Their trek in the forest led them on to a dirt road, which ran through a couple of weathered old wooden minka's with tatty thatched roofs that had shredded bits of straw dangling off the eaves. As they neared the buildings, they saw that the shredded bits were connected to holes caused by bullets. Likely from the air raid that had occurred the night before.
Kei approached one of the elderly villagers who was tending to his garden, which was more mud and weeds than crops of healthy growing vegetables. The holes were vegetables should be growing were left to bare.
The elderly villager was a sprightly old man who was suspicious of them at first. When he learned of them being doctors, his attitude had lifted to an expression of being his lucky day.
Kei made a deal to receive directions. The old man offered them water and a moment to rest whilst he gave them the needed directions and a brief history his town. Sean provided medical consultation, as part of their deal, to which the old man was grateful.
Tama leaped onto the old man's lap when he managed to sit in his chair. This made the man chuckle and relax into a moment of dreamy conversation. His voice carried stories of old, which the men felt it was impolite to not hear.
They were eventually free to go. Although, their ears felt a bit raw from having to listen to his waffle about the time when the shogun ruled.
The whole time, Eiji was amused by Kei's reaction. A few times he had to stifle his chuckles behind the back of his hand when he saw Kei flinch or gasp at moments of the man's telling.
Kei, who always acted tough and cursed a lot, listened like a little kid. His keen interest seemed to have given the old man another reason to smile.
Tama eventually decided to find another spot to rest. The old man sighed when she hopped off his lap and resumed her place back in the basket bag. He commented on her being a nekomata a few times with a cheeky grin.
They politely took their leave and resumed their journey up the dirt road towards distant evergreen hills flanking their right and the horizon line of what they hoped was towards the sea on their left.
The air was humid with crickets and birds making a near deafening racket, unsuspecting of the men walking through their territory.
"Shuddup." Kei grumbled without looking at the men behind his back as they trudged the rocky dirt road in the direction the old man had given them.
"I didn't say anything." Sean smirked.
"Why are you laughing?" Kei snapped back at him.
"Me? Laugh? You must be dreaming." Sean dramatically feigned innocence.
"Aah, you have to admit, his stories of Okita-san are the bees knees." Tyne exhaled deeply with awe. "That Mumyo-ken technique the old man spun is something to be desired."
"We do have a tradition steeped with honor." Eiji proudly commented.
"Yeah." Sean sighed.
The men fell to a deep silence. Eiji's comments had brought their minds back to their reality.
They walked through paths of nature that led them downwards towards the smell of wet Earth, pine and faint traces of the sea air. Kei's keen sense of direction seemed to be moving them into the right direction. The man truly was a walking map.
"You're like a map." Eiji blurted his thought aloud to Kei.
"I have to be. Otherwise, I'd be dead long ago." Kei stated the obvious.
Eiji nodded. It made sense considering his gang life. To avoid an ambush or escape a fight, it was important to know the area. Kei had obviously acquired the skill of scoping terrain and memorizing locations as a means to survival.
The sun was waning into the night sky when they had eventually reached Eiji's family village and a distant sight of his family's home.
Eiji's heart raced with panicked when he saw a group of men in army-gray uniforms surrounding his mother at the entrance. They were able to hide behind the cover of bushes and tall trees before anyone had noticed them.
His worry became paramount when Riku appeared to support his mother and was firmly pushed back by the men who he guessed where part of the neighborhood watch.
"Riku!" he whispered, twitching with the urge to rush to the scene and protect his family.
Tyne held him back. "You go there, it could do more harm than good!"
Eiji's face contorted with anger when the men's threats and his mother's whimpers were carried by the wind to his ears. His whole body tensed when Riku was pushed to the ground again. This time by a punch to the stomach.
"Tyne. My family!" He begged in low whisper.
"You go there, they could die! Do you want to kill them?" Tyne carefully whispered his reasons. "Wait a moment. Let's see what happens next."
Eiji nodded his head, acknowledging Tyne's logic. They waited and watched the scene unfold.
A few more threats and warnings were exchanged by the men before they turned and made their way down the path that led back towards the distant outlines of other minka houses and the roof tops of the boat sheds near the docks.
They waited for a while, watching Riku and Futuba go back inside. When they felt the coast was clear, they stealthily made their way towards the back door of the family home.
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Futuba greeted Eiji with both a firm hug and angry curse.
"What is going on Eiji-kun?" She calmly asked him when she had calmed down and everyone was seated in the main room.
Eiji glanced towards Sean and Tyne who both sighed and lied that they had been singled out by the secret police because they were foreigners, despite having valid papers that clearly showed their line of work and purpose as prosthetic specialists for Wiesmen.
This plausible explanation was accepted by Futuba and Haru, who nodded their heads with understanding.
"Yes, that would make sense. I don't know what is happening with the war, but I fear it is making men desperate." Haru sighed. His voice croaking with disappointment. "Tonarigumi are seeing anyone doing something not normal as being spies."
Eiji gulped with concern. "They thought you were harboring spies?"
Haru nodded, eying him carefully. "Because of your doctor friends being here."
Eiji stood to leave. They couldn't stay there any longer than necessary.
"If us being here is going to cause you trouble, we have to go."
"Nonsense!" Haru snapped at him. "I know you're in trouble, but we're your family. Whatever trouble you're in Eiji, you can trust us."
Eiji sat back down. "No. I... I'm fine. The last thing I want to bring you is trouble."
He held back tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. He wouldn't forgive himself if any wrong doing happened to the family he loved because of him.
Haru sighed again.
He explained that not long after they had left, the whole village was being searched for spies by the secret police and tonarigumi.
It seemed the sight of Tyne and Sean had spread words of suspicion to the local authorities who had alerted the imperial navy stationed nearby.
Everyone had undergone questioning and were cleared.
They kept questioning and visiting Futuba and Haru, probing for their guilt. The final straw was when they threatened to incarcerate her for potentially harboring secrets against their country. Treason.
Riku was in the main room and rushed to his mother's defense that saw one of the guards knock him to the ground with a punch.
Of course, the threats were empty as a means to extort information through fear. Since their reactions and responses were consistently innocent, they were left alone.
However, no doubt kept on watch just in case.
Eiji cursed at himself for bringing them more trouble. Regardless of intention. Just being in the house was going to bring guards on their doorstep again.
Tyne stood to leave.
"Apologize Chikafuji-san, sama, but we should be on our way. I will not want to cause you further trouble." He bowed before Futuba and Haru.
Both nodded their heads with understanding. Everyone rose to see the men off at the back door.
"Wait!" Futuba said to Eiji.
He watched her hurry away down the hallway and shortly returned carrying something in her hand.
"When you see Hinata again. Give him this and tell him he always has a home here." Futuba tenderly handed Eiji an intricately designed hair comb.
It was the missing half to the hand mirror Hinata always used when styling his hair.
A tear slipped from his eyes to land on the shiny dark surface of painted love birds snuggling innocently on a delicately painted cherry blossom branch. This was Futuba's treasured comb and the last loving memory of her husband she deeply respected and cared for.
"And you too Eiji-kun. Your home is here too." Futuba reassured the man she was proud to call her son. Even if he wasn't born from her womb.
"Where're you going?" Riku questioned Tyne with shrewd eyes.
"We came to retrieve our car." Tyne answered nonchalantly.
"The car in the bushes. You won't get to it. The tonarigumi have it watched on shifts." Riku stated a fact. "I saw them keeping note when I was coming and going from school."
"Why?" Kei gasped.
"Cause it's a car. It looks fancy and it's in the bushes." Riku stated the obvious. "Anyone with that sort of thing has to be high up and bound to go back to it."
Kei groaned. Tyne and Sean looked troubled.
"I'll get you to it, Eiji-niisan." Riku proudly declared. "This time of night the shifts are thin."
"No Riku! Absolutely not!" Eiji protested. "I've caused you enough trouble."
"Yeah! You have." Riku manly stood before Eiji.
His stubborn determination reminded Eiji of Hinata.
"I'll make it right. You'll get to your car, leave this place, do whatever you have to do to get back to Aniki." Riku ticked off. "Then you tell that fool to come home."
Eiji smiled weakly when he saw tears well in Riku's eyes. Of course, he missed his big brother.
"I'm coming too." Keiko declared, dressed and ready to go.
"No! Both of you stay here!" Eiji snapped at his siblings in-law. "There's a curfew, you'll be both be arrested! It's not safe. I'm not fighting a war for you to get caught in the firing line!"
"Riku, Keiko, listen to your big brother." Haru's voice croaked as he called out to the gung-ho youngsters. "He's fought battles to know wisdom."
"Ojisan. I have to do this." Riku faced Eiji.
"When you left the first time for war I was too young to know why. You told me to be brave and look after mum. Then Aniki was gone when we moved from our old home."
Riku explained of his anger and rage at not understanding why the men he looked up to went off to die, and he was left behind to pick up their slack.
He kept wanting to hate his father and elder brothers for not being around to help him fight off bullies or defend their family from thieves or mean people. He couldn't. Especially when their mother was able to make him understand why they weren't there. Eiji and Hinata were young boys who had to be men quickly.
"I understand now Eiji-niisan. You, dad and Aniki sacrifice so much for us and our home here. I want to sacrifice something for you. Let me do this." Riku waited earnestly for Eiji's answer.
Eiji heaved a weary sigh. "As long as it isn't your life. Don't let mother carry that burden."
"Riku. Keiko." Futuba said, her eyes weary with tears.
Her children were strong, stubborn creatures who was cursed that trait from her side of the family.
"It'll be okay mother. We'll return. I guarantee it and no one will be the wiser." Keiko gently reassured her.
"That's true. I'd be worried if Keiko wasn't with Riku. Who else can get him out of trouble and safely home?" Haru chuckled.
"Ojiisan!" Riku frowned, not impressed with his family's lack of confidence for his safe return without Keiko's aid.
"You're that good?" Eiji flashed Keiko a lopsided smile.
"Someone's had to keep this family away from trouble." Keiko stoically confirmed. "I've been acquiring some information from my friends whose fathers are part of the tonarigumi. Small pieces that I've been able to formulate a picture."
Keiko explained that the timing of their visit, and car, had coincided with information she had pieced from various conversations.
The night before their arrival, there had been a coded message transmitted on the tonarigumi's radio airways. It was suspected to be transmitted in error by the enemy, and so they were intent on decoding it to glean inside information for the navy. Their attempt to intercept caused their radio signal to go silent and be out of action for a few hours. It was restored just before the air raids had attacked them that night.
Sean was fascinated by her ability to decode patterns and events from stringing together pieces of gossip and harmless materials. Her mind was an astounding wonder. He suddenly felt a desire to meet Eiji's lover, for it seemed he held a similar mind.
"Hey Eiji, can we take her with us?" Sean carefully whispered into Eiji's ear.
He yelped at the harsh pitch Eiji gave to his lobe.
"Something the matter?" Keiko innocently asked.
"He was saying rude things." Eiji frowned at Sean.
Sounds of a siren being blown brought everyone's mind to present matters and tensions to rise.
"Another air raid?"
They were answered with sounds of shattering gunfire.
Instinctively the family picked up their essentials packed near the door and ran towards the shelter.
This time, Eiji and the other men (along with Riku and Keiko) took the path that would lead them back to the car. Whilst Haru and Futuba fled to the safety of the bomb shelter.
End of "Volume 2 : A Sunflower's Heart Returned [Eiji's POV]" Please see the "Volume Reconstruction Change" end chapter for the upcoming ToC changes.
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