The Samurai and the Lynx (A Banana Fish Fanfiction)

Back to America

Eiji had healed up nicely since going back to Japan; now it was time.

Time to go back to America.

He had been thinking about it for a while, and though he was happy to see his parents and little sister again, he could never stop thinking about all the friends he made in America; about all the friends he left behind. Mostly, he couldn't stop thinking about Ash. That was why he needed to go back, to see them all again. He had already decided. His flight would leave three hours from now, and he was waiting outside by the taxi doors. He had just said goodbye to his parents, and now his little sister was hugging him tightly. She looked up at him with teary eyes, and forced a smile,

"I'll miss you, onii-san. Good luck finding your friends."

Eiji smiled back,

"Thanks sis, I'll miss you too."

Eiji decides he should leave before things get more emotional, and turns to get in the taxi. Before the taxi leaves, Eiji takes one last look at his house. He whispers one last goodbye, and with that, the taxi leaves and Eiji doesn't look back.

He scheduled for Sing to pick him up at the airport in New York. During the flight, all Eiji can think about is that he will finally be able to see Ash again. He remembered how Ash and his gang took him in and treated him like family, even though he was just some amateur photographer from Japan. Then, the flight was over and before he knew it, he was waiting at the door to the airport in NY. He was a little surprised that Sing wasn't there to pick him up yet, and after an hour of waiting, he knew something was wrong. He decided to call a taxi, and had it drop him off a few blocks away from one of Ash's hideouts. As he was walking, his mind began to race. Why hadn't Sing picked him up? Sing would have texted him if something came up, so why didn't he have any messages? Eiji could only guess that something must have happened, and that thought left a pit in his stomach. When he finally found himself at the hideout, he dropped his things and raced up the steps to the main room where someone was always keeping watch. He was worried that he wouldn't be recognized at first, but what he saw when he reached the room worried him even more. There was no one there; the place was ransacked and empty. He ran through the entire hideout checking every room, each one with more desperation. Finally, he plops down on a coach in one of the rooms, and buries his face in his hands.

"What am I going to do now?", Eiji whispers, almost to himself.

He sits there for a while, he doesn't know how long. His understanding of time is blurred by the despair and hopelessness he is feeling. "What if I never find him? What if I never find Ash?" He thinks with despair overtaking him. Then, all of a sudden, something hits him, bringing him back into the present.

A realization.

The last time Eiji was here, he was always being protected, and whenever he was in trouble, Ash and the gang had always been there to help him. Now those same people might be in danger, and he was sitting here, doing nothing about it. He immediately stands up, understanding what he must do. He would never be as strong as Ash, but he realizes he must try. He must learn to be strong. He was alone now, with no one to back him up, but he had to find his friends. He had to help them like they helped him so many times.

So Eiji decides. He found his resolve.

He is going to become stronger, so he will no longer be a burden. So he will finally be able to help his friends, to help Ash. A plan forms in Eiji's head, and he leaves the abandoned building. Eiji walks for a while, then turns down a dark alley.

"It is time to begin," he says, and disappears into the darkness.