Chapter Text
After December 20th, 2017, the day Ash receives Eiji's letter and when Eiji is on his way home.
JAPAN: Izumo
The plane has landed. Eiji is in a wheelchair being pushed by Ibe.
"Eiji!" a woman calls out.
"Ms. Okumura, I'm so sorry for keeping your son."
"Oh, shut up. I should've never trusted you with my son!"
The shouting gradually attracts attention to the three of them.
"Please, Ms. Okumura, not right now," he looks around.
"Not right now? You basically kidnapped my kid!"
Ibe chuckles nervously. "Well, he is actually an adult."
"Don’t play with me! You are never to meet my son or any of us again!"
Eiji’s mother takes the handles of Eiji’s wheelchair, where he stares blankly.
"Wait!" Ibe calls out.
"What? What now?" Ms. Okumura says in annoyance.
"I set an appointment at the doctor's for Eiji. Please take him. It's set at 5 pm."
Ms. Okumura scoffs and walks away.
AMERICA: New York
Lights are flashing. Ash is in and out of consciousness.
"Read me his injuries," a male voice says.
"He’s been stabbed in his lower abdomen. It's not serious, but he has lost a lot of blood, sir," a woman's voice said.
You can hear a man sigh.
"Let's have a room ready. We will perform blood surgery."
"Yes, sir," another voice says seriously.
"Alright, have my tools ready, will you?"
"On it, sir."
Six hours later,
“Hello, are you the young man's guardian?” the doctor asks.
“Well, as of today, yes,” an orange-haired man said.
“Show me ID and give me your name,” the doctor requests, grabbing a book.
“Max Lobo.”
A phone rings. “Sorry, I’ll have to take this,” Max says, and the doctor nods.
Max steps outside the hospital and grabs a cigarette.
“Yes, this is Max Lobo,” he says, lighting up the cigarette and putting it in his mouth.
“Hey, it’s Ibe. We landed in Japan a few hours ago.”
“Oh, Ibe! How was the flight? Was Eiji okay?” he says, spitting the cigarette out.
“I hope so,” Ibe says defeatedly on the other side of the call.
“Hope so?” Max questions, crushing his cigarette on the floor.
“Eiji’s mother said I wasn’t allowed to talk to him nor the family.”
“What!?” Max says, outraged. “What gives her the right!? Eiji is an adult and he should make his own decisions!”
“Yeah, but he seemed out of it. Maybe having his mother by his side would help him?”
Max laughs. “As if,” he rolls his eyes, then widens them with a realization.
“Isn't Eiji’s mother a bit abusive?” Max questions Ibe.
“If by abusive you mean having favorites, then no.”
Max shakes his head and holds his phone tightly. “No, I’m being serious. You once told me she left Eiji out in the rain because he stepped on his sister's doll.”
Ibe chuckles. “All mothers do that. You know how precious their daughters are. I have one myself.”
“I’m not laughing, I'm serious. Eiji told me he and his mother are not on good terms. And didn't Eiji's father sign a loan under Eiji's name?”
“Yes, he did, but I helped pay that off. Look, I don't know what you’re trying to say, but please don't try to slander Eiji’s parents. He’s been through enough already.”
“Yeah, I guess New York must've been a crazy experience for him. Hmm,” Max lights up another cigarette.
“And Ash? How is that kid doing?”
“He got stabbed.”
“WHAT!” Ibe yells. “Why are you not with him then!?”
“I am. I’m just outside the hospital.”
“No, why aren't you in the room with him?”
Max chuckles. “Well, it's not something new, is it? And besides, now the kid is free and has no one controlling him. I imagine that when he wakes up, he’ll finally believe he deserves happiness.”
“You and your words, Max” Ibe rolls his eyes.
“You know, I think Ash and Eiji had a great connection. I think Eiji has made a real impact on him.”
You can hear Ibe laugh on the other line.
“Well, sorry to cut our talk so short, but as you know, I have a stabbed kid to tend to. Bye, Ibe.”
“Bye, Max, and stop smoking cigarettes! I can hear you!” Ibe says in a playful tone, catching Max off guard.
Max grabs his cigarette from his mouth and throws it away. “Yeah, yeah, Mom,” Max says sarcastically. “Talk to you later. Bye.” The call ends.
Max enters the hospital and talks to the doctors about Ash’s condition.
JAPAN : IZUMO
"I’m really sorry, Eiji," his mother says in a sad tone. "But I need to make some money for your sister and me."
She grabs the syringe from the table.
"The government will send money if I have a sick child, and I can't make your healthy sister sick. I mean, you already look half dead." She places the syringe on his arm.
Eiji moans and groans painfully.
"Shh, don't worry, it'll be over soon," Eiji vomits.
"Oh, look, you got my chair dirty," she shakes her head. "Hmm, this won’t do."
She stops for a second and looks in her cabinets for something.
“Ah, at last,” she grabs something resembling a ball with two strings attached.
“It’s the only way to make you stop,” she puts it over his mouth. “This gag will do. Don't worry, baby, it will only stay on for a little while.”
“Now, where were we? Ah, yes,” she grabs another syringe of a different color.
“It’ll be over soon, Eiji, I swear, baby,” she places it in his other arm.
“I’m really sorry, but after we sent you to New York, your father— he took my money. That bastard,” she says, growling.
Eiji starts to sob. “I could only make enough to support our house and a bit of food. But your sister wants to do after-school activities.”
“Like the ones you used to do when you were her age,” she grabs another syringe.
“As you know, I want her to have a comfortable life. She is my princess. This one might hurt a bit,” she says, suggesting the next shot.
She pulls his pants down. “You can close your eyes,” she stabs the syringe in a very vulnerable area.
“I'm really sorry, Eiji,” she cries out. “It’s the only way for us to live comfortably.”
Eiji's cries become inaudible with his gag in place. It’s as if he wants to say something but can't. He tries very hard to move a muscle but is stuck.
His mother wipes her tears. “Well, time for bed,” she gets up very cheerful. “Breakfast will be served in the morning.
“Good night, Eiji,” she says with a smile and turns off the light while Eiji sits in the dark, crying.