Chapter Text
Ash’s tears slowly drip down on Eiji’s letter. There are some blood smears here and there from his stab wound, but the words are still readable. He dries away a tear from his cheek. No one has ever written him something this beautiful, no one has ever really written him anything that wasn’t a threat or instructions. He keeps reading the words over and over again. Eiji. He loves that man so much; he can’t even explain it, even if he has all the words in the world. And Eiji wants him to go to Japan with him.
Ash starts getting up from the table he sits at, but suddenly he gets dizzy. He sits back down and rests his head on the table.
“It won’t hurt if I just rest here for a while”, he thinks and closes his eyes…
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Ash wakes with a gasp. The library is completely dark and he is all alone. He tries to sit up, but a jabbing pain in his abdomen stops him. He looks down. A big, dark spot is covering the front of his shirt. "How am I even alive?". He gets slowly up from the chair and makes his way to the exit. Eiji’s letter is safely tucked away underneath his jacket. He starts the slow journey towards the hospital because he can’t call an ambulance. What if they find Lao’s body? That would make him a suspect. He’s a few blocks from the hospital when his vision suddenly goes black and he falls…
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The sun is shining blindingly through a hospital window when Ash wakes up. His eyelids flutter for a moment before his eyes are used to the sharp light. He looks around the room. It’s a standard hospital room with white walls, a gray floor, white curtains, and white sheets. There’s an IV connected to his arm and a blood transfusion. Ash slowly sits up, but the pain makes him grunt.
That’s when he notices the other person in the room. Across from his bed in a chair, Charlie is sitting. His head is rolled backward and his mouth is open. He’s snoring lightly. When Ash is sitting comfortably, he clears his throat loudly. Charlie stands up so quick, that he has to grab the wall for support. His other hand has automatically sought towards the gun strapped to his hip.
“Goodmorning Charlie. Nice to see you here. What’s up”
Charlie glares at him and slowly walks toward his bed.
“Goodmorning Ash. That was quite the scare you gave us there. How are you feeling?”
Ash looks out the window.
“I’m alright, I guess. My stomach is killing me tho”.
“I’ll call for a nurse. Do you need anything else before I take your statement?”
Ash’s head whips toward Charlie. Have they found out about Lao?
“My statement? It’s just a little wound”
Charlie rolls his eyes and walks towards the door.
“Yes, but someone is still to be held accountable. Oh by the way, how are you feeling about… you know… Eiji going to Japan and all?”
Eiji… EIJI’S LETTER.
Ash manically starts looking for his jacket.
“Where’s my jacket? Charlie, where’s my jacket?! WHERE IS IT?!!”
Charlie looks at him with big, scared eyes while he holds his hands beside his head.
“It’s behind the door! Jeez, calm down kid. I’ll bring it to you, don’t rip out your IV”
Ash sits down, but he never takes his eyes off of Charlie. When he hands him his jacket, he practically rips it out of his hands and starts searching through the pockets. It’s only when his hands close around the soft paper that he finally relaxes. He slowly pulls it out, unfolds it, and read the words again. His eyes start swimming with tears. When he reaches the last words, he rests his head back on the pillow and looks out the window at the sky. A plane is flying over the city, the passengers never knowing the kind of horrors that has happened just below them.
“Charlie, can you get me a one-way ticket to Japan?”
Charlie lets out an audible gasp. Ash turns his head to look at him. Charlie looks taken back, but his face softens when he sees the pained look on Ash’s face.
“Ple-ease”, Ash says, voice breaking.
“I’ll see what I can do”, Charlie says and leaves the room.
Ash looks to the window again. "Don’t worry Eiji. I will see you again soon".