ANOTHER LIFE || Banana Fish: Alternative Ending ||

~Banana 59~

The air is heavy and the silence is deafening. None of the three intends to move a muscle. Each are taking slow, steady breathes.

It's like a calm before the storm.

Ace sits on a chair and a few meters apart from him, Ash is in the same position.  Ace tears his eyes from his watch and faces Ash again.

"Two truths, one dare." He pronounces, his eyes glinting with danger behind those sweat-soaked bangs.

Ace slips his hand in his right pocket and fishes out one silver coin. "Head? Or tail?" He asks Ash.

Ash's eyes clearly dance in bewilderment but nevertheless he gave his answer.

"Tails." Ash replies, his tone matching Ace's serious one.

Ace throws the coin in the air and it flips several times midair before landing back to his open palm. Eiji's heart races even faster as he waits for the result even without knowing which face of the coin brings what consequence.

Ace lowers his gaze. "Heads," he says, now wickedly smirking at Ash.

"This calls for honesty. Trust me, you don't want to say anything that's a lie."

Something behind Ace's words hinted something evil and Ash is aware of it. Now, his fear is growing stronger, fear not for himself but for Eiji who could even barely keep his eyes open.

"Answer truthfully. Was there any truth in your words back then? Did you really think of me as a friend?"

"It was all a lie and I didn't think of you any more than another pitiful slave of Goldzine."

There wasn't a moment I lied to you, Ace. All of it were genuine. I meant it. I thought of you as a friend and as a brother. And I held your life more valuable than mine.

Ace's eyes flashes greater pain in them. It looks like his wounds from the past have reopened and along with the bitter memories comes along hatred that had rooted deep inside.

A gun shot rings in the air and it was followed by a pained screech. Ash shots his terrified eyes to Eiji who is now holding his right arm grazed by a bullet who surfaced out of nowhere.

Ash hysterically looks around but his clouded mind could not pinpoint the shooter's exact location. The blond darts his gaze back to Ace but his eyes aren't angry, they are pleading instead.

"I can tell when you're lying." Ace says with a monotonous voice as his eyes abandoned Eiji and returns back to Ash. Wearing a nonchalant expression, he presses on, oblivious of Eiji's whimpers.

"Why did you break our promise?"

Ace words were like spears that pierced through Ash's flesh. His jaws lock. The shaking of Ace's voice is hurting him, tearing him, and his internal struggle grows stronger.  He wants to protect Eiji from Ace and Ace from the truth. Lying to Ace will protect Ace but will hurt Eiji. Telling the truth would hurt Ace but protect Eiji.

His friend? Or someone who's more than a friend? Ash is torn apart by these choices.

'Why did you break our promise?' This is the question Ash has been preparing to face. There weren't nights when he'd sleep without envisioning this moment. He spent countless hours pondering how to answer this question. But still, he came up with nothing decent.

Finally, Ash decides to answer.

"Because I was selfish."

I always knew you wanted to see the outside world and live normally. So I broke my promise to set you free from Goldzine. That time, I didn't know that I would be the one to shackle you down instead. I took away the reason why you were fighting to live on. And I'm not going to do it again. If I'm the reason you're breathing, if your goal in living is to kill me, I will strive to live even through hell so you could also continue living. But please... spare Eiji from this.