{ The anime doesn't say much about Eiji's family and I haven't read the manga, so I'm not sure about that one. I made up names and personalities for his family members in this story tho. I hope you like them :). }

Ever since the funeral, Ash had been focused on moving on. He loved Skip and knew that he could never ever forget him. But to get justice, he knew that he had to put a lot of his brain power toward getting revenge on Dino and Yut-lung. He thought back to his conversation with Shorter the night before on the way back to New York City.

" This is my fight, too... Yut-Lung and the Lee's are going to have to deal with me." Shorter said from the driver's seat.

Ash understood why Shorter would've been so heated about it, being as he had affiliations with the people who'd helped in killing Skip.

" I won't deny you the right to get revenge. You can have your second in command handle the intel, right?" Ash asked. He knew that if Yut-Lung and the Lee's had turned on Shorter's people, there was no telling who might've been a middle man.

" Yeah. I'll take care of this..."

" Then I'll focus on Dino for now."

" Ash. Hey... what are you doing up so early?" Eiji yawned from the bed, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. There was one bedroom in the apartment which contained two beds, one for each of them. And they were all alone. Though Ibe had asked to take Eiji with him for the night, Ash had told him no, and that Eiji was safer with him. And Max had gone back to Jessica and Michael for the night, all the while Ash had his men patrolling both properties, as well as researching Dino's men and the scientist Shorter had told them about. Plus... they still had no idea where Alex Dawson had ended up in this mess.

Ash turned over his shoulder, being as he was staring out the window and watching the sun rise over the buildings. There were a few things that he really, truly, enjoyed in life, and that was one of them.

" Don't worry about it... go back to sleep." He told Eiji.

" Well I'm up now." Eiji rubbed his eyes. He was still achy from all of his bruises and cuts but that was the first morning since the incident that he didn't have a sharp pain while sitting up in bed. There was definitely an improvement, and he was more worried about Ash if he was being honest. The other had probably taken more of a beating himself over the course of fighting his way in and out of the building.

Ash wondered if maybe being around Eiji so much was dangerous for both of them. He knew that his feelings were strong and as much as he kept on trying to fight them... Eiji was like a radiant light in the cesspool of his life, and he had a constant desire to be around him. He tried to shove the thoughts out of his mind for that moment, though, coming over and plopping on the bed.

" Why don't you go make some coffee if you're so awake then?" He teased.

Eiji deadpanned. He knew that he couldn't say no to that smug look on Ash's face, though, so he headed to the kitchen. They had a very simple and clean set up in there, even if the walls were dingy and there were cracks in the floor. He poured some of the coffee grounds into the pot, then some water, and leaned back against the cabinets, staring to the ceiling.

Was Ash really okay? Did Ash need him more than he'd admit to?

Eiji knew that he had to do something about what he was feeling, but the best course of action was one he didn't know. Maybe he should've been talking to Shorter about everything and asking for advice, but that wasn't really possible at the moment. Eiji didn't exactly have a phone anymore, and Ash was watching him like a hawk. There was no way he could sneak over to Chinatown to find him, not without Ash, and that would've completely defeated the purpose.

So in simple terms, he was stuck and left to stew in his own thoughts.

Ash needed a friend and someone to support him, yeah... but if Eiji wasn't being completely upfront and honest about his feelings, was that wrong? He didn't want to feel like he was betraying Ash by keeping secrets, but still, would it have been worse to tell him?

If only there were answers.

Eiji poured some coffee a while later, spilling it on the counter in trace amounts from his clumsy hands being anything but steady in pouring. When he came back to the bedroom, he found Ash on the beat up old computer there, his fingers typing rapidly. He also had on his reading glasses, and Eiji felt his throat go dry.

He was always a sucker for those things. Glasses were so cute. HOLD UP! Nope! Derail.

" Here." He said, setting down a mug on the desk. " What are you even doing?"

Ash smirked to himself, leaning back in the chair with a satisfied look on his face.

" Oh nothing... just collecting my returns..." He remarked, sipping the coffee and looking up at Eiji. It was clear on his face that he was up to no good.

" I didn't even leave you alone for ten minutes... what did you do this time?" Eiji sighed, drinking some of his own coffee. He felt like a babysitter sometimes.

" You'll see." Ash told him, then went over and grabbed one of his personal phones from the nightstand. He had them stashed, being as he could never be too sure when he would lose one or get it destroyed.

Eiji felt a lightbulb going off in his head when he saw Ash's phone. He knew Shorter's number, having forced himself to memorize it, just as with Ash's. And for all he knew... Shorter was a contact in there.

" Hey... I need you to meet me." Ash said into the phone, and Eiji began to tune out after he said the address. He thought about how he could get his hands on the phone... but how would he do that without Ash knowing? Was there a way he could tell Shorter about anything without Ash figuring it out?

He didn't trust his own judgement about it.

After Ash hung up, he turned to Eiji.

" I need you to gather any things you have here. I'll get in contact with Ibe and Max and let them know as well. Ibe will see to the rest of your stuff..." The blonde told him.

" Where are we going?" Eiji asked.

" I'm going to buy us a condo in a safe place. You'll be able to do your online school and I can leave you alone without worrying." Ash came over and put a hand on his shoulder. " Would you like that?"

Eiji gulped, his eyes dipping to the corner. He couldn't bring himself to look into Ash's eyes at that moment, not with the way he felt.

" Yes... but how would you pay for it? New York apartments are expensive..."

Ash smirked even wider. Man, he was proud of himself for this one.

" Just trust me."

Eiji watched Ash slip the phone into his pocket.

...

" Thank you for agreeing to meet me so promptly, Mr. Lee."

" The pleasure is mine, Mr. Golzine." The asian gentleman from across the table said. " Now, what would you like to discuss?"

" Your youngest, Yut-Lung... I assume he is handling the infiltration of the main Chinatown gang?" Dino asked, then cut into his poached quail egg, being as they'd sat down to brunch together.

" He is..."

" And as for our lynx... he is still at large. The project is still in progress... but I fear if we allow him to roam free, he will interfere and cause great damage to B-1's formation."

" Banana Fish?"

" Yes."

" Mr. Golzine, as I understand, you are asking for my assistance in taking out your target?" Mr. Lee asked, resting his elbows on the table and letting his chin rest in his palms. He looked like the actual fucking Grinch, but it didn't offend Dino much, being as he himself looked like a mutated Dr. Phil.

" Precisely. If we work together, we can root him out and exterminate he and his troop-"

The door to the room opened and in walked a butler with a phone in hand, bending over to hand it toward Dino.

" Papa, the foundation needs to speak with you."

This was never good.

" If you'll excuse me."

...

Ash and Max were currently standing inside of an enormous condo high up in a multi-story building. It was more spacious than most houses and looked out across the skyline of downtown Manhattan.

They signed the papers together, being as Ash was 17 and couldn't buy a place himself. They used fake names and wore disguises, and the deal went through soon enough. They'd paid 9 million dollars cash for it in one go.

" This feels so strange..." Max said.

" I know... but Eiji will be safe here. There's a supermarket downstairs and a gym, everything he could ever need. He won't have to leave." Ash replied. After he'd crashed Dino's company with fake stock orders and used Dino's password to steal millions of dollars from the foundation, he had all the money he could ever need. It was all wired to his bank in a matter of seconds.

" And Dino has to fly to Europe to meet with the Dons for fucking it all up?" Max asked in a shaky voice.

" Exactly..." Ash smirked. This wasn't revenge enough yet, but hell, it was sweet. He'd already spent a bunch more money on guns, forming an arsenal and trading the jade earring Dino gave him for it.

" You really scare me sometimes..." Max told him. To think that he was legally the father of such a savvy and vicious criminal could be nerve wracking at times. He'd never expected Ash could pull off crimes on such a large scale, but there they were. " Where is Eiji?"

" He's with Ibe, getting the rest of his stuff. My guys will drive him here after..." Ash explained.

Max sighed a little when he saw the look on Ash's face. It was clear to him that he'd become so attached to Eiji that he couldn't ever give him up. What the hell would Ash do when Eiji's scholarship was up and he had to go back to Japan? He chose not to voice his worries right then, being that it would be an issue for later, and Ash would've been too stubborn to listen anyways.

" Did you get his online schooling figured out?" He asked instead.

" Yeah. Ibe approved it since he's the guardian for Eiji here in the states and I got the forged letter. I also have my guys getting Eiji a state of the art laptop to do everything."

Things were just beginning and Max knew that Ash had to be planning something big. Bigger than anything ever before.

...

Ibe stood in the doorway while watching Eiji pack up the last of his clothes. Everything else was already in bags sitting by the door downstairs, just waiting to be hauled to the condo.

" Eiji... with all of this going on... have you ever thought about just heading home?" He asked, to which Eiji was shocked and turned over his shoulder.

" I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind once or twice, but I could never do that to Ash... I'm in the middle of this now." Eiji told him, then went back to folding his clothes and smushing them into a duffel bag.

" Ash is a great guy, Eiji. But he's also dangerous. I guess I'm just scared that you'll be collateral damage one of these days. What would I even tell your parents?" Ibe worried out loud. He felt more than responsible for Eiji and his whereabouts in the states, but Eiji wasn't going to hear any of it.

" Listen. I get where you're coming from, but the answer is no. I'm seeing this through. I made a promise to help Ash through this and that's what I'm going to do no matter what." Eiji firmly stated. He clearly wasn't going to budge, and Ibe figured it out in that moment, but still, he wouldn't settle for nothing at all.

" Will you at least Skype with your parents for a while before we go? They haven't seen your face in weeks... I'm sure they and your sister are worried..." Ibe begged.

Eiji zipped up his duffel bag and knew that Ibe was right about that.

" Yeah... I want to see them, too..." He said.

Ibe handed Eiji his phone, telling him that he could call before Ash's guys were supposed to drive him to the condo. But that was when Eiji realized something. He knew Shorter's number, and he had a perfectly functional cell phone in his hand. Maybe he wouldn't have to sneak Ash's phone after all.

" I have to go to the bathroom really quick." Eiji said, slipping the phone into his pocket. " I'll call in a second."

As soon as he was inside of the upper level restroom and he heard Ibe descending down the stairs, Eiji took his opportunity and dialed Shorter. He prayed that the other would pick up and his efforts wouldn't be for nothing.

" Hello?"

" Shorter." Eiji said, quick. " It's Eiji. Please, I need to ask you something."

" Eiji? Why are you calling me off of a random number?"

" It doesn't matter. Just-... about what we talked about, with Ash and everything. I just- I feel like I'm lying to him by not saying how I feel and now I'm stuck because I don't want to put him in a stressful position and now Ibe was thinking about having me go back to Japan, but I can't because I can't betray Ash like that and I-"

" Slow down..." Shorter told him. " I need you to listen. Ash isn't stupid... he knows what he's feeling. He's just scared of what would happen if other people knew how he feels about you, okay? I can see it clear as day..."

" But how do I handle this? I feel like keeping this from him is only making it worse." Eiji shook his head and put one of his hands on his face, covering it.

" You need to leave what happens up to him. I'm not saying you can't act on what you feel, I get that, but leave any confessions up to Ash. He'll tell you everything when he's ready." Shorter assured. " Until then, make sure he doesn't go crazy trying to get revenge."

Eiji tried to process what Shorter was saying, and even if it wasn't exactly the answer he wanted, he knew that he had to listen. He would've rather kept quiet than put Ash in a bad spot.

" Okay. I'll keep in touch when I can." Eiji told him quietly.

" Take care, Eiji." Shorter hung up.

Eiji nearly jumped out of his own skin when there were two knocks placed on the bathroom door. He backed against the wall, his heart jolting from the noise.

" What, did you fall in?" Ibe asked from outside. " We've gotta go soon."

Eiji awkwardly chuckled.

" Okay!"

When he emerged from the restroom, he had to Skype his parents. And normally, that would've made him feel better about everything, but it was the opposite. He felt so guilty about the lack of answers he had for his family.

" Honey, I don't understand why you won't just come home. We're worried about you." His mother spoke, and his father nodded.

" Yeah, Eiji." His sister added.

Eiji felt his lip quivering.

" I-..." He struggled, and Ibe put a hand on his shoulder.

" What's wrong?" His father asked.

" I c-can't leave America yet." Eiji sniffled, wiping his eyes. He almost couldn't believe the words that were trying to come out of his mouth. " I fell in love with someone. I c-can't leave them n-now... when they need me most." Tears streamed down his face, and Ibe sat there with the widest eyes ever.

Had Eiji just confessed to him about Ash? This was... well... it wasn't a surprise. But that word he'd used was a bombshell.

There was silence from Eiji's family at first, and Eiji's hand trembled as he held the phone he was seeing them through.

" You got a girlfriend?" His little sister, Kabuki, asked. She was really confused, being as her brother had no game whatsoever when it came to females, and even she could see that.

" Eiji... this is a big statement. Love?" Eiji's mother asked.

" Your mother is right. You've only been there for a few months. How could you possibly love someone?"

Eiji didn't even know how to explain himself, so Ibe decided he would bite the bullet and talk to Eiji's family for him.

" Eiji has grown really close to the people here and fast. I do believe him when he says he loves this person." Ibe added, and Eiji found his gaze lifting up from the floor.

" Who is she? Someone from one of the gangs?" His mother asked.

Eiji felt a lump in his throat. He wasn't ready to tell them about Ash yet. Not right then. It was a much bigger conversation than he was capable of having right then.

" It doesn't matter..." Eiji told them, his voice still shaky. " I just need you all to know that I'm safe here, and that I'm going to finish out my school year here."

It took a bit of debate from Ibe, but eventually, Eiji's parents were passive with the idea.

" Take care, son. Please call us again soon." Eiji's father said, and the other two family members by his side couldn't agree more.

" I will..." Eiji said. " I love you and thank you."

And when the phone call ended, there was silence between he and Ibe for a while.

" Please be careful with Ash... there's no telling what can happen to him... you know that..." Ibe murmured.

Eiji grit his teeth and nodded, and a horn was honked from outside, signalling that his ride was ready. He didn't have time to wallow anymore. He had to be there for Ash, his own feelings being an afterthought.

{ Oop... Eiji really just went for it huh?}