"Eiji, are you sure this is the right way? This area looks kind of shady..."
Ash looked around suspiciously at the small dark alley lying before them. Eiji didn't want to admit it, but Ash had realized they were lost. Eiji didn't have a good sense of direction. In New York, Ash always led the way, but this was his first time in Tokyo. Therefore, he had naively assumed that Eiji would know his way around since he had been to Tokyo several times before.
He had joined Eiji on a little trip to Tokyo because he had found a shop there that had the camera lens he had been looking for for a long time. According to Eiji, the lens was hard to find because they had stopped producing it. So, he had been thrilled to have found it in Tokyo and had made an appointment the following weekend.
Tokyo reminded him of New York. It was as Eiji had told him back in New York. Lots of cars and people. Only Tokyo was even bigger than New York, with even more people coming and going, but everything was more organized. Eiji showed him the Shibuya crossing, the world's busiest pedestrian crossing. 2.500 people cross the street at a time, coming from all directions but miraculously never running into each other. It was fascinating. In New York, such a crosswalk would result in utter chaos.
When you entered a subway here, people would stand in a queue, forming a straight line while people exited in the same orderly manner. They even had signs on the ground where to enter and exit, and the subway stopped at that exact spot.
In New York, you never let people exit first; you just entered any way you wanted and pushed people deeper into the train if the train was crowded or barked at them to move. Seeing how people behaved here, he felt like a barbarian while the people here behaved like adults were supposed to act like, respecting rules and other people.
They hadn't stayed long, but they had seen the Tokyo Tower, had been to Takeshita street in Harajuku because Eiji wanted him to see the cosplayers there, hoping he'd eventually understand his love for mangas. They had also been to Akihabara, where Eiji had looked for mangas, and Ash had found some books for himself, in Japanese and even in English.
At the end, they had also walked through Ueno park for a while before Eiji headed for his appointment at the photo shop. Ash had enjoyed the little sightseeing tour Eiji had given him. Tokyo was fascinating. From the Tokyo Tower, you could even see Mount Fuji from the top and how wide Tokyo was reaching. They even had a beach there you could barely make out beyond a suspension bridge that Eiji told him was called Rainbow Bridge.
When Eiji had found the camera shop, he had spent an hour looking around and bought a new camera bag and some other small items along with the lens. After Eiji had stuffed all the items in his backpack and they had left the shop, it was already dark outside.
Now, they were standing in a dark alley that reminded Ash too much of the most dangerous part of Manhattan. Eiji looked nervously at him, then tried to make out the streets on the map with his smartphone's flashlight.
"I'm not sure.", Eiji admitted honestly while looking at the map. The photo shop had been in a small alley next to a major shopping zone, but they had gone in the wrong direction. Ash had a bad feeling. He felt as if they were being watched. His survival instincts never failed him...
"Let's try this street over there!", have said, seeing some lights coming from that direction before rounding a corner. Which had been a pretty bad idea as it turned out. When Ash rounded the corner only seconds later, Eiji had dropped his bag while a guy stood behind him, holding a knife against his throat. Eiji's eyes had widened in fear as he looked at Ash.
"Give us all your money, and we won't harm you.", a man threatened them. He blended into the shadows of this dark alley perfectly with his back jeans and hoodie in the same color.
Ash felt two other people approaching behind him. He sighed deeply and then calmly asked Eiji a question.
"Eiji, is it true what you told me? That weapons are illegal in Japan?"
"Yes, it's true.", Eiji said, looking at him, his voice trembling slightly.
Ash grinned devilishly at them while he gave the guy the most dangerous and intense glare he could muster. To his amusement, he saw the guy flinch and how the knife on Eiji's throat loosened when his hand began to tremble.
Seeing his hesitation, Ash acted quickly, running towards the guy who had dared to put a knife against Eiji's throat at lightning-fast speed. He ran past him, appearing behind him, and with one quick move, he had twisted his arm in such an unnatural direction that the knife fell from his hand. At the same time, he grabbed Eiji with his other hand, pulling him to safety. After Eiji was safe, he told him to wait at the side of the road.
Before the guy could react, he knocked him out with a blow to his head, falling to the ground with a loud thud. The other two stared at him and, after sharing a glance, decided to attack him. Ash could see it in their eyes. Before they could act, though, Ash had thrown the knife from his first opponent at the one standing on the right, hitting his right shoulder with great force long before he could use the knife in his hand. He dropped the knife before screaming put in pain and shouting insults at him. Ash just punched him, and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Then he grabbed the last one by the neck, who had just tried attacking him, pushing him forcefully against a wall. Then he held a knife against his throat.
"Leave. Now. Or you won't survive this night!", Ash barked threateningly in English, glaring at them viciously. A translation wasn't necessary. A threatening tone and a death glare were understood everywhere. Those guys had understood by now that they were no match for him. They grabbed the still unconscious guy who had threatened Eiji
and made a run for it.
Be grateful that you're not dead. Had we been in NYC, I would have killed you without any hesitation.
Ash returned to Eiji. He had crouched down at a wall, hugging his knees, and was trembling badly. Tears were running down his face while he was hyperventilating.
Eiji's state reminded him that this was the typical reaction to violence. Fear, terror and panic. In contrast, his calm, fearless and unemotional attitude regarding violence was not normal.
Eiji hadn't heard him approaching since he flinched slightly. Ash knelt down beside him and thought about how he could calm Eiji down. He mulled over what Eiji always did to soothe him. He could do that, too, right? He had to try, at least.
"Eiji, it's me, Ash. You're safe, ok? Everything's fine." He gently grabbed his hand and felt how Eiji relaxed a bit.
"A-Ash?", he gasped out, looking up, tears swimming in his eyes. It broke Ash's heart.
He slowly moved closer and gently hugged him. When Eiji relaxed, he pulled him closer, stroking the back of his head. Eiji pulled him closer, clinging to him like a lifeline as he sobbed into his shoulder. Ash didn't say anything else, yet patiently stayed like this until Eiji had calmed down and was breathing normally again. Then, he slowly let go and softly grabbed his face with both hands and wiped his tears away with his thumbs.
"Are you ok?", he asked before placing a small kiss on his forehead. Eiji always did that when he had a nightmare. It always made him feel protected and safe. He saw in Eiji's eyes that it worked on him as well because he attempted a small smile and nodded.
"I feel so pathetic. You stayed calm, like always. You're my hero."
"I'm not a hero, Eiji!"Ash exclaimed a bit too harshly. "I'm more of the evil opponent the hero fights against."
Then he took a deep breath to calm himself. "And reacting to violence with fear and panic is the normal reaction. It's my reaction that isn't normal. Because violence is normal to me.", Ash explained sadly.
"I'm sorry, Ash. I put us in danger. If I had admitted that we're lost, that wouldn't have happened. I promised you that you'd be safe in Japan.", Eiji replied, slowly standing up and grabbing his backpack again. He stood there with slumped shoulders, avoiding Ash's gaze. Then he looked up at him again and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
"But thank you for saving me. Again.", he smiled warmly at him. "And you'll always be a hero to me." Ash stared at him incredulously before his features softened.
"I'll always protect and save you, Eiji.", Ash promised him seriously.
Then he snatched the map out of Eiji's hands. "This time, I'll lead the way.", he announced but couldn't hide the small grin on his face. He headed for the direction of the photo shop again after grabbing Eiji's hand.
"Don't let go of my hand."