Author's Note- Last March I was lucky enough to go to Japan for an agricultural exchange program. During the time I was in Japan I experienced several earthquakes, two of which were considered aftershocks of the Great East Japan Earthquake. These earthquakes allowed me to ask my Japanese student hosts about how the mega-quake had changed their lives. I was told about power outages and limited indoor heating, I learned about food shortages and their fear of radiation… but most of all, I learned about the many people who lost friends and relatives to this disaster. As I flew back to the United States, I realized I really needed to write a story about the Japanese spirit in the wake of the disaster.
I put the story on the backburner for a year, but about a month ago, I was contacted by one of the friends I made on my trip to Japan. In her email she explained she wanted to do something special in remembrance of her sister who was killed in the tsunami. In life, her sister was very fond of series Hetalia, and she felt a fanfiction would be a fitting gift in honor of her sister. Unfortunately, my friend did not feel comfortable writing it herself. Upon her request, I have frantically been working to complete this story by the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. I only hope this story can do justice to my friend's request.
Dedication- To victims and the survivors... We do our best to remember the brightness of the lives lost and support those who were left behind.
Disclaimer- I do not own Hetalia, nor do I own Japan or any of the other countries in this piece. Also, I need to give credit to the numerous interviewees, lectures, exhibits, and books which gave me details on how people felt in the aftermath of this disaster. Any errors in the facts of this story are purely due to my own failings.
Part 1- Nightfall
There have been times in my history that I have feared my nation was cursed. The islands of Japan are beautiful places, but they are dotted with the wreckage of hundreds of natural disasters. My people have become accustom to our way of life. Children are taught not to fear the earthquake… parents become desensitized to the tsunami… communities learn to thrive in the shadow of volcanoes. We like to think that our resilience makes us able to survive the worst disaster that elements could throw at us. March 11, 2011 changed everything.
After the earthquake, the first thing I remembered was looking up through plum blossoms at a partly clouded sky. The sun shone brightly down on me, but the air was still clinging to the last chill of winter. The ominous clouds I could see out of the corner of my eye told me a spring rain was on its way…
I blinked and tried to remember. I knew that I had spent the morning at Komazawa University attending a meeting about some of Japan's newest archeological finds. I had taken a brief lunch with two of the professors before boarding a train on the Tōkyū Den-en-toshi line. The train had just pulled into the Shibuya Station when I felt the ground below my nation rupture and the sea off my coast boil…
I blinked again to figure out where I was. The ancient plum tree arching above me helped give me a crucial key. There were only a few places in the heart of the thriving city of Tokyo which had such old trees. I assumed that in the aftermath of the earthquake, I must have stumbled out of the car and walked the several blocks to the Shinjuku Gyoen…
I tried to move my head, but discovered that the muscles refused to move. The whole upper part of my body was practically paralyzed. I took a deep breath and felt my lungs expand with a sharp, piercing pain. I coughed and tasted the metallic flavor of blood. I tried to breathe again, but blood bubbled instead.
As my vision grayed, I saw a young person leaning over me. My vision was so blurry that I couldn't tell if they were male or female, but I could pick out the uniform of a medical orderly. I tried to open my mouth, to tell them the hospital I needed to be taken to, to let them know that they needed to let the Prime Minister know about my condition… I never got the chance.
The last thing I knew was the ground once again rolling beneath me and the sharp spice of plum blossoms.
By the time I awoke, night had fallen. The hospital room I was in was lit by dim emergency lighting. Outside the room's large picture window, I could see a few lit buildings. For a couple moments, I assumed another massive quake must have hit Tokyo and that much of my capital city had been demolished while I was unconscious. My heart began to race in panic. I closed my eyes, trying to feel the damage, and I realized that Tokyo had survived the disaster relatively unscathed. The darkness was caused by damage to the electrical grid. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Honda-sama…"
I opened my eyes to see my secretary Tanaka Miko standing over me with concern visible on her face. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but my vocal cords refused to make a sound. I ended up motioning towards Miko-san's ever present phone.
"You are not well enough," my secretary countered.
"You probably should give it to him. Having a chest tubes can uncomfortable for the patient. Being able to communicate would probably help him relax." The comment came from a man in his mid-forties that I hadn't even realized was in the room. I assumed that he was the doctor. Miko-san glared at him, but followed his advice and handed me her cell.
How long have I been unconscious?
"Not too long." Miko-san said. She chewed on her lip before glancing at her watch. "Nine, maybe, ten hours…"
How bad is it? I typed into the phone and then handed it to my secretary.
"Your injuries were quite significant." The doctor stepped in and I had to keep myself from cringing. "One of your fractured ribs slipped and punctured your left lung. You had surgery this afternoon to correctly repair the lung and a full recovery is expected."
Does he know? I typed pointedly.
"Yes, he has been briefed."
Good. I closed my eyes for a moment and then started to texting at high speed. I need as much information as possible on the condition of the country. I know we have experienced a major earthquake off of the northeast coast of Honshu and that the movement of the sea floor created a massive tsunami. I know that the eastern coasts of Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa have all been affected, but as long as you have me on a high dose of opiates, I am not going to be able to determine true extent of the damage.
"Are you sure that you are in well enough? Your medical condition right now is delicate..." I raised my hand to cut the doctor off.
My medical condition is caused by the current events. Understanding what is going on will not change my prognosis. I typed quickly, allowing my impatience to show.
"The scientists are already saying that this is the worst natural disaster our nation has experienced in over two hundred years." Miko-san was the one to speak up. "The initial aerial photographs seem to indicate that many cities were severely damaged, and some towns no longer exist."
What is being done?
"At this point, no one knows what to do. There will be no way to understand the scale of the damage until light. Before then, it would be foolish to put the rescuers in danger charging into the situation blind." The doctor stated bitterly.
Has nothing been done for my people?
"There are plenty of things," my secretary said quietly, but she refused to look me in the eyes.
Miko-san, this is not the time for sugar-coating the situation.
My secretary tried to repair the mistake and give me a decent briefing on the condition of my country, but it was pretty clear that she didn't have any real information. At some point I mostly tuned her out. Instead of listening I started trying to feel my various regions. Many, like Hokkaido and Chubu, were shaken up and bruised. Kyushu seemed untouched, while Kanto was badly injured… I couldn't feel Tohoku… I cannot remember when the doctor left, but I do know that he was gone when the hot tears of grief started pricking my eyes.
"Honda-sama, are you alright? Are you hurting? Do I need to get the doctor?" My young secretary looked down at me, panic creeping into her voice. I want to tell her that it is okay, I my tears are caused by a pain that doctor's cannot heal, but I do not know the words I should use.
"My children..." I finally whispered through cracked lips and a raw throat. Looking at the way my secretary's lips tightened in pain made it clear she understood. Unfortunately I knew, the situation was far worse than the young woman could have ever imagined.
I have never been someone who was good at asking for help, but there are some times when you don't have a choice.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I simply didn't have the resources to face the magnitude of the disaster. Japan needed the international community. So my government requested the help of five of our allied nations who had the resources and the experience needed. America, Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Korea all accepted our pleadings for help. They all gave more than they were asked for, but what shocked me was the fact that so many nations offered their support.
It hadn't been more than 15 hours since the tsunami had hit my shores and already my cell phone was overwhelmed with a steady stream of nations offering their assistance. Israel had already sent a mobile hospital to provide medical care for the most severely affected areas and Canada had offered his specialized chemical spill containment team. Even China, who had suffered a major earthquake the previous day, donated badly needed fuel and drinking water.
I had always known that the international community tended to pull together in the wake of a major national disaster, but the shear amount of support I had been offered so soon after the earthquake was overwhelming me. I simply didn't have airports, roads, and other infrastructure to utilize all that I was being offered.
"Honda-sama," my secretary interrupted as I awkwardly attempted to text America one handed. "There is a visitor here to see you."
"Please send them in," I said with a ghost of a smile on my lips.
A few hours earlier America had shot me an email telling me that he was on his way. Since WWII I have developed a very close relationship with the young nation, and right now I knew that I needed the strength of my friend to get me through the next few days. There was a soft knock at the door, and then a tall nation let themselves into my room. The only problem was the fact it wasn't the tall nation I had expected.
"Hello Kiku," the personification of Russia looked down at me, a look that was a combination of pity and a cat that just ate the canary.
"Ivan-san," I half stammered, trying to keep the shock out of my voice. "Sorry, you were not the person I expected to see. What brings you to Japan?"
"Fuel." The world's largest country simply said.
"What?" I replied still confused.
"I assume that in the wake of this disaster you will need heating oil, airplane fuel, and vehicle petrol. I have arranged to have two of Gazprom's tankers routed to Japan. They should reach you shortly."
"Thank you," I muttered in surprise. "Unfortunately, I don't know if I can accept. With the nature of the disaster, I don't know if I have the funds to be able to pay for the petroleum."
"We can work out payment later," the Slavic nation grinned.
"What about the countries that the tankers were suppose to go to? Won't they be upset about a late shipment?"
"Probably, but we can make up for the lost profit in later shipments. Gazprom will not complain because it is state-owned company, so it does what I tell it to do. Plus, you need the fuel to respond to this disaster, da?"
Over an hour later I was still a little bit shaken up by Russia's visit. It was true that I needed the fuel, but I really didn't expect that he would be the one to offer that type of help. I didn't exactly know how to express my gratitude. Luckily, America came and distracted me from that dilemma.
"Hey Kiku, how are you feeling?"
"Much better. Thank you for your concern."
"I know that hospital food is terrible, and I thought you might be hungry so I brought you something to eat."
It really was a sweet thought. Unfortunately, America and I have very, very different views on comfort food. When I am feeling sick all I really want is a nice bowl of rice and maybe some miso soup. America, on the other hand, seems to believe that McDonalds can cure everything from the common cold to cancer. As I looked at the large bag of fast food take-out, the very thought of eating that greasy American hamburgers turned my already queasy stomach.
"While I am sure that those hamburgers are lovely, my secretary just went out to grab me some lunch. I believe the soup she will be returning with will be a little bit lighter on my stomach," I tried to explain gently.
"That makes sense," America commented as he plopped himself down on one of chairs by my bedside and started to munch on a hamburger. "I probably should have thought about that before bringing you fast food, after all Hawaii and Alaska always complain about upset stomachs after they are hit by tsunamis. Oh well." The nation shrugged. "I guess that now that I am here, we should discuss what the U.S. of A can do to help Japan recover from this disaster."
Within a few minutes America had already pulled out a map and was using French fries to indicate the area he hoped to park the air carrier while motioning wildly with a half-eaten hamburger. Poor Miko-san chose that moment to arrive with my lunch. I could tell that she was startled by the very energetic, tall blond in the middle of the room. Luckily, America didn't miss a beat. He dropped the hamburgers on the chair he had claimed and immediately went to shake her hand.
"Hi, the name's Alfred, and I am here to be the hero!"
"Tanaka Miko," she replied as my ally vigorously pumped secretary's hand up and down. I realized that I would probably have to give the young woman a bonus for putting up with America, but for now, the look of complete confusion on her face was priceless.
So far there have been over a hundred aftershocks. Most of them have been tiny. Before the Great quake, I would have barely noticed them. Now, each one leaves me with an adrenalin rush. I am unable to sleep through the night. When I wake in the night, the taste of sea water that has heaved itself on land fills my mouth, the screams of those I have lost echoes in my ears. It makes me want to puke, but I normally do my best to roll over and fall back asleep so I don't disturb the person sleeping in the armchair next to my bed.
Tonight, I fully intended to follow that routine, but when I glanced at the armchair I discovered it was empty. Groggily, I tried to remember who volunteered to stay with me this night. Slowly, I realized that it was America. At first I wondered if he had ended up falling out of the chair and was currently sleeping on the floor or if he had left for a little bit to grab a bite to eat, then I realized that there was a light on in the toilet.
I glanced at the clock and realized that America had been in there a long time. Worried, I cautiously got out of bed and walked towards the door. When I pressed my ear against the wood, I realized that the nation was quietly talking on his phone. Curious, I closed my eyes and tried to listen in.
"I know that California is already on his way here, and he is going to be a whole lot of help with sorting through the rubble, but he isn't going to able to help as much with the emotional recovery. I know that this is completely different, but you are one of the only people who have experienced this type of disaster. Please, I need you here now… All right, talk to you tomorrow."
On the other side of the door I could hear America click his phone closed and tuck it into the pocket of his jacket. He then walked towards the toilet door, and I tried to scramble back to my bed before the younger nation had a chance to notice something amiss. Unfortunately, my IV drip and robes conspired against me. With a thud and a clatter I found myself in an undignified lump on the floor. The next thing I knew the lights in the room were turned on and a very concerned blond looked down on me.
"Kiku, are you okay?" America asked as he knelt down next to me, his voice full of worry.
To be honest, I lied to America. I told him that I was fine. I explained that I had woken up in the middle of the night and needed a drink of water. The Super Power didn't question me; instead, he helped me back into bed and got me a glass of water in a plastic cup.
When I mentioned to America that I would like to see the affected areas of Japan with my own eyes, I never expected all of the arrangements for the trip to be made in under an hour. Sadly, it didn't take long for me to wonder if flying north to visit the affected areas was a bad idea. The thrum of the helicopter propellers were making my head throb and it was clear that I was taking up spaces which would have been otherwise filled with more supplies to relieve the suffering of my people.
Still I had to admit that flying over the landscape was helping me gain a better understanding of the scale of the disaster. From the air, I could easily pick out the areas that the tsunami hit. Many of these areas were wiped clean of all indication of life, but when we flew over cities, the sites we saw were twisted masses of rubble instead. All tsunami-affected areas were painted a sickly grey with mud.
What I saw when I looked out to sea was just as disturbing. As far as I could see, the ocean was choked with debris. Occasionally, I could spot a Coast Guard ship searching for survivors or a fishing boat desperately trying to pick its way through the mounds of wood and clutter to reach its home port, but beyond this, all I could see was death. When I couldn't take looking out the window any longer, I buried my face in my hands.
"Kiku…" I awoke. "Kiku, I know that you need your sleep right now, but it would be really helpful if you could wake up for a bit. We kind of need someone to translate."
Groggily, I opened my eyes and looked up into a very concerned pair of blue eyes. I had to bite down an annoyed sigh. America had very odd opinions on personal space…
"Where are we?" I asked as I reached for the water bottle sitting on the seat next to me.
"Otunoato. We have been here about forty-five minutes and have gotten the whole helicopter unloaded. Honestly, I was going to let you sleep until we got back to the air carrier, but we have…"
"Where are we again?"
"Ofunoat."
"What?"
"It is some Japanese word. Listen this is apparently one of your most important foreign ports and a whole lot of people keep on telling me about the fish." As the blond nation gave the additional details, I finally figured out where we were.
"Ofunato?"
"Yeah, that's the one." America nodded brightly, then continued to chatter. "Anyway, there is a bunch of shelters which have been set up where ever there is space, but apparently they have been having engineering problems with one of the temporary shelters and want help fixing it. Unfortunately, none of my people speak good enough Japanese to figure out exactly what they want, and, honestly your peoples' English stinks."
"So you need me to translate?"
"Exactly!"
It turned out that the backup generator at one of the primary schools had broken. After a brief discussion, America decided that a helicopter would head south to pick up another load of supplies. America and three Marines would remain behind to see what they could do to help, I would stay and translate.
I am glad that I stayed. Being on the ground at one of the shelters showed me the resilience of my people. Yes, there were thousands of people who were left homeless by the tsunami, but they were doing their best to comfort each other. In the schoolyard, children were playing a game of tag; in the cafeteria, there were women of all ages working serving soup and rice out of large pots; in one of the classrooms, two old women were hanging damaged photos up to dry. When I asked them what they were doing, they said they were rescuing people's memories from the sea water.
The sense of community was not limited to the people living in shelters. Many of the townspeople whose houses survived the disaster came to offer what they had to the individuals who had lost everything. I saw old men bringing their best spare quilts to keep others warm. I saw young children giving away their favorite toys to little boys or girls who had lost everything.
After finishing the repairs to the schools generator, we were asked to help look through the ruined city in search of survivors. We had another two hours before the helicopter would come so we agreed to help pick through a few buildings. In the damaged city I could hear men already talking about rebuilding, as they dug through the rubble. Hearing those conversations gave me hope.
For the first time since the tsunami first hit my shore, I could feel a true smile playing on the edges of my lips, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw something that made my heart stop cold. It was a small hill rising out of the rubble with a broken rock on top of it. It was easy to see that wave had over topped the hill, but I didn't want to believe it. I ran as fast as my broken body would allow me, only pausing when I reached the top. The shrine that should have been there was gone…
"Kiku…what is going on?" America asked, clearly worried by my behavior.
"This was one of the evacuation sites," I whispered my heart heavy with pain. "This was supposed to be a place safe from the tsunami, but it wasn't."
For a long period of time the two of us stood on that water-swept knoll, then my ally spoke with quiet sympathy. "Take your time. The chopper doesn't leave for another half-hour."
I stood on that small hill for a short eternity, trying to take everything in. The stench of decay was strong in the cold winter air. The sight of destruction was overwhelming, but the most crushing thing of all was the realization that I had failed my people, that despite all of my efforts to prepare for tsunamis, not all of my tsunami evacuation sites had been save from the wave of water. Untold people had run to these places, only to be drowned there. I, the nation of Japan, hadn't been strong enough to save them.
"Alfred-kun…your people are going to continue to stand by us through this disaster."
"Of course, we will. We're the heroes," America said with an enthusiastic conviction, then he placed his large hands on my shoulder and quietly voiced, "I've got your back, buddy. Don't forget that."
As we turned from the ruined shrine, the only thought in my mind was that I couldn't face this disaster alone.
Endnote- We must not forget…