To My Sunflower

Shuu fell asleep at the table as soon as the meal was over. Aiyama-san had mentioned on the man's stomach bruises at his sides. 

"Seems he had been kicked and punched in an interrogation." She frowned. Her eyes lingered on the young policeman's sleeping face. 

"Why would the secret police do that?" Hinata copied her frown. "I don't understand. The war is over. They were never like this when it was occurring." 

Aiyama-san faced him. "Do you know why they thought you were holding traitor doc.u.ments?"

Hinata shook his head. baffled.  

"Then they must be acting on orders of desperation. Something worse than air raids happened to the Chūgoku area. I've heard on the radio at the hospital." She sighed wistfully. "A lot of American soldiers seem to occupy that place too."

"The enemy?" Hinata gasped. "They're still here?"

Aiyama-san's frown deepened. "They're _not_ the enemy anymore. At least, not what the news reporters are saying. Still, so much uncertainty." 

Hinata raised his brows, perplexed by the short tones to her voice. Was she angry with him?

"I'm sorry Aiyama-san. I didn't mean to offend." 

Aiyama-san sighed and relaxed into an expression of apology. 

"Would you like to go for a light walk?" She offered him.

Hinata nodded.

They rose and eventually left the house for a stroll around the block. However, they didn't go as far as the hospital. Hinata found himself unwilling to move further. It was too soon for him. 

So they returned to the house and sat on the front porch to talk. Relishing the warm breeze that stroked their skin. The bugs were staying away from them,  keeping their buzzing and flitters around lanterns near the upward eaves of the roof's corners.

"About earlier. It's I who should apologize." Aiyama-san bowed before Hinata.

"No. Why?"

Aiyama-san explained on why she seemed to be short with earlier. Hinata's eyes widened with surprise when he avidly listened to her tale. 

She was once a nurse for the Imperial Navy. Trained at Hiroshima's navy base to be stationed on a cruiser that was planned to leave Japanese waters for an unknown location and purpose. The year had entered 1940, when she had completed her training to become a qualified navy nurse for her assignment. 

"At the time, no one, except the higher ups, knew where my squad was destined." She sighed and continued her story.

Her destination ended up being a place called Pearl Harbor, and her orders were to oversee the Japanese second generation on the island. Those who were being drafted for the Imperial Navy. 

"I felt lucky that my assignment was away from front lines. It was a good job and the people were wonderful." Her face relaxed into a fond smile.

"I met my husband at a bar there." She dreamily recounted the moment she was wooed by a soldier of a nearby facility "At first I was weary of his smooth smile. He won me over eventually."

They were married within a few months of meeting each other. 

Just over half a month into their newlywed life,  new Imperial Navy cruise sh.i.p.s had docked near the island's shores.

She was excited to be able to catch up on what was happening to her hometown. One of the sailors of a cruiser gave her updates during a drink at a bar.  It seemed his ship had docked in early, and they were given some free time to stretch their legs on land whilst awaiting further orders. 

Her expression instantly changed to one of pain when horn sirens started blaring through the place.

"It happened so fast. Those sailors from home were ordered back to their sh.i.p.s. Not long after, the island was attacked by our own forces." 

Tears fell from her eyes as she recalled the screaming, panic and rapid gunfire that was tearing through the island. Heat. Confusion. Stench of blood. It had overwhelmed her. 

"There was so many injured sailors and crewmen.  The ship was taking heavy gunfire. I honestly thought we were going to sink." Her voice trembled. 

She spoke on. The ship had, somehow, survived an onslaught. Her days out at sea was days without thinking and feeling. Patching up wounds. Sterilizing and maintaining equipment the best she could. Crying for the dead. None of the sailors were in the mood to take advantage of the few women on board. Especially when these women were the only ones capable of keeping them sane, patched up and as much alive as they could be. 

"I got terrible sea sickness that showed signs of a flu. My superior got angry with me when he realized I had been sick around patients."

He had her isolated in a holding cell to contain what was perceived as a virus. She was released closer towards Japan's shores. And when it was evident that something else had been making her feel sick. 

"Miki was born in the ship's infirmary. Not long after we had docked into Yokosuka." 

She had been dismissed from duty due to her baby. Having no relatives in the Yokohama area. She decided to return Hiroshima, and started making the long and arduous journey.  Raising Miki on the go. 

"Fortunately, the Woman Associations of different places saw value with my skills." 

She was able to get by being a community nurse. And keep moving from town to town. Staying a few months when the need for medical attention was required. Then moving on when she felt it was time to go. 

However, she never made it back to Hiroshima, and her family home.

One of the locals, from her school days, believed that their unexpected meeting had been providence; God giving him a duty to tell her about her family home, which had been torn down and her family's land reclaimed by the navy.

"He told me that my parent's had relocated to my mother's family in Kōda. So I went there." Her eyes welled with tears as she explained on.

When she and Miki had eventually arrived to her mother's family farm. She was given the truth of her parents' demise. They had died in an air raid at Kure, before they could catch their bus. Overwhelmed with grief. She realized she couldn't stay there. 

"We went to Osaka. There was an evacuation bus passing through, which was headed to Nagano. I felt I had to get as far away as possible. So we took the bus. Eventually we arrived to Mimaki." She finished her story with an uneven sigh and tears slipping from her eyes. 

War had taken family she loved too. Hinata gave her a warm smile. He turned to the stars sparkling high in the sky. The night was young. 

"I'm glad you're here.  Let's make a promise to each other. For the lives no longer, we'll live them into our old ages. I think Tanaka-san is right when he said Honda-san would've wanted that for us."

He faced her. "I'm sure your husband and parent's would've wanted that too. For you and Miki-chan to be healthy and happy in a good, long, life." 

Aiyama-san's lips trembled when she responded with a smile. 

"I think I've cried enough." Hinata soberly declared. 

"Me too." She agreed. 

They both rose and returned to the house.