A/N: It's been five years since the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Touhoku region of Japan, taking more than 15,000 lives and leaving countless people missing or injured, and while most of the world has forgotten about such a tragedy, there are still so many affected, unable to find work, unable to return home, and unable to do anything about it for lack of resources.
However, many of the citizens remain positive despite their circumstances, and it might be weird to say that this is my way of honoring them, but I want this to be something like that; something to serve as a reminder of what happened five years ago. It's a very important topic to me, because it hit rather close to home, what with my entire maternal family residing in the Touhoku region.
These stories are based off of actual occurrences reported within the past few years.
Zoro drove along the empty roads in relative silence, the music coming from the radio his only companion. As the song tapered off, the host of the station came on, reporting on expected traffic delays and general weather and whatnot. Zoro had started to tune out the voice, until he heard the static-y voice mention what today was the anniversary of.
Higashi Nihon Daishinsai. The earthquake and tsunami that had swept across so many prefectures and killed so many in March of 2011.
He himself had seen the horrors of the disaster first hand, but had been one of the few lucky ones, having managed to evacuate in time. He'd been making his usual rounds through town that afternoon, and he'd just dropped off a customer. The sky had been clear, and it had been a peaceful day so far.
First had come the tremors that shook the ground, so strong that it felt like he was standing on turbulent waters. Screams rang out as houses shook violently, cracks appearing in the road and sidewalk, and tall buildings swayed dangerously. Heavy hanging signs of shops crashed to the ground, windows cracked as their frames distorted, and panic was spreading very quickly. No one had felt such a strong earthquake before, and it showed no signs of stopping.
It took a while to fade, but even once it had, no one felt quite safe. It was a given that after an earthquake that big, there would be aftershocks, and soon. Suddenly, everyone was being told to evacuate, and for a bit everything had become a blur. Zoro had lent a hand in the effort to get everyone out of town, carrying a few injured people up to higher ground. Every able bodied person helped, the sense of urgency being acknowledged without a word. Soon, tsunami warnings had been broadcasted for the entire north east coast of Japan, but it was still too late for everyone to get to safety. The epicenter having been terribly close to the Japanese coastline, it had taken less than an hour for the 40 meter waves to reach them. Even so, the tsunami was not the typical big wave crashing on shore, it was a straight wall of water, shoving itself onto land, pulling with it anything it could touch.
Zoro had watched the blackened ocean waters push further and further inland, taking with it cars and swallowing houses whole. From his vantage point high up, he could make out the boats, trees, sign posts, bicycles, and even human bodies being relentlessly dragged along. The force of the wave was so great, he could only compare it to a stampede of animals, not knowing where they're going or what they ought to do, their only thought was to continue forward. The longer he watched, the more debris pounded into buildings, only to pick them up a few seconds later and carry them further inland at an alarming rate.
There seemed to be no end to the tsunami; it kept pouring in. It felt like an eternity in hell, having to listen to the roaring constant flow, seeing his hometown being washed away, helpless to do anything, to save anyone or anything.
The months following the disaster were the hardest. There were so many corpses among the debris, bloated and rotting away after weeks of being unable to reach them, and the ages of the deceased ranged from infants to the elderly. What was worse though, was the amount of people reported missing. Zoro himself had waited an agonizing five weeks for news of his sister and father, only to be told later that their bodies had been found a few miles away, among the rubble. It had been painful to admit, but by that point, he had been assuming the worst anyway. At least this way, he had been able to give them a proper burial - he knew that there were many that even today had received no news on the whereabouts of their loved ones.
And now, it was five years to the day. It was hard to believe that while five years had passed, so many parts of Touhoku were still barren, void of life. The families that once lived here had all been relocated to special housing, but it was unlikely they'd be able to return to their hometown any time soon. Many areas were restricted to the public, due to the dangers of radiation from the nearby nuclear power plant, and it was for the same reason that the few families that could have returned home decided not to.
Sighing to himself, Zoro shut off the radio and rolled down his window, no longer in the mood to listen to music.
Zoro hadn't been waved down or called on at all the rest of the day, and as night was beginning to fall, he began to think he ought to just go back to the station and end his day, but he caught sight of a lone man hobbling down the street. At the sound of the taxi, the man turned, and motioned for Zoro to stop.
Slowing until he came to a stop beside the man, Zoro poked his head out of the window, giving him a friendly smile.
"Do you need a ride?" he asked, looking up at the man. The man appeared to be in his early fifties or so, and Zoro was surprised to not the blondeness of his hair, braided mustache, and wooden pegleg that was stranger still. The man had a distinct fatherly look to him and upon giving Zoro the once-over, he nodded.
Pressing a button, Zoro flipped the door open, and let the man inside. Reaching forward to the GPS, the taxi driver glanced at the man through the rearview mirror.
"Where to, sir?" he asked. Shutting the door with a grunt, the man looked at Zoro with an even stare that Zoro held. This somehow felt like a test from the man, and Zoro was determined to pass it. Apparently he did, for a few moments later, the man looked away with a smirk.
"Seventh house in yonchoume." the man said. Zoro hesitated before punching the address into the GPS. If memory served him right, all of yonchoume had been swept away by the tsunami five years ago. What business did this man have in such a place like that?
"Are you certain, sir?" he asked, slowly putting in the address to the GPS. Through the rearview mirror, he saw the man nod firmly. "Alright..." He put the car back in gear, and began to drive, heading to the yonchoume area.
Zoro kept quiet for a few minutes, the only sound being the rumble of the engine.
"It's nice weather we've been having." Zoro said, a glance in the rearview mirror telling him that the man was looking out the window.
"Yeah," the man said, "Nicest I've seen in a long while." Zoro chuckled as they turned a corner, the blinker clicking on and off for a few moments.
"You've got that right." Zoro was once more quiet, until "Are you from around here? I haven't seen you around before." he said carefully. The man snorted.
"Of course I'm from around these parts. I've just avoided taxis until now." the man responded, his gruff voice hiding a hint of amusement.
"Ah, I see." Zoro hummed, nodding. "Can I ask why?" he asked curiously.
"I've never had reason to before," the man admitted with a sigh, "But I suppose my age is catching up with me. Damn stubborn son of mine, always scolding me for not being more mindful of my health..." he trailed off, muttering. Zoro laughed, slowing to a stop as they reached a red light.
"Your son seems to be quite worried about his dear old dad, then." he joked, to which the man gave a loud laugh.
"Indeed. He's an idiot for being such a worrywart." the man huffed, crossing his arms and gazing out the window. "Always worried about others and never pays enough attention to himself. That damn little eggplant was one of the first ones volunteering to come out here five years ago and feed anyone who was hungry - which was everyone, really. He worked day in and day out, cooking and delivering food to the shelters and hospitals. We ended up selling our goddamn restaurant to pay for the relief efforts too; can you believe it?"
Zoro's eyebrows rose upon hearing this. So they ran - or used to, anyway - a restaurant? Interesting. And this son of his, so willing to help people in need? It was commendable. Zoro had also done what he could to aid in the relief efforts but there was little he could do for the affected people.
"Sounds like quite the son you've got there." Zoro murmured. The man in the backseat chuckled.
"You can say that again. He was always hard to handle...Ever since he was young, he was reckless and rebellious." A distinct softness coming to the man's expression, Zoro quirked an eyebrow at him through the rearview mirror.
"I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere around here..." he urged, a smile turning the corners of his lips upwards. The man gave him a vaguely irritated look, but gave a conceding nod.
"But..." The man sighed. "He's got a good heart. And I'm proud of him." he muttered almost grudgingly. Zoro laughed, and he received a glare for it. "But he'd do well to stop worrying so damn much about me."
"I don't think he can help it.." Zoro said gently. "Speaking as a son, of course. After all that parents do for us growing up, the very least we could do is take care of them once we become able to do so. It's our way of saying thank you."
"I don't need his thanks." the man grunted. "I've been taken care of enough. It's high time he lets me go."
"Sir?" Zoro asked, confusion written on his face., but the man simply waved him off.
"Nothing, nothing, don't mind me." he uttered disparagingly.
The silence in the vehicle returned, but this time, Zoro didn't feel the need to break it. Driving in silence, Zoro focused on their surroundings. Undamaged buildings and stores that were still in business were growing sparse, and the landscape was becoming more and more empty the further they went. Eyes flickering over the GPS, Zoro confirmed that the destination he'd input earlier was somewhere in the barren land where the tsunami had washed away all semblance of normality years ago. He drove a while longer, until both sides of the street he was on bore no resemblance to the residential district. The only light in the area was the weak light from the waning moon, and the taxi's headlights. Once again feeling dubious as to whether this man truly knew where he was going, Zoro glanced in the rearview mirror.
"Sir, are you certain you-" Voice dying in this throat, Zoro slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching halt.
He whipped around to look at the backseat, and found...no one. The man was gone. There wasn't a trace of him in sight. Blinking rapidly as though it would make him able to see the man once again Zoro waited, his eyes glued to the spot where he was positive the man had been just a few minutes ago. But the man didn't reappear.
Several minutes later, after he'd managed to calm down, he confirmed the direction he was heading in on the GPS, and carefully drove to where the seventh house in yonchoume should be. Parking in the middle of the deserted street, he got out, went round to the back, and popped open the back door.
"We're here, old man." he said loudly. There was only silence, but a soft gust of wind blew by, and Zoro could smell the salty tang of the ocean on it. He couldn't help but chuckle. "You really wanted to come home, huh?"