Spirit Bound - A Banana Fish Soulmate AU - art by @ashconny

The Red Thread Of Fate

Before reading, please take a moment to look at the incredibly beautiful fanart Ashconny has drawn for this chapter.  Thank you so much for offering to create a fanart for one of my stories! I really love it, especially Eiji's soft look in his eyes and the colors you used for the background and the the thread of fate.

She also made another amazing but more heartbreaking fan art that you'll find eventually while reading this story.

Thank you so much for creating such amazing art for this story. I'm so grateful!

This chapter is about the saying that a red thread connects both soulmates' fingers that is only visible to them. When Eiji tries, he can see it, but Ash can't.  Does that mean they're not soulmates, after all?

"Eiji, are you even listening to me? What's wrong with you today?"

This morning, Eiji had met Ibe at his studio to work on a project with him. Eiji had also asked him for some tips to improve his skills in photography. He had finally saved enough money to buy himself a Nikon DSLR camera, yet hadn't tried out all the new features yet.

He hoped that Ibe would find the time to explain some of his new camera's elements that were new to him. Ibe had also promised to take him on a walk through New York and show him some great photo motives and places that offered a great view of the city. Eiji had looked forward to that because he admired Ibe since he had visited him in Izumo and had won that photo competition with his pole vaulting photos. He was like an older brother to him, so he had immediately agreed when Ibe had asked him to accompany him to New York after his pole vaulting injury.

Now that he had moved into his little apartment on campus and had enrolled at college, he had started working part-time for Ibe to be able to pay for his living expenses himself. Eiji preferred to earn his own money. Ibe had offered that he could stay with him in his apartment or above his studio, but he had politely declined, telling him he didn't want to be a freeloader and that he wanted to live on his own and earn his own money. He enjoyed the freedom and the independence here, especially since no one knew him here. It was a new start for him, a second chance.

Since New York was one of the world's most expensive cities, Ibe had offered Eiji to work part-time for him. It was a win-win situation since he could also use the practical experience for his college degree. The college required the students to do an apprenticeship or a part-time job for half a year to learn about everyday life and the daily routine. He had asked his tutor at college about it and  had learned that his job at Ibe's studio was accepted as an apprenticeship. So, his work with Ibe helped him to improve his practical skills and to get credits for his college degree.

That's why he felt awful that he wasn't in top form right now. To say that he had a bad day was an understatement. He wasn't able to focus on the task at hand. He had noted that he had a hard time concentrating, and his thoughts were often somewhere else, drifting off to the talk with Ash from last night.

After talking to Ash yesterday, it had been past midnight when he had finally arrived home. Shorter had offered that he could stay overnight, but Eiji would have an early appointment with Ibe at his studio the following morning, so he had preferred to return home. Ash had given him a ride on his motorcycle, explaining that this area wasn't safe at night.

After that eventful evening, Eiji hadn't gotten any sleep. Ash's memories that he had accidentally seen had still haunted him, and he couldn't stop reflecting on Ash's harsh life and all the horror and suffering he had gone through. He had enjoyed his time with him but had been shocked to learn that Ash's life had only been dominated by violence, pain and fear.