Fuzzy light and shadows seeped into Hinata's vision as he returned to consciousness.
Pain slammed into his temples and all over his body as soon as he was aware of himself.
"Shush! Easy now." A deep voice cooed into his ears.
The pain eased into a throbbing and bearable warmth. He felt a coolness to his skin, which eased the pain further.
His vision remained an indistinct blur.
"Am... I?" He managed to say.
His voice was brittle and mouth parched. Like he hadn't drunk water in days.
"It's okay. Yah be safe. Rest now." The deep voice soothed his ears.
He lapsed into a dreamless sleep.
The mellow chirping of birds, and small animals rummaging through under the bush, graced his ears upon waking. He felt a warm breeze stroke his cheeks.
His eyes slowly opened to daylight filtered through bird and flower-shaped Ranma impressions. Fine dust particles drifted and lazed about the wooden thatched roof. Adding to the gold-orange colors of dawn.
He smelt traces of pine, sweet flowers, and woody musk that were typical scents for shrines and temples.
"Am... I back?" Hinata voiced his question aloud. Although, he suspected his answer was correct.
Sounds of shifting doors and footsteps drew his attention to his left.
Rocko's image, in his blue hunting cloak and flowing hakama pants of a shrine priest, cleared before his eyes. The man's bald head was patchy with fine stubble. His jaw was also ridden with stubble.
"You're a shocking image for a priest." Hinata joked and gagged at the bile to his throat.
"Imma priest. I don't need to impress anyone." Rocko soberly answered to Hinata's jest.
Hinata sighed. He dropped further efforts of conversation and allowed Rocko to tend to his battered body with a wet cloth that reeked of knotweed.
"Dat secret policeman did you in good." Rocko sighed.
Hinata grimaced at the thought. That man wanted to kill him with a belief he was aiding a traitor.
What did Eiji's father do this time? Although, he wasn't surprised that a man would do something underhanded for personal gain.
"What happened to him?" Hinata whispered.
Rocko paused his swabbing over Hinata's wounds. He lowered his head with a heavy sigh, and the weight of his actions forever on his shoulders.
"Dat man won't hurt you anymore."
Hinata frowned with understanding. If he wasn't there, Rocko would've never faced actions that contradicted his values.
"I'm very sorry. I caused you trouble that I promise to repay." He bowed his head low. "My life is yours."
Rocko pinched a part of Hinata's undamaged arm to make him pay attention.
Hinata yelped.
"Chikafuji-san. Yah did nothing wrong. I helped a damsel in distress is all. Don't go making dat kind of promise." He scolded Hinata. "Specially when yah Aki's."
Hinata heaved another painful sigh. There was that. He did love Akira, but his heart still felt stirrings for Eiji.
Eiji was all he ever knew about the highs and lows of being loved. Many years they pined for and returned to each other. Every time they reconnected, it deepened their union. Eiji always came home.
Until now.
Hinata knew that he would have to face the fact that Eiji wasn't going to be around. It was difficult. Having Akira by his side made it more so.
"If only I could hear him say 'tadaima' one more time." His voice quivered with tears.
"He's alive and with the others. Yah get to hear him say that," Rocko answered innocently.
"He's?" Hinata faced Rocko.
Tears spilled from his eyes. He lowered his head when he realized that Rocko was referring to Akira. "Yes. You're right."
Rocko frowned, realizing someone else troubled Hinata. It also made him think that this someone else was likely the reason for his current problem.
"Why dah secret police chasing you?"
"Because of someone I knew. Someone I never wanted to cross paths with again," Hinata answered honestly.
The woes of his past flowed out of his mouth, like caged doves that could finally escape through an opened door.