ANOTHER LIFE || Banana Fish: Alternative Ending ||

~Banana 32~

Eiji groggily crawls back to his bed but stares at it for quite a while. He couldn't risk closing his eyes, see all those things and go through torture all over again.

So you wanna stay all night?

Eiji strongly shakes his head in protest and after the careful weighing of choices, he quickly curls himself to a ball under the sheets. After all, he'll be needing lots of energy to be able to cope up with Ace tomorrow.

"Ash, please don't leave me."

"I'm sorry."

"Please wake up."

"Who are you?"

"If you stay with him, you'll only hurt him."

"It's better if you return to Japan."

"Leave him."

Gasping, Eiji wakes up with a start, his doe eyes large and filled with fear. He pulls himself up to a sitting position, letting his trembling arms support himself. His hands shakily gripped onto the messy soft material beneath him, his fingers almost ripping the soft fabric.

I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? Eiji desperately searches for answers but he himself isn't so sure anymore. Every passing second, he feels himself slowly wavering and loosing sight of the one and only reason for choosing to stay.

Eiji drags his shivering hands to his head, pulling on his hair because at the moment, it is the only possible measure to keep his sanity with him.

A weight suddenly plops down the lower right edge of the bed. Eiji staggerly raises his head only to meet Ash's pair of emerald orbs that glint at the faint light of the moon that forced its way to the room, illuminating the place a little. They are looking on him with worry and kindess. Only then tears start to prick on Eiji's eyes.

"Ash." Eiji weakly croaks and just throws himself to Ash. If what's going on now is a dream, Eiji wishes to stay like this for a while. This way, he'll be able to feel Ash's warmth without thinking about anything else.

Ash instincively leans back a bit in shock and his muscles clearly tensed at the sudden embrace. But feeling the Asian boy helplessly shake in his arms, Ash's every part felt nothing but the need to lend a crying-shoulder to this person.

Bringing his arms around Eiji's head, Ash brings him closer and as he assuringly strokes Eiji's hair softly, "Don't cry" he whispers and plants a soft kiss on Eiji's forehead. Eiji's sobs seems to cease significantly after the act.

Firmly holding each side of Eiji's face, Ash pressed their foreheads against each other's. "Eiji, look at me." He calls out lovingly.

Eiji slowly flutters his eyes open, his eyes blurred by hot tears.

"Everything will be okay." Ash strongly assures him while letting his thumbs brush up and down on Eiji's cheeks.

Eiji clutches Ash's hands and laces his fingers with Ash's before giving his firm nod as a response. Ash's soft touch, his presence, all is enough for Eiji's worries to go away.

Eiji has calmed down and after wiping the stray strands of his hair that had stuck on his wet face, he finds himself in a predicament.