banana fish - angel eyes

part three

A few weeks before; when Eiji came home.

Eiji arrived in Japan. Everything felt different now. He's now back in his hometown Izumo, after being away for a while. When he first arrived in America, he hoped to escape his unhappy life, but it turned out to be even worse.

So much pain remained inside him. He met so many people and lost them. Still, he couldn't have been happier that he went, because he met the most important person in his life on his trip.

Ash Lynx.

That's the only person he could think about on the entire flight home, his thoughts were only of Ash. He couldn't get it out of his mind and he was worried about him. Eiji couldn't help feeling upset that Ash decided to stay in America rather than come with him. It felt like Ash was abandoning him, to which he seemed disappointed.

Eiji tried to come up with every possible reason why he decided not to go.. but he could already imagine. Perhaps he could call him later and ask him how he's doing. He wanted nothing more than to return. When arrived at home, his family was already there waiting and welcoming him with open arms. Well, just his mother and sister. His father most likely still remained in the hospital, considering his current condition.

Eiji didn't tell them much about America. He mainly shared stories about the people and the places he's visited, and how different everything is. Obviously, they knew he had been shot. But he lied about almost everything, including where he was and what had happened. If they knew the full story of what had truly happened, they would never let him out again. The lie may have been easy to believe, given that it was America, a country known for such events.

They were already concerned when he first talked about going there. He had a difficult time convincing his mother to go. She seemed to understand that it may have been what he needed, thanks to Ibe convincing her.

After they had eaten together, his younger sister approached him. "You always end up in one accident after another." his sister said sarcastically to him. Eiji glared at her, his expression clearly indicating that he was annoyed. "Yeah well.. No big deal."

His sister laughed at his comment. "No big deal? You're in a wheelchair! I just knew it would be too dangerous if you went."

In that moment, Eiji snapped. He could feel the anger boiling inside of him, not knowing how to control it. It was all he could do to keep himself from doing something he might regret. "It's none of your business, alright! It was my decision. You don't know anything about it either."

She stared at him with a surprised face, evidently not knowing this side of him. "Oh.. okay." Eiji's sister noticed that he was intently looking at some pictures. He took some while he was abroad, including pictures of his friends, the places he visited, and the scenery.

The japanese boy did enjoy his time away from home. It didn't matter what happened, Eiji realized during his time away that he actually wanted to be away from his family. Spending all of his life with them was eventually becoming tiring. Didn't he become an adult a while ago?

"Are these your friends?" she asked him, trying to look at the pictures. Eiji slapped her hand away, causing her to yelp in surprise. "Please just stop."

Eiji saw the look on his sister's face and quickly realized what he had just done. He started to feel embarrassed and ashamed, wishing he could take it back.

"Sorry I bothered you."
He had never seen his younger sister this upset by something he said. Eiji regretted what he said almost as soon as it came out of his mouth. He is not the person he used to be before he left.

Eiji had a life that changed completely, and he couldn't remember when it was normal. Eiji had lost all sense of what a normal life was like. He didn't know what it was like to just enjoy simple things like going out with friends or spending time with family. All of it felt like such a struggle now.

The boy tried calling Ash many times, who never answered, terrified that he had been harmed in some way. A few weeks after, everything seemed to be going back to normal. Eiji was slowly improving his balance and mobility, as well. It was still difficult and tiring.

He was looking at some pictures of himself and Ash that he had taken together. Eiji was staring at the pictures with a sense of nostalgia and wonder. He remembered every moment perfectly, and it all felt like a dream to him.

"If I ever lose you too... I'll go crazy."

Ash: "Do I scare you?" Eiji: "Never."

"Come back safely. I'll be waiting for you, forever."

"If you feel responsible, the same goes for me."

"My words might not mean anything now, but just remember one thing. Even if the world turns on you, I'll always be on your side."

"Humans can change their destiny. They have wisdom leopards don't. Besides, you're not a leopard."

"If I'm going to die anyways, at least I'll die trying!"

"I'd do anything for you."

"You asked me over and over if you scared me. But I never feared you. Not once."

"..I'm really glad I came to America. I met lots of people. And more than anything, I met you."

Eiji started to cry. This feeling seemed to linger with him forever.

"I wish I could've told you how much you meant to me."