To My Sunflower

Shouta frowned from his place at the main room door way, as he watched the a.d.u.l.ts talking seriously around the table.

He didn't understand what they were saying, but could tell one thing. Hinata was sad and afraid. His angled brows knitted together with determination. He felt it was duty to chase Hinata's sadness away.

Hinata was the only man who never yelled or hit him. Instead, he gave him food without asking for anything. He even risked his life to make sure other bad men didn't hurt them.

His Hinata was a good grown up. Just like Miki's mother and the other three a.d.u.l.ts. That blind man gave him sweets. Yuri could drive them away from bad men because of the foot Hinata made him. Mei-san was a pretty and kind woman. He was lucky to be in their care. So he would repay that luck by watching out for them. Just like Rei was doing for him. 

"I'm going to watch over you Hina-chan," he said to himself. 

He carefully watched Hinata talking seriously to the sweet's shopkeeper for a while. Then moved from his spot to discreetly follow Hinata and Miki's mother out the door. 

The morning was drab gray and a sky pending storm clouds. Looks like rain would be upon them at any given moment. Shouta didn't mind that. It would cool the air and hopefully dampen the noisy droning from late hatching crickets.

He shook thoughts of weather out of his head, so he wouldn't be distracted. He followed the two a.d.u.l.ts towards the hospital. 

"I'm gonna be a man like Hina-chan." Shouta had observed of Hinata's slender frame in a modest kimono and his long flowing black hair at his back. 

"Who's gonna be a man?" Kei smirked at Shouta.

Shouta flinched and yelped with a start by Kei's voice.

"What'd you want?"

"See why you're following Chikafuji-san," Kei answered. His arms folded, not intimidated.

Rei came up behind his brother. "If you're going to follow Aiyama-san and Chikafuji-san, stick with us."

"Huh?!" Kei turned around to face his older brother with a pouty expression to match Shouta's. "Us?"

"Put your fish lips back in. You want to find out what the a.d.u.l.ts are up to, right? Then follow me. I'll get the answer," Rei said with high confidence and a c.o.c.ky grin on his usual deadpan face.

Shouta and Kei growled in response. 

"I want to know what's going on too. We've been running for so long. It's about time we know why this man thinks he's causing us trouble." Rei's voice became wistful. 

The unexpected change of Rei's expression caused the other boys to relax their frowns and give their agreements with a deep sigh.

The three boys made their way to the hospital. After searching the wards and corridors, they found the a.d.u.l.ts in a detached room a few meters behind the kitchen block.  It was a modern wood building the size of a large shed, but with no windows to allow air in or out, except through the door.

They saw Hinata and Aiyama-san standing around a long bench that filled the center of the shed. Next to them was the hospital's only doctor. Kominato-sensei.

"Here!" Rei whispered to the other two when he saw a perfect view point from behind the door.

They watched the a.d.u.l.ts talking over a body through the gap of the open door

Hinata's face was distraught like he was crying, but his cheeks were dry.  Aiyama-san held the same expression with a few wet patches to her cheeks.

Rei's eyes welled with tears upon seeing the dead expression on Akira's face.

"Honda-san!" He raced to the man's dead body laid out on the bench.

"Oi! Rei!" Kei hissed through gritted teeth.

He sighed and decided there was no point in keeping their presence a secret. 

"Boys." Hinata acknowledge them with a weak smile.  He accepted Shouta's gesture for a hug.

"It's true." Rei's voice cracked with tears, but none fell from his eyes.

Memories of his time with the man flooded his mind with reverent feelings. 

"I'm really sorry." He paid his respects to Akira with a bow.

Both Kei and Shouta followed Rei's example.

"He looks peaceful. Like sleeping." Shouta blurted and instantly apologized to Hinata. "I'm sorry Hina-chan."

"He does look to be at peace. And he was." Hinata tenderly answered the boy. Giving him a reassuring pat on his head. 

"So what do you want to do Chikafuji-san?" Ryōsuke asked Hinata.

"Take him back to the village. He needs to be properly buried." Hinata answered without hesitation. "I'll talk to his mother."

"In order to do this, we need to stop the secret police and save his mother." Aiyama-san released a troubled sigh.

"Those bad men hurting others?" Shouta looked up to Hinata.

"They're not bad men. Men carrying out bad orders." Hinata corrected the boy.

"More like men behaving as desperate animals," Ryōsuke solemnly noted with eyes on Akira's lifeless face. 

The man's skin has lost a lot of color. He would be difficult to keep Akira's body from decomposing after a few day's time. For now, he was able to hygienically store him in the coldest room of the makeshift hospital. 

"I'll be able to store him here for a few days. You'll need to find a way to return him to his family's ohaka for a burial ceremony." He added.

"I know where it is." Hinata lowered his eyes. "It's in the same lot as my family's."

"Let's focus on returning normality back to the village." Aiyama-san gently patted Hinata's back. "Sorry, but we have to work fast."

"I'll help." Shouta piped up with strong determination. "I want to help Hina-chan."

"Kid. If you want to help, I need a hand with chores." Ryōsuke looked to Shouta.

Shouta met Ryōsuke's eyes then looked to Hinata's.

Hinata smiled. "Helping Kominato-sensei would be helping me." 

"I help!" 

"What about you two?" Ryōsuke asked the twins who had been solemnly listening.

Both boys bowed. 

"We'll work hard Sensei." Rei answered for both of them with valor and honor. 

They filed out of the room, having satisfied their goodbyes with Akira's body. 

Ryōsuke locked the door to ensure the room remained sterile and cold as is it could possibly be.

"Chikafuji-san." Rei said to Hinata when they were entering the main ward.

"Rei-kun. Something on your mind." Hinata cordially asked the boy.

"Why were those men chasing us?" Rei bit his lip, as he voiced his question that had been bothering him since they had left Hinata's cottage.

"Are you a traitor?" Rei blatantly asked him.

He regarded Hinata suspiciously. Yet not wanting to believe the answer was a yes.

"No." Hinata shook his head. "I have no idea what those men wanted."

Rei held Hinata's eyes for a moment before releasing them with his answer. It was as that doctor had said. Those policemen were acting as desperate animals. He figured that whatever the secret police's reasons were was something to do with why the war was over.

"Yeah. You couldn't be a traitor." Rei sighed.

"You thought I was a traitor?" Hinata gasped, shocked by Rei's thoughts of him.

"No!" Rei immediately responded. "Well, just those policemen chasing you, and being here. I don't trust the police. I'd believe you more than them."

"Listen, Rei-kun. Not all policemen are bad or crazy. Tanaka-san. Do you think he's bad?" Hinata asked the boy with a raised brow.

Rei frowned. Hinata was like a mother. Nevertheless, he had a point. "No. Scary, but not bad."

Hinata chuckled, which softened Rei's expression a little. 

"Oi! Kid. Are you going to help me or what?" Ryōsuke called out to Rei whilst dumping boxes of supplies onto Kei and Shouta's outstretched arms.

Rei felt a purpose renewed and for the first time some sense of his world. Maybe it was okay to put faith in some of the a.d.u.l.ts. Right now another good man needed his help. He wasn't going to let him down.

"Thank you Chikafuji-san." Rei patted Hinata on the back then raced to do his share of the work.

"Good kids," Aiyama-san said next to Hinata. "They've been through a lot. Yet they remain firm in the world."

"Kids are resilient." Hinata smiled at Kei's grumbling of Shouta's unskillful handling of the boxes. 

"These twin boys has suffered the most." Aiyama-san sighed. "It's good to see them being kids."

She turned to leave the ward and return to the kitchens to gather information from the families waiting there. 

After some light conversations, she returned. She led Hinata to the central courtyard at the back of the buildings.  

They shared a bench underneath one of the maple trees. The cool shade was a welcolming relief from the sticky heat. 

"It seems a bomb destroyed one of the cities in the Hiroshima region. Maybe Hiroshima itself. The army's radio said that the cause might have been from the enemy. So, naturally, the secret police are scrambling to gather those responsible." Aiyama-san said.

"A bomb? Why would anyone want to help with that?" Hinata was still struggling to understand.

"Spies, maybe?" Aiyama-san sighed.

"This is just my guess from gossip tidbits. Seems a bomb dropped on the most populated part of the region. Almost like someone gave a map to the US and pin pointed a place were most civilians would be. Something to make our Emperor call a cease fire. The gossip also suggests that the kenpeitai are gathering traitors for gunfire or China." Aiyama-san's eyes darted about the open courtyard.

"But what has this got to do with a doc.u.ment?" Hinata was still unclear.

"I don't know." Aiyama-san gave up her explanations. She was at a loss too.

Sudden burst of screaming and catcalling drew their attention back the hospital. They raced inside to see the secret police calling everyone to order with guns raised high. Families cowered in corners, too frightened to disobey. 

"Officers. What is the meaning of this?" Ryōsuke approached the band of secret police filing into the ward and parading cots to check faces.

One of the senior officers approached the doctor and whacked him across the face with the back of his gun. 

Ryōsuke stumbled backwards, reeling from the blow. 

"There's a Chikafuji, Hinata amongst you. Bring him forward." The senior officer loudly issued his order.

He grabbed the back of Ryōsuke's head by the hair and forced the man to his knees, holding his handgun to the man's head.  "Or I'll shoot this good doctor's head. That is all."

"I'm Chikafuji, Hinata!" Hinata stepped forward.

He gave Aiyama-san a gesture to stay quiet, sensing her reaction to stop him.  He saw that Kei and Rei were holding Shouta back, with their hands over his mouth to stop his voice from coming out.  Their faces carried distraught expressions.

Ryōsuke was released with a kick to the ground. The senior officer gave his men an order to restrain Hinata. 

Hinata allowed them to restrain his arms behind his back. He followed their lead out of the hospital. Praying they wouldn't bring harm to it.

Fortunately, the secret policemen were only focused on getting what they came for. They hauled him into the back of waiting truck where other men and women were bound. 

The truck's doors sealed them into darkness.  Hinata sighed with relief when he sensed that the hospital was still intact by the lack of gunshots and other sounds of devastation.

It jerked into motion and drove away.