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“What does that sign say?”
Ash took the receipt from the cashier with a grunt, crumpling it into a ball in his hand. He debated whether he should throw it at Eiji’s head for asking that question every time they passed a sign bright enough to catch his attention, which was happening more often as they got closer to California. It was like the kid was a moth or something.
There was nothing wrong with a little curiosity—as long as it wasn’t directed towards him and his gang—but if he had to listen to Eiji ask that question one more time he was going to lose it, and they still had to make it halfway across the country before Ash could ditch him and Ibe at the airport.
“It says ‘Arcade’.” Shorter, who was Ash’s second choice as a receipt-ball target, gladly indulged in Eiji’s curiosity with a playful pat on the back. He grinned at Ash, easily catching the receipt before it could knock the sunglasses off his smug face. “It’s a place full of games and stuff.”
“Wow! An American arcade!” Eiji’s face lit up. “I did not see one in New York! Can we go in?”
“We don’t have time.” Ash curtly said. “We have to get to California.”
“But Ash,” Shorter faux-pouted, his sunglasses balanced on the end of his nose to make his puppy-dog eyes more effective. Not that Ash thought anything about his expression could resemble something as cute as a puppy. More like a monkey. A really, really annoying chimpanzee. “It’s an American arcade, they don’t have those in Japan.”
“Good thing you’re American, then.” Ash shoved the pack of pop he was carrying into Shorter’s chest, barely knocking him back an inch. “I’ll take him, you help the grandpas fill up the tank.” He grabbed Eiji by the shoulders and quickly steered him out of the gas station mart before Shorter could cause enough nonsensical racket and convince Eiji that all three of them were required for an authentic American arcade trip.
“I only want to look! No games.” Eiji firmly promised, happily trailing behind Ash. They jaywalked across the highway when it was safe, reaching the neon lights of the arcade’s sign before Shorter even gave up heckling Ash from the gas station.
The arcade was bustling with kids, out of school for the summer with nothing better to do. Eiji took the lead inside, turning to get a 360-degree view of the room. Ash studied the look of awe in his face, wondering whether he should just wait at the door or risk ruining Eiji’s fun by trailing him around the room. He remembered when Eiji told him about his injury, how it had sent him into a slump and driven away his friends and teammates. His trip to America was probably his last chance to crawl out of this slump if he wanted to return to pole vaulting at the same level he had been at before.
Just as he was resigning himself to lean against the wall and pretend to be grumpy for the next ten minutes, Eiji grabbed his sleeve and pulled. He dragged Ash all the way to the back of the room, where several red capsule machines were attached to the wall in a line. With that kind of strength, Ash was starting to believe the kid could easily make a comeback to pole vaulting, despite his short stature.
“An American gashapon machine!” Eiji was just as excited to see the rickety thing up close as he was when he nearly knocked Ash off his feet. There were high chances the things hadn’t been wiped down since they’d been installed, but that didn’t stop Eiji from pointing at the display pictures of the various items that could be found inside the dispensed capsules. “Look at the prizes! I like gashapon because you always win.”
Ash snorted in reply. A quick glance to the clock on the wall above the capsule machines told him he should work on getting Eiji out of the arcade. Max and Ibe would’ve both needed to suffer heart attacks for them to not be finished fueling up the truck for the next leg of their drive.
His thoughts were disrupted by Eiji, who procured some American change from his pocket and was trying to figure out which one was a quarter. “This one looks too small.” He picked up a quarter and held it up to the machine’s instructions, which featured a cartoon drawing of a quarter next to the arcade’s tokens. While the cartoon drawing was bigger than an actual quarter, it was clear the design on both were the same.
“That’s a quarter.” Ash quickly assured him. “Hurry up before Shorter comes to get us, he can spend hours in here playing Pac-Man.”
“Do not rush me! The gashapon will know!” Eiji fretted, although he did obey Ash and drop the quarter into the machine. With the rest of his change back in his pocket, he gave the handle a couple twists until a small green capsule popped out of the machine and onto the floor. Ash tried not to think about the amount of kids that had thrown up on the carpet before them as Eiji picked up the capsule and popped it open.
“Good to go?” Ash asked, ready to walk out of the pizza-scented environment in favor of fresh, exhaust-scented air. The pizza was never worth the price it cost if it wasn’t from New York.
“Look! It’s a ring!” Eiji was too cheerful considering the gaudy plastic ring with a fake red gemstone in his hand. A waste of a quarter, if that was even possible. The ring looked like a little girl’s dress-up item. “Here, it’s for you!” He held it out to Ash, who only stared at it.
“For...me?” Ash repeated. A mistranslation, perhaps? Maybe he wanted his quarter back? Ash could get it back, but Eiji had been so fascinated by the capsule machines that he didn’t think they’d ever be able to speak amicably again if he tore it off the wall.
“Yes.” Eiji confidently nodded. “To wear.” When Ash still didn’t move to take it, Eiji held his hand out. Reluctantly, Ash placed his hand on top of Eiji’s and let him attempt to slide the plastic ring on his fingers. The ring was far too small for his fingers, but Eiji persisted and managed to wedge it halfway up Ash’s pinky.
Ash hated it. It was tacky, the small size dug into his skin, and the heart-shaped plastic gem did not match his current occupation. Faintly, he remembered seeing Shorter with a painted heart on his cheek and wondered if the same results could be achieved with this ring, a punch, and some paint. Like a stamp, only with the chance of bruising. He might even do it without the paint, if Shorter bothered to tease him about the stupid ring.
“It looks good!” Eiji chuckled. “You should keep it. The bad guys will go running or you might punch them with it.” So, they were on the same page about what Ash could do with the ring. Similar pages, at least.
“Yeah, probably.” Ash muttered, staring at the ring on his left pinky. Just one finger away from the unthinkable. Eiji had tried to slip it on that finger before settling for the pinky. Perhaps he didn’t know about the wedding ring tradition, being from Japan and all. Perhaps he did.
Ash was not ready to face the implications of that thought. He also wasn’t ready for Shorter’s inevitable teasing about the ring and his little crush, but Eiji was already headed towards the door.
“Are you coming?” Eiji looked back, as if he knew Ash had been stuck in the moment. The smile on his face was just the same, though.
Ash felt what could only be described as butterflies in his stomach when he looked back up at Eiji, framed by the neon lights of a nearby game machine. Eiji smiled wide at him before turning back around and opening the door, leaving Ash a couple yards behind.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” Ash smiled back at the closing door.
Eiji was twenty minutes late.
That was twenty minutes Ash spent pacing a hole in the carpet while Bones and Kong ignored his text messages and phone calls. Twenty minutes he spent waiting for a ransom note of some sort to be delivered by one of his boys. Twenty minutes where Eiji’s fate was completely unknown to Ash.
Alex told him he was overreacting. Ash disagreed.
Eiji walked in the door twenty minutes late with a shopping bag and Chinese takeout. Ash was ready to throttle him.
But first, Bones and Kong had some explaining to do.
“We’re sorry, Boss!” Bones squealed when he caught the look on Ash’s face, jumping behind Eiji to hide. Ash heard a quiet “what are we sorry for?” from him before Eiji predictably stepped up with a distraction.
“We brought dinner!” Eiji held up a plastic back with a yellow smiley face on it, his smile nearly as wide as the one on the bag. Kong held up the matching bags in his hand, which meant there was enough food for the whole gang.
They split into groups to eat, Bones and Kong taking the opportunity to skitter away until Ash had time to cool down. Lucky for them, looking at Eiji’s annoyingly happy face seemed to cool his temper faster than usual.
“How was shopping?” Ash asked, poking one of the bags with his foot. He had suggested it as a chance for Eiji to get out of the apartment for the day, as he was starting to go stir crazy from being under Ash’s watch. That was the only reason Ash had stayed behind, wandering aimlessly around the apartment and snapping at Alex anytime he tried to calm him down.
At least the trip seemed to do Eiji good. He looked happier and more relaxed than usual, and the new shirt he was wearing did not feature a cartoon bird anywhere.
“It was so fun! The mall was so big, we went to every store!” Eiji set down his chopsticks and thrust his hand into a nearby bag, procuring a large scented candle. He thrust it under Ash’s nose, giving him a whiff of the supposedly ocean-scented wax. “This will make the apartment smell nice.” He glanced towards a group of boys eating on the couch, wrinkling his nose as if he could smell them over his fried rice.
“Tell the boys to put on some deodorant, noted.”
“Thank you.” Eiji seemed immensely relieved, although he didn’t put the candle back in the bag. “I got a new shirt too!” A different bag held the new shirt, which had the word ‘America’ in bold print across the chest.
Ash snorted. “You dress like a tourist.”
“It is for when I go home.” Eiji lightly shoved his arm off the table, the egg roll in Ash’s hand dropping to the floor. “Ah, I got something for you, too!”
“Really?” Ash raised his eyebrows in surprise. Sure, he had given Eiji the money to go shopping, but he hadn’t expected anything in return. Maybe just one of those radiant smiles. And dinner.
Eiji pulled a small plastic bag out of one of the bigger bags and gestured for Ash to follow him. Ash did as he was told, their food left half-eaten on the table. He could feel his gang’s eyes on them as they crossed the room to privacy, but he couldn’t find himself to care enough about the gossip that would quickly flood the room once they were gone. It’s not like they’d ever dare say it to his face anyway.
Ash closed the bedroom door behind them.
Eiji gave the bag to Ash and waited excitedly as Ash reached inside. Ash pulled out a piece of cardstock with a yellow-gold ring attached to it, one of the cheap ones that was sure to turn any skin that touched it green. He vaguely remembered the last gift Eiji had given him, an even cheaper ring from an arcade in the middle of nowhere that Ash had kept in his pocket until they reached Golzine’s mansion.
“This way, I am with you always.” Eiji explained. He held out his right hand to show a matching ring on his index finger. “Even when we are not together.”
Ash smiled at the gift in his hands, then up at Eiji. “I like it. Thank you.” After all the worrying he had done earlier, a gesture like this might have made him cry if Eiji didn’t ruin the moment with his broken English.
“Put it on!” Eiji insisted, tugging on the sleeve of Ash’s jacket. “Faster! Put it on!”
“I’m doing it, stop rushing me!” Ash swatted him away, grabbing a knife off the dresser in order to cut the ring free from its packaging. This still wasn’t fast enough for Eiji, who snatched the ring back before Ash could admire it up close.
Not that there was much to admire, the simple band it was.
Eiji gently held Ash’s right hand, slipping the band easily onto his finger just like he had with the last one. “Perfect fit.” He grasped Ash’s hand with both of his own, the cool metal warming quickly under Eiji’s warm palms. “Now I am with you forever.”
“Forever.” Ash repeated, rolling the word off his tongue. It didn’t sound too bad.
He told himself that he just wanted to get a replacement for that damn jade earring, and then he’d leave. He never cared much for expensive things like jewelry, but he cared about Eiji. And if he could avoid talking about his feelings by jewelry shopping, he might as well get it over with.
He rubbed his thumb over the simple gold band on his index finger, the one Eiji had acquired from the mall. The original gift had been lost, so Eiji had given him his own for luck. If Ash could find a ring her to replace Eiji’s, they would match again.
There’s no way in hell Eiji could misinterpret the meaning behind matching gold rings, right?
Of course, whatever he picked up in this store was going to be a hell of a lot more expensive than the $10 ring on his finger that was starting to chip from wear and tear. He worked with his hands so often, it was hard to keep the plated metal in pristine shape, as much as he tried to.
Eiji stared at it, when he thought Ash wasn’t paying attention. Blatantly stared with those big brown eyes, turning away with a blush on his cheeks before Ash could even tease him about it. If Shorter was still around, he would have caught on to them ages ago. He already had caught on, actually. He knew from the very first ring, the plastic trinket from the capsule machine. He would have told Ash to man up and elope or something, because he was a bold man who didn’t leave things to chance.
Ash missed him.
“Ash, you ready?” Alex’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. He was standing by the register in a borrowed blazer, his hair combed back to make him look respectable enough to not be immediately kicked out of the store as a hooligan. Despite that, security had eyed him suspiciously the entire time they had been there.
Ash looked over at Alex, who patiently waited by the register to pay for the replacement jade. He was giving Ash a weird look though, which meant he was either going to ask Ash questions or gossip about the questions he should’ve asked to the other guys later. The woman at the register was giving them both a weird look; she had tolerated Ash’s character, but Alex didn’t have enough experience near money to be fully capable of playing an affluent teen.
“Wait for me outside, I’ll be out soon.” Ash ordered. Alex nodded, abandoning the jewelry box at the register in favor of the freedom outside. Ash watched him cross the front of the store through the windows before disappearing, likely in search of a warm drink or a hot dog to keep him company until Ash finished his business.
With the potential robbery threat gone, the woman at the register came back over to assist him. “Looking for someone special?” There was a twinkle in her old eyes, as if she had seen a million young men in the same perplexed stupor.
“You could say that.” Ash didn’t bother trying to hide his blush. Not only was Alex gone, but he was supposed to be in character. Rich young boys fell in love more often than they changed their socks. “I want something to match this.” Ash pulled the ring off his finger and set it on the glass countertop for her to inspect.
“A gift from your special someone?” The woman guessed, picking up the ring to examine it. It was a plain, gold-plated ring, with nothing to differentiate it from the other plain rings in the case except for the material it was made of. “There are lots of options that look similar, if that’s what you’re looking for.” She set his ring back on the counter and then opened the sliding glass door below her, pulling a tray of rings out for him to look at. “These rings are less rounded on the surface, like yours.”
Ash peered closer at the small group she gestured to. Sure enough, the surface was more of a flat plane instead of rounded like most rings. He picked one up, but it felt too heavy in his hand. He didn’t want to weigh Eiji down, he just wanted to be with him, always.
“This one is a new design with a customized engraving.” The woman pulled out one of the rings and tilted it so Ash could see the inside. “You can get a custom engraving, but we have a couple preset engravings that are a little cheaper. This one says always—”
“I’ll take it.” It was like she read his mind. First, she had found the perfect jade, then the perfect ring.
Ash left the store with a weight in either pocket, threatening to pull at his heartstrings. He only had a couple hours left to make it to the airport, but he had an eternity to make the scariest confession of his life.
They called Sing to identify the body.
There was no next of kin, no parents willing to claim him. Eiji and Ibe were on a plane to Japan. His gang was grieving underground, perhaps even plotting revenge against Sing. They called him to identify Lao’s body first, then they uncovered a second sheet.
It was Ash. It was unbelievably, undeniably Ash, lying there with a smile on his face. Sing confirmed his identity, then he excused himself and threw up his lunch in the bathroom. Charlie came to check up on him, offering him a blanket and guiding him to his desk. Sing didn’t say anything, signing whatever papers Charlie set down in front of him. And then Charlie dropped two bags on his desk, right in front of Sing.
“These are their personal items.” Charlie explained. “I understand if you don’t want to take them, but we have to throw them out after so long.”
In Lao’s bag was some money, receipts, and gum, nothing overly important. He had gone there with a mission, after all. His knife was likely locked up in evidence.
Ash’s bag was similarly empty. No phone, no wallet, just a library card, a bloody letter, and a jewelry box.
Sing opened it purely out of curiosity and immediately slammed it shut. That was not for his eyes. He knew who it was for, the one person who Ash cared enough about to even contemplate such a purchase.
“I can’t take this.” Sing said. “Call Eiji. He’ll be back. I’m sure of it.”
There wasn’t a soul that could keep Eiji away from New York now.