To My Sunflower

The stillness and silence of the next morning was disturbed by an abrupt banging on the door. Fortunately, most of the house was up and ready to brace the day. The women had finished laying out breakfast.

Shuu went to the answer the door. A while later, Kou's father entered the room.

"Ishikawa-san!" Mei-san hastily made room for him at the table.

The burly sweet-shop maker gratefully eased down at the choice spot, cleared for him.  He nodded his thanks to Aiyama-san when she placed a full bowl of food and drink before him.

"Father?" Kou called out to him from the other side of the room.

Rei-san wistfully stared at his son. He saw the kids hovering, tentatively from the far doorway behind him. Those kids he had given a sweet. That time seemed so long ago. They looked well despite their circ.u.mstances. He sighed despondently.

"The village is taken." Shuu commented from the other side of the table, next to Hinata.

Rei-san nodded. "Of course, Kou's mother refused to leave."

He scrunched up his face with a frown. "We aren't criminals! We didn't do anything wrong!"

Hinata's heart sunk. He moved from his place to bow in dogeza before the man. "Please, Ishikawa-san! Would you tell me everything?"

Kou's father held his silence for a moment before he expelled a weary sigh and elaborated on events and the reason for his visit.

The kenpeitai had stormed into the village on the day Akira had warned Hinata to leave. They never left. As it seemed they were hunting a traitor who held doc.u.ments pertaining to national security.  They questioned everyone. Drilling locals for anything that could be considered a lead.

Nothing was turning up.

"Then you were gone with all the kids."  Rei-san's voice was firm.

Hinata gasped. Horrified to realize that by fleeing his home with his family, it gave confirmation to the kenpeitai's cause.

"Oh god." His voice trembled. "I'm sorry! I..."

"Father. Chikafuji-san has done nothing wrong! He's been protecting us. The secret police are chasing us for phantom reasons!"

"Phantom reasons." Rei-san gritted his teeth. "They've taken your mother, your parents Yuri-kun and Honda-san into custody."

Hinata sat up to face Rei-san. "Why?"

"Because of you." The man bluntly answered.

Shock and aches attacked Hinata's body.  He held to the pain. He had to make this right.

He rose with a firm conviction of doing the right thing.

"Chikafuji-san!" Aiyama-san called out to him. "Sit down!"

"I have to make this right."

"You'll do that by thinking straight!" She scolded him. Her voice causing the room to lapse into silence.

She ensured the room remained calm and logical with her next words.

"Hospitals are source of information, since there are always people coming and going there. I'll go there to find more details, and..." She didn't finish, but didn't need too.

"I'll come back with you, Ishikawa-san. We'll need to formulate a plan before we enter." Shuu said that seemed to ease Rei-san's expression.

"Mei-chan and Kou-chan will stay here with the children. It's safer for them. They've been through enough." Aiyama-san laid out her final order that saw no objection.

"Chikafuji-san and me will get an escape plan in order. And arrange for Akira's return when the coast is clear." Yuri sighed.

Rei-san frowned, perplexed. "Where's Honda's son?"

Everyone gave him sorrowful stares.

He lowered his eyes, feeling a mother's loss. "How?"

"Kenpei. When we were fleeing from their raid. He saved us." Mei-san informed him.

"His mother isn't going to take this well."

"Right now. It's about saving her and Mother from those kenpeitei. I think they've gone crazy," Kou said to bring his father's mind back to present matters.

"I'll also come with your Tanaka-san. I may be blind, but I was a soldier who moved through the dark." He confidently offered his services.

"If you're sure." Shuu wasn't going to turn the man down.

He had been observing how Kou coped with everyday life. He moved so well around the house, it was hard to imagine he had no sight.

"I am." Kou flashed him a c.o.c.ky smile.

"Don't worry Chikafuji-san." Aiyama-san patted his shoulder.

"Thank you. You don't have to do this, but I'm grateful." Hinata smiled at her wise and kind face.

She finger-flicked his forehead. "Baka! We're family, we help each other out."

Rei-san reminded everyone to eat before the food was cold. The kids were called into the room. The table was over crowded with hungry bellies being filled. A short while later, it was cleared.

Everyone went about to complete their tasks to their purpose of saving the locals of Mimaki from a misjustice.