To My Sunflower - Chapter 107

They drove throughout the day. Taking quick breaks for Himari and Tama’s benefit. Eiji took the roads that were void of patrol stops. He had luck on his side as he navigated the unfamiliar areas, and was able to follow sparse signs towards Nagasaki.

Tyne had suggested they follow the train line whenever their direction was unclear. Eventually they saw a sign that indicated they had entered the Kyushu region.

Himari was enjoying the back seat with Tama, unaware of the men’s dilemma with their conscience as they followed to their haphazard orders.

Eiji was grateful they had Himari who was able to keep their minds sane with her innocent talk about the sweets she had with her mother and sharing watermelon with her friends. She still believed that Eiji was her father and wouldn’t hear the otherwise. Eiji was happy to play along with her assumption.

“What do you think this informant will do?” He asked Tyne when his mind was mulling over serious matters.

Tyne sighed. “For starters. You’ll be somewhere else with Himari and Tama. Let’s find a safe point first before the meeting.”

“Okay.”

They drove towards an uninteresting village for directions on where they could purchase fuel chips. After picking some up, and what treats and toys were available, they drove on until they reached the water.

Tyne had also been able to purchase a map from a local store they had passed. He studied the map he had spread out on the car’s bonnet as they parked at a small clearing, behind a set of trees near the main road.

Himari was having fun chasing Tama about wild fields with Eiji keeping watch of her.

“About five miles down the road is the place that spy man had told us to go.” Tyne muttered to himself.

“Himari! Don’t wander too far.” Eiji called out to her.

The girl giggled and nodded her head as she happily picked wild flowers. Tama ran about the fields with zest and sprinted back to Eiji. Himari followed and climbed back into the backseat of the car. She played with the dolls Eiji had bought her earlier.

Eiji sighed with relief and returned to his attention to Tyne.

“We have to reach this place by o’six hundred hours and find this man.” Tyne noted further.

“What details did you get from our spy friend?” Eiji asked.

“The person we’re looking for is a staff member of Wiesmen. They’ll be starting their shift in the Nagasaki office around this time. At the Secretarial Department.” Tyne checked his watch. He gathered the map.

They were on the road again, nearing the coastal view of Nagasaki.

Himari began crying hysterically for no apparent reason, which caused Eiji to take a detour to a small town about fifty miles from the city.

Tyne took her vitals, checking her temperature and noticed her breathing labored. “She has a fever.”

Himari was crying deliriously for her mother and not taking the water Eiji was trying to feed her.

“How much time do we have?” Eiji fretted.

“We need medicine for Himari.” Tyne checked his watch again, noting the time was ticking closer to the scheduled meeting. “We won’t make the drop if we divert off the road again.”

He frowned, feeling concerned that Himari wasn’t going to recover as quickly as a normal child would if she didn’t receive some medicine to ease her fever.

“There’s a town further back with a general store. Let’s go there for medicine.”

“But that means we’ll be late.” Eiji had figured out the consequence of their diversion.

“Rather late than face another innocent civilian face death under my watch,” Tyne solemnly answered.

Eiji sighed and nodded. “Okay.”

He started up the car and did a turn back to the town with the general store.

They arrived to the story by mid morning and was able to buy medicine to ease Himari’s fever. Tyne sat in the backseat, to keep care for her whilst giving her something of a parental attention that she needed.

It was well past the meeting time when they were nearing the city again. There weren’t many vehicles and horse and carts on the road at the time. The air was damp and slightly oppressive with steam coming off the roads.

Tama begin fretting around the front seat, mewing with a weak voice and went to cower on the floor for a strange, unknown reason.

This caused Eiji to divert off the road again.  He drove them to edge of woods, about some ten miles from the city’s coast line.

As he was about get out of the car when the ground began to quake. White flashes momentarily blinded his eyes.

The windows shook, but didn’t break.

Tyne held to Himari to keep her calm. Fortunately, she was still delirious with fever to be aware of the unexpected quake.

The flashes and quakes stopped suddenly.

Eiji held his breath. His mind reeling from recent memories of the time Kei was taken by the same white flash.

“Tyne.” He found his voice to call out the man’s name.

Tyne was still holding Himari, who was sleeping on his lap. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Eiji. I’m sorry.” His voice quivered as his tears kept falling.

Eiji leaned back into his chair, feeling his own tears pushing against his eyes for release. They fell when the black rains pounded the car’s roof to pollute the outside.

By now, his mind had no doubt that the flashes and black rain were purposed.  His heart felt broken at thoughts of people at Nagasaki receiving the same fate as Hiroshima.

The men cried out their grief and anguish at what they had come to realize.  Their tears stopped when the black rains had cleared. Tyne made a decision to find his wife.

“Eiji. Let’s seek out our loved ones.”

Eiji paused. His mind was a jumble of thoughts stirred around by mixed emotions. If Tyne didn’t check into his superiors. Would that mark him off as dead or a deserter?

“That would make you a deserter.”

Tyne stared out to a distorted image of the countryside due to the slick coating from the black rains.

“Then I’ll be a deserter.” He closed his eyes, releasing a troubled sigh. Major Schmidt’s warning surfaced to his mind.

Eiji nodded his head. He started up the car and backtracked to roads that would lead them furthest from the trouble. Towards a hope of being reunited with their lovers.