Utsukushi - Banana Fish

Chapter 24

Bang.

I immediately shot up in my seat, and rushed outside. In the distance, Shorter and Eiji were hiding behind a bush as they watched something happening at the diner.

I ran over and got beside them. I could see Ash down at the diner, gun in hand.

"They found us, didn't they." I asked quietly. Shorter nodded.

"You here us, Ash Lynx? Throw your gun away and come out if you want them alive." A man yelled from inside the diner. They had probably taken Jim and Jennifer hostage.

"Shit."

"Stop, don't touch them." Ash yelled. He threw his gun in through the broken diner window. "Let them go!"

Whoever was in the diner was talking too low for us to hear what they were saying now. But we watched as Ash busted open the window completely and climbed into the diner with his hands up.

"What the hell..." Shorter muttered as he looked off to the side. I followed his gaze and saw Ibe and Max climb into the truck.

"What're they doing?"

After they got in and turned on the car, they blasted the high beams that were pointed straight into the front of the diner. "Freeze! Cops!" Max yelled.

"Eiji, stay here." I said, and got up to run toward the diner. I was sure their distraction has bought Ash a little time. But without a doubt he'd need help.

There were gunshots from inside, and I ran faster. Shorter's footsteps weren't too far behind me.

"Ash run!"

"Dad!"

There was gunshot after gunshot. As I got to the front door of the diner, I saw Jennifer dead on the floor, Jim was shot, and a man I didn't know was dead beside him. There was another man with a knife who was sneaking up behind Ash.

I grabbed him and slit his throat before he could get to Ash.

"Eiji, don't look. You won't be able to take it." I heard Shorter say behind me, and I guessed Eiji has chosen to still follow us.

"Are you guys okay?" Max and Ibe ran in.

Max had made his way to Jennifer and checked her pulse. "Is she..?" Eiji began.

"Dead."

"She was such a fine girl." Jim said sadly. "All the good ones die first."

"Jim! Are you okay?!" A man yelled from outside.

"Don't worry, he's a friend." Jim told us. "Howard, come in here!" He called out.

A man walked into the diner and immediately gasped at the sight. "What happened?!"

"Some burglars. But Jennifer... call an ambulance and the cops." Jim told him.

"G-got it!" The man said, running off.

"Give me that gun." Jim said to Ash. Ash handed it to him and he proceeded to rub off any of Ash's fingerprints. "And you," he looked at me. "Put the knife in Jennifer's hands. Now hurry up and leave. I'll take it from here."

Jim tried to get up but Ash stopped him. "Don't move. You'll bleed even more."

"You're fighting a mafia don, huh? I'm impressed. Tell me just one thing. Was it one of them that killed Griffin?" Jim asked.

"Yeah." Ash said.

"Okay. I understand. I don't know what your plans are but you have my blessing."

"Dad-"

Sirens began to blare outside. "Stop wasting your time and go!" Jim told him. I could see the pain in Ash's eyes. But also in Jim's. Maybe what I had said really changed something in him.

I put the knife in Jennifer's hand. "I'm sorry." I whispered to her. I got up and ran out to the truck with the others while Max tried to retrieve Ash from his fathers side, but to no avail.

Max hurried up and went to turn on the truck. Ibe climbed into the front seat while the rest of us jumped into the back. Ash was still with Jim inside.

After a few moments, he came running out of the diner as we began to pull away. "Ash, come on!"

He ran, with tears in his eyes, toward us. Shorter grabbed his hand and helped him in.

"Step on it!" Shorter yelled to Max up front, and we began to speed off.

"Damn you!" Ash yelled as the diner got farther and farther away.

——

*3 days later*

We were halfway across the US in just a few days time. Just a few more days and we'd be in LA.

Those days dragged on forever though.

I had just woken up in the back of the truck after Max hit a huge rock while driving and I hit my head on the floor. Shorter and Eiji had slept through it though.

Shorter was half slung over me, his arm curled around my side.

I gently moved his arm off and sat up. Ash was sitting across from me and was messing with something in his hands.

"If you guys are trying not to make it obvious, it's completely obvious." He said, nonchalantly.

"Oh shut up." I rolled my eyes "I could say the same to you."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" He grumbled, getting defensive.

I just smiled and shook my head. Maybe he himself was oblivious.

"Where are we now?" I asked.

He grumbled again as I ignored his question. "Kansas I think."

I sighed. "I want out of this damn truck already."

I slithered back down beside Shorter to lie down, this time shoving a jacket under my head.

But I couldn't go back to sleep. I stared at the canvas ceiling of the truck, hoping I'd space out long enough to kill some time.

But Ash interrupted my thoughts.

"You talked to my dad that day, didn't you." Ash said.

"You mean when I went into the diner the other day? I was just talking with Jennifer." I told him. I didn't want him to know what I had found out about him. I thought it might resurface some bad memories for him.

He looked as though he didn't believe me, but hummed in response.

I got a closer look at what he was messing with in his hands- the necklace with the bullet. "You still have that?"

"Yeah." He held the bullet between his thumb and index finger. "All this for what was in here." He muttered.

"I'll never understand it."

"What?"

"All of this."

Ash sighed, tucking the necklace back into his pocket. "Me either."

A/N: Sorry the story is dragging on a bit. It won't continue to stick to the main plot of the actual show much longer, but it just helps build focus for my plot for now. Thanks for reading:)