Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

August 6, 1945 

Just a few moments ago, the girl was doing laundry with her mother. It was something so insignificant, so ordinary. But how she wished to return to those times just a few minutes ago. The flame and smoke from the fires attacked Eiko's already weak immune system, despite her internal struggle, she was trying so desperately to at least free her brother's leg.

"It's not moving!"

The floor board was not budging an inch, her father groaning out in pain, her youngest brother, crying his lungs out.

She and her mother stood no chance to the old, and heavy floor boards.

Damn it.

The flames were caving in, there was little time, no other option. 

"Go! Get away!"

Her father said, stunning her mother for a few seconds. He was not being serious, was he? They'd gone through too much already-- the beating that their father had received from the police --the scarce food from rations which caused horrible stomach aches and literal famine --the ostracization from their neighbors-- they always pushed through it, as a family.  

Their mother's voice became hoarse, horrified at what her husband was suggesting.

Leave? Never. 

"He's insane," she thought.

Her mother were losing sanity beside her, willing to perish alongside their two other family members. Eiko felt tears welling up in her eyes, too overstimulated, too stressed. This was too much for anyone of her age. 

What would they do then?

No father, no brothers, no house. 

That's when her father spoke up.

Now she was responsible, their family's life being placed upon her shoulders.

”Gen might still be out there!”

"Take care of your mother and the baby!"

The last words he ever said to her, because they both had no time to say anything else. 

Her mother refused, spewing out sayings that a mother only said in her most dire moments.

The house completely crumbled upon the fire's wrath.

Her mother broke down. This wasn't real, it can't be real.

"My family! Burning like a bonfire!"

Now this was funny to her, did she go insane?

The neighbor, Mr-Pak, notices them, helping them despite his own troubles.

Now, both of them were in a safe area, and that's when it only gets more urgent.

"The baby," her mother croaked out, her hand clutching at her stomach, her body rolling slowly onto her side.

No doctors for this situation.  They were trying to make sense of what had just happened while helping injured folks. 

 Eiko had to step in, gathering all the supplies for premature labor.

She was worried, not knowing if the baby or even her mother would survive this.

Well, she's done it three times. Despite the situation at hand; it's possible it wouldn't be any different from the rest.

Their mother gasps out in pain, through her contractions.

Her body trying to push the awaiting life inside of her.

"Push," Eiko said like a professional.

She does.

A loud and hoarse cry emerges as soon as the baby comes out and is cleaned, awakening the birth of a new member of the Nakaoka family.

Once the commotion is over, the teen holds the baby girl in her arms. She's only a few seconds old, but the most beautiful thing Eiko has ever laid eyes upon.

Then that's when the realization hits..

She was fortunate enough to see the baby, but her father and brothers should've been here.

Her emotions cave in; she can't utter a word through her silent tears. 

"She's the most beautiful baby! And you never got to see her!"

Two important lives lost, a new one born.

Chapter Text

August 8th, 1945

"We're going to stay with your friend?" Eiko questioned her mother, Kimie. The teen had heard about her mother's childhood friends numerous times in the past and even visited her on occasion. If they stayed for just a bit, it should be fine, according to Kimie. 

Wrangling the little items and food they had left, they set off for Kiyo's house in Nishinomiya; it wasn't too far away by foot. At least they would have a home while trying to rearrange their life in the meantime.

No transport system was available, of course.  

How they managed to walk despite the ruins around them and lingering memories from just a few days ago, was a mystery. They'd just watched their house and family get burned to the ground, there's no reason why they should be as calm. 

Survival matters the most now.

The baby's wails commence, making Eiko feel pity for the newborn. Before the atomic bombing, her mother was suffering from malnutrition and she wasn't able to produce any milk for the infant. Now, she was worried that the infant would go through the same thing.

She and her mother scavenged the day after the bombing, the rice and washed vegetables should do for now. 

Eiko paused when she heard the bones of her brother and father rattling in the bucket, that was being used to transport them, her heart swelled up, her mind repeatedly showing flashes from only a couple of days ago.

She put her hand to her mouth, letting out a small cough. She quickly strained herself and started pat her chest a couple of times.

She didn't want her mother to think she wasn't well enough to do anything.

A few passing school children catch her attention momentarily, reminding herself of the previous week.

The bucket containing the bones, Eiko couldn’t bare to look at them. She had no idea was happened to her second youngest brother, Gen. He’d been off to school like usual, and there was no signs of him during the aftermath. 

Had he disintegrated along with thousands of others? Was he okay? Was he even alive? 

Eiko’s heart quickened at the possible scenario. She tried to brush her feelings off, knowing she had to remain positive with what little she had left. 

Instead, she tried to cheer herself, her mother, and newborn sister. Her voice was euphonious — a choir song that she learned at school. 

It was able to put everyone at ease. 

During the times they rested, Eiko spent most of her time carrying the infant, feeling her baby sister’s warm skin against hers. She wondered how she would grow up, knowing she was born on the day where their lives had been completely changed. 

If not holding her, she read the little books she found on her scavenge. The pages were torn in the corners, the cover was already burned. She was almost amazed by how the book wasn’t completely destroyed from the blast.

Kimie didn't want to disturb her friend, but she had no other housing option. She could go to a temporary hotel; they were overcrowded with other survivors. 

Then again, friends should help each other during desperate times. 

"We used to live in the same neighborhood," Kimie reminisced about Kiyo, "we always played together."

Eiko nodded reflectively, her mother's friendship reminded her of some of her own. 

The girl took a moment to scan the town. She'd heard about the fire bombings, despite that, this place seemed to be in much better shape than Hiroshima.

Soon enough, the pair, along with the baby, arrived at Kiyo's house, unexpectedly too apparently.

Kiyo Hayashi was a mother as well, the same stature as Eiko's own mother. She was warm and friendly.

"Kimie, you're safe," Kiyo murmured, feeling reassured, "I heard about what happened in Hiroshima, it must've been a long trip to come here."

Eiko watched as her mother embarrassingly asked to stay for the meantime with the other woman. Kiyo didn't seem bothered and gladly welcomed them. 

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hayashi," Eiko politely greeted, earning a smile from Kiyo in return. 

Then, the dreaded question.

"B-but, where are your husband and other children?" Kiyo questioned once noticing it was just her, Eiko, and the new member of the family. Her voice carried a bit of strain, knowing it wasn't good.

Eiko glanced down at the bucket filled with the brittle bones, Kiyo noticed too, looking clearly shocked, but trying to maintain a supportive outlook. 

"I know it must've been terrible, but try to be strong," reassured Kiyo.

"Terrible is an understatement,"

Eiko thought to herself. She had to dig up her brother and father's bones, no house, and they didn't even know what happened to Gen. Eiko had previously visited Gen's elementary school, hoping to find his bones at the very least. But there was nothing. There were bones and rotting corpses, it almost looked like they weren't ever human at all.

It was unsettling, just having everything ripped away.

She and Kimie at least wanted to bury them together.

Eiko focused back on her current situation. She and her mother were skittish when entering the new environment.

Inside was an old woman with a blunt and two children; Kiyo's family.

It was tense as Kiyo explained the new arrangement. Eiko greeted the old woman politely like she'd done with Kiyo. Kimie gave her thanks and apologized for the sudden imposition. 

The old woman, however, didn't take too kindly upon being informed of strangers living in her house now. She took one final buff from her blunt, using the ashtray to put out the smoke. 

She immediately ignored the three outsiders, looking over at her daughter-in-law instead, "this isn't a hotel, you know!" she scolded, referring to a picture nearby with a soldier, "we have to take care of the house until my son comes back from the war," she explained.

Eiko felt dreadful, feeling guilty at her words. She looked over at her mother who had the same expression. 

"I'm so sorry for troubling you-" Kimie started, but Kiyo dismissed her quickly.

"Don't let her upset you, she's just a little obstinate," responded Kiyo, before looking over at Eiko.

"You've grown a lot since the last time I've seen you," Kiyo said, wanting to make small talk. Eiko smiled nervously, not knowing how to respond. If she recalled correctly, Kiyo had most likely seen her when she was a toddler. 

Kiyo then glanced at her two children standing nearby, "Tatsuo, Takeko, from today, Eiko will be your friend, treat her nicely, alright?" 

Eiko eyed the two kids anxious, her hands sweating. Before she could even get a word or greeting out, Tatsuo, the boy with buck teeth, immediately spoke first.

"What'd you bring us?" he asked, causing Eiko to gaze away with shyness.

"Bring you?" Eiko repeated sheepishly. "O-oh, um..." Eiko grew silent, unsure of how to respond.

"Yeah, you know, you bring a gift whenever you stay in someone's home!" Tatsuo explained, as if Eiko didn't know. Kiyo, hearing his words, immediately berated him.

"Be quiet you fool! Eiko's house burned down and they have nothing left!" 

Tatsuo snorted upon hearing his mother's words, starting to walk away with his sister, "what kind of idiot is she to not bring a gift?" 

His words rang through Eiko's ears, feeling upset, but she couldn't let something trivial like this bring down her spirits. Kiyo sighed, offering an apology to Eiko and Kimie. Once she left, Kimie and Eiko tried to get comfortable.

"How long has it been since you sat on a Tatami mat?" Kimie asked her daughter, patting and smoothing the straw mat with her hand. 

It'd been a couple of days, but it felt like a million years for the teen. She inhaled the crisp aroma from the mat, making her feel like she was at home once again.

During dinner, there was a scuffle between Kiyo's kids and Eiko. They'd been served less rice because of the unexpected arrival of the Nakaokas. Tatsuo complained about it, his other trying to offer a compromise, but it didn't work. Fed up, she smacked him, only for the old woman to step in for her grandson.

"Now Kiyo, you have no reason to hit him for only saying what's true," she snickered.

What an enabler...

Meanwhile, Eiko was eating uncomfortably, the girl, Takeko, staring at her bowl with greed and hunger. Eiko didn't like confrontation, she remembered to keep to herself at all times in this apprehensive place. She wanted to finish quickly, but not eat like someone who had no manners. It'd been the first time in a while she was able to possess the tangy flavor of rice.

As soon as she finished and set her bowl down, Takeko burst into whiny tears, "she ate my rice!"

Like with her son, the mother scolded her too. 

No matter how respectful Kimie and Eiko were, they couldn't seem to catch a break.

Eiko coughed once, then twice. Her hands gently prepared the rice broth, the only food the baby had to put up with now. Kimie took charge of feeding the infant, her silent cries filling the air around them.

"There there, your mother doesn't have any milk, you'll have to be content with this rice broth," Kimie murmured. The baby's cries coming to a halt once she drank the broth. Eiko looked between the two of them, suddenly realizing something.

"We never gave her a name."

"No? What should we name her?"

Eiko paused, thinking carefully, "what about Tomoko? I hope she makes lots of friends in her lifetime."

Kimie nodded, liking how the name had a certain ring to it, "yes, it's a fine name, let's call her Tomoko.

Their happy moment, being watched by bitter people. 

Eiko tried hard to ignore the judgmental behavior from the Hayashi family. Kiyo, was lovely as ever, but her family...they were cruel to say the least.

No matter what she did, she was always being criticized, whether blatantly or subtly. 

Eiko felt her throat drying up more often now, she coughed more frequently too, this was one thing those kids used against her.

"Next time you cough, make sure to cover your mouth," Tatsuo spewed out, shoving her down, "we don't need you to spread the disease from the bomb."

The teen was shocked, her arm wiped away at the spit from her mouth. Hearing their taunts because of her sickness, she just ignored them, knowing she had to endure it for now.

She carefully held Tomoko in her arms, suddenly feeling Takeko slide beside her.

"What's her name?" she asked, as if genuinely interested.

"Tomoko," Eiko simply replied, trying to be as brief as possible with these rotten children.

"Let me hold her," demanded Takeko, Eiko's grip on Tomoko subconsciously tightend.

"Uh...no," she quietly responded. Takeko grew sour at her response, teasing Tomoko.

"She's trying to get a reaction out of me, I can't let it get to me, even if she's being rotten to Tomoko."

Eiko was tranquil, until Tomoko all of a sudden began to cry hard; her screams were loud. Eiko immediately placed the child down, looking all around her in concern, consoling the infant. She had a suspicion that Takeko had something to do with it, and she gave her a long glance.

"What are you looking at me like that for? I did nothin." the girl said, and that's when Eiko saw it. 

A reddened mark on Tomoko's thin leg. Eiko was horrified, "you pinched her...?"

Now, her face was burning up. With anger or tears? She didn't know. Tatsuo and Takeko only poked more fun at her predicament.

"Look, she's going to burst into tears now!"

Why her? Why be so cruel?

Without thinking, Eiko proceeded to slap Takeko and Tatsuo, making sure to get a hit back for Tomoko. She hadn't realized what she done until the two of them whined to their grandmother.

"Wahh!! She hit me!"

Eiko looked at her hand, stinging from how hard she had slapped them. They had to be over exaggerating, her hand was practical bone at this point from how much she'd been starving. 

The old woman was furious, demanding an apology from the young girl. Not wanting to start anymore problems (on top of this one), Eiko immediately did as told. She could feel something sharp hitting her scalp, her eyes opened as she sat on her knees.

That insane woman was hitting her with her blunt, tarnishing the skin on her scalp, and causing her to yelp out in pain.

Her apology had somehow not been enough for her. Not enough to the point she had to drag her poor mother into this.

Kimie, conflicted on what to do, now had to listen to this woman speak lowly of her daughter. She took a deep breath, feeling such shame and pity.

It's not Eiko's fault, she knew.

"They were teasing Tomoko, and Takeko pinched her. I shouldn't have resorted to violence, I'm sorry," Eiko sincerely said, but the old woman interrupted her.

"You've done a poor job raising your daughter, allowing her to slap my grandchildren."

Because she was obedient and quiet, the grandmother couldn't punish her severely. How she wished Eiko had been more aggressive, just so she had an excuse to hurt the girl.

"If you tease my grandchildren again, I'll beat you, understand?" the elderly woman threatened, returning to smoke her blunt.

Once again, Eiko felt how cold this world truly was.

"I know it wasn't your fault, Eiko," Kimie whispered to her daughter, sorrowful at the sight of her dejected daughter, "I'm proud of you for enduring it."

Eiko didn't respond, just staring outside. It was unfair, so unfair. If their house hadn't been taken by that bomb, if her father was still alive, if she had the optimistic Gen and whitty Shinji, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.

August 9th, 1945

Kimie seemed to notice Eiko's sickness. She'd always been sick, that's for sure, but she was deteriorating more than ever now. Eiko was more tired and coughed, a lot. The girl opted to sleep most of the day, which, of course, caused more problems with the Hayashi family. The grandmother assuming that Eiko was a freeloader.

Kiyo had told Kimie about a nearby clinic. Remembering this information, she decided to take Eiko for a checkup.

Of course, she wouldn't leave Tomoko here.

The only clothes Eiko wore to the clinic was her school uniform, a long sleeved, sailor-fuku with loose-fitted socks and brown shoes. To her, it felt out of the ordinary to wear her uniform outside of school, but she wouldn't question it now.

With a bated breath, she hoped her weakened state wasn't anything serious, she didn't want to add another burden onto her mother.

Chapter Text

The clinic was moderately crowded. A boy stood around impatiently for his turn, a thin toddler in his arms. Eiko and her mother were standing in the same waiting area.

Eiko's eyes land upon the two of them; she feels pity for that little girl. Her ghostly pale-colored skin, her cheeks losing the rosy color, and her tired expression, in her arms was a precious doll. Eiko had a feeling she knew what was wrong with her.

The doctor called the two children in. Eiko looked around the office.

"I should get checked out too," spoke Kimie, interrupting her daughter's thoughts, "I've been feeling pain ever since Tomoko's birth," she explained. 

Eiko listened to her, processing what she said before she frowned, "I told you not to overwork yourself, I have to find a job," she said in determination.

"Eiko, we first have to see what's wrong with you," her mother responded, causing Eiko to sigh.

She rubbed her hands together, before burying her face into them.

"What are we going to do...?"

The doctor's door opened; Kimie and Eiko stepped in. Eiko noticed the boy from earlier, being able to gawk at his appearance properly now. He wore a white hat, tank top, and olive green pants. 

He reminds her of a soldier in a way, with the hat and color scheme. It suddenly reminded her of what her father used to say about those who were 'foolish' enough to go to war. To him, these people were fighting for rich men, essentially throwing their lives away for profit. Eiko listened to her father's teachings and words whenever he spoke to her or her younger brothers. It was more than just ramblings.

There was something that still plagued her mind: just when was this war going to stop?

The doctor stopped his examination with the boy and little girl in his arms, instead, he looked at Kimie and Eiko, "how can I help you?"

The voice of the boy interrupted them, "Where am I supposed to get food?!"

He exclaimed. His eyes shook with fear, no hope in them.  He's worried, Eiko can tell. His lip trembled as he held that sick girl in his arms. 

After that doctor's visit, he detected that Eiko may have been more ailing because of extreme stress, but he probably should've taken into account that she was in vicinity where the bomb was dropped a couple of days ago.

Eiko heard stories about how people were falling ill due to some mysterious illness; some suspect it was from the bomb. She'd seen it herself too, a soldier who helped her find rice balls for herself and her mother, the way he just... perished like that. He was cold -- it was summer -- his hair falling out -- he was young. Worst of all was the bloody vomit and feces, Eiko let out a sigh in relief now each time she coughed into her hand, glad it was only spit and mucus.

Her mother was speaking with the doctor about herself and Tomoko. On the ground, there was a doll. Eiko knew she'd seen it somewhere before. The baby doll with the bonnet, belonging to that poor little girl.

She picked it up and started walking around the clinic, hoping the boy and his sister hadn't gone too far off.

Then, she noticed them.

"You dropped this," Eiko called out, albeit quietly. The boy turned around, looking surprised at the small gesture of kindness.

"Oh, thank you," he mumbled. Eiko gingerly placed the doll back with her owner.

The boy gestured with his head to Eiko, signaling the young child to use her manners.

The cherub toddler offered a bright smile despite her contrasted appearance.

 It looked like she used all of her strength to smile.

"Thank you, very much," the girl whispered, weakly reaching over to Eiko.

She didn't know why the little girl was reaching for her, for she was only a mere stranger. The boy pulled her back, not knowing if she was just doing this because of her delirious state.

"I wish the best for you," Eiko simply said, offering reassurance to this boy. She can tell he's going through a lot too. She had a need to say that.

The boy smiled, appreciative of her words.

"Thank you."

"What'd the doctor say?" asked Eiko with worry in her voice. Kimie looked forward, her hands repositioned Tomoko in her arms.

"He said I need to rest, especially after premature labor," she responded, trying to downplay her own health issues, "-and he said Tomoko needs proper nutrition for a newborn."

Now, she was even more worried. Tomoko, she could get sick at any point, and Eiko didn't know how else to help.

She was constantly thinking about getting a job, but she knew her mother wouldn't allow it. Kimie would probably tell her not to worry about it, and remind her of her lack of strength.

Cough.

Upon returning to Kiyo's house, Tomoko's cries from hunger filled their room. Kimie pulled out the last bit of rice that Eiko scavenged from Ninoshima. It lasted a bit for the three of them.

"Watch Tomoko for me, Eiko," Kimie murmured; Eiko nodded.

"How selfish," Kimie thought to herself, abashed. "I'd give this rice to Kiyo and her family, but Tomoko needs it at the moment."

The woman entered the kitchen where Kiyo and her mother-in-law were, both of them looked like they'd been chatting prior.

In the meantime, Eiko watched over the happy newborn. The infant babbled in her arms as she prepared her for her meal.

"Just a while longer, Tomoko," she said, playing along with Tomoko's curious nature. She felt at peace now.

Only until she heard raised voices and the sound of snap. Eiko set Tomoko down onto the futon, going over to the other room to see what happened.

The only word she could make out was: "thief"

Entering the room, she took in the sight of her mother with an injury on her cheek, clearly being from the elder. She put two and two together, now enraged. She quickly stood in to defend her mother.

Again, without thinking, Eiko pushed the elderly woman aside, causing her to fall on the ground.

Her mother would do no such thing, she knows it well.

"My mother isn't a thief, I was the one who earned this rice, believe her. If you don't believe us, then go to Ninoshima, and ask," Eiko tried to get across, but the old woman was stubborn.

"You're a liar!" 

"I'm not, what proof do you have exactly?" the teen questioned, calmly.

"Some of our rice is missing, what more proof do I need?!"

Her wrinkled hand pointing her blunt in accusation towards Kimie and Eiko, "who else would steal the rice?!"

Not waiting for a response, the old woman's free hand snatched Kimie by the arm. "Let's go! We'll have the police take care of it."

Eiko instantly panicked. They were being unjustly accused, this wasn't right, they couldn't believe her.

"Mama," Eiko gasped out, quickly holding onto her mother's other arm. Allowing her a millisecond, Kimie simply instructed Eiko to feed Tomoko, trying to also reassure Eiko that everything would be okay.

The old woman, standing with a slightly hunched posture, sneered at the younger woman, "hurry up!" she barked. The voices of Takeko and Tatsuo emerged throughout the chaos.

"Make her confess, grandma!"

"Thief! Thief!"

Like always, Eiko ignored their taunts, knowing they were just trying to rile her up again.

"I can't stand it anymore, I can't stand it," she repeated several times in her mind.

This distinctly reminded her of the time her father went to the police station after speaking out against the war effort. It was one of the worst moments in her life up to that point. Her whole family was ecstatic once he had returned home, but heartbroken at his battered state.

The police had to believe her mother didn't do anything wrong, they had to, but it was her, a bomb survivor's word, against an elderly woman. Eiko had already seen how other people treated those who came from Hiroshima after the bomb destroyed their lives; a nuisance, a pest. That's how they were viewed.

If her mother got arrested, she'd truly be on her own. Nobody with her except for Tomoko.

God, if only that damn bomb hadn't ruined their lives.

It'd been hours since Kimie and Mrs. Hayashi left for the police station. Eiko was more anxious, thinking of the worst possible scenarios. 

Kiyo comforted her. Her demon children taunting the young teen with insults when their mother wasn't watching. How a soft-spoken, gentle mother could have such evil children was an unsolved question.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, she set off to find her mother. 

Moving nimbly, Tomoko bumped up and down as Eiko carried her. She was careful like her mother to not distress the poor infant. The sky turned murky and gloomy; a sign of the impending storm. She didn't want her mother to get soaked and catch a cold.

Knowing that the rain probably wouldn't be black like that tragic day, strangely reassured the young girl.

Finally, she spotted Kimie sitting on a dock by the beach, she hurriedly went over, noting how her mother was squatting by the salt water. Fresh tears streaming down her cheeks, she broke down, again. 

"Mama, why are you crying?" softly asked the girl, as if she didn't know already.

"It's nothing," she stammered out. She must've not gotten into serious trouble with the police, but the whole ordeal left her shaken up.

Eiko bites the nails of her free hand, silently observing how distressed and completely broken her mother looks. 

"Eiko," Kimie began, as if preparing her for dreadful news, "because of that bomb, dying is hell, living is hell...if only that bomb hadn't dropped," she paused, struggling to form her next sorrowful words.

"...your mother, wouldn't have to bear such a disgrace." For a second, the girl didn't know what she was hinting at, then, it clicked.

The apology.

"No...you, you didn't sign it, did you?" she gulped, letting her mother take Tomoko from her arms. 

Her poor mother, even more of a victim in this tragic reality.

"Let's not go back there. Let's go somewhere else..." Kimie whispered, rocking the innocent, unaware child in her arms. Eiko shook her head, biting her lip to keep her emotions in check.

No, they couldn't leave now. They couldn't have wretched people staining their family's name.

It'd already happened once; it shouldn't happen again.

The storm finally hit, wet and cold water, drizzling upon the city of Nishinomiya.

With hesitation, Kimie and Eiko started to head back towards the Hayashi household but with a strained heart.

"She's not a thief, not a thief," Eiko repeated nonstop to herself, as if the words of the children and cops would somehow make her believe it.

Eiko was finding it difficult to not cry at this moment. Her knees are becoming damp from the humid rain water on the wooden floorboards of the house. The rain, like her tears, came freely.

Even if the people, who relentlessly harassed her family for not supporting the war, were no longer present. A similar problem only seemed to have emerged. She didn't want to sit by, rotting around in her own despair...

The floorboards start creaking, loudly. It's from the kitchen, could it be?

She investigated, as soon as she entered, she saw those two brats, nibbling on pieces of rice, they had stolen.

Busted.

"They're thieves! Everyone! Come over! Now! These two were responsible for stealing the rice! Not my mother!" Eiko's face is flushed red, with a hint of anger. Hopefully, she was able to restore honor to her mother. And make that wicked woman look stupid.

Kiyo, Kimie, and Mrs. Hayashi went over to the commotion by Eiko -the soft spoken girl - she had caught them, red-handed.

Those brats immediately started to shiver in fear, like they should. Kiyo, yelled at them. Eiko looked at the grandma with dissatisfaction, waiting for any apology. 

The grandmother, clearly taken-aback by the unexpected reveal, was confused, yet embarrassed.

And still too stubborn to admit her mistake, instead shifting the blame onto the Nakaokas.

"Shut up! If you never came here, this wouldn't have happened!" she yelled, her fist clenched in the air.

"You're the ones who should apologize!" The audacity...

"She's not a thief!" Eiko interjected, shaking with anger and annoyance of constantly being put down.

"My mother isn't a thief! You've given my mother a hard time for no reason!" Eiko spat out, slowly inching forward to the elder, but Kimie stopped her before she did anything rash.

"No, you shouldn't blame her, she's right. If we didn't come here, this wouldn't have happened," agreed Kimie, putting herself down instead. 

"We can leave now with a clear conscience, you proved we didn't do anything wrong."

Eiko clenched her own fist, not being able to stand it any longer. 

With a brief apology to Kiyo, Kimie, Eiko, and Tomoko left the house, just like those nefarious people wanted. They might've gotten the satisfaction of driving the three out of the house, but they didn't care. 

Anything was better than staying in such a judgmental environment. 

Eiko tugged along their wagon of limited personal belongings. It was raining heavier now than before, at this point, Eiko started sneezing. Her wet arm rubbing at the snot that trickled down her nose.

Her mother trudged beside her through the puddles and cold winds of the storm. It was like the world was just adding more to their misery. 

At one point, it felt like Eiko's spirits had been completely crushed. They were unsure of what to do now. They doubted that any rooms nearby would be available to rent, but were still going to check anyways.

Kimie's eyes started to water once again, being masked by the rain droplets. 

"I'm...glad you for what you did, I'm sorry for making it difficult for you," whispered Kimie with such pain, embracing her daughter, using the straw mat to shield them both from the rain.

Eiko's lip trembled, her arms wrapped around her mother's similarly thinning body. She didn't want her mother to beat herself over this, for something that felt minuscule to everything else they had endured.

No matter how much they searched and begged to generously be offered a room, nobody budged. These managers, at the end of the day, only cared about trying to navigate for themselves.

"Too many bomb victims, beggars." 

The Inn managers always sneered, looking upon the three of them in frustration, as if they chose to be in that situation. 

Some rabid dog tried to attack Kimie and Eiko. Eiko wasn't one for violence -- not when provoked, at least -- grabbed a stick and poked at the animal, the sharp nails digging into her wrist, she squealed out, using all her force to escape from it.

The dog eventually went on it's way, leaving Eiko with a bite mark, and soaked.

Kimie huddled to herself with Tomoko, her tears visible now to Eiko.

"Eiko...I want to die...I want to die..."

Her words, catch Eiko off-guard. She was talking nonsense, just like that day when the bomb fell, she couldn't break her promise to her father. 

"What are you saying? Don't say that!" exclaimed Eiko, covering her mouth with her hand to prevent another cough. Her arms reaching out to pull her mother back up from her seated position.

"We'll find a place, we will, we just have to keep looking."

With reluctance, Kimie stood up, and they resumed their walking.

Chapter Text

August 9th, 1945

A calloused hand stuck out from the entrance of the bomb shelter, rain hitting the dry skin on his hand. 

"It's...raining harder than ever now," Seita murmured to himself, glancing between the rainfall and the sleeping form of his sister. 

He should be getting sleep, but he can't. Tomorrow would be the usual, just trying to find food. 

Well, he needed it more than ever now, and with the war still ongoing, not even farmers had enough food for themselves. 

He leans back against the entrance of the shelter, rethinking snippets from the past, and how he'd wished to go back to them. 

Sometimes, he wondered if he should just swallow his pride and return back to his aunt, but then he remembered her nagging and heartless behavior. 

Maybe it was necessary towards him, but Setsuko? She was only a toddler, she should be more understanding. Instead, she was always yelling at the two of them, annoyed by Setsuko's cries that never let anyone sleep.

And then, her words came back to his mind.

"You can go live in that bomb shelter for all I care!" 

He always wondered if she actually meant it, or just said in during the heat of the moment.

"Mama, look here."

Eiko called out, having a tint of hope in her voice. This place was on the outskirts of Nishinomiya. To Eiko, she already knew it was a bomb shelter, but she didn't expect anyone to be living there. 

She saw a couple of kitchenware items and clothing outside, soaking in the rain. 

"If somebody lives here already, it'd be best not to disturb them," Kimie said, slightly worried. Eiko peered in anyways. She noticed the familiar face of the boy from earlier, he was slumped against the wall, as if trying not to fall asleep.

He ended up noticing her, quickly straightening himself out, before blinking in confusion. He was cautious at first, but it soon vanished when he realized it was just a mother with her two children.

"Oh, you're the girl, from earlier," he stated, Eiko giving him a simple smile.

She took in a deep breath, glancing over at her mother.

Kimie had already scanned the shelter with her eyes, feeling concerned that there were two young children here, and seemingly without any parental figures.

"Is it okay if we stay? Just until the rain ends..." asked Eiko, keeping her polite attitude. The boy pondered for a moment.

For all he knew, this girl's mother could behave like his aunt, giving them a hard time. But they looked just as desperate as him, maybe he could trust them.

He nodded.

Eiko and her mother parked their wagon outside of the shelter before moving spryly inside, finally being able to be somewhere dry. 

"I'm Nakaoka Eiko, thank you so much." She introduced herself to the boy, also making sure that he knew she appreciated his help. 

"Yokokawa Seita."

In these times, it felt like coming across someone with patience and geniality was a rarity.

Kimie offered a gentle smile to the boy, but still looked bothered.

Of course, she knew there were many orphans because of the war. She'd seen and heard about it numerous times already. She couldn't imagine if it was Eiko in their shoes, if she had died that morning with her husband and son, leaving her teen daughter alone.

"Where are your parents?" Kimie asked, in a tone of concern, not wanting to come off as pushy, but as being genuinely worried. The boy stared at the ground solemnly, before he glanced at the small girl beside him, as if to make sure she wasn't awake.

"My-" he paused, then continued, "...our mother died during the fire bombing in Kobe; dad's in the navy, but he...hasn't written back. He probably doesn't have time too..." he mused, not looking at her in the eyes.

"I see...I'm very sorry for your loss....”

The fire was so bright, that Eiko thought she would go blind. Her hands desperately flailed out, trying to grab the burning figures of Shinji and her father.

Shinji's screams, she could still hear them. It was a sound that always rang in her mind, reminding her that she couldn't save him. 

No matter how many times she closed and reopened her eyes, the vivid images remained ingrained. 

Everyday was like hanging from a thread, trying to keep her word to her late father. 

She heard shrill sobbing noises, but they weren't in her mind this time.

She woke up.

August 10th, 1945

In the other corner of the area, Seita's little sister was crying in her sleep. He unconsciously patted her back, soothingly. Eiko considered the possibility of the girl having a nightmare, she went over, her presence startling the boy awake.

For a moment, he looked at Eiko, trying to see if she had any sign of annoyance on her face, but she didn't. She actually appeared serene, but perturbed at the whimpers. 

"Sorry for waking you up, it's just that, she...has trouble sleeping at night."

"About?"

"About our mother," he answered, watching Setsuko who was clutching desperately to the soft fabric of their futon. Seita, still in his own drowsy state, tried to get her back to sleep, with no avail. Eiko sat on her knees, her hand hovering over the girl's head.

Seita gave her a puzzled look. The girl's mouth opened, "I had younger brothers, I know a thing or two about putting them back to sleep."

He nodded at her explanation, simply rolling over onto his side as Eiko worked her magic. A somber tune played from her lips, it was a melancholic, yet hopeful lullaby. 

Setsuko visibly relaxed at the voice of Eiko, along with the gentle stroking to her hair. The hand isn't rough like her brother's. It's soft, gentle -like a mother's. The fingers running through her hair vividly remind her of the way her mother used to do it. 

She doesn't know who it is, it could be a dream, but she certainly hoped it wasn't. 

Eiko's voice sounded as if it belonged to a music box. She had a perfect tempo and the lyrics carried emotion. Setsuko felt like she was in the sky, a choir of divine angels singing to her. 

In only a few minutes, Eiko was successful in getting the little girl to sleep. Even Seita was feeling relaxed at the song, making him return to slumber. 

Eiko watched the two fall asleep, she stayed for a few moments to ensure that Setsuko wouldn't wake up again.

Now regaining her sleepiness, she went over to the futon with her mother and baby sister, staring up at the stone ceiling of the shelter. 

The soothing moment was able to also put her at ease. 

In the morning, Eiko's cheek was currently being poked by the bony finger of Setsuko. The child gazed and studied the older girl carefully.

"She feels like me," Setsuko thought to herself, noting how pale and thin Eiko appeared to be. She had bruises and boils on her legs which caused her to uncomfortably shift around. Strands of her short, black hair were coming out. Setsuko pulled her finger away and stood up, walking over to the woman nearby and baby.

Curiously, she gazed at Tomoko, her eyes moving over to Kimie. The mother gave her a small smile, moving over so that the girl could sit beside her.

"She looks really skinny," Setsuko pointed out. Tomoko's hungry wails began to fill the room. Kimie rocked Tomoko, trying to soothe her.

"She's malnourished," she explained, Setsuko pulled up her baggy, unclean shirt, letting the woman have a view of the rashes scattered across her torso.

Kimie let out an inaudible gasp at the sight, she could see Setsuko's ribs that looked like they were about to poke out.

She listened in pity as the young girl spoke, "my brother said that the doctor said I had it too," she stated, as if it were no big deal. 

"Where's your brother now?" Kimie asked, Setsuko pointed outside.

"There, he's washing in that river," she responded, inching slowly over to see her brother's frame. Setsuko's hand went to scratch at the rashes on her stomach, Kimie shook her head.

"No, no, don't do that, you'll make it worse," she said, wishing she had some ointment to treat her reddened skin.

Eiko's eyes had dark circles under them when she woke up, a reminder of her exhaustion. She held back another impending cough, deciding to go outside for some fresh air. 

She looked over at the wagon with her belongings, she could hear the faint whines of Tomoko. She saw how Setsuko and Kimie were talking to each other. 

"I have to get more food, but from where?" she asked herself.

She grabbed the container filled with the last bits of rice, but she was having a difficult time trying to decipher on who should eat it.

Tomoko needs it, but it's not nutritional for her.

Her mother needs it. She needs to produce milk for Tomoko.

She needed it too, she'd woken up starving with stomach cramps.

Then she considered those two kids, the ones who were generous enough to allow her family to stay with them, despite the limited space and resources. 

Speaking of which...

Seita had gone out to the river outside, she could see him kneeling beside the water.

Hesitantly, she went over.

"You think there's something in there?" she asked. His face looked determined to scrape off every bit of grease from the bowl.

He doesn't respond immediately, only until he's done washing. With a sheepish expression, he gazed down, signaling a 'no.'

"I didn't...think about that," he admitted, scratching his head, "I think you'd be lucky if you found something."

She gave him a small, hopeful smile. Her feet slid out from her geta sandals, the marking on it briefly capturing her attention, but she quickly went back to the main goal.

The cool water hit her battered legs with precision, she could feel sudden memories rushing back.

A boil on her leg, popping open with that disgusting yellow fluid, her quiet suffering, and the times that she went out with her brothers to the beach. The water brushed past her legs, not wavering at any point. 

"Wahh!! It hurts Eiko!" Shinji wailed, his sobs being more bearable to listen here.

"I told you not to step out so far! Dad always said there were sea urchins!" 

She yelled, begrudgingly picking at the sea urchin that spiked at Shinji's leg. Meanwhile, Gen was poking fun of their younger brother.

"You never listen!" she cried out, but it was more of a scolding tone.

"Yeah, now you're gonna have the spikes in your leg for weeks!" said Gen, laughing at Shinji's predicament, which only made the child cry out louder.

"Gen, stop teasing him," Eiko said, firmly. Her fingers are trying to gingerly remove the spikes of the sea urchin. Once it was over, she took Shinji's hand as he sniffled, all three of them heading back home.

Moments like these replayed in the girl’s mind when she was doing a task, trying to think of something to distract her from the from the grueling struggle to find food. 

Once getting a large bowl from the wagon, she started to clean it first, not stopping until it was pure white. It had a few cracks and was chipped at certain areas, but still porcelain. 

Through the transparent, murky water, she spotted a few small fish swerving away from each other, being able to spot her legs. She tried to be nimble, scooping at the fish that were quicker, and swam away. It almost felt hopeless, she’d even managed to fall in the water, desperately trying to reach at anything. A loud splash was created, her pink dress getting soaked, causing her to shiver.

"Are you okay?" Seita called out. He was also attempting to fish, Eiko's idea inspiring his own. 

She stood up, slipping on the wet sand underneath. She stood up, her face flushed somewhat from the embarrassment of being completely wet.

For a second, she looked at Seita who was looking at her with an odd look, as if he wanted to laugh, but was holding back in order to not come off as rude.

A small, barely audible chortle escaped her lips. Seita, seeing this as permission, laughed too, and suddenly, her laughter got louder. She didn't remember the last time she was allowed to be a child. Once it died down, it felt awkward, her expression turned neutral, and she returned to trying to capture the fish.

"A growing girl like you needs fresh air," Kimie murmured, holding onto Setsuko's hand as the two went off to the market. Kimie figured she'd use a portion of the little money she carried to purchase something to fill their growling stomachs. Her other arm held the sleepy Tomoko in her arms, her gentle snores vibrating against the baggy arm of Kimie.

"Is there anything you want?" She knew she shouldn't have asked that, she didn't have the money for it.

Setsuko gazed at her, trying to study if her intentions were genuine. Her feet trudged along with Kimie, before shaking her head.

Confusion was apparent on Kimie's face - little kids like her would usually be listing off the numerous meals they would want, especially if they were constantly starving. This girl...she had the look of someone who had already been rejected numerous times, so she saw no point in saying anything. 

It was like Kimie's words were just words of the past.

After purchasing her desired (but limited) goods, Kimie started to head back with the two children. Setsuko walked further ahead, giddily, she stopped for a moment, making the older woman pause her movements too.

"Mrs. Nakaoka, do you think, you can...stay with us?" she asked, blissfully unaware of how quick these new people grew on her. "I don't feel as scared anymore."

Kimie paused, a bit stunned by her words, but finding them touching, she knelt down to the girl's level, keeping her hold on Tomoko.

"If that's what you want - if your brother is okay with it, then I might consider," responded the woman, gently patting her soft hair and looking into her big, glossy eyes.

"He's okay with it, I know it!" Setsuko exclaimed, determined -and a bit too loud, causing Tomoko to stir up from her sleep. 

"Sorry..." Setsuko mumbled, twisting slowly from side to side, her lips pursed.

"No, it's alright, I'll just get her back to sleep," Kimie responded with a smile, her arm gently bouncing Tomoko. "There, there, you'll be more hungry if you cry your lungs out, Eiko's making you some broth." 

She and Setsuko then passed by a crowd of people, all of which were staring at a small radio. The radio's static groans filled the air, the words coming out being shocking - but not too unexpected.

Almost at dawn (but not quite), another bomb had been dropped on Japan yesterday- in Nagasaki, no doubt leaving another ravaged landscape with little hope.

Kimie has no problem digesting the new information. Her eyes focused on everyone else who was whispering and muttering to themselves.

Had one bomb not been enough? Why did another one have to be dropped? Why didn't the Emperor just accept their defeat?

Then these clueless, possibly ignorant, people who still think Japan stood a chance against America. Kimie knew they didn't, there's no way. Now that she had half of her family separated from her; she didn't care what side won, she just wanted it to be over- no, she wanted the war to have ended ages ago.

She felt herself getting angrier, her throat drying and tightening with forbidden words that she refused to say outloud. Instead, she squeezed Setsuko's hand a bit more tightly to grab her attention, and then slowly began to walk back to the refuge.

"If you truly want to get rid of the stench, you'll have to add some flowers into the water."

Seita watched as Eiko crushed up the flowers in her bony hand. Her head turned slightly to make sure he was still watching. Diligently, she opened her hand, letting the flower petals fall slowly onto the mostly-clear water.

As she finished the laundry, she looked over.

"You're still trying to catch a fish?"

"No, a frog."

A frog?

At that moment, Eiko felt rumbling and aching from her stomach. Her hand placed on it as she sighed. "I wouldn't mind eating a frog at this point." 

She went inside of the shelter, glancing around into its hollow abyss. The sound of giggling and sand being skipped over didn't register into her mind at the moment. Setsuko's suddenly cheery voice could be heard from outside.

"Seita! Are you going to let Mrs. Nakaoka and her family live with us?" the girl happily said, looking like a new life had been transplanted into her. 

He was ready to, these people had caused no issues for him or Setsuko up to this point. But even he couldn't help but nag himself for quickly trusting strangers, when he couldn't even rely on his aunt for basic survival. Maybe he should...maybe...

Eiko started coughing once again, but they're violent, it felt like a million shards were piercing at her lungs. Her mother grew concerned, holding out a hand towards her as Seita got closer to inspect her. Setsuko was worried as well, jumping beside her brother.

She already felt overwhelmed, and her eyes widened as she felt something trying to come up, with clenched eyes, she forcefully swallowed whatever it was. Vomit? But she didn't feel any pain aside from hunger pains. It was like copper, swallowing a bunch of coins with that old, rusted flavor.

"I'm okay," she reassured all of them, breaking into a smile to make it more convincing, "I'm okay." 

Thin fingers gently craft at the rice, making them into the desired shape. All four of them set neatly onto the wooden chopping board. 

"I'm sorry if it isn't much, we barely have any rice left," said Eiko, handing each one out. 

She took gentle bites from hers, wanting to savor the taste as long as possible, until her next meal.

"Are you feeling better?" Eiko questioned Setsuko, watching as the child's pace increased. Her lips had a piece of rice that was stuck to it, she wiped her arm over it, smiling widely.

"Yes, it's the best meal I've had in days!" she exclaimed; Eiko smiled as well. 

It's calm, peaceful even. The sunset casts a glow over the entire city, completely void of any warfare. Just how long would it stay like this for now?

At night, Kimie had trouble getting Tomoko to fall asleep, her cries grew louder with each passing minute. When they started to weaken, that's when it really began to concern her.

Eiko listened from her futon, huddling to herself, and thinking desperately about what she could do. 

The next day, she would have to scout out for work.

Chapter Text

August 10th, 1945

The morning breeze hit Eiko's face, slowly getting her attention. It's sharp whistling and its chill was able to wake her up. Her hands rub at the crust in her eyes, blinking a few times before standing up.

Her mother was already awake, trying to calm down Tomoko’s ailing whines. The girl braced herself, approaching her mother with nervousness. 

“Eiko,” she began first, letting the girl relax for a second. 

“I need you to do something for me,” Kimie murmured, looking over to the silver bucket filled with the remains of their two family members. 

“I…I need you to go back and try to find Gen's bones. I can't relax or sleep at night, I have to know that he’s really gone."

The way she didn't consider the possibility of him even being alive made Eiko's heart drop. Her mother really did lose all hope. Even Eiko felt guilty, she'd been happy the previous night as if her life was normal, when it was anything but. She was so focused on her remaining family's survival, that she became distracted from the disappearance of her second youngest brother. 

"Okay, I'll go."

"Can you ask that boy if he can go with you? I don't want you to be there all by yourself," she asked, worried about her safety. If she were honest with the girl, she didn't want to let her out of sight at all. 

"Yeah, I'll do that, but I'm also going out to find some work, we need money to buy food and get milk for Tomoko," the girl said, wanting to sound as respectful, but firm as possible. Kimie looked hesitant, but knew there was no other way, and she had to let her do what was needed. 

"Alright, but if anything happens to you, you make sure to come home immediately as soon as possible. If you get injured or sick, make sure to get to a clinic there," she responded, a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "And make sure to stay close to that boy as much as you can."

 Eiko explained the situation to Seita, her eyes burning into the view of her socks as she said to him, "we don't have much rice left."

Seita nodded understandingly, his gaze pivoting towards Setsuko. The girl was with Kimie after taking a bath, her hair wet; Kimie gently ran a hairbrush through her thin hair, trying not to focus on the strands that fell out.

He didn't feel too keen on leaving his little sister alone with strangers, but from what he saw, they could most likely be trusted. She was a mother, naturally, he would be more inclined to trust her.

It was only a matter of convincing Setsuko now.

"No Seita, don't go!" she whimpered out, her glossy eyes filling up with tears as she clenched her fists. Seita's expression turned to one of worry as he put his hand on top of her hair, before picking her up against his chest. 

"Be good and stay with Mrs. Nakaoka, I'll be home as soon as possible," he said to her, gently rocking back and forth to calm her down. 

She'd never really cried out for him, specifically. It had usually been for their mother. Now, he was reconsidering if he should go, but knew in the end that he had to. He let her down carefully as he walked around the refuge, grabbing his boots and uniform. 

"I'll be back before you know it, just stay calm and behave, okay?" he reassured her, hoping to alleviate her tears. She found it difficult not to cry, her small hands rubbing at her eyes. Seita looked around for the one thing he knew that could cheer her up. He opened the tin can of fruit drops, letting one drop fall out of his hand. During her mid-crying session, he plopped the fruit drop into her mouth, watching as her facial expression turned to one of confusion. 

She ate it readily, appreciating the sweet and tangy flavor. Her cries stopped and he patted her head once again. He handed her the tin when he crouched down to her level, before getting back up. "Don't eat them all, I'll try to bring you another when I get home." The promise made Setsuko feel better as she swallowed the fruit drop, taking another one into her mouth. 

She walked over to Eiko, holding onto her long, blue skirt, "please, don't let anything happen to Seita." Her gaze was on Eiko, staring at her with precious, innocent eyes. Eiko's eyes widened slightly and her hand also came to rest on the younger girl's head. She nodded at her request, not wanting to move away from the young child. 

Within a few moments, both her and Seita were already dressed and headed out for the train station.

"We could take the train from here to Fukuyama, and then walk to Hiroshima from there..." Seita said, planning it out with Eiko. The girl nodded in agreement, slinging her bag over her shoulder. He felt a bit uneasy, he didn't know much about what happened four days ago. The newspaper had been brief, and Eiko didn't utter a word to him about what really happened.

However, he had a feeling it was a lot worse than what he could ever imagine. 

Both teens soon boarded the train, keeping huddled to themselves as it got more crowded. A few people in a similar situation as them. The bright sunlight shining into that transparent window. Delighted people also entered; despite the war going on, all of these adults and children looked as if nothing had really changed - for them.

These kids with their parents...

A feeling stirred in both of their minds, feeling alone more than ever here.

Eiko and Seita turned to look at each other, having a feeling that they knew what the other was thinking. 

The only other sounds were the faint "thunk" sounds that the train was making. The wheels bumping effortlessly against the metal tracks. No words were exchanged throughout that entire ride. The train ride made Seita recollect the moment he had that hard, wooden box with ashes - the only thing left of his poor mother.

If Eiko was being honest, she felt a bit uncomfortable heading out with Seita. It was a bit awkward between them; she wanted to strike up a conversation, but didn't know how. That was until Seita started whistling a tune to himself. It sounded familiar, but it was hard to place her finger on it. Soon enough, she seemed to know what song he was whistling. She subconsciously started singing, adding the lyrics as she matched his tempo.

Both of them blushed in embarrassment. The awkwardness only lasting for a moment and they were able to talk normally this time.

"I heard there were still troops in Hiroshima."

"Yeah," Eiko confirmed.

"What...what was it like? Seeing the troops, I mean."

"They were...odd. I thought they were going to hurt me, I heard stories of what soldiers did to girls my age," she explained, feeling a hint of disgust forming not only towards the American soldiers, but the Japanese as well. "They just tossed me something and when I picked it up, and ate it, it was sweet, probably candy."

A penitent expression appeared on her face, she couldn't help but feel like an idiot for just accepting whatever candy the American soldiers had given to her that day. She'd just had her entire life - family - ripped away from her, and she was there, eating the candy up like a casual after-school snack. 

If her father and brother were watching her from above, she hoped they wouldn't be too disappointed with her. "If Shinji and Gen were alive, they'd probably fight over the candy," she thought to herself, "I don't think they could blame me. I was hungry and I went with no food for months."

"I'm hungry..." Seita mumbled quietly to himself, breaking her out of her puzzling trance. Her hand moved around in her woven bag, pulling out several gum wrappers and then the packet. Only one piece was left, she handed it to him, then watching as he unwrapped it carefully.

"Here, it's my last piece, but you can have it since you helped us."

His fingers took out the flat, long, pink chicle from its wrapper. The words "U.S gum" printed on it. Though, he couldn't help but also have a sense of betrayal for eating it, should he really be accepting gum that came from American soldiers?

"It's not going to make me sick, right?"

More worried if it would kill him, rather than worrying about being seen as less patriotic. 

"Nope, nothing happened to me, yet."

He gently broke the gum into two, handing a piece to Eiko, who readily took it back. Both of them chewed nimbly while walking. The taste of the bubblegum made Seita's face turn to a scrunched up one; the girl glanced over at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just didn't expect it to taste that good." 

The taste was almost overwhelming him, but he didn't think it would topple the Sakuma drops anytime soon. He waved his hand, showing his dismissal to Eiko's worries. 

Along the way, they borrowed a bicycle to continue the journey. It took a lot of time and energy, but somehow, they managed to get there. 

"I don't think it was such a good idea to come here, how foolish was I to think that there would even be jobs here?" Eiko mentally scolded herself, taking in the same sight. 

The landscape, in ruins. The smell of rotting flesh and corpses all around the air, just barely an understatement to the previous four days. The soldiers were still loading bodies onto trucks, maggots picking at the melted flesh. It was practically a nuclear wasteland. 

These soldiers, didn't even care about the fact that these people had lives, families, and aspirations. They were speaking ever so lowly about the stench of these people who did nothing but loyally serve their country - and emperor - to the very end. 

"Papa was right. These people are so cruel, they're not going to rest in peace like that. Why did the emperor just not surrender already?! These people died in vain."

 Seita took in the sight of the massacred city. Only devastation around them, the melting metal windmills, the collapsed houses. There were still hints of smoke in the air from the previous days. 

That was only until they looked over to see the soldiers making bonfires to properly dispose of all of the bodies. He'd always wanted to be a soldier like his father, but...he was too clueless to understand what being a real, brute, and restless soldier actually meant. 

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, the decimated land was practically charred down, making it unrecognizable. To him, the firebombing in Kobe was not nearly as cataclysmic as what had happened here. 

And to think Eiko saw it all and was still somehow standing next to him.

He almost couldn't wait to report back to his father in a letter about what he'd seen. He hadn't responded to any letter at the moment, but he was praying that the man wouldn't delay and reply back to his urgent letter.

Where to start?

They both didn't know where. Eiko tried to use her senses, finding the general location of Gen's elementary school. Unlike that day, she had a newfound hope that her brother's bones would be there, uncollected, and hopefully, not damaged. 

There's no way he could be alive, a six-year-old? Managing to survive all of that? 

"I'll start looking here, I'll join you later," Eiko said to Seita, not waiting to hear another word. 

"How will we be able to find each other?"

He asked. She looked over.

"I don't know, but I can't stop until I find my brother's bones, I have to, for myself and my mother."

Weakened hands dug through the schoolyard's soil, the school had also crumbled down to the ground. The throng of bricks were scattered around the school area. Her body shuddered at the sight of seeing all of the bones that clearly belonged to young children. It was making her more anxious, more afraid.

She took a deep breath, not stopping even when she accidentally cut herself, and tossed the bricks away. 

"This had to have been the school wall," she said to herself, already sweating, and getting tired rapidly. "I can't give up now, I have to find Gen..."

The searing summer started to take its effect on her, because she hardly had any water, she was trying to save as much as possible. Her petite body grew weaker with each brick that was plucked away. Sweat rigorously dripped down her brow, and pale cheeks. Her knees were getting scraped by the roughness of the cracked bricks. 

"No, I have to find Gen...I have to..."

She convinced herself to keep searching, feeling like she was one of the hopeless people who were searching for their loved ones; her knees dragging her along. It still proved to be too much to her as she grew more exhausted and feeble. The smell of death and decay around her only added to her lightheadedness. 

Her stomach started to turn at breathing in the stench and foul odor that was inescapable. She coughed up into her hand, shaking before she vomited on the rubble nearby.

She barely flinched as her puny body collapsed onto the pile of bricks, her hands laying out, and her eyes struggling to stay open. 

"This one's a fresh corpse," a man called out to the rest of his group. The soldiers are still collecting bodies from the previous four days. It always seemed like more bodies just appeared with each passing day.

"It's strange, one moment, they're healthy, and the next, they're dead."

"This girl must've died from starvation out here, she has the same rashes like my friend who was in Okinawa."

"Poor girl..."

Eiko couldn't even feel the sickle's hook poking through her shirt, her body being dragged through the rubble and onto the truck. The reeking scent of decomposing corpses whiffed past her, faintly. 

She was thrown into the pile of dead bodies, still not moving an inch. The soldiers dumped gasoline over the wooden boards, lit a match, and set in on fire. The blazing hot flames and bright light returned Eiko back to her senses. 

The flames burned at her skin lightly, her body feeling the shocks coursing through it. 

Through the quiet prayer of the soldiers, Eiko quickly emerged from the flames, screaming out in pain.

"Ow! Ahhh!! Help!"

A nearby soldier immediately swatted his hat over her shirt to put out the small fire. She stood up, gasping for air, and clenching her teeth at the light burns on her face and body. 

"Are you alright? We thought you were dead!" the soldier exclaimed, helping her stand onto her two feet. The soldier's crew were all surprised at the sudden "resurrection."

Eiko ignored his question, covered her mouth, and coughed. "It stinks, so bad. I can barely breathe under all this humidity..." she whispered, the burning flesh of the victims causing her to start gagging.

"It's good that you came to us when you did, you could've been burned alongside all those bodies!" the soldier exclaimed, again pointing over to the cremation. "Come with me to get your burns treated."

Eiko didn't respond again, trying to catch her breath. 

"I have to find my brother's bones."

That was the only thing she was thinking about, if she had to come home without food, she would rather only return home with Gen's bones. 

The soldier kneeled down, allowing the young teen to get on his back. Eiko was a bit stunned at his gesture, but didn't mind too much. 

"Thank you, sir."

The soldier started walking to the medical station up ahead. He was able to feel Eiko's weakened and bony body, as well as her stomach rumbling against his back. 

Generously, he offered his lunch to her, and Eiko accepted.

It was canned bread, not too much, but it was proper food. She was excited and ate along the way, only for her to grow concerned about what the soldier would eat.

"Sir, won't you be hungry if I eat all your lunch?” 

"Don't worry about me, I'm not hungry," the older man said, sniffing his nose as he continued to walk. 

"Thank you, very much..."

The two passed around the indescribable city. Now that she regained some of her strength, Eiko started to look around slowly, tilting her head in different directions. 

"You remind me of my children in Kumamoto and how I used to carry them like this." The small talk began, but Eiko was already too enfeebled by everything that happened lately, she almost couldn't process what he said. The man bounced her up slightly, repositioning her to make sure she didn't fall off.

"Would you cheer up if I sang you a song?" he asked, beginning to sing. The girl's eyes fluttered open, her words cracked, but she managed to sing along with him. 

"I think I know way too many songs, I always sang in my free time," Eiko stated sheepishly, reminiscing about the times she always sang to cheer someone up. Along the way, she noticed several water tanks that had bloated, deceased bodies in them, many of the people stuck in their places. 

"Every water tank we come across, there always seems to be a body inside of it," Eiko pointed out, her hand suddenly covering her mouth to hold back her cough. She was struggling to keep her composure as the soldier responded, "These mothers hold their children in their last moments, the siblings too. They must've jumped in there thinking they would be saved from the fire, but they burned to death. It's cruel, too cruel..."

Unreal. There was no other way she could describe it. How could have one bomb caused so much tragedy? The way it could've been her had she not been as lucky as she was. If it were her mother holding her tightly like that, or her closely grabbing Gen and Shinji.

"I'll get those Americans!" declared the soldier, sounding utterly enraged, "I'll get them for killing innocent women and children."

At that moment, the soldier wobbled on his legs. Eiko felt the movement and started to climb off. "What's wrong sir? Are you alright?"

The soldier was on the ground, panting for his breath as though he'd been suffocating. "Is it okay if you walk from here? I'm sorry, I'm just feeling a bit ill," the man explained, holding his stomach. 

"Ever since I came to help clean up the dead; I've been feeling strange," he mused, feeling odd about the whole situation. His hand rubbed away at the grimy sweat from his face. 

Eiko was growing concerned for the soldier, she reached a hand out, watching as he stumbled over his steps. The man body trembled and before they both knew anything - he soiled himself. Instead of it being the regular color of feces, it looked like blood.

Wait, that's because it was.

Eiko was a bit taken aback, she stepped back, pinching her nose uncomfortably to avoid the stench. She'd seen little kids soil themselves, but never a grown man - especially a soldier.

"Do you need the bathroom?" she asked, hoping she didn't come off across as disrespectful. The man looked at her, just as confused. 

"No, why'd you ask?"

Because of the wet spot forming on his derriere, he must've finally felt it. The blood, soaking through his pants. His hand reached over to wipe it for a second, bringing it back up for inspection. 

"Blood? I don't feel sick," he said, more surprised if anything. That was only until Eiko noticed his hair falling out. 

Once again, the man brought his hand to his head, ripping out chunks of his hair. A wave of disbelief filled him, he was mortified, too stunned to speak for a second. 

"What's happening to me...?" he stammered out, not being able to say another word as he fell on his knees. Eiko gasped, as her hand reached out again. 

“Sir-?” 

The man shivered, mumbling out that he was cold. Despite her confusion, Eiko went around, trying to find something to cover the soldier with. A second barely passed, the man was already heaving, and mumbling incoherent words to himself. Eiko was sure he was hallucinating. She didn't know what to do.

What was she to do when a soldier, of all people, was losing his mind in front of her?

Before he passed out, Eiko was frantically trying to find a way to carry him to the medical station. Someone of her stature and health wouldn't be able to lift a grown man. 

It was grueling, but she was able to make a makeshift sled. Her hands gently rolling the soldier onto his back, the man was already coughing out blood, still muttering something under his breath. 

"It's summer, there's no reason this soldier should be cold..." she thought to herself, feeling herself getting more disturbed at how quickly his condition deteriorated. 

"Where...is...it?" Eiko said, panting to herself. She was getting tired once again, her chest expanding in and out with each struggling breath. The sled's rope caused her hand to burn from how tightly it was clenched. 

The girl continued to push past through it, not wanting to give up until she saw the medical station. She couldn't keep up, and now she was frequently looking back and forth to see if the soldier was still alive.

Water. She needed water, now. 

But she refused to drink any water that was in Hiroshima, not after she had seen those people suddenly die from just quenching their thirst. 

Her eyes grew blurry once again, but she persisted now that her eyes landed upon the medical center. The stench of decay and moans of pain filling the air now. 

"I can't die..."

With one last tug, Eiko managed to drag the soldier's body into the general area of the medical station. Her own body fell with a thud, the foul odor whisking past her, and she closed her eyes.

Chapter Text

August 10th, 1945

"I'll teach you from trying to steal from us!"

"No! I'm sorry alright?! I just need money so that me and my friend can feed our sisters!"

"I don't care what your excuse is, you damn kid!"

Sweat dribbled down the pale flesh of Seita's face. His limbs paralyzed from terror as he contemplated on how to get out of this situation.

Deciding not to hold his breath, he dashed away from sight. The man and his group instantly on his tail.

A teen boy proved to be no match against these men, and he was lucky enough to only get off with a minor beating.

Those clattering sounds. The sound of hushed voices and quick workers. Eiko flinched as she forced her eyes to open. She laid comfortably on one of the small hospital beds. People, who were in worse shape than her, were all around her. Some of them were resting, others sustained horrible injuries, and even small children who were running around the place. 

A nurse walked over to the teen, kneeling down as she attended to her. "How are you feeling?"

Eiko wasn't able to speak at first, her throat was basically dried up. She started to mouth her words out before finding her voice. "Okay...I suppose..."

"We found you passed out outside," the nurse began, glancing over, "you were with that soldier-"

"What happened to him?" Eiko instantly asked, sitting up. The nurse appeared to be more sympathetic than the doctors, she pulled down her face mask slightly.

"He's dead, I'm sorry," she said, before adding, "he must've gotten the same disease as the other soldiers from the atomic bomb. All those soldiers who came to clean up suddenly died." 

Eiko swallowed a lump in her throat, her hands rubbing together. She simply nodded to the nurse, now showing her feelings of disbelief. 

“Why did the Americans have to drop such an awful bomb on us?” she asked herself, “in the end, it was only the innocent citizens who got caught in the warfare.”

Eiko turned her head away, contemplating on what to do or say next. One of the only people who was compassionate to her, dead like that. 

Poor man…he didn’t even get to see his children again…

The girl was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard rushed footsteps coming towards her. It was Seita, he looked out of breath, and had a few band aids on his face. 

"Did something happen?" Eiko asked, confused about why he was also here. 

"I... I wasn't able to find any work or food. I decided to look around for you and I found you collapsed outside of the medical station," said Seita. "But I also came here for-"

"Your face, what happened?" Eiko asked, wincing at the sight. 

His cheek bulged out, red and puffy. His right eye was swelling up and also looked red. Eiko was sure it would turn into a black eye soon. He didn't speak for a moment, his hand gently rubbed at the sore area, his teeth gritting. A small hissing sound leaving his lips.

What was he supposed to say? He wouldn't tell her the real reason. 

"I got a bit injured while looking around at the beach, it's nothing, really," the boy murmured, his voice laced with dismissal. "The doctor said it would just be a black eye," he added.

"What happened to you?" he reversed the question onto her.

"That soldier...I was helping him and he just died, like that. It's like he got sick out of nowhere. I tried to bring him here, but I guess I collapsed on the way..." recalled Eiko, looking over at the nurse. Seita's eyes lowered in pity for the unnamed soldier, knowing he was just one of countless people they've lost.

"The doctor told me that you're okay, but he noticed that you're malnourished," she calmly explained, her eyebrows furrowing, "I'm so sorry, but ever since the bombing, our sources have been scarce. The most I can offer is water."

Eiko took a big gulp, trying to reason with herself. "Maybe the water's not bad, it's been days since the bomb, and..."

She took it; she chugged it all down. Her mind was making her believe that the water was putrid, trying to change the flavor. 

"Are you feeling better?" Seita asked, feeling like she was forcing herself to drink it. 

“Yes.” 

She tried not to think about it too much. To her, this was probably just aftershocks, or the sickness was just all in her head. 

Regardless, she wouldn't question it.

Seita and Eiko soon left the medical station after one last examination. Unlike Eiko, Seita was in a rush and trying to walk as quickly as possible.

All he knew was that those men could surround them at any moment. He didn't want to drag Eiko into whatever he had gotten himself into. Being lost in his thoughts, he almost had no idea that he was speed-walking ahead of the petite girl. Her voice called out gently to him and he went back over.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay..." her voice was quiet, yet fatigued. 

He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but he was unsure if she would even be able to walk on her own. She looked like she was about to pass out any moment again, his expression became firm as he held her wrist. 

"What do we do now?" she asked him, using her hand as a fan, trying to alleviate herself from the parching heat. Seita wasn't sure himself on what to do next, for a moment, he just stood there, thinking. Finally, he responded.

"I brought some stuff with me that I thought I could sell, it's just that, nobody's been wanting to buy anything."

Eiko's eyes closed, taking a deep breath before exasperating out. "We'll just have to look for work, together."

And so they set off, through the rubble and misery around them.

"Do you think I would buy this? Really, wasting my time with something like this?" the woman exclaimed, her voice laced with annoyance as she tossed back the articles of clothing to Seita.

"We can barely afford food ourselves, and now you're expecting me to buy some cheap laundry from you?"

"But-"

The woman slammed the door shut, which caused the boy to sigh in disappointment. It wasn't the first time he got rejected, but there always seemed to be more refusals than successful attempts.

"Rejection...rejection again. We haven't eaten in days. It feels like there's someone out there to get us..."

He then looked at Eiko, studying her frail body closely, realizing she had an advantage that would be useful to them. Desperate and having no other option, he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

Upon hearing his words, Eiko recoiled as if she'd been slapped. Her pupils expanded in shock, and she was making sure he was being serious.

"I...I don't think I could do that, I would feel horrible if we tricked people who are also struggling."

Seita's expression turned solemn, agreeing with her, but he had no faith in finding work anymore. "There's not much work to be done here. If we don't get any food, we could all starve."

"I always got taught that stealing from people is wrong...even now, I...I can't bring myself to do it."

Images of Kimie, Tomoko, and Setsuko started to play in her mind, rewinding her to the moment where she had to constantly hear Tomoko's weakened cries of hunger. Setsuko's rashes and ribs being visible, and her mother was in no condition to work. 

What kind of person would she be just letting them starve like that?

Worrying about other people when she should be worrying about her own family...

She was malnourished too...

She didn't know what to do.

Singing for strangers was another option, but she'd already become exhausted to even do that. This way was easier, more reliable according to Seita. 

Eiko took a deep breath like it was her last, walking with Seita as they devised the rest of the plan.

"That's where my brother's elementary school was," Eiko pointed out, having grown more confident to talk to the other teen. Seita tried to visualize what the school must've been like before the bombing. Cheery kids running around the schoolyard to it now being empty. 

The girl felt like she finally had someone to discuss all of her bottled up emotions before the atomic bombing. There was not one person who could listen to her struggles. Not her mother, father, or brothers. She had to be strong for the entire family, be the voice of reason for her siblings. The stoic one who would not even flinch at the word "traitor."

Eiko was only a school girl, a school girl with millions of thoughts in her head. A school girl with dreams. 

Then, the shameful incident that she hadn't discussed outside of her family. The way she'd been forced down to her bloomers just because of a rumor from a crabby-faced boy all over stolen money. Her teacher didn't even bother to investigate the baseless rumor. 

All because she was the daughter of a traitor.

The girl's head moved slightly, looking at the boy, and wanting to make it equal; learn about his own past. How someone like him was allowed to be a child for once. The look in his eyes whenever he passed by a corpse or a soldier. That look of determination to carry out his family name, to care for the little sister - who is the only family he has left.

Which is why Eiko was careful with her own words: "I love my country, but what they're doing is wrong."

However, she would never utter that forbidden sentence to a soldier's son.

"Because of my aunt, I don't think I'll ever be able to become a soldier," he muttered out with antipathy, his feet trudging through the rubble.

Already had the uniform - but clearly not the attitude. 

"I always think...of myself as Setsuko's soldier," he said with renewed emotion, standing up straight. 

"Your aunt...what did she do?" Eiko questioned. She just couldn't imagine that two kids had been forced alone, someone like her should be in that situation considering what happened in her hometown. They had a real chance to live back there.

Or maybe not.

"...she doesn't like us," he responded after carefully choosing his words. Truthfully, he wasn't able to speak ill of her, not out of respect, but from being exhausted. Exhausted from everything that life threw at them. In the end, he had to force himself to realize that the woman had worries of her own. 

"She always got upset at us when...when we didn't take the air raids seriously. She always had something to say because my sister wouldn't stop crying at night. And...she sold my mother's kimonos, like it was nothing."

Seita paused to reflect on that memory. The carefully crafted patterns and mystical appearance that their mother wore was the last piece he had of those kimonos. Auntie was right, the kimonos had no purpose, but neither did the rice - if he thought about it.

What good was that rice he bought that barely lasted him a month? God, he felt like a stubborn fool for not properly rationing it. It wasn't entirely his fault, half of it had been taken by that witch like she was owed anything. The kimonos may have not meant much to him as they did to Setsuko, but that was only because he didn't realize the kindled connection.

He didn't hear Eiko respond to his words, so he carried on.

"Before then, life was simple."

Better than anything now.

"I always went to the beach with my mother and sister. Our mom gave us the best picnics we now see in our dreams."

He smiled, properly.

"School was okay too. I had a group of friends and we would always hang off from the climbing frames," he said, before smiling cheekily like those other teen boys in their grade, "I was the best at it."

His statement caused Eiko to giggle in amusement, making him shake his head, "I'm telling the truth, y'know."

They both stopped in their tracks when arriving at the destined spot; he mustered up the best acting he could before executing his plan.

Like a beggar, Eiko was slumped on the ground, Seita calling out to anyone who would listen. 

"Our parents were killed by the bomb! We've gone days without food!" he exclaimed like someone would listen. 

Nobody seemed to though. A couple of sneers were thrown at them, just scraps too, but nothing worth wild. 

That was until that woman showed up.

Her outdated apperance, her slowly-thinning body. The small gray hairs that threatened to spread throughout her black hair. 

"Oh, please! Come live with me!" the woman said, quickly embracing the two teens as if they were her own. Eiko gulped out of discomfort while Seita was too stunned to even speak. How did it work so quickly...?

"All of my family died in the blast, my children, my husband, my parents," she explained through her forming tears, "please, come live with me."

Eiko stood up as soon as the woman let go. Now, she just felt even worse. It was taking advantage of someone's hospitality here, twisting her emotions just to get what they wanted. It could be humorous some other time, like when Gen and Shinji did the same thing to earn money for Kimie.

Unlike their young minds however, Eiko was more conscious of her actions.

Quickly changing up the heartbreaking tale and demeanor, Seita instantly agreed to the offering without regard to the girl's answer.

And somehow, Eiko was now walking beside the two of them. The woman was spilling out her life story before returning to the tragic memory of her family’s demise. Despite her changing hair color, she didn’t appear to be  older than thirty-five. 

Her house was makeshift as like many others; the canned food however, made it clear she was no ordinary survivor. Somehow, she managed to get so much food, and even money. 

Offering to the two, Seita quickly chowed down without any regard for manners. Eiko gently jabbed his protruding ribcage, and he paused momentarily. 

The woman, on the other hand, simply began to cook the rice on a dusted heater. Seita chewed the food in his mouth slowly, leaning to whisper in the girl’s ear. 

“We haven’t eaten in days. We might as well make most of it.” 

Still, the girl couldn’t bring herself to eat as giddily as the boy. 

“So…where did you get all this food?” asked Seita through mouthfuls. The woman’s expression turned to hesitance as she looked out the window. 

“The soldiers.”

”Huh?” 

“The soldiers, I…work for them. In exchange, they give me as much food and money as I need,” she said, possibly simplifying the truth. 

“What could she possibly help them out with?” 

A sudden realization of shock appeared on Eiko’s face, she looked away to not let the others notice. 

“Inhuman soldiers.” The words bitterly appeared in her mind, and suddenly, she didn’t know if she should accept food anymore. 

No, now was not the time to think about her morals. First, she had to survive. Everything else she would clear later. 

Mentally apologizing to everything she stood for, she started eating until her stomach became stuffed. She made sure not to stop eating until she was completely unable to anymore. 

"Your name?"

"Eiko," she said, wiping her mouth clean. Seita giving away his name to the woman as well.

"Well, Eiko, Seita, you're free to live with me from now on. I'm Sayoko." She grinned widely, but it was questionable.

After having a proper shower, Eiko felt like the world's grime had washed away from her aching body. She went into the small bedroom where three futons lay neatly for them. 

Her eyes trail around the room, trying to take in the fact that she had proper shelter. She almost felt guilty for having it.

Her brittle body lay on the futon, and soon, Seita returned too. The lights were off and they both laid in silence, but the slight shuffling made it clear they were both awake. 

"Don't you think...it's odd that this woman has so much in times like these?"

Seita glanced over at her, rolling away from her. "She probably just got lucky, and besides, you heard her say she works for the soldiers in exchange for everything she has."

Still, Eiko didn't feel one bit comfortable with the situation. 

"...we're going to leave this place, right? We still have to get food for our sisters and my mother..."

At her words, Seita recoiled at the instant realization that shot through his brain. "I...I almost forgot."

His expression turned sheepish. Eiko let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"Take it seriously, please. This isn't some vacation."

Eiko moved herself into a comfortable position on the futon, closing her eyes. "That's right, I too almost forgot about something...Gen..."

Back at the shelter, not everything was perfect either. Kimie was sitting on her knees, cradling Tomoko at different variations. The toddler beside her was sitting up, clearly unable to sleep because of the cries. 

"I'm sorry for keeping you up, Setsuko," Kimie apologized earnestly. 

"Why can't you just feed her some of your milk?" 

For the few days that she's been here, even Setsuko caught onto the fact that the older woman was not lactating. A solemn smile appeared on Kimie's face, trying to find a way to easily explain her situation to the young girl.

"Well, malnutrition keeps your body from doing certain things correctly. Because I'm not getting enough to eat, I can't produce any milk. Not only do I go hungry, but so does my baby."

Setsuko nodded at her explanation, feeling pity for the little one. 

"I hope Seita and Eiko come back soon. I'm really hungry."

Tomoko's cries grew louder as the mother continued to rock her gently.

"There, there, calm down. I promise your big sister will come home with as much milk as you want." 

It wasn't enough to suffice her weakening sobs.

"Please, Tomoko."

At this point, Kimie was desperate, pleading with the infant as if she could make sense of what her mother was saying. Finally, she fell asleep - feeling her soft breaths hitting the white fabric of her kappogi. 

Chapter Text

August 11th, 1945

For the first time, the sun actually seemed to shine, like it was bringing back Eiko's hope. Her bones gently cracked under the weight of pushing up her own body. Sayoko was already out of her own futon and preparing breakfast outside.

"Good morning," greeted Seita, already wearing his uniform. EIko rubbed her eyes, taking a moment to wake herself up before responding.

"Good morning..."

She didn't know what they were supposed to do now; living with a stranger? What would they even do now?

The loose floorboards creaked underneath their feet. EIko got her school uniform on and was walking alongside Seita. The two teens met up with Sayoko outside, watching her cooking.

"Canned beans?" EIko asked in disbelief. Her hand picked up the metallic can, trying to read the foreign words printed on it. 

"You know what this means?" Seita asked Sayoko, wondering if she had an answer. 

Sayoko looked over. "Little, I only know it means that it came from America." 

"How can you be sure the soldiers aren't trying to poison you?" questioned Eiko, innocently. 

Because she was serious about her question, Sayoko couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, I've already eaten from cans for the past few days. I assure you there's nothing wrong with it."

From afar, Seita couldn't resist poking a jab at the older woman, covering her mouth in order to not let it slip over to her.

"Strange woman. She cooks outside like the city hasn't been decimated."

EIko murmured the obvious fact, "I think Sayoko lives in debris, not a house."

Wanting to make herself useful, the girl washed Sayoko's kitchenware, making sure to leave everything spotless. 

Hours go by, Seita left to presumably find work (with Sayoko's permission surprisingly). EIko made sure to not knock over anything that was in the cluttered, ruined area. Her socks trudge through the dust particles and ash. 

The curtain to the cavern suddenly swung open, the panting breaths of Seita were hard and audible. An expression of excitement on his face. The sudden break of silence caused Eiko to jump back, nearly giving herself a heart attack.

"Ah! Be careful, you scared me!" she half-scolded him, her heart racing. Seita ignored her words, getting closer as he revealed some new information.

"Those Yankees. They. Have...food. In those warehouses!" he made out in-between his rapid breaths, hope visible in his eyes. His hand grabbing her shoulders.

"We can get food now and then go back home."

"...And what about Sayoko?" Eiko questioned dryly. Her words slapping Seita in the face.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." The boy's expression faltered for a moment, before quickly coming back with an excuse.

"We'll just get the food and leave this place." 

No guilt whatsoever. But it was expected, even the most honest people had to be selfish in these times.

The girl shook her head in disapproval, but knew there was no other way to convince the stubborn boy. "Alright."

Running away was the only way out. Of course, Eiko would feel guilty until the end of time for using Sayoko.

LIke a freeloader.

She nearly shuddered, hearing 'freeloader' in the same voice as that grandmother. EIko took a moment to scratch her legs, a bit too roughly that it was noticeable by Seita.

His gaze lowered to her skinny legs, eyes widening at the old scabs, busted boils, and that all-too-familiar reddened skin. He recognized it, the same horrific rash that Setsuko has. 

"Are you feeling okay?" he suddenly asked. His face looked serious and Eiko could finally see that soldier.

"Yes, why?"

"Your legs." 

Pointing them out caused Eiko to tug on her socks, wishing they would go up more to conceal the state of her legs. "Uh...yeah, it doesn't hurt much. At least, not when I don't move fast."

Sayoko entered the room, holding a bowl with water and a rag. 

"Sorry, but I overheard what you were saying, Seita," she politely interrupted, kneeling down to the girl. Her hands gently dipping the rag into the warm water, taking it out, and rolling the excess water out. 

Before she could do anything, Eiko stopped her. "No thank you, I can do it myself, really."

She doesn't wait for a response and gently tugged the rag out of Sayoko's hands. The older woman's expression changed to one of slight surprise, yet hardened as well.

Eiko's hands gently moved the wet rag around her legs, using it to relieve the soreness and injuries. 

Seita stood quietly, wondering in his mind if Sayoko heard anything else before he had mentioned the rash. He coughed to mentally distract Sayoko. 

Eventually, Sayoko left the two teens alone. Seita coming closer to explain the new idea he had. Sometimes, he sounded so unbelievable that Eiko had to hold back her laughter. 

The were currently walking through the treacherous streets of Ninoshima. The familiar pang of the sweltering heat returned to gnaw at Eiko. Her hands grasped for her canteen of water, feeling the (almost) pure water cleansing her dry throat. 

"You managed to remember the location huh?" EIko mumbled, a bit amused as he nervously fiddled with one of the buttons of his uniform. 

"Yeah, in no time, we'll take back all the food we can find, and none of us will go hungry again." The determination in his voice was evident. His intentions are clear, but left unfulfilled questions in the air. 

EIko doesn't want to think she is strange; she knows she isn't. But that day where Seita had used her sickness just so they could have a place to stay...

It made her uneasy and now, she questioned his intentions as well. The girl hoped he wouldn't use her like a personal golden goose. 

Standing outside of the warehouse, Eiko looked up in awe. The place was a lot bigger than she imagined, and it was somehow one of the unaffected areas from the bombing. 

Eiko couldn't help but snort at the site. A military warehouse, being able to stand despite the mass destruction that still plagued the city? It was impossible.

Oh, but how she wished she could stand high just like it. Just like her, she had to stand tall, like the building, like the wheat...

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even sense the presence of two men behind them. Seita was the first to notice, his eyes went wide. His face twisted into fear, backing up, and subconsciously moving closer to Eiko. One of the men let out a chuckle, that was muffled from the ash-ridden cigarette between his dry lips. 

"Sir..." Seita began with a tremble. Eiko's hand moved to grab Seita's shoulder. She didn't know why she did it, whether it was out of fear or served as a gesture of confusion. 

"Don't act all scared now, you still have a debt you haven't paid back. You're not backing out of it now, are ya?" he menacingly said, blowing the ash into the teen's faces. Eiko started to cough, the man's attention drawing to her at her weak noises. 

She hated the way his eyes traveled across her body, the way his tongue licked at his rotten teeth. His eyebrows furrowed. His perverted gaze managed to make Eiko uncomfortable without saying a single word. 

Eiko was perplexed now, the man had something in regards with Seita, and clearly wanted something from him. Seita mustered up the best serious face he had, trying tread carefully.

"Yes sir, I haven't forgotten."

"'ya know, if you want to earn money, your friend doesn't look too bad to offer up as a contribution for the soldiers," he suggested. Eiko was astonished and disgusted at the lack of shame the man had for even saying something absurd as that. She didn't say anything, feeling like she should just brush it off. 

"I dunno, just look at the state her legs are in," said the second man, grimacing. "Malnutrition. Those soldiers will just throw her body away like those other corpses."

Seita wasn't having it now. He broke out of his distracted trance, forgetting about the plight of fear he carried with him. His body moved forward and in front of Eiko to shield her, subtly. 

"We're not going to do something like that. We just want food," he muttered out, his voice laced with assertiveness -- loud enough for the two men to hear. The other man, clearly a soldier, laughed while slapping his accomplice on the back teasingly - acting like they'd become a comedy duo.

"Don't speak to me in that tone, boy. Don't forget who saved you," the man reminded with annoyance. His index finger pointed up. "Now you'd better follow our plan, or else we'll take you back to the Yakuza. They'll give you so much worse than that nasty black eye the other day."

Seita nodded immediately, stammering out an apology. He already knew Eiko heard and wouldn't be too happy. He stood stiff as the two men went back to each other, forming out a plan on how they would get past the warehouse's barbed wire and security. American soldiers stood out of the base, their hats embarked with the 'MP' symbol.

"...so that's why you have a black eye. I thought you got injured at the beach," Eiko whispered, sounding like she was devestated at the revelation. Seita felt the guilt tugging at his heart, his expression softened as he shook his head.

"How? How did it happen?" she questioned. Her hand now is the one on his shoulder, looking for answers that only he had. Her eyes narrowed and fear soon became present in them.

"I had a run in with them. I must've said something to offend them," he started. "They..." he continued, referring to the two men, "-saved me from them. We had to run away though because they shot them, and now..." He didn't bother finishing his sentence, not wanting to worry Eiko more than she already was.

Eiko started rapidly catching her breath. It felt like her lungs were tightening up and she was struggling to breathe. Seita immediately noticed as he put his hands out in case she fell down.

"Are you oka-"

He flinched when feeling the tight grip of the man's shoulder, pulling and redirecting him back to the situation. They had no care for what would happen to the petite girl, until the other man stood behind her, his hand mimicking the action of the other. 

Seita looked between them frantically. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

The words struggled to escape. Eiko wouldn't mind if he stood up for her, he had knew it was uncomfortable for her.

"...Touch her," he finished, putting on his stone-cold, soldier face. Another cackle came from the man who slapped him lightly to face the barbed wire.

"You see that?"

"See what?"

"The kitchen," the man responded, pointing toward the glass windows of the base. It was a bit fuzzy to see, but there was a small snippet of an American soldier - who was eating and relaxing as if nothing had happened that past week. Eiko and Seita saw how agitated the man got up on seeing him. His fist clenched, and the two teens were worried he'd use it on them.

"Yeah, I see it," Seita murmured, focusing on how he had to do with anything. Then, he noticed the similar cans of food that Sayoko also had, the soldier was eating it casually.

"They have food, lots of it," clarified the man with a sneer and disdain for the soldier. "Your job is to go in there with Ginji and take all the food you can." he instructed, referring to the other man, who's name was apparently Ginji.

Seita was stuck in his thoughts, contemplating. Of course they were desperate for food, and Seita wasn't going to lose sleep if he stole from the American soldiers, but he was afraid of getting caught.

At that realization, a million more worries shrouded him. He could get beaten, killed even; if that happened, he would never get to see Setsuko again. They wouldn't be able to find their father together.

He didn't have any room to complain though, if he tried to back out, it would be worse. He gave Eiko a quick glance like it was the last bit of closure he would get before doing something dangerously dire. 

"What if we get caught?"

"You won't if you're careful," he said, "besides, those Americans were the ones who bombed us. Don't feel any guilt stealing from them."

Seita went over to the barbed wire with Ginji. He noticed a sign with letters and a small character on it. While he was unable to read it, he could already figure out what the character stood for. It was most definitely a warning about the fence being electric.

"Uh, sir?"

"What is it?"

"The fence, we could get shocked if we try to climb it," stated Seita quietly. Ginji sneered, crossing his arms. 

"We'll just jump over it, you can jump right?" he asked mockingly, making Seita annoyed mentally.

"Of course I can," he responded, crouching down before lifting himself up. He immediately landed on his feet, stumbling forward. Ginji sneered once more, "pathetic. You'd be no use as a soldier yourself if you're so weak."

Seita didn't budge at his remarks. Ginji sighed and picked him up, "Throw yourself over, boy."

Seita did and he landed on the other side, looking a bit proud of himself despite the help. He and Ginji started to look around the field, Ginji looked over at the other man and Eiko. The two men nodded. 

Upon watching them disappear, Eiko was uncomfortable staying with this man. She stared down at her shoes; the man gazed at her with an eerie expression. 

"That's your brother?" he asked, willingly making small talk. 

"No."

This man must be nosy as he then asked: "Then who is he to you?" 

"...My friend I suppose," she replied without meeting his eyes, her hands twitched together. She hoped he wouldn't ask anything else about herself.

She switched it up. "Why are we staying out here?"

"We're gonna look out in case those soldiers start roaming around here," he responded, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. 

Eiko stood quietly, praying that everything would go smoothly. Her eyes traveled to look at the clear sky.

"I hope there's milk, and that they bring some back. I just want to go home...Back to my mother and Tomoko..."

Seita treaded carefully with Ginji in the military base, the teen was obviously unprepared and twitchy than the man. He watched Ginji casually walking around, careful, calculated, and quiet. He wondered how anyone could be this calm while ready to steal - unarmed at that too. The faint sound of chatter could be heard throughout the gloomy corridors. Looking around for the warehouse, the dim light caught their attention. 

For a moment, they both paused their movements, planning when and where to step. Ginji pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it up like the tiny light of fire would do anything. 

From what they could make out, there were no goods that could be seen. Just an empty, dark, and ferrous smelling warehouse.

Ginji grunted in annoyance, casually tossing the cigarette away. He turned his back and went back to walking the way that they came from. Despite not speaking, Seita immediately followed after him, looking back to see if the cigarette would accidentally catch the whole place on fire. 

"Why are we leaving?" Seita asked monotonously, their shoes making small clacks on the flooring. Ginji rubbed his lips for a second, turning his head towards him.

"They ain't got nothin' here, we just gotta see what the Yankees are hiding in their kitchen."

Traveling around the facility without making a single sound was draining, making them more on edge. Seita started to scratch the sudden itch on his hand. Ginji's arm coming to stop him instantly once making it outside.

He let out another sneer once watching the soldiers inside eating. "Those damn bastards. They sit around, eating all day like they didn't just drop a bomb on us." 

Seita could understand his frustration, nodding slightly in agreement with Ginji when their eyes briefly made contact. 

"I have a question," Seita began, letting his guard off for a moment. Ginji raised on eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Do you think they have milk?"

Ginji paused, standing idly on the grass. "Of course they do, what else do you think they use to make their coffee?"

Seita blinked without an expression, secretly dumbfounded as he and Ginji made their way to the open window. Ginji snorted with laughter as he started to climb in, "These idiots had no qualms in leaving their windows open, huh?" 

The boy waited for his turn to climb in, his trembling fingers wrapping around the frame before slowly using all his strength to pull himself in. He constantly felt like adults looked down on him for being infirm. His stomach rumbled at the sight of dozens of boxes neatly piled on top of one another.

Seita nearly forgot about the entire reason he was dragged along with the man and Ginji. He had a bit of hope that they would take pity on him, and let him keep some food too. (Though, he probably should've asked that prior to agreeing to break in and steal). 

He could see how Ginji's mouth puckered, and drooled, when he picked one of the boxes into his arms - embarked with a familiar 'USA' symbol. 

"What are you waiting for boy? Hurry and grab some before the Yankees discover us!" 

His words sent a spike throughout his body, reclaiming the emotion of excitement that he thought he'd lost all those months back. Seita couldn't help but grin as he enthusiastically grabbed one box, trying to get another to stack it on top. Ginji started to toss boxes out of the window, breaking his own rule of being silent.

Everything after that felt like a dream, like life had finally given Seita a chance. Well, that was only until a soldier noticed them, barking out words that neither of them understood. Seita and Ginji carried the boxes, trying to make a dash for the fence. Eiko and the man stood on the other side, frantically trying to grab them while making sense of what was going on. 

The boxes were hauled over. Because of his better strength, Ginji managed to climb over the fence without getting electrocuted. Seita slipped half way down as the soldier point-blank fired his pistol, sending a bullet straight for Seita's leg. He groaned in pain, lifting his thigh up to clutch at the wound on his calf.

Eiko was shaking in fear, the man standing close by to her. She was so sure she would now have to witness his gruesome death, but he was saved. 

Ginji grabbed onto his arm, pulling Seita's body out as nimbly as he could. The boy fell a few feet down onto the ground, coughing out like his throat had been affected.

"Stop it!" The soldier exclaimed, repositioning his gun in his hands. "Stop it or I will shoot!"

The soldier pulled the trigger on the gun, but nothing came out.

Using this as an opportunity to escape, Ginji sprang into action. "Let's go before the rest of those bastards catch up!" Ginji ordered,   dashing with the boxes right away.

The other man grabbed the few other boxes while matching his pace. The soldier was busy reloading his gun, Eiko's breathing got faster, her hands dragging Seita's body as he clung to her neck for dear life. 

Somehow, they managed to narrowly avoid anymore gunfire that threatened to come their way.

 The evening started to settle in fast. Seita's body was slumped against a tree as Eiko pressed a previously acquired handkerchief onto his bleeding leg. It started to soak through the cotton material, caking it in the bright red substance. She grit her teeth in pain, watching as Ginji and the man started to walk away. Seita, meanwhile, was in excruciating pain. 

He always took beatings -- like the time he had to steal food from a farmer for his hungry sister. It was clear he'd never been seriously injured like this before. Eiko could see the tears of pain welling up in his eyes, but he didn't want to let her see. 

"Where are you going?!" Eiko called out to Ginji, her hand flying out. 

"Sir!" she yelled again, as if they couldn't hear her. The man and Ginji turned to finally look at her, annoyed at her persistent cries.

"What? We already saved your friend from the Yankees," he snarled.

"You both forced him to steal from them!"

"Because he owed us! We pulled his ass out of the confrontation with the Yakuza the other day!" he re-stated, his voice lacing with a mixture of arrogance and frustration. 

"But he deserves something in exchange! Please!" Eiko suddenly pleaded, Seita's eyes went wide again, watching her act out of the ordinary. She knelt down onto her knees, bowing pathetically like her mother once did before, before her family was ripped apart. She couldn't bare to go back home without anything, just when they were so close to getting food.

"I beg you! We have siblings at home! They need food. My mom can't give my little sister anything, and I know she's always in pain because of our suffering!"

The atmosphere grew silent, the only sounds being the whistling wind and Ginji lighting another cigarette. She hoped they would feel bad for her, that they couldn't be heartless.

Seita groaned, shaking while attempting to stand up, his rough hands pushing him up. His only uninjured leg wobbled in spite of it being his only support. He had enough of people stealing what was rightfully his. The image of his aunt playing into mind when he viewed Ginji and the other man. He was done with it, and dared to stand up for himself.

"Give those...back to me! Just one! Our sisters are-"

A swift kick to his shoulder put him in unrest, but he wasn't able to stand up again. His body fell back onto the ground with precision. 

"Piss of you damn kids, you should be lucky we didn't leave you with those Yankees!"

Eiko watched them walk away, too numb, too shocked to move. She couldn't fathom how any adult would be willing to allow a child to go on like that. 

Because of the pain that overtook him, Seita wasn't focused on the 'betrayal' that the two of them faced. Eiko sat silently, rethinking everything that had just transpired. 

As if she had time to spare, she sat frozen in her spot. The fact that Seita was still bleeding out and weakly begging her to take him to the makeshift clinic, Sayoko's house, anywhere, finally stuck her in the head. 

She didn't waste anymore time just sitting like an idiot. It was impressive that someone of her stature was able to drag along the boy of another fourteen-year-old without a complaint or break. She was sure she was going to pass out alongside Seita from how exhausted she was of today's events.

Chapter Text

August 13th, 1945

Eiko would’ve thought that scavenging what felt like a lifetime, would’ve brought back some results. Without Seita, she felt even more powerless to dig out anything that could be of use to them. 

She sat alone, in silence outside of medical station. Her hands rubbed at her pulsing legs, still worn out from the past two days. Her eyes felt like they were going to water, and she blinked the tears out, wiping them away with the cloth of her school uniform. 

The girl felt utterly useless. Just thinking about how she would have to go to her family empty handed. Tomoko would definitely die then. 

Why did it feel like the entire world was against her?

“How are you holding up now?” The doctor questioned before starting the check up. Even talking felt straining for the boy, he swallowed the saliva forming in his mouth before speaking. 

“It hurts, it really hurts…” he mumbled out groggily. His hand managed to reach up to squeeze his hair like it would make the pain go away. 

“Of course it does, you were being reckless,” he accused, putting on a clean set of gloves. “With all these survivors continuing to come in, I think you can manage on your own soon.” 

“I don’t think you tore any muscle, you’re very lucky to be alive.” 

Finishing the not-so-thorough examination, the doctor left to treat the other patients, leaving Seita surrounded by other bodies. The bandages that started to color with his blood would have to be replaced soon.

He must’ve been a fool to get up and just leave the place like that, it’s not like the doctors would do anything since they were preoccupied with others. He only thought he needed a glass of water and he’d be alright. 

He limped outside, he was dragging his leg along. He nearly tumbled over several times, the pain felt like it was coursing through his bones. He rolled down the pant leg while calling out to Eiko. 

As soon as she turned around, his injury was concealed. 

“What are you doing up? You should be resting-“ 

“I’ve already rested enough-” he began, his expression softening when he saw Eiko’s worried expression. Giving a reassuring smile, he placed a hand on her shoulder, “hey, what’s the matter?” 

“It’s just that we haven’t found any food,” she said, yet again reminding him. He nodded with an understanding, trying to be the level-headed one. 

After comforting the Nakaoka. Seita started heading towards Sayoko’s house, Eiko following him hesitantly. Her face scrunched, finding it odd how casual he was acting after getting shot. He only rested for a day, but was acting much more mature about this.

Eiko couldn't help but picture him as a soldier that returned from war, returning with an injured leg and heavy heart.  He already shared the same desperation and defeated look as one. 

"What if Sayoko sees your leg?" she finally asked once making it to the doorstep. Seita undid his shoes along side her. 

"I won't show her, that's for sure," he responded, "I don't want to let her know that we got into trouble while going off by ourselves."

"Hm. Poor woman, we're irresponsible for not telling her where we were going. Now, I feel like a freeloader again..."

She glanced up at Seita, taking in his confused expression. A sigh left her lips as she explained. 

"Before I found the shelter you and your sister were living in, me and my family got kicked out of the place we were staying in."

Seita's eyes narrowed, nodding in understanding. Knowing full well what she must've went through. Before he could say anything, Sayoko suddenly appeared, her mouth agape at the sight of the two teens.

"Where have you been?!" she asked in shock, sounding like she was terrified to death. Her hands patted them down for injuries, hitting a particularly sensitive area for Eiko as she yelped. When her hand brushed over Seita's leg, he had to stifle back his cry

"Well? Answer." Her voice tinged with a demanding tone. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was waiting on edge for their answers. Eiko was the first to speak, rubbing her sore legs -- that felt like they would crack on their own. 

"W-well w-we were...looking for work, a-and then some stuff happened," Eiko stuttered out, looking away from Sayoko's piercing gaze.

"Stuff? Can you explain to me what you mean by that?" Her eyebrow raised and her arms were crossed.

Seita jumped in to add to their excuse. "We got caught up...helping the soldiers. We didn't mean to be out for so long, we're sorry, Sayoko-san."

At this, Sayoko sighed heavily, rubbing her wrinkled forehead. Their story didn't make sense, but she was just relieved to have them back.

"You don't need to go out, alright?" she said, breaking no sweat with her words. "You don't have to do anything for me except for just being yourselves," she whispered, her voice cracked under the weight of her own words. The painful memories must've returned for her. 

It only added more weight to Seita and Eiko's guilt.

"Do the bandages have to be changed?" Eiko asked Seita when Sayoko left the house for "work." He winced when standing his injured leg on the wooden crate. He started to roll up his pant leg, revealing the injury to Eiko for the first time. She inwardly gasped, wondering once again how he could be in a state like this without complaint. The bandages already appeared soiled with his own blood, dying the woven white material a bright red color.

"Uh, yeah, but I can do it on my own," he started, before Eiko shook her head. Her short black hair waving along with her head. A stern expression nestled on her face.

"No you won't, I'm going to be the one to change them, you just lie back," she said, turning around to go look for any bandages in the house. Seita shrugged to himself, deciding not to put up a fuss about it. At least he wouldn't do any work.

A few moments later, Eiko returned with several small handkerchiefs -- embroidered with flower prints. The smell of baked beans hit his nose like a truck, he inhaled deeply. 

"Okay, here we are," she said, kneeled down as she carefully unwrapped the bandages. He smiled down at her despite knowing she wouldn't see it. He winced a couple of times when she used one of the handkerchiefs to wash away at the extra blood and dead skin.

"You know, you're pretty good at this, did you ever think of becoming a nurse?" he teased as Eiko flushed in embarrassment, shaking her head. 

"No, I've always wanted to be an opera singer," she admitted, catching Seita's attention for other reasons. 

"I have stage fright, so I'll doubt I would be able to sing in front of people..."

Her hands then wrapped the handkerchief around the wound, tying it in place as he let out his final wince. He looked down at her, taking note of the way she spoke about her dreams of being an opera singer.

By now, she had lost track of how much she was rambling. Considering it a "silly" dream and just sayings, Eiko didn't seem to have much confidence in herself.

"Hey, you can be anything you want. You're still alive right?" he encouraged, trying to figure out the proper words to add next. "Use that as an opportunity," he finished, clearly not being the best with words, but it seemed to help her out.

She smiled warmly, nodding, "Thank you."

The two of them had dinner on their own, sitting at the low table. Eiko raised an eyebrow at Seita's relaxed, seated position. 

"That's bad manners," she bluntly pointed out. Seita nervously laughed at her words, already hearing them once before from Setsuko.

"It's just the two of us now," he argued sardonically in between bites of food. Eiko paused to take a few more beans into her mouth, swallowing them before speaking again.

"I know. But that doesn't mean you should do that," she retorted back, accidentally slurping up the beans in the bowl. Seita blinked before laughing at her action, watching her turn red again from her accidental hypocrisy.

"Sorry, sorry," she mumbled incoherently, wiping her lips clean with her arm.

They both looked at each other for a while, not being able to read the other's thoughts. A grin spread across Seita face.

"Relax, you're always so tense," he said, "sometimes, you should let your guard down."

She stared at her food; they continued to eat in silence. 

That night, Sayoko returned to a pleasantly-smelling, small house. The older woman was greatly impressed and thankful for the care Eiko showed towards her.

"Here, I didn't know if those would be enough, I just didn't want to use all your food."

"That's kind dear. Thank you." Sayoko smiled, picking up her chopsticks and eating as Eiko left the room.

She clenched her teeth tightly, her hand going down to grab at the blisters and boils on her legs. What in the world could she do about them? They'd gotten worse ever since that day that they so naively trusted those twisted individuals. She must've been putting even more strain on herself.

"Hey, look," Seita pointed out as the two walked outside. Amongst the rubble, there was somehow a singular firefly pacing around the area, The small abdomen illuminated with a tiny golden glow. 

"What's it doing all the way out here?" Eiko asked, puzzled. Unlike her, Seita didn't question it, and started to follow it around, cupping his palms once nearing it in proximity. He went back to Eiko, holding his hands out again, but making sure it couldn't escape.

Though, she was less enthusiastic than he was about it.

"Ah! Don't put that on me, I-i don't like bugs!" she exclaimed, stepping away from him. He continued to taunt her with the insect, letting in rest on her arm as she shook it off.

"I said stop! It's not funny!" she said, flicking away the insect. He stopped momentarily, letting out a deep breath.

"Sorry."

"Hm. Just don't do that again."

He went over to see where she had flicked the firefly, it laid on the ground, hard to see for those without a sharp eye. 

"You...killed it," he said, shaking his head. "Oh well."

"There's many more floating around," she responded with bemusement, her eyes curiously watching a couple of more that lit up a small portion of the atmosphere. 

Even if she disliked insects, she had to admit that fireflies were mesmerizing to the eye. 

"They're so odd. I never would've expected to see one out here," Eiko mumbled, Seita jumping (to the best of his best ability) occasionally, attempting to collect another one. He came back over, holding it in between his index and  thumb.

"You know, I can see your face better like this," he said softly. She didn't reply, probably hadn't heard him; the fireflies captivated her more than she'd like to admit.

"Yeah, it feels right," he thought. His palm flattened, allowing the firefly to be free once again, returning his attention back to Eiko. He didn't know why, but he felt like looking at her more clearly now. Despite the sky that had overcast it's dark shade on the city, the fireflies were shining brightly like nothing could stop them.

Nothing could stop them, and nothing should stop the teens either.

Chapter Text

August 15th 1945

Seita's fingers twisted the volume knob of the radio. He was listening carefully, along with Sayoko and Eiko, to the Emperor's voice on the static radio. They'd been using an old radio that Sayoko found -- while going out for work with the Yankees -- when the sudden announcement of the Emperor caught their attention.

It wasn't very lengthy; Seita didn't really digest what was being said, but neither did Eiko. The only one who understood anything of what was being said was Sayoko. Her thumb brushed her chin and her eyes closed. When the speech was over, she couldn't help but cup her hands together.

"The war, we lost. We've surrendered," she finally made out, Seita and Eiko gasped, but weren't really surprised. 

Seita was thinking long and hard. As much as he was disappointed at Japan's defeat, he also knew this meant he would possibly be reunited with his father again. Maybe he and Setsuko would greet their father when he returned to the navy, they'd move with him to an appropriate home, and hear about all the battles he faced. 

"I should mail him a letter today..."

He doesn't remember the last time he sent one out to him. This time, he had to respond. The thought of his father returning gave him the last push into finding all his hope again. 

"The fleet? What about them? Are they going to return home?" Seita asked with urgency, Sayoko thought for a moment. 

"Well, I...suppose...no. I heard that they all sunk, no word from them in ages," she responded, unsure herself. Seita's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't want to let Eiko or Sayoko know how he felt at this moment.

Sayoko wiped her eyes where small, stray tears had rolled down her cheeks. Eiko patted her back comfortingly. However, she couldn't help but feel befuddled that Sayoko now seemed to be crying for Japan's surrender rather than her deceased ones. 

If she could try to remember the snippets of what the Emperor said, and process them carefully...

Well, it didn't matter to her, because all the words of Daikichi Nakaoka, her father, returned to her brain, filling Eiko with antipathy towards her country's defeat.

"We surrendered? So what? I don't care. We should've surrendered sooner, maybe then Gen, Shinji, and papa would still be alive!"

Eiko didn't even know or realize the salty, hot tears that rolled down her face. Her hands rubbing her eyes. Blinking them caused them to squeeze out and continue to pour down her face. Sayoko noticed her sorrow, immediately wrapping her arms around the girl.

"It's okay, it's okay, we're still alive, that's what matters now," Sayoko whispered with gentleness, rubbing Eiko's head. Eiko just buried her face in her shoulder.

At this moment, Eiko realized how urgently she wanted to be with her mother. She probably didn't take the news all too well either and Eiko wanted to be there to support her. 

Meanwhile, Seita already left for another room. His voice came out cracked as he muttered to himself about his father. His hands shakily unbuttoning the pocket of his uniform, taking out the rumpled picture of Kiyoshi.

"No, it's not possible, it can't be," he tried to reason. Maybe Sayoko was mistaken or misinformed. His mother was gone, but his father couldn't be. Just when he had all hope that he and Setsuko could at least reunite with him. He didn't accept it, he couldn't accept it.

"Damn it...damn it..." he gritted out, desperately trying to hold back his sobs. He carefully folded the picture and slid it back safely into his pocket.

Sayoko returned home after a long day of presumably scavenging or working with the soldiers. Today, she came with a slash on her arm, and a tired look. The bag with all the items were placed on the table, falling from the weight of its contents. 

She started counting the money that she received, making note of it on a small piece of paper.

Eiko glanced over when her back was turned, watching her store away the cans of food. No, she couldn't possibly think of doing that. But the thought of going back home to her mother, bringing back home plenty of food -- it was an opportunity that she couldn't resist. Nobody wanted to go back to eating the rice broth or gnawing hungrily at the small pieces of rice. 

Her attention was redirected towards Seita, and she realized it must be time to change the 'wrappings' of his leg. He already took a shower, evident since his hair was wet.

She had to be quick in order to not let Sayoko catch them in their lie. Since they were alone yet again, Eiko thought it was the best opportunity to discuss what they would do next.

To her surprise -- but not really -- Seita spoke up first. He explained that since the war is over, they should get home as soon as possible.

"My mother has money in her bank account that we haven't withdrawn from," he casually mentioned. Eiko blinked a few times, wondering if she heard him properly.

All this time...they were scavenging for food when they could've easily used that money to save their siblings. But once again, she brushed it off, not feeling like she had any say in the matter -- it was his money technically.

"We should leave at night."

"And we should take Sayoko's food," Eiko added without a hint of guilt or shame. Seita looked at her, dumbfounded at how careless she spoke her mind in that moment. He wondered if she was being humorous with her words, but the look of bluntness made it clear she was serious. 

He didn't seem to have a problem with it anyways, so he agreed. The two of them took in the sight of the small room they'd been stationed in, staring at it like it was their last night here. 

"Alright."

The streets were cluttered with debris, rigid metalwork, and blown-apart buildings. Of course it wouldn't take just a couple of days for everything to go back to normal, and Eiko told herself that she shouldn't be so gullible. But this was the place she spent her entire life, and the grim reality of knowing everything was ruined was still too painful for her to accept.

Focusing elsewhere, she looked down at the money in her palm. Just enough for the train fare. And just enough to make her feel guilty once again. They really were horrible children for taking away from Sayoko and running off at night from her. Even if Seita didn't show it, Eiko could tell he was just as guilty as she was.

How foolish they must be for running off at night.

Seita and Eiko paused in their tracks, hearing footsteps over the rough ground. They grew louder and louder before the sound stopped.

Ginji stood there. An unamused frown that his face formed along with the subtle clenching of his fist. Even with that, he didn't seem to be angry, but was circling them predatory.

"Are you supposed to be out this late?"

"..."

He rolled his eyes at the silence presented to him. "You know it's not polite to ignore someone when they ask you a question."

"Those cans, that money," he zeroed-in, making the two of them start to sweat from panic.

"They belong to Sayoko, don't they?"

Bewildered. Seita and Eiko were absolutely bewildered, and before they could make a run for it, Ginji tried to make a snatch for the girl's bag, only for her to slap him as hard as she could.

"You already took everything from us! You theif!" Eiko screamed, trying to avoid the hits he tried to land on her in retaliation. Seita caught Eiko before she fell down, trying to block the man's punches with his arm. He winced and clenched his teeth at the strikes, but managed to take them for his friend. 

The pain burned throughout his arm, Eiko frantically tried to pull away. It was a struggle in which none of them wanted to give up. 

"How do you know Sayoko?" Seita suddenly asked, trying to catch him off-guard with the question. Ginji stopped his attack gruffly, shoving Eiko aside, but still intending to rob their already stolen goods.

"That doesn't matter. All I know is that you stole her food and you're running off in the middle of the night," Ginji responded, brushing off their question. "I told Sayoko to not pick up some damn street kids."

"We're not street kids!" Eiko cried out, standing as tall as she could. "We have a family To go back to! We even told you and you decided to steal that food from us earlier!"

"-And look at what you're doing! Stealing food from a woman who has nothing!" Ginji retorted, genuinely angry at their actions. The two of them were greatly shocked at how this supposedly heartless man was quick to defend Sayoko.

"You stole from kids who also have nothing!" Seita yelled back. Ginji didn't respond, either out of annoyance or not knowing how to reply. He casually sat on the ground like an idiot, thinking hard for once.

He then remembered their pleas from two days ago. "You have your...siblings..."

Eiko and Seita were more confused than ever now, raising an eyebrow at his sudden meekness. They all stayed silent. Eiko tested her luck as she slowly grabbed the bag from the ground, picking it up.

"Why are you so quiet now, sir?"

The man stayed silent from embarrassment, scratching his head, and routinely reaching into his pocket for a cigarette before realizing he had none.

"Damn it..." he muttered, wondering if he had to swallow his pride for once. He messed up, more badly than it could be put to words. 

So he decided to tell his own life story.

"Sayoko, my aunt, let me stay with her when the fire raids killed my family in Tokyo," he began, his fist threatening to clench tightly. He had to take a steady breath just to continue his story.

"My wife, my baby, my mom...all of them were dead. I didn't want to go on anymore. I feel like I have no reason to go on anymore. I told Aunt Sayoko the minute everything was over, she practically dragged me to her place," he explained with pity, his eyes glancing up at the sky that was surprisingly clear and shining - from the moon.

"Then, when the bomb fell here..it took everything my poor aunt had left. Her family was gone too and we only had each other left."

"To this day, I don't know whether or not I should be grateful. There are some days where I wanted her to just let me rot and die in my own grief. I felt like I was useless to her as a man. She was the one selling herself short for those damn Yankees," he spat out bitterly, clenching his fists.

"And that's why I decided to work with the Yakuza as soon as they entered this city," he mumbled, looking back over to the two teens. "To us, it's a burnt down, ruined city; to them, Hiroshima is a land of opportunity. They use orphans for their dirty work since they know they have no family who would worry for them, it's truly sick, truly..." 

Ginji swallowed his anger back. His eyes glanced over to Seita's leg, able to tell which one was injured from the other day. He cleared his throat, his voice still coming out chagrin. 

"I... apologize about the other day. I knew I shouldn't have stolen that food from you, I wasn't thinking clearly," he mumbled out like a caught toddler. The two were unable to tell if he actually meant it or just said it out of shame.

He saw how they were processing his words, finding it difficult what to make of it and what to say. So he tried to offer his own words instead.

"You know, stealing from Aunt Sayoko was cold. Why don't the two of you just explain what's going on? I know she will understand, I promise."

"W-well, why should we trust you?" Seita murmured out, refusing to look him in the eyes. His hand gripped the area of his bullet would like Ginji would try to aim there.

"You don't have to, it's just a suggestion. I'll let you go without me saying anything to Aunt Sayoko, but I think it'd be better if you told her what you're going to do. She'll understand, she's in pain too." 

Without any words, he turned around and started to walk away, leaving the two kids in their thoughts yet again. Their minds hurt with everything they were trying to manage. 

"We're such fools for not telling Sayoko in the first place," Seita suddenly said, groaning into his hands. Eiko let out a deep breath, honestly exhausted from their heavy thinking. They were fools indeed, but at least they know what to do now. 

It's like a flash went through them, and they yearned for the surprising cleanliness of Sayoko's futons, the small room they were stationed in, the full suppers. It's like their legs started leading them back to the makeshift house. Just for one more night.

"Sayoko deserves to know the truth," They thought, not stopping to even think about the train station or Ginji. Now, they were closer to the woman's house than the chartered train station -- that would've taken several hours to get to. 

Being as quiet as mice, the old floorboards squeaked gently under their raised heels. The sound of Sayoko's soft snoring could be heard; a faint smile on her face because she was ready to face the harshness of the world with the two teens. The darkness swept in the house once the thin curtain had been pulled to cover the broken window. 

Both of them rolled into their own futons, lethargic from their poorly-thought-out scheme. Even with the low light, Eiko looked at Seita and he did too. A hazy expression that was exchanged between both of them, still not fully registering what had happened.

Chapter Text

August 16th, 1945

"Why didn't you just say so?" 

Eiko and Seita looked down at the flooring, sitting on their knees, and refusing to look at the woman in her eyes. She understood them thankfully, but she didn't seem too pleased that they were hiding the truth from her. 

They didn't reply to her. The disappointment in her words adding more severity to the guilt imposed on their shoulders. 

"Were...were you scared of me?" she asked softly, looking sadly and conflicted at the two. 

"No, it's just that we-" Seita started, but trailed off because he was unable to find his words. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head with his fingernails. Sayoko walked over to Eiko, grabbing her shoulder rather tightly. The petite girl tensed up at the rough grabbing, her gaze pivoting towards the older woman.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for any hit coming her way. But nothing. 

A simple, harmless bop on the head was all she received. Eiko's hand touched the spot on her head and looked at Sayoko in the eyes. 

"That, that was for lying," Sayoko murmured, walking over to Seita and doing the same thing. 

"I don't like it when people lie to me," she explained, her gaze turning to the radio for a millisecond -- eyebrows furrowed even more at it. She went over to cut out the static fizzling from it while continuing to speak.

"I would've helped you get back home if you were that much in a hurry to get back," she said, moving the knobs, "You both have become like my own children, but I know that your family must be missing you."

Her gaze was fixated on their solemn expressions, mixed with grief and longing to be with their sisters and Eiko's mother. 

"I'm selfish. I've only ever explained what happened to me after the bombing," Sayoko accused herself, sighing regretfully, and tossing the radio aside. "Tell me about yourselves, that will be the only way we will truly understand each other."

Seita and Eiko turned to look at each other, silently encouraging the other to go. Unpacking everything that was on his mind, everything that he had kept inside for so long, it was a needed release.

"My father served in the navy on the Crusier Maya. Me, my mother, and sister kept up with him through letters when the war started. Then, the fire raids happened in Kobe and my mom passed away from her injuries," he took a moment to take a breather, still recalling the horrific state he last saw his mother in.

"Me and my sister went to live with our aunt in Nishinomiya, I think she saw us as too much trouble for her, so we ended up leaving her place," he finished.

Sayoko's face was still stuck in the same disappointed expression, but for a different reason. "She sounds heartless. Anyone should take pity on two children venturing off on their own, but people have no sympathy these days."

"From what Seita told me,  'heartless' isn't nearly enough to describe that woman..." Eiko thought, feeling disdain towards that woman. She hadn't even met her, but her description was enough to make Eiko furious on Seita's behalf.

Sayoko wrapped her arms tightly around Seita, nearly making him choke on his own spit from how hard she was squeezing. He didn't want to cry, not now. But the thought of his father being dead rushed back to haunt him. He didn't know if he should suppress his emotions, so he simply laid on Sayoko's shoulder with a blank, cold look on his face.

The older woman looked expectantly at the Nakaoka, trying to show her that she was able to be trusted. 

Eiko's eyes narrowed, feeling her heartbeat quicken at the memories of everything that transpired only a week ago. 

"My family...they were harassed by our neighborhood because...my dad didn't support the war effort," she said, hoping Sayoko wouldn't be the same as the others. 

However, after the war finally ended and people were distracted with rebuilding their lives, she didn't think anyone would give her flack for refusing to honor the country's nationalism.

"I survived with my mother because the balcony collapsed during the bombing. Had I not gone upstairs to give her back some laundry—she forgot—I probably wouldn’t have survived." Her explanation came out as a whisper. Sympathy was in Sayoko's eyes, not hate or disgust, and it made Eiko relieved.  

“Sayoko…” Eiko began. Despite clearing their previous issues, the guilt rushed back into her system.

Sayoko's expression hardened. "All of your worries could've been avoided if you just told me what was happening."

Eiko's gaze on the ground didn't falter even as she spoke.

"Well, what about your nephew?"

"P-pardon? Uh, how do you-?"

Seita shook his head, being the only one to look her in the eyes. 

"It doesn't really matter how we know...we just...see him around," he responded, finally glancing away from her with a nervous expression.

A sorrowful grip twisted Sayoko's heart. "Oh...well, my nephew. He's been through a lot, we both have. I don't like it when he works with those odd individuals that arrive here. I see them harassing orphans whenever I go out, it's hard to watch."

Deep down, both teens could tell that Sayoko knew full well what her pathetic excuse of a nephew was doing. And they felt sorry for her. 

Other people like their own families — and Sayoko — didn’t just lose respect for anyone. It's not like Ginji and the many people like him were forced to be cruel.

The bones in Sayoko's legs cracked as she stood up. She was seemingly aggressive with the way she tossed and shoved items together on a big, white cloth piece. She tied it together and made sure nothing fell out.

"This is for your family," she said, lowering her gaze to the money in her hands. She counted out the money and handed several notes to the two.

"I'm sure this'll do you a couple of weeks if not, a couple of months," Sayoko said, handing the large bag to Seita. The tied notes being handed to Eiko.

Eiko counted the yen in her hands, shaking her head. "No, we can't take this Sayoko-"

But Sayoko didn't hear her out. "Take it, this is nothing to me." She gave Eiko a small smile before packing a small purse. 

"Now, let's get to that train station before it leaves the two of you behind."

The wait for the train was silent. Nobody uttered a word or started a conversation. Eiko took a deep breath, recalling everything that had happened during their stay. She knew it would be a while before she could see Hiroshima the same way again. It really was heartbreaking what her birthplace had become.

Seita's hands clenched and impatiently gripped the bag, his mind racing off elsewhere. He was itching to see Setsuko and take out the rest of the money in the bank.

Finally, Sayoko spotted the train in the distance, her hand waving out to it like it would ignore her. The few other people got on the train, giving Sayoko a chance to get her final words to the teens out.

"Take care, you're always welcomed at my place."

Eiko's face changed to one of worry, "Sayoko, don't cry."

"We have to be strong," Eiko said, her arm wrapped around Sayoko. The older woman's head nuzzled against her forehead.

"Thank you so much for helping us out...and we're sorry," Seita mumbled. Sayoko was sandwiched between them, her lips forming into a bittersweet smile. They probably didn't feel the same, but it felt like she'd also been given another reason to live. A kindled fondness of family had been restored inside of her.

"I..." she began, but stopped herself, "you're welcome, now get on that train before it leaves you!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

The two of them quickly looked over, gasping since the train was trudging along the railway. Sayoko let out a small chuckle as she watched them board. Seita's hand waved and waved from the distance, not stopping even when he could only be seen as a minuscule.

Like usual, everyone on the train was silent. Eiko and Seita's sides were pressed up against each other due to how packed the train was. There were hushed voices of mothers trying to calm down their wailing children, sounds of metals hitting each other with a smooth thud, and of course, the sounds of the train's wheels creating friction with the old railways.  

"I'm sorry we didn't find your brother's bones." Seita's voice broke the girl out of her drowsy trance, she took a drink from the canteen in the bag.

That's right, she'd completely forgotten about the main reason she came back to Hiroshima. Failing her mother was the last thing she wanted to do. It'd been nearly impossible for her to differentiate male and female corpses, so it was definitely unlikely she would be able to find Gen's bones.

"No...it's alright," she replied, but it was clearly a lie. Her exhaustion caught up with her once again, and she decided to doze off, not intending to fall asleep.

She sat alone on the train. Confusion washed over her. Where was Seita...? Where were all of the other passengers...?

She was about to stand up and go around to investigate, but a sudden tap on her shoulder grabbed her attention. Once she turned, she nearly screamed upon seeing her deceased family members. 

"I thought you all died."

They brushed her off like she was making a joke. They did survive, they did make it out as a family!

"Nope! We got out of the burning house!" Shinji exclaimed, grinning widely at his older sister.

"Yeah, and I made it out of the school!" Gen added. He and Shinji held onto each other's shoulders while cheering happily.

"We're all alive, Eiko."

Eiko took a big gulp, her hands shaking as Daikichi held onto them, before moving his hands up to her shoulders. 

"P-papa..." 

She held onto him tightly. He still smelled of paint and wood, and she was sure if she wasn't weak, her iron tight grip on him would've hurt. 

"The baby's alive and doing well. We named her Tomoko!" Eiko told them all. She felt like her father had slipped past her and now they were all watching her with a smile.

"Let's go home! Mama will be so happy to see you all again!"

Her delighted expression faltered as they three of them slowly inched away from her when the train stopped moving. "Wait! Where are you going?" 

"We're going to buy a gift for the baby," Daikichi responded; he didn't stop walking. Gen and Shinji followed without a break in their smiles.

"Don't worry! We're going to find food and bring it home to share with everyone!"

Sudden terror washed over the girl, her hand reaching out. No, she couldn't bear to be separated from them, not even for a second anymore.

"Papa! Gen! Shinji! Wait!" 

She called out desperately as they got off the train. She couldn't believe they just left her there.

"No! Don't go! Don't leave again!"

"Please...don't...no...!"

"Hey! Eiko!"

Another tap on her shoulder slowly woke her up. She came face to face with Seita on the train. He looked worried and scooted over to make more room for her. Other passengers gave her a weirded-out expression. She probably looked like a complete maniac, mumbling to herself.

"Are you okay...?"

"Hm..."

She blinked a couple of times, swallowed to get rid of the lump in her throat. 

"What happened?" He asked, despite having a pretty good idea on what occurred when she was sleeping.

"I had a dream...that my family was still alive."

Her hands rubbed her eyes roughly, trying not to break out crying. How she wished it were true, how she wanted to go back to that life.

Seita listened as she rambled on about the dream. He didn't know the best words to give her at the moment, so he made sure to just be a good listener and offer solace with the soft stroking of her shoulder with his palm. 

Dreams were odd. They were forgettable and confusing. But Eiko hoped she never forgot about this ephemeral dream, and wished it was real too. 

Arriving in Nishinomiya, Seita was contemplating going to the bank or just heading straight to the shelter. He gave a soulless gaze towards the families who looked like the war barely fazed them. These rich people live life normally, disregarding the pain everyone else faced.

He noticed the money in Eiko's hands from Sayoko, realizing it must be enough. 

"Do you think they sell powdered milk?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't they?" he said, a bit amused at her naive question.

"I can go with you if you like."

The two arrived at the store and eagerly started to head to the area where baby items were located. The prize seemed measly now that they had money, although Eiko was careful to not get overboard with the spending.

After buying the milk, the two finally started racing back home, trying to keep positive. They were both fearful and eager to see what had gone on while they were away for so long. Eiko was proud to show her mother what they managed to achieve and obtain from a world that continuously kicked them down. 

Their footsteps were most likely audible from inside of the shelter. Both of them stumbled in between walks, and there were times where Eiko was afraid Seita would injure his leg even worse.

In the distance, Setsuko sat outside of the shelter. The circle under her eyes and hunger were still very much apparent. However, when she finally spotted her brother and Eiko, she immediately started to cry.

"Seita!"

Seita dropped the bag in front of her, holding out his arms and scooping her up. At first, he assumed her tears were of joy. She must've been ecstatic to see him after what felt like months. 

"Too late, too late." Those were the only words she made out. What did she mean by that?

Her head bobbed over to the entrance of the shelter. All three of them stepped in and took in the dark scenery. Eiko felt her heart pounding while Seita tried to collect answers from the younger girl.

"Mama, we have the milk! We..." Eiko's voice trailed off upon hearing no joyous response from the older woman.

Kimie sat in the corner of the room, rocking the rumpled blanket in her arms, obviously containing Tomoko. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to make out any words.

"Too late dear girl...too late..."

It was like the world had ended once again. 

Eiko nervously laughed, stepping forward. Seita watched with cautious eyes.

"No, no mama, you're lying. Tomoko...she isn't..." Eiko quickly denied. Her arms took the frail infant from her mother. 

She must be sleeping.

"Tomoko, we have your milk. We- we have it here! Right now! Open your eyes! Wake up!"

Her pleas grew more frantic until she was a sobbing mess, holding the cold, tiny body close. Everything felt like it crumpled upon her once again. The search for money and food felt useless now. 

Eiko and Kimie cried for what seemed like forever. Setsuko held onto her brother's pant leg, the older boy watching the scene with sympathy.

I'm so sorry I failed you..." Eiko thought, watching as the bonfire burned brightly. "I'm so sorry I failed you. Papa...Shinji...Gen. It's all my fault Tomoko is dead..."

Eiko sucked in a breath through her teeth, her tears flowing endlessly as her mother brought her into her arms. Eiko could feel Seita's hand rubbing her back alongside the warmth of her mother.

She was sure her father and siblings were angry with her for being such a failure. She wouldn't blame them. 

Tomoko's cremation ended and it was like Eiko was forced to continue living in the shattered remains of her reality.

August 22nd, 1945

Seita and Setsuko were sitting by the small lake outside of the shelter. The calm swishing of the water and clear view made it a great solace for Eiko as well. Seita watched as Setsuko munched on the watermelon in her hands. As soon as he started feeding her, a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. 

Setsuko swallowed the piece in her mouth, glancing at Kimie who was doing laundry, and Eiko who was just sitting there...lost in her thoughts.

"Seita, is Eiko going to be sad forever?" She doesn't mean for the question to be insensitive, but was curious about her state. 

Seita sighed deeply, tossing a pebble into the lake and watching it bounce. "She's grieving right now, we should let her have some space."

"But Mrs. Nakaoka doesn't seem that sad..."

Seita then looked at Kimie who was casually hanging up the laundry. To the unmindful eye, she appeared to not have cared about her baby's death. But Seita had a feeling she was just holding it inside. He had even asked her about it while helping her make supper last night. She was  still grieving inside, but she wanted to keep moving forward for their sake.

He just sat idly, with his legs hunched to his chest, trying to mimic the same hard thinking Eiko was doing. He can still feel the sore spot in his heart for his own parents, a part of him unable to accept the fact that they were really gone. 

His leg felt sore too, still in bad shape from that day. 

"If the war is over, does that mean daddy is going to come back?"

Curse his luck and damn the world. 

He wondered if he should explain to her, be honest this time instead of trying to hide it. He knew he might fumble with his words, but it was worth a try.

"The fleet sunk, I think...dad's..."

He opted out from using 'most likely', not wanting to sugarcoat the truth. 

"Dad...he passed away, that's why he hasn't been returning out letters," he responded. Setsuko looked away from him and down at the ground, setting her watermelon slice aside. 

"Are we ever going to visit their graves?"

Seita clenched his fist, biting his lip hard enough to draw out blood. He swallowed hard and wiped his watery eyes. He expected her to cry or scream and tell him that it wasn't true. Her response almost seemed indifferent, until he noticed the small tears leaking from her big eyes.

"I promise one day I'll take you to see them," he whispered, choking back a sob.

Truthfully, Seita was worried about Eiko. She barely moved from her spot and only went inside when it was time to sleep or help her mother with laundry or meals. He decided to help Kimie this evening and he went outside.

"It's time for dinner, your mother said it's your favorite."

Barely flinched. Eiko just looked over and nodded. "Give me five minutes, I'll be there."

Instead of going back inside, he walked over and sat beside her. She didn't mind. 

He was fully aware that she needed time to grieve and move on from her pain, but he knew what she was feeling. He picked up a stone before thinking of something.

"I can throw this the farthest, look."

He tried to copy the same way he watched a baseball player pitch their ball. A small crack erupting from the suddenly pullback of his arm, he let out a yelp as the pebble hit the water, making a few jumps and a tiny splash.

Eiko watched in uncertainty, also trying to figure out what his motives were. He found a few more pebbles and chucked them as far as he could, watching as they all made a splash.

He grabbed the last on in the near vicinity, handing it to her.

"You...want me to try?" she asked, and it felt like she finally spoke in days. Seita nodded, giving her a light grin. She found it ridiculous if she were being honest, but wanted to distract herself from her monotonous and painful thoughts. Her hand tossed the stone and it bounced several times before making a splash.

"You're good, almost caught up to mines," he said, standing up and finding another one. 

Before he could throw it, Eiko took it from his hand without a word, throwing it.

A small smile appeared on her face and she stood up.

"Alright, let's go in for dinner." 

At her calm and uplifted expression, Seita couldn't help but smile back.

At night, dozens of fireflies were scattered around the area. Some of them landed on arms, face, and hair. Eiko disliked it and swatted them away with shriek. Kimie and Seita laughed at her minor predicament.

Setsuko's hands made grabby motions at the glowing fireflies. Seita caught one that had flown just above her head. 

"You have to catch them gently, otherwise you'll squash them," he reminded, handing it to her as she giggled. Eiko watched them all quietly and basked in the fireflies' light, it reminds her of a candle.

Seita held one out to her. To annoy her? To try and give her reassurance? This time, with a shaky palm, she let the small insect on her palm, watching the wings spread. She moved out of the way quickly as it flew off into the sky.

She felt like her worries had been taken with them as well. It was the first time anyone truly felt relaxed. The war had ended and their lives should hopefully get easier. 

"Let's collect them and light up the shelter!" Setsuko cheered, hopping around and trying to be gentle like her brother instructed. Eiko and Seita gave each other a glance and smile before joining alongside her in the scavenging. 

It soon became too dark to stay outside any longer. All four of them went back inside of the shelter and laid in the futons. Seita released the fireflies into the shelter. Eiko and Setsuko watched in amazement as the shelter glowed like a festival. 

Kimie had already fallen asleep, Setsuko being the second one too. Eiko and Seita had a bit more difficulty however. Seita supposed it was because of the big supper he had.

Disobedient, mischievous. That could describe them, but Eiko denounced it. She felt like a mother scolding their child as she watched Seita 'discreetly' sneak off outside.

"What are you doing out here? It's late already," Eiko called out to Seita who was sitting by the lake. This time, she was the one who sat down beside him.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"About what?"

"About everything," he said, turning to look at her with a grin, reassuring her that he wasn't upset. 

"I have something to tell you," Eiko began as Seita's ears perked up, fully attentive. 

"What's that?"

"Well, now that the war is over, do you still want us to live with you? We can start all over again, like a family."

He took a moment to think about nothing, really.

"Yeah, I'd like that..."

He stared up at the stars. For once, life was going steadily and it felt like there were new promises among them now that the war was going to be over. There were definitely going to be problems along the way, but it would be manageable. 

Chapter Text

April 4th, 1948

Setsuko chewed weakly on what she assumed had been a fruit drop. The marble was plucked out of her mouth in a hurry by her brother.

"This is a marble, it isn't a drop," he explained, unable to tell she was delirious from her malnourished state. He sliced a piece of watermelon before handing it to the weakened girl. He headed off to prepare the food he bought with the last of their savings.

As soon as he returned,what he thought was unimaginable happened. Setsuko died in only the few moments he had left.

He sat there in disbelief, cradling her in her arms, hoping his cries would be enough to bring her back to life. But she never woke up.

The blanket flung off his body with forceful movement. Seita's chest was rising up and down at a rapid, almost nonhuman pace. His hand immediately went to his chest. His heart pounded as if it wanted to pop out. Sweat dribbled down his forehead which he used his other hand to wipe away.

He quickly glanced over and leaned down to Setsuko's sleeping form, his hand hovering over her face. A sigh of relief left his lips when he felt her breath hitting his hand. He collapsed back onto his futon, making blanket cover himself tightly before snuggling closer to Setsuko.

"What's wrong?"

Eiko's voice caught him off-guard, he slowly rolled back over to face the girl.

"A nightmare." 

Three years may have passed since the war. Life was trying to become normal again—well, as normal as it can get. He figured it was much too difficult to return to a life before the war transpired. While Setsuko's nightmares occurred less often, Seita's were becoming more frequent. He didn't know why they were happening, but perhaps they started after their rations had gone slightly below what they were expecting. 

Kimie served them food one evening and it was the first time in a while where Setsuko asked for more. It must've triggered some past fear inside of him. 

Eiko had already stood up to turn on the stove outside. Seita knew it was time to get ready for school. He poked Setsuko's cheek that had returned somewhat to its chubby state. 

"No, move Seita..." Setsuko whined in her sleep, pushing his face away with her hands. Seita smiled mischievously before continuing to poke her face, then moving to her arms, and stomach.

"I'm not going to stop until you get up, we can't be late to school."

After a few more seconds of annoying her, Setsuko begrudgingly sat up, rubbing her eyes. 

"I just wanted to sleep a bit longer," she mumbled, brushing her messy hair with her hands. Seita laughed, putting on his school uniform and shoes. 

"The only one at fault here is Seita, I told him not to give you treats before bedtime," Eiko said from the doorway, already dressed in her own school uniform. She gave a small glare to Seita who nervously looked away. Eiko shook her head, her lips forming into a smile as she crouched down to Setsuko's level.

"Here, I'll help you get ready if you like."

Seita watched as the two went to another corner of the room. Eiko unfolded Setsuko's clean, elementary school uniform. He went outside to see what she'd made for breakfast this time. 

"Natto beans..." He served himself some in a small bowl, using the chopsticks to pick at the sticky soybeans. One taste was enough to make his lips pucker up with enjoyment. There was one thing he was able and glad to get used to: Eiko's cooking. 

He finished soon after and washed the bowl clean, making sure to scrub hard and well so that no dirty spots were left behind. Eiko, her mother, and Setsuko soon went outside to also have breakfast. 

When Eiko finished, she went inside of the shelter to pack her school bag along with Setsuko's. The three were about to head off for school until Eiko reminded Seita of his missing schoolbag.

"Are you sure you don't remember where you put it?"

"Nope."

Eiko sighed, following him back inside to help search for it. 

"You'd better head off soon or else you'll be late to classes," Kimie reminded, already dressed and ready for work. Eiko called out with an 'okay' while still fishing around for the schoolbag. Underneath the futon pile, Eiko pulled the strap of Seita's schoolbag, tearing it slightly.

"Sorry," she apologized before handing it off to him. He winced at the almost clean cut, his hand shoving the fallen school books back inside.

"Don't worry about it," he reassured. Setsuko let out a yawn as she walked back inside to see what had stopped their hurry. 

"Setsuko, put your doll in your book bag so the teachers won't see it," Seita instructed as the little girl sighed before taking off her bag and opening it. 

"But it doesn't fit in here," she said, rubbing her sleepy eye with one hand, the other one clutching her doll. Eiko kneeled down to comb the knots in her hair.

"You forgot to brush over here," Eiko mumbled, fixing the girl's hair. Setsuko whined each time her hair roots had unintentionally been pulled a bit too hard from the comb's teeth.

Seita reorganized Setsuko's bag, trying to force the doll into hiding somewhere.

"No! Don't put her like that! She'll get crushed by the books!" Setsuko cried out. Her lips formed into a pout as her brother rolled his eyes and continued to find a different way to fit the doll in.

"We don't have time to keep fooling around, you'll just have to leave her behind," Seita said after finding no solution to the doll problem. He grabbed Setsuko's hand and walked with her outside. 

Eiko was the last one to get outside as well, having fixed her headband. 

"She always nags us when we're late," Seita chuckled, finding amusement at how the tables had turned. Eiko flushed slightly as she made sure everything in their home was in order. 

"I'm not late all of the time like you," she retorted, beginning to walk before stopping.

"Hey...let's wait for my mom, okay?" she suddenly said, watching her mother collecting her things.

Seita nodded, not minding the delay on their walk to school. 

"I already told you three, you don't have to wait for me," Kimie said, walking past them.

"But mama, I woke up early so that we would be able to walk some of the way together," Eiko responded; all three of them started to walk in the same direction as the older woman.

Eiko nearly paused several times in her tracks just to focus on her mother's condition. Kimie was getting more lethargic and unwell because of how far she pushed herself to work. She always said they needed the money, but sometimes, Eiko wished she would listen and rest for a while. 

"It wouldn't hurt not to work one day," Eiko brought up. Kimie's smile didn't falter.

"No, I'm alright, if I don't work, the three of you won't be able to go to school," she replied. At that moment, she stumbled in her tracks. Eiko gasped and was about to help her until she stabilized herself. 

"I'm fine," she reassured. Eiko gave 'that' look to Seita and he knew what it meant. He got in front of Kimie, stopping her walk.

"I can carry you, Mrs. Nakaoka," he offered, turning around and squatting, but a small grunt escaped his lips. He rubbed the sore spot on his leg, watching as the woman looked over at all of them.

"Are you sure? What about your leg?"

"It's okay, I can handle it."

Kimie was still unsure, but Eiko and Setsuko insisted. With a gentle, small eye roll, she got onto the boy's back. He lifted her a couple of times to make sure she was secure before heading into the direction of her job.

"We can take you to work everyday," Eiko said as Seita grunted, imagining the pain his leg would face. Kimie shook her head, sliding off Seita's back.

"No you won't. You three still have to go to school," she reminded with a sly smile. Her hand ruffled Setsuko's hair before waving off. "Thank you, Seita."

"Bye mama..."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Nakaoka!" Setsuko waved cheerfully, unaware of the others' worries. 

Eiko watched her figure walking off into the distance. She was getting frustrated at her mother's stubborn nature. 

Seita then suddenly looked at her. "Eiko."

She glanced over at him, fully-attentive. "What is it?"

"Your mother," he began, "she...she felt so light."

Feelings of worry began to brew in the girl's stomach, her heart stopped beating for a moment as she processed the news. Kimie was a grown woman and therefore should've been difficult to carry for someone like Seita, especially since his leg hadn't worked the same as before. 

Eiko was just trying to come up with a logical explanation for Kimie's lightness. Maybe she just hadn't fed herself enough food. She would have to remind- no, make her eat more food. 

"I'll just give her my rations and then she won't be hungry anymore."

"What's wrong, Eiko?" asked Setsuko, breaking Eiko out of her worries. 

"N-nothing, let's just go to school now, we don't want to be late." 

It seemed like Seita was the only one who sensed the same thing as Eiko. His eyes narrowed between their path to school and Kimie's retreating figure in the distance. Even from here, he could see how exhausted she was.

There were a couple of flowers growing in the schoolyard, a reminder of the spring season. Setsuko often observed the flowers that were in their path on the way to school.

"Don't come with me to the school gate," Setsuko told Seita and Eiko. Her lips formed into a pout and it changed to a neutral expression when she skipped by herself. Seita shook his head at her defiance. Eiko couldn't help but giggle at Setsuko's denial. Setsuko was seven years old but wanted to be seen as a big girl now that she was interacting with kids her own age.

"Have a good day!" Eiko called out, waiting outside of the school gates as she watched the girl get into formation with her class. She and Seita then headed off for their high-school, the bell was about to ring, and they were going to be late. They both put on their indoor shoes and quickly raced to their separate classes. 

Because of their displacement from their hometowns, all three kids had to start at a new school. It was strange at first, but they found new friends and were friendly with their classmates. Seita had a group of friends that he played with (when he could after-school). Setsuko had a couple of friends too, and Eiko had made close bonds with a girl in her choir class, Shizuko Kobayashi.

Eiko and Shizuko met after discussing songs they wanted to do for the Spring concert; It would be held at the end of the month. 

"If I was in a music class, I'd play my violin," Shizuko unzipped a case containing the shiny instrument, causing Eiko's eyes to light up with amazement.

"Wow, how much did it cost?" 

"Dunno, my parents bought it for me after my birthday. They said it cost a lot but never told me the exact price," she shrugged, pulling out the bow that accompanied it. "Look, I've been practicing."

She began to play slowly, making a couple of accidental shrieking noises, but Eiko thought it was impressive. After she was finished showing off what little she could do, Eiko smiled and clapped her hands.

"That's amazing, Shizuko! You just need to keep practicing and it won't sound so rusty next time," Eiko complimented with a bright smile. Shizuko's face turned red from being flustered, clearly not being used to being held in high regard.

"You think so?" She genuinely asked. Eiko's head nodded vigorously. 

"In that case, I'll become better," she said, before nudging the girl with her elbow. "-And we could be a duo when you become an opera singer."

A grin appeared on the other girl's face in her words. Eiko could already picture it, and she was brought out of her thoughts when the choir teacher snapped his fingers.

Mr. Hayashi was a strict, middle-aged man. He was an extreme perfectionist, the types of people that school children weren't too fond of. Everything had to be in a certain order and it sometimes felt as if he was coaching a sport rather than singing. Nobody wanted to get on his bad side at the risk of being publicly humiliated. 

Other students outside of the class made fun of the strict teacher behind his back. Eiko felt guilty, but she couldn't help herself but laugh whenever hearing a joke about the man.

Shizuko put away her violin, and Eiko searched for lyric sheet. Aside from the textbooks, the lyric sheet was her second prized possession. She had to go through tough work just making it into the class. 

A cherry blossom pedal whisked away in the wind, and then Mr. Hayashi's voice boomed through the choir room. Everyone stood upright and in position, not breaking a sweat as they started the vocal exercises.

Seita sat on a bench in the school field. His group of friends were really invested in baseball and always played during lunch or after school. If his leg was in better shape, he figured he would've been able to play just as well. 

Tetsu, who was one of his friends, appointed him to be the next pitcher. It was one of the easier roles in the game to him. Once he tossed the ball over, another boy swung it as hard as he could with the bat. Just in that second, Seita caught a glimpse of Eiko, who was walking out of the choir room. 

His gaze was momentarily fixated on the girl; he had an epiphany in that very moment, really taking in the fact of how much she'd grown up. Despite the difficulties that they faced in life, she picked herself and her family up. He really did admire her.

"Hey!" 

His attention was averted to the game and the ball landed in front of his feet. He picked it up, looking dazed since he hadn't paid any attention. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he didn't ask for someone to reiterate.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, I just..."

A sly grin appeared on Tetsu's face. "You're looking at Nakaoka again, aren't you?" 

His eyes widened at the accusation, and he quickly shook his head.

"Of course not! I was just waiting for her, we have to go pick up my sister, and--" 

He didn't bother finishing his sentence. He gave the ball back to the other boys, walking away and collecting his schoolbag from the bench. Eiko often appeared at the baseball field when she finished her after school choir lessons.  From there, they would both walk to Setsuko's elementary school to pick her up.

The two walked in silence, but it was a matter of time before Eiko would ask him about his day and share her own activities with him. He couldn't help but be invested in her stories. He always gave her encouragement when she confided about her worries and hopes about being an opera singer. In turn, she told him to play baseball everyday so that he could get better at it.

 A past realization hit him. Eiko used to nag him about playing safely in order to not injure himself, even Kimie had told him numerous times to take it easy. But now, Eiko didn't try to 'prohibit' him from playing baseball. To her, she had already said enough and couldn't vindicate him anymore if he wasn't going to listen.

"If you make it big, I'll be sure to attend all of your opera concerts," Seita said, smiling cheekily at her. Eiko's lips formed into a smile before letting out a small laugh.

"Well, if you become a professional baseball player, you wouldn't have any time to attend my concerts." A small grin then appeared on her face.

"How likely would the chances of you getting into a major league with an injured leg be?" 

"Maybe around...70%?"

"Hm, that number is awfully generous."

They both had a good chuckle about it. Other times, Seita hated being reminded that his leg hindered the opportunities of his dream. If he wasn't going to be a baseball player, then what should he be? He had difficulty finding an alternative. 

The rest of the walk left him pondering about what he should do. Eiko continued walking happily by his side, occasionally glancing over at the boy.

Setsuko played around with her doll while waiting for her brother and Eiko to show up. The thin fabric of the doll's dress ripped, causing a small hole to appear. The young girl was worried at first, but soon remembered that Eiko could probably fix it for her.

After the war, everyone was left with little money. Her brother and Kimie couldn't afford to buy her new things like clothes or even food. 

Eiko decided to make clothes for Setsuko's doll with whatever she could find. An old handkerchief had been used for the doll's clothes, but Setsuko didn't mind at all. Eiko and Kimie were usually the ones who taught Setsuko how to keep her hair clean and picked out the lice from her head.

She already told her brother numerous times how she liked Eiko and recognized her as a big sister, as well as Kimie. The woman displayed more warmth and understatement than her aunt ever did. She also reveled with the fact that Kimie wasn't demanding or pushy towards her brother into finding work. It was almost like she had her mother back, but of course nobody could replace her. 

She sat in her idle position, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Eiko and Seita's appearance. The young girl eagerly ran to them, her satchel bounced with each elated skip.

"How was school, Setsuko?" Seita asked as she hugged him tightly. His hand ruffled her hair and she looked up at him.

"It was really fun! Today I learned about the solar system and I can name all of the planets," she excitedly responded before listening all of them. Seita nodded with a smile, impressed by her intelligence and good memory. 

"I'm surprised you could remember them all," he teased, causing her to lightly pout at him, understanding what he was trying to say. She soon gave a smile to Eiko, and they started to walk back home.

The rest of the walk radiated with energetic comments and stories from Setsuko. Both of the teens enjoyed listening to her activities throughout the day before sharing their own. There was a bicycle shop up ahead; Seita and Eiko couldn't help but stare awestruck at the good condition bicycle. It was a shiny blue and had a modestly-sized basket. 

"Imagine if we could ride that to school," Seita mumbled, feeling like he couldn't take his eyes off of it. Eiko nodded, looking around for the price. 

"Hey Setsuko, if we got that bike, you could sit in the basket." Setsuko quickly nodded in agreement, already liking the idea. She then so innocuously asked her brother a question.

"But...where is Eiko going to sit?"

"Oh well, she can sit with--"

How foolish was he to forget she was literally standing in front of him. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but he stopped himself before saying something that could make either girl raise an eyebrow. 

"A-ah, Eiko can sit with me," he nervously said, awaiting how the older girl would respond. 

"Well yeah, where else would I sit? This bicycle isn't big enough for all three of us," she responded. She and Setsuko giggled into their hands while Seita looked away to avoid the thought.

Back then, he would see high school-aged couples roaming around Kobe--whenever going out for errands with Setsuko and his mother. He used to always grimace at the sight, but his mother always told him that one day it would be him sharing a bike with a girl. 

"Yeah right." He used to think, only imagining himself giving Setsuko a ride. But now, he was a bit anxious for even having thoughts about Eiko like this. She never used to make him panic before...unless she got hurt. 

"Aw, the price is too much for us, we wouldn't be able to afford this unless we saved up for months," Eiko muttered in disappointment after reading the price. 

The sunset was starting to cast over the town and the three went back home, Eiko and Setsuko talking giddily about bike; Seita too, but those thoughts were mixed in with constant flashes of Eiko appearing in between. 

"Mother must still be at work."

 The girl took it up on herself to start doing the usual household chores. She was going to start cooking a hot pot dish before her mother arrived. Seita and Setsuko were taking a bath together outside. She took breaks in-between to catch up with her homework, and her textbooks. She had to stop herself before getting too engrossed in the subject.

When Seita and Setsuko returned back into the shelter, changed and dried their hair, Eiko offered to fix their clothes. A patch was frequently added to conceal any holes in Seita's pants, they were mismatched with the colors being similar to the one of his pants. There were times where Setsuko sat beside Eiko and watched her intently as she fixed their clothes. Eiko once allowed Setsuko to use the needle as practice, but she poked herself and was left frightened by it.

Seita took up the responsibility of preparing the food while Eiko helped Setsuko with her homework. Eventually, the food was ready and Seita brought the pot in, setting it carefully. 

"Wow, that looks like so much!" Setsuko exclaimed, grabbing a nearby bowl and holding it out.

Eiko inhaled the aroma and was ready to eat. By now, it was already late and there was no sign of her mother. "I'm going to wait for my mother to arrive, you two can eat without me."

She left and went outside. Seita watched her with a bit of concern, Setsuko sniffled slightly before happily eating her food. 

"It's good isn't it?" Seita mentioned, sipping up the broth. His chopsticks picked up the vegetables and meat, where he made sure to take a huge bite. 

"Yes, I don't remember the last time we had a meal like this. Auntie is working really hard."

A few seconds went by, Kimie and Eiko came through the passageway. The older woman appeared exhausted and paler than usual, she wasn't sick, more lethargic if anything.

The boy used the dipping spoon to pour a serving into an empty bowl. His hands gingerly held it up towards Kimie. "Here you go Mrs. Nakaoka."

Kimie was pleasantly surprised, but relieved. "Thank you, Seita."

She sat down and began eating, her hand gently messing with Setsuko's hair. "Did you finish taking a bath?"

"Yep! I smell good, right?" she asked. Kimie pretended to take a long whiff with her nose, smiling teasingly, and nodding. 

Kimie was startled by Eiko's hands on her shoulders, a wave of confusion washed over her, but went away when the teen explained she just wanted her to relax. Eiko kneaded the tense and fragile muscles in her shoulders and back.  

The shelter was filled with laughter the rest of the evening, and Eiko had already forgotten about her worries. 

"Come on, let's get ready for bed now," Eiko said, tapping Seita on the shoulder. He flinched at her touch, turning his head around to see her. 

"Just a few more minutes--"

"Are you reading from my textbook? Don't you have your own?"

"Well, I sort of...lost it...?"

"Where? You should be more responsible for your stuff," she ranted. Seita listened to her scolding without a hitch. She acted so motherly sometimes, but he knew she did it for his best interest. He took her advice to heart most of the time, like when doing his best or focusing harder on his studies. 

He rolled out the futons; Eiko spread the blankets. Everyone was done with their before-bedtime activities, and curled up into the soft mattress. The only sounds that flooded the night were crickets chirping and Setsuko’s soft, inaudible snores.