To My Sunflower

Kei, Sean and Tyne had managed to drag Ren's body into the thick of the forest, where they found the ideal spot to hide him within the hollow of a fallen tree trunk.

"We need to give him a proper burial." Tyne swallowed back his shame at seeing Ren's body stuffed inside the trunk.

"Don't they cremate bodies here?" Sean sniffled. 

"Yeah. We'd cause a bushfire if we do it here." Kei frowned.

"It'll buy us time to avoid patrols. We need a safe distance from here." Tyne noted.

"F'ck! I hate this. Can't we just put some tinder around him and let nature do its thing?" Kei grumbled.

"Leave Takahashi-san's body to rot or be eaten by bears? He was a good man! He needs a proper send off." Tyne snapped back, holding in his sadness.

Sean and Kei sighed with bowed heads. They stopped talking and looked for tinder that would make a decent fire around the trunk.

Tyne ripped off Ren's officer badge. 

"Why're you taking that?" Sean gasped with concern. "If we get caught with it, our cover is blown!"

"When this is over. Don't you think his family should know why he died?"

"Yes. No. We can't leave any opening for further trouble." Sean frowned. "Sticking to our orders and plans is honoring Takahashi-san's death. Let's make sure he didn't die for nothing."

"What the f'ck are you saying?! The guy died because you're f'cking Americans!" Kei snapped angrily at the men. "F'cking hell! Hurry up. Light this shit! Give the man a f'cking godly send off and be on our way. Pussies!" 

The men finished their pyre around the log. Kei flicked a flame from his lighter on the driest kindling, which sparked a fire to other kindle batches.

Within minutes a roaring fire was burning around Ren's log. 

Tyne said a prayer for Ren's soul to reach the man's heavens. Sean whispered his fond farewells. Kei turned and power walked through the dense bush for the car.

The eventually piled into the car, disturbing Tama from her sleep on the back seat. Sean assumed the front. Kei revved up the engines. The car sped down the road to escape the fire and wrong doings.

They drove the entire night and most of the next day in silence. Stopping briefly for breaks. Sean kept check on Tyne, occasionally from the rear vision mirror, frowning at Ren's badge being turned over in his hands. 

It was another dawn when Kei slowed the car towards a main town of Higashi-ku region. His heart raced when he glimpsed a sight of Eiji stepping off a bus at the town's bus depot. 

"Kei!" Sean cursed when he found himself crudely woken by an abrupt jolt.

He felt wide awake at the sight of Eiji's image drawing closer.

Kei stopped the car before Eiji's body. Its headlights showing the man's disheveled clothes. Sean noticed a bandage around his forearm.

"Get in," Kei said when he wound down his window and poked his head out.

Eiji sighed, nodded his head and entered the back seat. 

Tama got up and did a turn on the seat, rubbing her body happily against his t.h.i.g.h when he closed the door. 

"Mata omenikakarete, ureshiku omoimasu," Tyne said with a weak smile.

"Hai." Eiji returned Tyne's smile.

"Let's go." Kei turned the car around and resumed the drive to their destination.

They arrived to Wiesmen's warehouse office, which was a tall brick building and factory on the banks of the Ota river with a glimpse of the river mouth that eventually led into the Enko River.

Fierce red and orange of evening light streaked a darkening sky, as they parked in the visitor bays before the building. 

The fleeting daylight threw a dissipating twinkle on the river's still surface. Creating a lulling ambiance.

Eiji decided to wait in the car with Tama. Tyne decided it was for the best given his condition. 

The others tidied themselves up and entered the building, leaving Eiji in the back-seat. Tama was happy to have her pats and attention from him.

"I'm sorry Tama. I won't leave you again." Eiji cooed near her ears.

She purred happily on his l.a.p.

Eiji closed his eyes, feeling exhaustion catching up to him. He woke when the others returned to the car.

Kei started up the engines and casually drove them down the roads towards the Hiroshima's city center.