I'll Wait in Izumo - Banana Fish [Ash x Eiji]

Golden Hour Leaps | 60 Years Ago

60 years ago.

Staten Island High School. It was the perfect time between afternoon classes and nightfall. Golden hour illuminated the track surface. Tired athletes packed their bags, ready to be picked up by their parents. I watched the athletes leave the gym. With their lanky frames and confident allure, the senior class runners resembled Ash. He fit in with their age and subtle demeanors. When everyone left, Ash and I jumped over the fence and scurried onto the track.

I pushed the pole against Ash's chest.

"Fuck, I haven't slept for three nights. Why are you making me do this?" he grumbled. I took a step back, leaving him room to prepare for the jump.

"You taught me how to shoot a gun, so why not teach you how to pole vault? Sure, you might not ever need this skill, but I wouldn't have ever escaped from that warehouse if it weren't for this."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right... I don't think I'll ever use this, but if it makes you happy, you know I'll at least try it out." He grinned. That smirk on his face.

Ash furrowed his brow. He focused on the bar, hovering at nine feet above the ground.

"We can adjust the bar to make it lower."

He ignored me, lifting the pole over his shoulder. 

Then, he sprinted off.

"Remember! The faster you run, the higher you go!" I yelled.

Unlike me, Ash was a naturally-built athlete. Tall and strong, he could easily be a pole vaulter. I was always the rookie of the team, falling behind the track stars and stumbling into numerous injuries and losses. Ash ran with an uncanny determination, as if he knew that he would make it over the bar no matter what. I wanted his confidence.

In a drawn-out slice of a second, Ash planted the pole, drove his legs into the air, and swung his body over the bar. Midair, he looked like a hawk soaring through the vast desert. His body moved like the wings of a falcon, piercing up into the sky before skydiving down to catch its prey. He perfected the vault and landed with a graceful fire. Stretched out and face-up on the mat, he closed his eyes and appeared, once again, as a vulnerable boy.

I sat down next to him.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared into the burning glow of the horizon. His chest was still racing to the thrill of the jump. He looked proud of himself—an emotion so far removed from the shame and anxiety that would wake him up in the late hours of our nights.

"I used to envy you because you knew how to fly. Now, I know how it feels. Being so high above the ground... it sent me into this rush that made me feel... I don't know..." He paused, lost in the serenity of the empty stadium. "Just peacefully alone."

"You're a natural. It usually takes weeks to train for these jumps." I looked away. "I know the feeling of what it's like to be up there. It's something I miss every day."

Ash pushed the pool toward me. "In that case, it's your turn. Time to see how the coach does it."

I remembered my accident. Instead of recovering and rejoining the team, I was a coward to my own sport. My fear of falling grew every time I stepped foot on the track. I was afraid of hurting myself again, and that anxiety grew into a crippling phobia. When I lost sight of my purpose, I became an Icarus to my own desires: flying, burning, falling.

I was tumbling down until I found myself fleeing from Japan.

Meeting Ash changed everything.

This could be my second chance.

I looked Ash in the eye and grabbed the pole, clenching it with all of my courage.

Ash came into my life, and I rediscovered what brings me happiness. When we were trapped, I somehow found the bravery to jump over the brick wall. I was hurt, bleeding and bruised, but afterwards, I felt amazing.

Because of him, the broken pieces of my failures were mending, turning me into a stronger human being. In his presence, everything in this world felt possible.

This is your chance to fly again, I told myself, and I'll do it, no matter what it takes.