In Cold Blood [Ash Lynx] - Banana Fish

Thirty - Meet You There

'so you go your way and I'll go mine

and if we're meant to, I'll meet you there' - 5SOS

-

The days that followed after were calm ones. The aftermath of the downfall of the syndicate had been much less hassle and easier than they'd expected; any members of the syndicate left had been old followers of Akio who'd been trying to free themselves from Koji's reign as boss anyway. Tanaka had proved helpful in searching for any disgruntled members of the syndicate and he'd used his resources to dispose of said members.

Thanks to Max's connections, they set up a foundation that supported families of soldiers and anyone else affected by Banana Fish and the tyrannical ways of Koji Daikoku —Tora had handed over money left from her parents' will and any assets left in Koji's name to help fund the foundation. The crates of the counter drug 'Seikatsu' were found from the address Akio and Hina left behind, and it's to be used on the victims of Banana Fish. It will be used knowing full well that it's not the answer to completely reversing the effects of the drug itself but a way to live with it.

The one thing that they can almost certainly guarantee is that everyone involved in the production of Banana Fish itself has perished, all connections to either Golzine and Foxx or Koji completely cut off and without resources. Should anyone emerge from the shadows, the Foundation and the information the microSD contains will be more than sufficient in taking care of the repercussions.

Once they'd arrived back on land, Tora had been passed out almost the whole ride, they rushed her off to the hospital. She'd lost a lot of blood from her amputated finger and without the tip, they couldn't reattach anything. A few days of rest means that her body is much less sore than it was, despite the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that remains.

Leant over the balcony on the second floor of the house, Tora pulls her hood up, placing a cigarette between her bruised lips. She lights the end, inhaling deeply and exhaling into the cold air.

Her fingertips graze over the deep purple bruise on her neck and she glances down at the tip missing on her left pinkie finger, covered in bandages.

"Thought you might be here."

She raises her eyebrows, turning to see Ash standing leant against the doorway. His hands are in his jeans pockets and his red hoodie zipped up, a playful smirk on his lips.

"All packed?"

He points a thumb inside. "My bag is downstairs, not that I brought much with me."

Nodding, she turns her attention away from him and back to her cigarette, shivering slightly in the cold.

"How's your finger?" He asks.

"The doctors were right, I can't move it since the nerves are severed." She shrugs, pressing the tip of her cigarette against her lips. "A small price to pay for avenging my parents' deaths."

Sensing her aloof demeanour, Ash takes a seat on the bench. "I still can't believe it's all over."

She shakes her head. "Too good to be true."

"Blanca is back in the Caribbean, in case you wanted to know."

He takes her silence as her response to his statement.

"We couldn't have found out about the boss unless he'd gone with you that day. Max has helped too, with his connections in the journalism industry and everything."

She hums in response and he stands up, the bitter wind blowing through his hair.

"I don't have to leave, you know."