banana fish - angel eyes

part thirteen

Eiji seemed to be nervous about the memorial service tonight. Actually, he also wanted to give the speech, but he knew it was better if he didn't. He wasn't sure if he could handle something similar to the funeral. It was time to let go of the past and move on.

"Do you think you can really do this?"

(Y/N) was the only person that could, obviously. No one had a better understanding of Ash than she did. From the secrets he kept to the experiences they shared, she knew everything about him. This might be why it hurts her the most. She still felt lost without him, even though he's been gone for so long. Whenever she thought of happy memories or painful ones, her heart ached. Maybe she was the one who will not be able to move on from the past.

(Y/N) had practiced and prepared for this moment. She had always been comfortable speaking in front of a large audience. Despite this, she thought to herself that it would be nice to have some support. "The speech? I have to."

Eiji was still playing with Felix the cat, both of them seemed to have become friends quickly. "Is Sing going to say anything?" he asked. (Y/N) already asked Sing if he wanted to say something at the speech, and he said he was going to think about it. There was never a discussion about it again.

(Y/N) shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so." she started to feel anxious. Even if she was able to deliver the speech perfectly, she was still nervous, like anyone would be. The speech was important to her and all she wanted was to do it well.

"And Yut-Lung?" The boy asked. (Y/N) laughed at that. If he were to say anything, it would most definitely not be positive. Just because Ash was dead doesn't mean his hatred is gone.

"I think he'd rather die than doing that." She sighed heavily, her eyes looking tired and her shoulders slumping. Hopefully the conflict between the two of them will end soon. "It's just me. Do you want so say something? It'd be nice having someone up there with me."

Eiji declined her offer. "I can't really do things like that in front of people. Especially when it's about Ash." he looked at her with a sad expression, feeling bad that he had said no.

"That's fine. I don't really like doing it either." (Y/N) assured him. Like always, she had to take care of everything herself. But she didn't blame any of them. Most likely wouldn't she have done either if it would not draw unnecessary suspicions on them. Eiji smiled again. "Ibe is going to be there. He also told me that Max is coming too."

"I'm glad. We're going to need all the support."

—

It was late at noon. The service was about to start, which was located at their university. The university must have done it just for the attention, but it was too late now. The faculty members opened the service and (Y/N) was called to start her speech. Students and even reporters were attending, since Ash was a very popular topic at the moment in New York.

(Y/N) stood up there with a microphone in front of her, trying to suppress her nervousness. Next to her was another picture of Ash. The blonde looked so happy and carefree in the picture. Still, she knew that it was not how he truly felt. There had never been a moment where he wasn't constantly worried. The truth is, (Y/N) was the one who took the picture. She wanted to remember the moment forever.

Sing, Eiji and Yut-Lung were sitting together at the front row. Sing noticed someone he recognized, and they showed up just last minute. The person took a seat near Ibe and Max, who were also confused. Someone was back once again, after having been gone for a while.