Sisters and brothers

By night, Takumi had finally put his ideas in order. He still wanted to leave with Sachie. He had found a way to leave without attracting attention: they should go on a boat bound for Tokyo. But first, he had to settle some personal matters: he wanted to return home to say goodbye to his brother, get some clothes, and savings so he could leave peacefully.

When he finally reunited with Sachie that night in an improvised shelter, he told her his plan. He had managed to convince the captain of a small cargo vessel that could take them to Tokyo on October 31st.

"In exchange, he has asked for a large sum of money," he told Sachie, who looked exhausted after a day helping not only Mariko, the midwife, but also some patients at the hospital.

She had been reprimanded by her boss for running away with the stolen medicines. Sachie also found Chika and thanks to her, she could better understand the situation in the area: the aid arriving was scarce and was being diverted to more privileged areas.

Chika mentioned that she had seen the army stealing, abusing of their power, and ignoring the help. Only to maintain appearances, they gave some small food rations to doctors and sailors. She couldn't help but hate Izumi; she thought he was involved in the whole affair. For the first time, she thought he was a bad marriage candidate for…

"What is your plan?" Sachie asked, resting her head on Takumi's shoulder, who simply hugged her.

If Izumi was involved in the matter Chika spoke of, what could she do? It wasn't like she had a solution. It was better not to think about it. 

"I must go home," Takumi replied. The shelter felt quiet, peaceful. Although there were separated families, people who were still looking for missing relatives, something remained: peace, hope, and the faith that everything could get better.

"I must manage to say goodbye to Souta. Do you remember him?" Takumi looked at Sachie, who nodded silently. Of course, she remembered the little person he helped cure that day. "Besides, I have my savings. I'll have to go to the bank to withdraw what's necessary."

They had both agreed to meet at that shelter tomorrow night to leave Shimizu forever. On the morning of October 30th, Takumi left before dawn. Sachie had decided to continue helping in any way she could.

The hospital was full, and without medicines, there wasn't much to do, so her boss, if she could still call him that, sent her to a small shelter near the market. People were gathering there to try to help with the little food available.

The place looked cheerful, as if nothing had happened. Although the place was mostly still destroyed, especially after the aftershock felt during the early morning, by that time of day, it had already been forgotten.

The scene was full of life: children running, women talking among themselves, gentlemen maintaining order, and another group of people trying to cook and give people something to eat with what could be rescued from the market.

An atmosphere that she could only see in that place and felt like it was where she belonged. Some people recognized her, greeted her, and even asked about Takumi; some were even talking about marriage, which Sachie, nervous, only laughed about, trying to ignore the subject.

"You and that man really make a good couple," one of the women said. She had a bandage on her arm and some gauze on certain parts of her body. But she looked healthy. "When will you introduce him to us?"

"Does he have a brother?" another woman asked. She only had a few scratches. "Maybe I could introduce him to my daughter, and if everything goes well, she could inherit that factory."

The women laughed a little about the matter. Why did everyone talk about brothers and sisters? She didn't see the importance of having one. She always considered her a nuisance, the favorite, the spoiled one, the perfect; she was the necessary. Besides she was the useless one, the embarrassment. Only her grandfather valued her, listened to her, knew that her worth was more than just being a perfect wife whose sole purpose was to bear children.

When she was able to sit down to eat a vegetable soup, she saw some children playing on one side of the courtyard that remained clean. On the other side, there was a mother trying to get one of her children to eat. The oldest, surely about eight years old, seeing Sachie watching, told her that his brother didn't want to eat. He commented that his tummy hurt and that he didn't even want to drink water.

She wished she still had some spices to help, even if just to ease the dehydration or the pain of that little one. She didn't like seeing how the younger brother cried without being able to eat.

When Himawari turned six, she had a stomach infection that kept her in bed for several days. Akiko didn't know what to do. Sachie only listened to the arguments between Tooru and her father. They argued about what they should give the girl and got nowhere.

While Tooru said that the medicine he had already prepared would help her, its effectiveness was slow to take effect, and because it was so bitter, the girl wouldn't want to take it. On the other hand, Haruto commented that he was experimenting with a new medicine brought from India that could be more effective and faster.

"The medicine I have will help her with dehydration," Tooru shouted.

"The medicine I got will relieve the diarrhea," Haruto said.

It was a horrible fight, and in the end, it was Tooru who could give the medicine to his granddaughter, since, being the leader of the family and responsible for the health of its members, he could impose his authority. That night, her sister could finally sleep in peace, and the infection disappeared shortly after.

"Is everything alright, Sachie?" one of those women said, seeing her crying.

"Yes… Yes, everything is fine," Sachie replied, trying to dry her tears.

Leaving her half-finished plate on the ground, Sachie got up and went to look for her sister. She didn't know if she would still find her in the General Hospital, she didn't know if she could see her, but she had to try. She wanted to say goodbye, to ask for forgiveness.

Upon arriving at the hospital, she saw it still standing, but the structure looked weaker. If another aftershock like the previous ones occurred, it surely wouldn't hold up for long.

The chaos was much greater, and because of those aftershocks, the number of injured increased. She discreetly entered the hospital to look for her sister.

"M-Miss Apricot," a feminine voice was heard amid the chaos. It was Haruna.

"Shibasaki-san," Sachie said, surprised to see her. She had some significant bandages on her left arm and patches on her face. "I need your help."

Sachie approached her a little, but Haruna, somewhat scared, stepped back a couple of steps. Without insisting, Sachie asked her to help her find Himawari, her sister.

"Please, I need to see her," Sachie pleaded.

Haruna, seeing herself conflicted, still grateful for what she did for her father, and at the same time already knowing the reputation she had created, didn't want to be involved more than necessary with her. Finally, she made her decision.

"She is surely in the east wing of the hospital," she told her almost whispering. Sachie strained to hear her. "That's where some ministers and people who can afford to be treated better are."

"Thank you very much, Shibasaki-san," Sachie said as she went to look for her sister.