They walked for miles through the ruined land, heading east towards Aki Ward. Though it didn't change what happened a few miles back, the semblance of civilization that appeared the further they went made Rin and Mimi feel just a little bit better. Granted there were still fires and the destruction hadn't avoided this place altogether, Mimi's tears had subsided and the anger in Rin's brow had faded. They knew that there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent this tragedy; they just wanted to help.
Within just a few more steps, their wish was granted.
"Mother!" A young boy called from a street corner. Dressed in a frayed white yukata, and covered in mud and grime, he was about Mimi's height, and continued calling out for his mother, every which way he looked.
Of all the screams and commotion throughout the streets, this boys pleas for his mother stopped Rin and Mimi in their tracks. Their eyes locked on him from a distance, Mimi quietly asked, "Rin?"
Rin looked down to Mimi, whose glass-coated eyes seemed even larger as she stared up at her friend. It was the first time since the explosion that Rin had smiled, and luckily, her infectious grin had spread to Mimi as well, "Let's go."
They walked over to the boy whom had barely even noticed them until they were right on top of him. They hadn't seen the blood trailing down the side of his face until now, and with a light urgency in her tone, Rin asked, "What's your mother's name?"
Caught off guard, the boy stepped back from the two women and turned away, though he never took his eyes off them completely as he called, "Dad!"
"Hey, it's okay-"
"Who are you people?" An older man interrupted Mimi as he walked up behind the boy. He too was dressed in a ripped and stained yukata, a tidy mustache on his face, chiseled cheeks, and a narrow gaze.
Rin peacefully raised her hands, showing she posed no threat and replied, "My name is Rin Asogi, and this is Mimi."
"What do you want?" The man curtly asked, clearly upset, and not quite sure what to make of Rin's bloodstained attire.
"Is this your son?" Mimi asked.
"Yes," he replied simply, pulling the boy closer to him.
"So it's your wife that's missing?" Rin concluded.
"Have you seen her?" The man blindly asked in the hopes that maybe somehow, this stranger had in fact seen his wife. "Have you seen Himiko?"
"Do you have a photograph of her?" Rin asked.
"We'd be happy to help you look for her," Mimi added.
"Why?" He tersely asked.
"All we have is each other," Rin replied with a smile.
"And we're both safe," Mimi added with a similar grin.
"If you'd like our help in looking for her, it's yours," Rin finished.
The man stood silent as he contemplated Rin's offer. He knew the more ears he had to the ground, the better the chance of him finding his wife. Reluctant but short on options, the man accepted, "Thank you."
Rin and Mimi both smiled a little wider, finally feeling useful once again. "You got a name?" Rin asked.
"Shinji Nakamura," the man replied. "This is my son, Kenta."
"It's nice to meet you both," Mimi beamed.
"Now do you have a photo of this wife of yours?" Rin asked.
"Come with us," the man replied.
They followed Shinji and Kenta to their home, which was just down the road from the corner in which they'd found the young boy. As it turned out, Shinji owned a Sake bar which also served as the entrance to his relatively meager home. As they set foot into the space, Kenta ran off into the rear of the building, while Shinji stepped behind the bar and asked, "Drink?"
"Sure," Rin replied as she and Mimi took a seat at the bar.
Shinji poured Rin a small glass of Sake, and surprisingly, he poured one for Mimi as well. That he served someone who appeared so young, it might have been that he was still too panicked over the loss of his wife, or too in shock over the bombing to even question the young immortal's age. As they drank, Kenta came back into the bar holding a pair of photos.
Immediately, Rin and Mimi's eyes were on the young boy as he approached them, and he placed the photos on the bar for them. "This is her?" Rin asked as she carefully took the photograph into her hands.
"Himiko," Shinji replied, his eyes turned away, focusing on nothing in particular behind the bar. "She responds to Himi; if you call that name, she'll know I sent you for her."
Rin gave the photo another glance, and looked back to Shinji. She put on her most confident and reassuring grin as she propped herself up, and reached across the bar. Carefully she lifted Shinji's chin so that he could look into her eyes as she spoke, "Hey, we'll find her; I promise."
Though she said nothing, Mimi's eyes told of her concern. It was Rin's way to offer their client's a modicum of confidence, but it wasn't always a promise she could deliver. Nevertheless, just looking at Shinji and Kenta's faces, at how relieved they looked; she knew why Rin did it.
She shook the thought from her mind and also put on a smile as she asked, "So what's the plan?"
Rin slid her seat back beneath the bar and replied, "I'm going to head north. The three of you go your own ways and we'll meet back here at sundown."
"Are you sure you want to go off on your own?" Shinji asked.
Again, Rin only smiled, "Relax, Mimi and I do this sort of thing more often than you might think." She turned back to her violet haired friend and quietly asked, "Mimi, a word outside?"
"Sure," Mimi replied, quickly hopping off the barstool and following Rin out to the street. When she came outside, Rin was leaning against the wall of the building, her arms folded across her chest. "What is it?" Mimi asked.
"Do you remember the convoy of military trucks that we saw on our way over here?" Rin asked.
The thought replayed in Mimi's mind for a split second. The memory of watching those canvas covered trucks pass them by. The fleeting glimpse they both clearly caught, but hadn't spoken of till this moment. The sight of women and children in the backs of those trucks, being taken away for who knew what purpose.
"You think she was taken?" Mimi urgently asked.
"There's no way of knowing, but the devastation here isn't bad enough to assume she was lost in the confusion," Rin replied. "Keep your guard up, and watch out for those two."
The little girl wrapped her arms around Rin's waist and replied, "You be careful too."
Rin returned the gesture and replied, "I will. Remember; here at sundown."
Mimi pulled away from Rin and gave her a nod. As she set off north, Mimi watched on, keeping her eyes on her friend until she was completely out of view. Even with their gift of immortality, it was still quite difficult for her to see Rin off at times like this, "Please be careful, Rin."
Rin continued north for miles, stopping every now and again to show Himiko's photo to those she came across. Village after village, and ward after ward, no one had seen her, even well out of the decimated land of Hiroshima. After numerous failed attempts, Rin's confidence faded slightly. The position of the sun in the sky told that she would soon be out of daylight, and with empty, regretful hands, she turned to head back to Aki ward.
Nearly halfway back, she caught another glimpse of a convoy of military vehicles down one of the streets in Higashi ward. She made a spur of the moment decision, and cut down an alley in an attempt to get closer to the procession, and perhaps get a closer look at the contents of the vehicles. She struggled to keep her progression as silent as she could, and within just a few moments had come to the end of the alley, just as the convoy was approaching.
She knelt behind a garbage container to keep herself hidden, and when she looked out to the fleet, it was exactly as she's predicted. Though the trucks bore no markings save for their easily assuming camouflaged paint, the trucks were full of Japanese women and children. Catching a glance at one of the driver's, her suspicions were confirmed, "Americans. What the hell are they planning on doing?"
"Well look at what we have here?" A gruff male voice sadistically muttered just behind Rin.
No sooner than she had turned to take the soldier into her sight did he slam the butt-end of his rifle into her forehead. As the world went black, she heard the vague musings of the man who'd hit her, "She's a pretty one too."
Night fell on Aki ward, though the unease that permeated the air was still in full swing. It's not every day that villages were leveled, and thousands of people were killed in the blink of an eye, the lucky ones at least. Mimi stepped through the curtains at the entrance of Shinji Nakamura's Sake bar. As soon as he heard her arrive, Shinji immediately turned to the little girl and urgently asked, "Any sign of her?"
Mimi's sadness was never well hidden, and in this case, even less so, "No sign of Himiko and no sign of Rin either."
Shinji was taken back for a moment. Though he had been hesitant to accept Rin and Mimi's assistance in the first place, as he put thought into their selfless kindness, he was extremely grateful to have their help. "Your friend said that the two of you do this sort of thing all the time."
Mimi took a seat at the bar and replied, "We do, but it's not like Rin to be late when she sets a time." She immediately thought back to their earlier conversation, concerning those trucks they had seen. An ever greater level of concern washed over her and she stood from her seat, "Something's wrong."
As she headed back to the curtained entrance, Kenta called back to the girl who had helped him around the city today, "Wait, Mimi!"
The violet haired girl turned back to Kenta and Shinji, and replied, "I wouldn't stay out too late tonight. Lock up early and the both of you get some rest. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Rin's eyes fluttered open, blurrily revealing her surroundings. Even once she was completely awake, her glasses were gone, keeping everything around her just a little difficult to make out. The first thing she put together was the murky image of a gurney in front of her, and the smell of rotting blood and flesh in the air. She was in a morgue, she was sure of it, "I didn't think he hit me hard enough to…" She ran through her memories, "…no, I didn't die, so what am I doing here?"
The sound of footsteps in the distance instantly brought her to try and move, which unfortunately also brought about the next realization; her arms and legs were bound to the table on which she lay. The table itself was propped up at a slight angle, and as she looked around the room, she wondered, "Did they leave me this way on purpose?"
The footsteps became louder and louder as they approached, and judging by the sound of the clattering, there were several people on their way. Suddenly the door burst open, and another sound became known to Rin; the sound of a gagged woman doing all she could to break free of the men who held her.
As the desperate soul appeared in this dark and dank place, Rin's eyes doubled in size as she quietly spoke, "Himiko?"
Looks like this is going to take me a little longer than I'd hoped to finish up :( I've finished my writing, but I'm not quite through proofing and whatnot.
Hopefully I'll get chapter three up tomorrow, if not both chapters three and four.
I hope you're enjoying it so far,
-jm