To My Sunflower

Awkward and silence was thick within the bomb shelter, aside from the outside sirens, tremors and sporadic firing passing by.

Eiji busied his mind in helping a few of the older ladies become comfortable in the boxed-in space his family and a couple of their neighbouring families were crammed into.

"You okay there?" he whispered to Tyne who was hunched low in a corner next to Sean and Kei.

The two overgrown foreigners weren't doing a good job in looking inconspicuous. A few heated whispers went around the room with eyes averted from the men that held their curiosity.

"Chikafuji-san, who are these men?" An elderly woman bravely asked Futuba.

Futuba cordially introduced Eiji and the others.

"Oh my! You don't look much like the others I would never have guessed." The elderly woman feigned coyness.

Eiji stifled his groan at the play she was making. "I'm a lucky son to have a great mother."

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She chuckled behind a papery hand and turned her attention to Tyne, so she could pick at his medical insight. Eiji and Kei shared pensive glances with surprise and relief when Tyne attended to the elderly woman's questions and care like a real doctor.

This broke tensions as the other elderly neighbours chipped in with their ailments, which Sean and Tyne attended to like true medical professionals. Even roping in a reluctant Kei to assist with their analysis and interim fixes.

"At least this makes being stuck in here a lot more lively." Riku yawned with both boredom and tiredness.

An almighty boom and noisy tremors made everyone fell silent and pause; dust clouds disturbing the surrounding air.

Eiji felt his heart race and hands twitch with nerves for a trigger. He glanced to the other men and saw their stiff postures and tensed expressions. He's eyes widened with fear when he saw Tyne's hands were coiled at his hip like they were reaching for a gun. He discreetly grabbed the man's hand and shoved it in his pocket before others could see.

Tyne nodded his head and began to count his breathing. Sean started doing the same thing and even made it a game for some of the younger children who were trembling with obvious confusion and fear.

The moment eased and the siren's eventually stopped. After everyone felt sure the raids had passed, they pushed open the shelter door.

Traces of a new dawn, breaking through the black of night, graced their vision. Along with littered bark and foliage from shredded trees that had crashed the ground surrounding them.

Well if it was just fallen trees, that was something the people could deal with. Eiji had thought, but the fact that his mother and family were having to cope with this every so often bothered him.

The others stayed behind to help other families move obstructing trees from paths that led back to other houses. Eiji wanted to ensure his mother and siblings in-law were safely back to their home.

"Say, Okāsan, how often are these raids?" Eiji asked when they were clear of the shelter and making their way back toward their home.

"This would be the second." Futuba sighed as she helped a grumbling Haru keep up with their walk, by holding him up.

Eiji stopped and forced the old man to hop on his back.

"Bah! I'm not a kid you overgrown monkey." Haru grumbled his insults to Eiji's offer, but begrudgingly accepted anyway as his bones creaked when he climbed onto Eiji's back.

Eiji chuckled at his old man's grumbles when piggy-backed him towards the house. "You're light Haru-ojisama, like a kid."

"Rude youth." Haru sighed with pensive sadness. "We lost Ba-chan last week."

Futuba explained that she was Haru's friend and their fellow neighbour who had been caught under gunfire in the last air raid.

"Oh, sorry." Eiji replied and yelped at the curt whack he felt to the back of his head from Haru's slap.

"You fought the front lines, you should know death itself." Haru scolded him. "Bah, she was on her last legs anyway. Everyone dies, Son."

"Yeah. Everyone should die properly Haru-ojisama. Not in war." Eiji sighed and smiled weakly at the gentle rub Haru gave his head to make it better.

They safely reached the minka house, which was fortunately still standing in-tact. Sean, Tyne and Kei wasn't too far behind them as they made their way back inside to (hopefully) have a restful nights sleep.