He Was Here (Banana Fish Fanfiction / AshEiji)

He Was Here

This contains manga ending spoilers. I read the manga ten years ago and have not reread it since so this may contain discrepancies with canon and characterization.  

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Eiji sets down two cups of tea on the table. The china making soft clanks from the contact.

"Thank you." Ibe says with a wide smile, sipping the tea carefully.

Eiji drags a chair back so he can sit across from his friend. Ibe-san had come for a three day visit out of the blue. Surprising Eiji with a sudden call to be picked up at the airport. He had never given a reason for the trip and Eiji had not asked for an explanation. He picked up Ibe and they had spent three days doing the tourist thing, visiting old friends, visiting places. Both pretending the past never happened.

"Do you have everything packed?" Eiji raises his cup to his lips. The smell of the tea pleasantly filling his nostrils, but it's still too hot to drink.

The older man glances at the large suitcase tucked by the door. "Yes. We should have left already. I don't like rushing through security."

Eiji puts his cup down. "But you asked for tea? You said you wanted to talk for a minute."

"Yes..." Ibe hesitates. Eiji keeps holding the cup, but doesn't raise it to his lips. "I wanted to talk to you about something. There's a reason I came to see you."

Eiji blinks.

Ibe grabs his carry-on bag by his side and pulls out a folded manilla envelope, placing it on the table.

"I don't need money." Eiji says automatically, feeling a tiny bit of heartache at the thought his friend believes he can't support himself. "I'm making due with my freelancing, maybe someday I'll have an exhibit of my own—"

"This isn't money." Ibe pushes the envelope forward.

Eiji grabs it after a second of hesitation, carefully tearing the seal and extracting the contents. A letter. "This is a formal job offer from the magazine... Ibe-san, did you ask them to do this?"

"No. Of course, not." Ibe shakes his head. "The position opened suddenly. I showed the lead editor some of your portfolio. Told them about you... He was so impressed he made the offer right then and I decided to bring it to you personally."

Eiji stares at the letter for a second longer before placing it face down on the table and pushing it back. "I'm sorry, Ibe-san. With all due respect I just applied for permanent residency. This is my home now."

"It's not. Japan is your home. Your family is there."

"My family respects my decision." Eiji's voice loses some of it's pleasantry, fingers lingering on the teacup once more. He still doesn't drink.

"How much did you really tell them about New York? How dangerous it was? You never told them the full story did you? You don't belong here, Eiji. Come back to Japan with me." Ibe pulls something else from his bag, a small printed paper with Eiji's name on it.

"You purchased a ticket for me..." Eiji's voice shakes for the first time. "Ibe-san I can't pay you back for this."

"You don't have to. The company paid for your fare. They are excited to have you."

Ibe smiles confidently even as the silence grows. Even as Eiji no longer looks at him.

"Why would you do this?" Eiji feels the threat of tears behind his eyelids. His words low and hollow. "Please stop."

Ibe doesn't immediately respond. Just the sound of a deep breath and tap of fingers on the table. "You need to go back to Japan." He says callously.