Afterward - BananaFish (ONGOING)

Part Six - You made him complete

Eiji lurched over, tears continuing to create waterfalls down his cheeks as he began to throw up onto the sidewalk outside the church. It felt like his fragile heart was going to spill from his mouth, heavy breaths expiring from his burning lips.

"Made quite the scene in there kid, didn't ya?"

A heavy weight was felt upon the pits of Eijis back, not failing to make him flinch and cower from his hunched over position. But soon enough, the unknown fright turned into comforting circles being traced over his back.

The Japanese boy didn't want to look up, he knew who was stood there. He could tell just by the firm grip that had dragged him out of the church as he poured out his heart.

No one had ever seen Eiji in such a vulnerable state. Not even himself.

There was obviously past experiences involving heavy hearted tears. When his dad had ended in hospital for the third time due to his repetitive liver problems. Finding out his own mother was unfaithful; she'd secretly been swept off her feet by multiple men whom worked in the same office as her.

The accident, when he'd injured his leg and was told he may never be able to return to sports again. Eventually, he did return, but the overwhelming pressure of depression had swarmed his life by that point.

And now this. Those were all painful times but nothing compared to this.

"Blanca, please leave me alone." Eiji finally mustered out, his weight shifting itself against the red and brown brick built wall, avoiding the grotesque mess he'd just created on the ground.

Of course the older man ignored his request, merely shaking his head with a slanted smile pulling at his lips. "I saw him you know." He said, almost too casually, "just before he died."

Eiji froze, his eyes finally converting from the ground and to Blancas lips. They weren't in a smile, but not exactly a frown either. There was... a remorseful feeling about them.

"We sat on a bench near the park," he continued, not much caring if Eiji protested. "He told me that, when he's near you, he can feel your kind, warmth and honesty flow right through him."
The older man let out a deep chuckle, as though the memory was from events only minutes ago. "Kid never had a way with words unless it came to you, you know. Said.... he said you made him complete."

Eijis wretched sobs had been reduced to soft tears tumbling down his cheeks, dripping down onto the suit he wore. He couldn't tell if the tears were happy or sad at this point. "We completed each other." He heard himself say.

"Yeah... you did." Blance nodded, his lips twisting upwards slightly. "A while back, we fought, hand combat ordered by Dino... poor kid couldn't stand by the end of it." His frown had returned at the thought. "Hey lay there, on the concrete, and told me 'there is one guy who cares for me and wants nothing in return. I can't believe how lucky I am. It's the happiest feeling in the world.'"

The young Japanese boy let out a hollow breath, his hands shaking as he ran fingers through his hair. "Of course I cared for him." Eiji muttered, almost bitterly to his own surprise, "more than anything in the world."

And he meant that. It had been the whole truth, and in more ways than one... it still was.

"Thank you, Blanca."