no mader how strong the wind blows

chapter 10 Heart-to-Heart

Summary:

Ash and Eiji have a heart-to-heart talk at the beach, along with a certain request.

Notes:

For everyone's guidance, Ash is 11 and Eiji is 13.
Anyways, enjoy the update!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Eiji stared into the mirror, combing his raven-black hair as the two families prepared to head out once again. He was wearing a white and light blue striped shirt, one of the shirts Griffin gave him as his present, along with dark blue shorts and white slip-on shoes. A pair of sunglasses hung on the collar of his shirt, and dangling around his neck was the silver necklace Ash gave to him.
"How do I look, Ashu?" he asked his best friend, who was sitting on their bed.
"Perfect for a day at the beach, Ei-chan." Ash smiled in response, who looked good himself in a simple light red tank top, black board shorts and flip-flops.
Eiji grinned. "Same to you, Ashu. Handsome as always."
Then all of a sudden, Ash looked away from Eiji, his smile slowly faltering. Eiji was about to ask him what was wrong when Griffin suddenly opened the bedroom door. Behind him was Eika dressed in her bathing suit, holding a small shovel and pail in her hands, looking giddy and excited to get into the water.
"Let's go?" he asked.
"C'mon, Eiji and Ash. I can't wait to go swimming!" Eika added.
"Coming," Eiji answered, walking towards the door after one last glance in the mirror.
Meanwhile, Ash didn't say anything. He just stood up, grabbing the fedora hat sitting next to him, and walked out of the room after his best friend. Another week has passed after Eiji's graduation celebration, and the families were going to head out to the beach to spend an entire day there. They've been hearing from different sources that Los Angeles was known for its many beaches, so they decided to go to the nearest beach in order to at least experience a beach day there before flying back to New York.
While Griffin, Jim and Mr. Okumura were swimming in the ocean, Eika was busy building a sandcastle nearby. Mrs. Okumura and Jennifer went sunbathing, then Eiji and Ash were seated under an umbrella.
As Eiji was reading his book like he always did, from his peripheral vision, he noticed that Ash was unusually quiet. He was looking out into the distance, as if he was lost in his thoughts. Thinking that he might not be feeling well, he placed a hand on Ash's forehead, surprising the younger boy.
"That's strange, you're not burning up or anything," Eiji said. "Are you alright, Ashu? You've been awfully quiet today."
Ash shook his head, smiling at his best friend. "I'm alright, Ei-chan. Don't worry."
"Okay, whatever you say," Eiji answered. "After I finish this chapter, let's go swimming, okay?"
"Sure."
***
After hours of swimming in the ocean, they had their early dinner at one of the many restaurants at the pier, then decided to take a stroll around the area, agreeing to meet at the stairs leading to the parking lot once they were done.
"Dad, may I borrow the camera?" Eiji asked as they walked out of the restaurant. "I promise to give it back once I'm done."
"Alright, Ei-chan. Just be sure to take care of it, okay? And don't ever take it off around your neck just to be sure," his father answered, hanging the camera around his son's neck.
"Sure. Thanks, Dad!" Holding the camera in one hand, Eiji turned to Ash, draping his other arm around his shoulder. "Let's go, Ashu?"
"Yeah," Ash flatly answered. Why was he being so quiet today?
"Looks like the sun's starting to set," Jim commented, looking at the sky that began to turn orange. "Great timing."
"Did you hear that, Ashu?" Eiji asked, trying his best to sound enthusiastic. "We're gonna witness our very first beach sunset in Los Angeles."
Ash smiled weakly. "That's exciting, Ei-chan."
Eiji let out a sigh, Ash was obviously not feeling excited about it.
***
The sun was slowly setting over the horizon as the two boys walked together on the beach, taking off their footwear to feel the fine grains of sand slip between their toes. They stopped at one point and let the cool ocean waves wash over their feet.
While Eiji slowly took various shots of the view around them, Ash just stood there, his eyes gazing into the sunset as he felt a gentle breeze blow, sending his long, blonde hair flying along with the wind.
Noticing this, and not wanting to miss the opportunity to capture a beautiful moment, Eiji immediately pointed the camera lens towards Ash and took a picture of him. His brows furrowed when he saw the sad look in Ash's eyes, looking as if he was thinking really deep thoughts.
"Ashu, please tell me," he said, gently placing a hand on Ash's shoulder. "What's bothering you? You've been like this since this morning."
"Ei-chan, what kind of guys do you like? What qualities do you look for in a guy?" Ash asked, still looking out into the ocean.
Eiji let out a gasp, surprised by Ash's sudden question. He wasn't hearing things, right? Did he seriously ask him what kind of guys he liked?
"Well, why do you ask?" the raven-haired boy asked, his heart starting to pound hard in his chest. For some reason, he had a feeling that this conversation might lead somewhere.
Ash shook his head, still not looking at Eiji. "Nothing, I'm just asking."
"Well," Eiji answered. "If you ask me, I like guys who would always stay beside me through thick and thin."
Just like you, Ashu, he wanted to add, but he felt like something was preventing him from saying it.
Ash nodded his head. "I see."
"H-How about you, Ashu? What qualities do you look for in a person?" It was Eiji's turn to ask. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he felt his palms becoming cold, his heart pounding harder. He didn't know why, but he suddenly became scared of what Ash would answer.
"I like someone who would accept me for who I am." Then Ash looked at Eiji. "Someone like you."
At that very moment, Eiji felt his heart skip a beat as he stared at his best friend in anticipation, waiting for the next words to come out. Someone like him? Was Ash trying to tell him something? Was he gonna confess---
"But the person I like, she couldn't seem to accept me," Ash continued, looking back into the ocean and letting out a deep sigh. "But I still like her, Ei-chan. I still like Trixie. No, wait. I think I love her already."
Right then and there, Eiji felt like his heart completely stopped beating. Or more like, his heart stopped beating and at the same time it was crushed into a million pieces. Numbness coursed through his body as he looked away, fighting the tears that began to form in his eyes. He just couldn't understand, why was Ash looking for someone else if he said himself that he was looking for someone like Eiji?
I'm right here, Ashu. The person you're looking for is right in front of you. Can't you see?
"W-Why do you ask, by the way?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice even. He quickly wiped away the tears from his eyes so Ash wouldn't see them.
"Because you always tell me that I'm handsome," Ash replied.
"You ARE handsome, Ashu. Believe me," Eiji reassured his best friend, smiling weakly at him.
"Well, if it's true that I'm handsome, then why won't Trixie like me?"
Because she's blind, Ashu. She doesn't see you the way I do.
"She just doesn't realize it," said Eiji. "I've been with you for a long time that's why I could really tell that you're handsome."
Ash ran a hand on his face and through his hair and let out a sigh before turning to face Eiji.
"Ei-chan, could you do me a favor?" he asked.
"Anything for you, Ashu. What is it?"
"Could you...change me?"
Eiji's forehead crumpled at his best friend's request. "Change you? What do you mean by that?"
"Change me. Transform me," Ash explained. "I mean, turn me into a typical guy. You know, like the typical handsome guys you see down the street."
"Huh? And why would you want that, Ashu? You don't have to do that, you know," Eiji tried to reason with his best friend. "You're already special just the way you are. There's no need for you to change yourse---"
"Please, Ei-chan?" Ash cut him off, holding Eiji's shoulders and looking straight into his eyes. "Please? For me?"
Eiji, torn between saying yes and no, was unable to say anything as he stared at Ash's face. His face looked so innocent but at the same time there was a pleading look in his eyes, the look you would usually see when you want something really badly. He was hesitant to say yes, but at the same time Ash looked really desperate. How could he say no to a face like that?
"Do I even have a choice? Alright, fine," Eiji answered, letting out a sigh. "When we get back to New York, I'll help you."
And with that, Ash's lips slowly formed into a wide smile. He stepped forward, pulling Eiji into a tight embrace.
"Thank you so much, Ei-chan," he said, kissing the side of Eiji's head. "I owe you everything."
Eiji smiled weakly, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "Y-You're welcome, Ashu. Anything for my...best friend."
From Ash's shoulder, Eiji watched as the sun continued to set, sinking little by little into the ocean, the sky slowly turning from bright orange to a gradient of purple and dark blue. He couldn't feel the warmth of Ash's arms around him, but he felt numb instead because of so much mixed emotions. He wasn't really sure if he made the right decision to say yes to Ash's request to change him, just for the girl he likes.
Just like the sunset, will the true Aslan Jade Callenreese he knew disappear as well?
He let out a sigh, burying his face into Ash's shoulder.
He just wished that things would turn out well once they fly back to New York.