Together at Last || Banana Fish ||

His Photo

< Several years after Ash's death... >

Back at the hospital he once was in before, Eiji lays in a bed looking frail and old. Never once had he cut his long and beautiful black hair, for it had been one of the things that Ash had touched. Now, it only took the colors of gray and silver.

On the bridge of his nose lay the round shaped glasses that had once belonged to Ash. The only times he had ever taken them off were to clean them.

A small shoe box laid on his lap, over the sheets that covered Eiji's legs up to his waist. Every day he would grab the box from a drawer of the small dresser that was displayed next to the hospital bed, and looked at the possessions in the box. Photos he had taken of New York, its' people, places, the friends he made, and most importantly, the person he cared about most.

Eiji opens the still closed box and places the lid to the side. He takes out a small stack of photos and starts flipping through them one by one. Visualizing the days he spent with Skip, Shorter, and Ibe, were all things he knew he would never forget. Then, he stumbles upon them, the photos he had taken of Ash. Slowly going through them, taking in every detail he would still remember for the rest of his life. He always loved looking at Ash's photos. They brought him happiness, yet it also pained him that he never once got to see Ash again. Before he could reach the last photo a knock at the door of his room interrupts his thoughts. A nurse walks in.

It's a different one again. He thought to himself.

She tells Eiji that it's time for his medication and rolls a cart over to the side of his bed. The nurse feeds the medication through the IV in Eiji's hand and then she grabs a cuff to check his blood pressure. As she wraps the cuff around his arm, she looks over to the photos splayed out on his lap.

"Wow, those are beautiful. Did you take those yourself?" she asked in awe.

As the nurses always changed shifts every few hours, he hated having to explain the origin of his photos. At first he didn't mind, but then it became a constant reminder of the past. Once he had finally come to terms with Ash's death, it still hurt to talk about him. Even if most of the memorable moments made him happy, somehow he still felt defeated.

Looking down at the photos, never taking his gaze off them he says, "Thank you, I was a photographer for many years up until a few years ago after I fell ill. " At the end of his explanation, he picks up that last photo he never looked at before the nurse walked in.

While the machine fills the cuff with air, she then proceeds to ask, "Who's that handsome blonde boy in the photo you got there?" She then points at the photo Eiji was holding.

The very photo that Eiji loved most, and the one he had displayed in the very back of the art gallery many years ago. He recalls that memory many times. That blonde haired, green eyed boy who was younger than him, but suffered many traumatizing experiences, seemed lost in thought sitting on that windowsill.

Eiji then let's out a small sigh.

Holding the photo between the thumb and index finger of his left hand, he lightly grazes the photo with the finger tips of his right, "...Ash. He was a person who was very dear to me..." He then paused for a second, "...he died some time ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

The sound of the machine beeping interrupts the sad atmosphere that filled the room. The nurse takes off the cuff and writes down his blood pressure.

"It seems to have been a little low today, do you feel sick? Any dizziness? Nausea?" and then she proceeds with the routine questions.

"No, I'm fine, just a little tired." Eiji looked at the photo he was holding again, and put all the others back into the box. He set the box on the dresser beside him and reclined the bed down enough to where he was comfortable.

"Do you need anything else right now?" The nurse asked Eiji as she finished writing down the necessary information.

"No thank you, I'm fine for now," he smiled at the nurse slightly.

"Don't worry I'll be out of your hair now, get some rest, the medication is a bit strong so you might feel drowsy. I'll come back again in a few hours to check on you."

"Yes ma'am and thank you...umm..can you leave the light on," he told her as she was slowly reaching for the light switch on her way out.

"Sure, no problem." She withdrew her hand as she closed the door behind her.

Eiji laid still for some time looking up at the ceiling. He raised the hand that was still holding the photo and hovered it over his face, then stared at it intently. His face, with what was an empty canvas, was now painted with a gloomy expression. Bringing the photo into his chest, he places both hands over it and squeezes slightly. He takes a deep breath in and exhales rather loudly.

"It been so many years, but I still miss you Ash..," he whispers as he shuts his eyes.

Drowsy now from the medication, Eiji starts to drift into sleep.