banana fish ep 25+ :p

prologue

* at the nyc public library just after ash was stabbed by lao. continuation from ep 24 *

ash opened the door of the library and saw tables, chairs, people. last time i was here with eiji he thought but eiji was gone. it is better this way
Ash stumbled over to the table he always went to, he was supprised no one thought he was drunk, he made it over without spilling any blood on the floor, nulling any suspicion. He ran is hand along the familiar surface, smooth no splinters. He sat down, still pressing tightly on the wound lao gave him, he thought he'd be filled with rage, want to rip lao to shreds but he was calm he thought about eiji, he would get home and see his family again. Ash felt pain, not from his wound, but because he was convinced he'd never see eiji again, he knew it was for the best, he knew eiji wouldn't be able to survive in his world. he looked down, he was badly hurt, his hand was covered in blood and it was dripping down his leg. Ash could faintly see small droplets of blood on the floor but his shadow made them look like spilled water, in his left hand he held eijis letter, blood stained on it slightly crumpled but ash help tight on to those two pieces of paper, in that moment eijis letter was more valuable than anything in the world
" you asked me over and over if you scared me. But i never feared you not once."
he read slowly, he didn't want to rush it, this letter was precious the more he read the more is heart warmed, he was happy, finally happy. He couldn't be with eiji but it felt like he was right infront of him.
"you told me once about a leopard you read in a book. how you believed that leopard knew that it couldn't go back. And i said you weren't a leopard, that you could change your destiny."
tears began to pool in ash's eyes, he thought beck to when they first met, eiji was so innocent just a little Japanese boy asking to hold his gun. look what that lead to. Ash thought about when they discussed him coming to japan, He knew that was never going to happen
" youre not alone. im by your side. my soul in always with you."
— eiji okumura
he read those last words and he was complete but his eyes were heavy, and his body was numb. He put his arm down on the table and slowly drifted asleep.