Meet You Again (Banana Fish)

Reunion 2/2 (8)

-Max Lobo-

"Achoo!" I sneezed. I rubbed my reddish nose and put my hands deeper in my pockets. It was starting to get cold. I forgot it's winter season. I looked at the busy streets and looked around me in awe. I decided to keep walking and not take a cab or something because I wanted to make the most of it. I glanced around me and I knew I looked like a kid who was lost in a world of fantasy.

I stopped.

I feel like someone's following me. I looked behind me and tried to look for someone suspicious.

It's a busy street. That person wouldn't dare to do something bad, would they? But I could be overthinking stuff so I continued walking. But the feeling that someone's following me from a distance won't go away. I started feeling nervous. I walked faster.

Oh my god, someone's gonna try to kill me. I silently prayed, hoping that I was just having a moment of a Journalist's crisis. I took my hands out of my pockets, preparing them to punch the face of my stalker.

I suddenly felt like getting dragged. It happened so fast that I couldn't react quickly. I felt my body slam on a brick wall and my eyes closed at the sudden impact. I assumed I was pulled into an alley. I opened my mouth to scream at my offender but before my voice could come out, a hand covered my mouth. I quickly opened my eyes to see the face of the person who I think was planning to kill me.

My eyes widen. I must be having one of those crazy dreams. "Hey old man." The man said with a smile. He slowly put his hand back down and backed away from me. I grabbed his shoulders harshly and it was my turn to slam his body on the wall on his side. "Ash?!" I shouted at him. My heart was beating fast because the last time I saw his face was on my TV screen, on the news, saying he was dead. He smiled, trying not to laugh, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

I slapped his arm so hard. "Ah! What the heck was that for?" He cried out but then his fierce eyes pierced on mine. "I was checking if I was dreaming idiot!" I shouted at him again.

"Stop shouting! It makes you sound and look older." He said as he gently pushed me away from him and walking behind me. "And if you were checking if you were dreaming, you should be slapping yourself, not me." As soon as he said that, I felt a hand slap my arm so mad hard that when I looked at it, it's all red. I bit my lip to stop myself from cursing. I looked at him and gave him my deadliest glare. "I think I just heard you curse, with your eyes." He laughed again.

"Enough." He stopped and I rubbed my arm, trying to make it feel better. "How are you here? I thought you were dead. And how did you know I was here?" I had so many questions in mind but those were enough for today. "I think this place isn't the best place to talk." He said. I nodded and followed him.

***

A few hours ago, I was walking in a narrow street filled with cheap street food stalls and now, I found myself walking in a fancy-looking restaurant with a friend I thought was dead. "Don't you think this place is too much?" I asked, kind of worried that I used up all my money buying every street food I can eat earlier. "Don't worry, I'll pay for this." He said and I felt relieved.

We looked around the place in silence then I looked at him. He looked at me and understood what I wanted. He cleared his throat then started talking. "I survived." I sat there, confused. "What?" I asked. "I almost died but I was saved." I listened and stayed quiet. "Honestly, I thought that that day was the perfect day to die. I was happy."

The day Eiji and Shunichi left..? He was happy that time?

"I didn't do anything to save myself from dying. I just sat there, in a place full of books, reading a precious letter." I looked at his shining eyes and his smile. Ash has changed. He cleared his throat again. "I was also the one that reported my death, I said that one of The Chinese burnt me to death just like how I burnt my best friend."

Ah, Shorter. "That nothing remained but ashes." He said with a slight smile. "They didn't ask how you knew all of that?"

"They were newbies and didn't even think about asking me about that." He laughed and I smiled. "And how did you know I was here?" I asked. "I didn't, it was just a coincidence. I was surprised to see you here as well. I planned to see Eiji, but then I saw you." I nodded. "So you knew Eiji's hometown." I mumbled. "What do you plan to do next?" I asked before taking a sip of my iced tea. "I want you to come with me tomorrow, to meet Eiji." I smiled happily and said, "That's great! We were planning to meet up." He smiled back. "Great."

***

-Eiji Okumura-

"Ei-chan's home." Ibe-san said as my mom opened the door. "Eiji!"

"How was today?" My mom asked as she washed the dishes. "It was fun." I smiled as I thought of the things I did today. "I met a friend I haven't met in a long time and we hung out together with Ibe-san." I closed my eyes and rested. I was tired. "That sounds great! I'm glad you had fun. Staying in the house for too long gets boring." I nodded in agreement. "I should go take a rest mom, I used most of my energy." I looked at her with a playful smile and she just chuckled. "Alright, I changed your bedsheets to the soft ones." I snickered. "Thanks mom, see you later."

***

I threw my coat on my chair and flopped down on my bed. I looked at the pictures we took earlier on my phone and I felt excited for what was about to come tomorrow. I was going to meet Max, Jessica, and Michael together with Ibe-san tomorrow.