystery ailment struck just after the summer pass league. Locked in a battle for the starting position with Freddy Taliulu, he went to school one morning and heard the same question over and over: "How come you’re all yellow and fat?"

His body was retaining fluids in a strange way.

"I thought my friend was joking," he said of the first observer.

After older brother Kali picked him up and took him to the hospital later that day, Ka’au weighed in at 220 pounds, 30 over his normal weight at the time.

Ka’au just had no idea. No pain. No discomfort. But it took a few weeks of testing and medication before doctors concluded that he had a kidney infection. He was admitted into Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center and stayed for three days.

"I felt fine," he said. "I wanted to play."

The most dangerous symptom was a spike in his blood pressure.

Doctors’ orders?

No football.

That was fine by his mother, Christine. After staying overnight throughout her son’s hospital stay, her prayers were answered. Nothing more serious was looming. For Ka’au, however, an entire offseason training with Kali, a former Aiea standout, went down the tube. He gradually lost some of the retained fluids, and doctors gave him the OK to get back into sports.

With no symptoms and a careful diet that cut out sodium – otherwise, he’d add lots of salt to his mother’s beef stew – Ka’au got back into shape, running, throwing to Keano and working out at the YMCA.

But things got complicated over the summer. Carter, their father, injured a foot and was unable to work.

"They’re good boys, good athletes. There’s some hardship in the family, so they had to move," Aiea coach Wendell Say said of the brothers. "They’re such a close family."

Ka’au and Keano settled in at Kalani, where they have extended family, and made a quick adjustment that most teens would loathe this late in their high school years.

"What I like about Kalani is their heart. They’re tight. They do everything together. That’s what I really like," Ka’au said. "It actually seems like we’re winning."

Fans of the Kuia brothers are happy, too.

"It’s good to see things are going well for them," Say added.

At Kalani, they’ve learned under run-and-shoot disciple Greg Taguchi and assistant coach Ron Lee, one of the gurus of the pass-happy philosophy.

"He knows the exact yards that you have to run your route before you break off," Keano said. "Some guys tried to argue, but he shows us our mistakes on video."

On Saturday, Ka’au had to watch from the sideline, living vicariously through his teammates in a 30-27 loss to Anuenue’s "Iron 19." The Falcons racked up 360 yards in total offense, including 237 and two touchdowns through the air by Wilkins Kato.

That gave Kalani two quarterbacks who have thrown for at least 200 yards in a game this fall. Kuia hit that mark in his first start, a midseason loss to Kalaheo, amassing 262 yards and two scores on 24-for-45 passing. Five passes went to Keano for 74 yards and a touchdown. The versatile Kato caught a team-high six passes that night.

There is, Ka’au says, no favoritism when it comes to progressions.

"It’s not just (Keano). The other receivers are pretty good. They know what to do," he said.

Kali cracks a wide grin about that topic.

"Our mom, she’ll say, ‘Throw to your brother!’ "

Ka’au followed the Kalaheo game with a 239-yard performance against a tough Pearl City defense, but he was picked off three times.

He dinged a knee a week later against Kaimuki, then reinjured it against McKinley before sitting out this weekend on trainer’s orders.

Just like that, he’s one game away from the end of his high school career.

Ka’au can’t stop thinking about the possibilities when Kalani faces the OIA White’s other winless team, Nanakuli this Saturday. Yet, it’s never about wins or losses for the brothers. It’s brotherhood regardless of circumstances.

"The home," Ka’au said, "is in the family."