Nothing Under The Sun

Hinata wandered, finding comfort from the cap Crow gave—a sliver of shade from the sun, or eyes she didn’t trust.

She wasn’t used to having such a big space around her. The streets felt too wide. The sky was too open. Ironically, breathing here sometimes felt too unfamiliar and suffocating.

She passed by lawns with real grass. Bikes left out. Colored pots on porches. A rocking chair swayed in the breeze idly.

A dog that looked like a mop greeted her. The mutt sniffed her shoe, making her tense for a beat. It looked at her with an approving wag, then went on its way, its owner smiling at her.

Further down, a group of kids were chasing bubbles. One of them – barefoot and fearless – ran into her, arms flailing as she popped a bubble mid-air.

The little girl glanced at her and grinned without a hint of fear. Hinata gave the girl a silent nod of approval. She watched as the girl bolted back into chaos, her lips curling slightly in amusement.

A retro-style diner with red booths caught her attention. Then, a bookstore with handwritten signs taped to the windows. A ramen store smelled of pork and miso.

She stood in front of a vending machine. She looked around, suspicious of how easily this machine handed out refreshments. It looked like a trick.

An old lady from a nearby laundromat gave her a coin, pointing at the slot. She cautiously pushed the coin into the machine, and the lady prodded her to press the button. A can clattered, making her jolt.

The kind lady chuckled and nodded at her before returning to the laundromat. She offered a stiff smile, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

By lunchtime, she was at the park, sitting under the shade of a tall tree. She sipped on her drink as a couple walked past with a stroller. An old man fed pigeons.

Hinata exhaled without realizing that she had been holding her breath. The world, for a moment, seemed to take a nap.

It wasn’t flashy or gritty. It was disorganized, imperfect, and a little weird.

But it didn’t feel cruel or oppressive.

Where she came from, there was a brutal kind of order that she learned to work around. There, she can handle anything with grit and cunning.

But this. This freedom? Unreadable, unpredictable, almost chaotic. And it scared her.

The people she met. The mundane lives they lived.

And Crow.

These little crumbs of kindness — they were the hardest to trust.

She leaned back on the bench and stretched. She tugged the cap’s brim lower, shielding her eyes from the sun’s glare.

— • —

Hours passed. The sun hung lower in the sky.

Hinata’s legs ached, but she kept walking. For now, it kept her busy, buying her time to think about what to do next.

Her stomach grumbled. She ignored it.

She wandered far east to the quieter suburbs. Parked cars lined the streets. It felt like a place where something could happen, and nobody would want to get involved.

Then, there’s a scuffle. And an unmistakable yelp of someone not allowed to scream.

Hinata turned a corner and saw them.

Three guys. Big enough to be working a decent job. Wearing clothes a little too baggy. They had a woman cornered against chained bollards, one holding a knife towards her. The other two rifled through her handbag.

Hinata didn’t say anything. She strode toward the group with cold indifference.

The guy holding the bag noticed her first. He squinted. “What do you— “

Her foot drove into his stomach before he finished his sentence. He sprawled on the ground, shocked and retching.

Another guy lunged at her. She ducked a wild swing, then dashed straight towards the one holding the knife. She dug into her pocket for a handful of sand she had picked at the park, then threw it at the man’s face. He closed his eyes by reflex, and Hinata’s fist cracked his jaw before he could recover.

The last one standing reached for the knife on the ground, but Hinata kicked it to the side. He met Hinata’s knee as he stooped and planted face-first on the pavement.

It took seconds. Too easy.

Hinata brushed off her hoodie as the woman looked at her in astonishment.

“A... Are you alright?” Hinata asked awkwardly.

The woman nodded fast, grabbing her bag.

“Y-Yes. Thank you. I—thank you.” She took off down the street in a hurry, glancing back once before vanishing around the corner.

Hinata stood as adrenaline faded. She glanced at the three thugs, still rolling on the ground in humiliation.

She pulled the cap lower over her eyes and kept walking.

She didn’t look back. But this time, she didn’t feel like running.

Not yet.