Ash left Yut-Lung's room and walked in the hallway. Sing passed by.
"How's Yue?" Sing asked.
"He was not doing well at all. He told me everything and cried himself to sleep." Ash said.
"Poor Yue. I feel terrible for him." Sing said.
"Me too. I understand him so much. However, I didn't go through the whole incest thing. But I get it." Ash said.
"I know. That's why I thought that you'd be the one who should talk to him." Sing said.
"I felt the same way." Ash said. He felt a tear run down his eyes.
"So he told you everything, right?" Sing said.
"Yeah. He even told me about how Hua-Lung knocked him up. That bastard." Ash said.
"I remember when Yue found out. He was terrified and he was crying a lot. But he also didn't want to lose the baby. He promised to take care of it. And when Hua-Lung beat him and made him take the abortion pill, he was a mess. I was the first person he told. Sing said.
"That bastard. Dino did the same thing to me too." Ash cried.
"He-" Sing said.
"Exactly. Dino knocked me up once, and he beat the shit out of me and caused me to miscarry. I was going to keep the baby and tried to keep it a secret. But Dino noticed my pants weren't fitting and my belly had swollen. That's when he figured it out." Ash cried.
Flashback:
Ash was asleep in his bed at Golzine's mansion. He felt his shirt being lifted and cold gel on his stomach. He woke up to find a doctor doing an ultrasound and Dino observing. When Ash heard his baby's heartbeat, he smiled and tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Congratulations Papa, you are going to be a father. Ash is 12 weeks along."
"Thank you. You may leave now." Dino told the doctor.
"Yes, Papa." The doctor said and left right away.
Ash looked at Dino and was frightened.
Dino placed his hand on Ash's belly. Ash didn't have a good feeling and backed away.
"I was wondering who's child that is ... Was it Marvin's, Kippard's, that Japanese boy's, one of your gang members', or mine... Turns out, it's mine." Dino said.
Ash cradled his stomach.
"Please Dino. I came back to you so you wouldn't hurt Eiji. But I also ask... Please don't hurt my baby. This baby also has your blood. It's your natural child. Please have mercy on the baby. Please let me have this baby." Ash cried.
"But you've just turned 18, Ash... Don't you think that it will ruin your life? You can't have money and power and you can't run the Corsican Mafia when you're taking care of a child." Dino said.
"Dino... Don't you need an heir? Our child can be your heir. Please let our child live. All I ask of you is to not hurt Eiji and this baby I'm carrying. I'll do anything you tell me to. Anything. I'm carrying a tiny human and this baby lives. This baby has tiny fingers, toes, a heartbeat, and can already kick. Please Dino. Just let me have this baby. This baby is all I have." Ash pleaded. He felt his baby kick and rubbed his belly.
Blanca walked in and noticed what was going on.
"Ash... I didn't know that you're..." Blanca said.
"He's carrying my child, Blanca. I'm old and I'm going to be a father." Dino said.
"Congratulations, Monsieur and Ash?" Blanca was confused.
Ash cried.
"I need to talk to you, Blanca. Let's go." Dino said. Blanca and Dino left.
Back to Ash and Sing.
"And then the following week, Dino beat me and caused me to miscarry. I never got to hold my baby. He killed his own son. I found out it was a boy. After that, I starved myself for a month and then you guys found me at Dino's party." Ash cried.
Sing hugged Ash.
"I'm sorry Ash. I didn't know. But... How did the baby make it to 13 weeks if you've been stabbed by Arthur and shot many times?" Sing asked.
"Arthur stabbed me to the side. That's when I found out that I was pregnant. The baby also survived when I got injected with that dose of whatever it was. I think it was an altered dose of Banana Fish. I was wondering how I was going to tell Eiji that I was pregnant with another man's child. But I felt like he somehow knew. He tried to take better care of me." Ash said.
"I'm sorry you went through that, Ash." Sing said.
"Well, at least we're going to start new lives and hopefully we can all heal from what we've gone through." Ash said.
"That's the spirit!" Sing said.
Ash went outside to the balcony and had a good cry. He let everything out. He really needed to cry.
"Eiji... I wish you were here. I need you." Ash thought.
A few minutes later, halfway through Ash's crying, he got a phone call.
"Hello?" Ash said.
"Good Morning Ash!" It was Eiji!
"Eiji!" Ash cried.
" Ash... I miss you " Eiji said.
"I miss you too, Eiji. I wish I could be there with you." Ash said.
"Well, you can! Let me show you my walk to university!" Eiji said. He opened up his camera and turned it into a video call. He showed Ash the streets of Japan and his walk to university.
"So this is the station. I just got off the train, and there's my favorite ramen shop. I'll take you there one day. And then there's a konbini right there, and my university is 10 minutes away. And it's cold!" Eiji said.
Ash smiled.
"Japan is so beautiful Eiji!" Ash said.
"Not as beautiful as you, though." Eiji said.
"Oh Eiji..." Ash blushed.
"Ash... I'm coming back to New York next week." Eiji said.
"Really?" Ash said.
"Yes. I'm going to stay in New York until May of next year because I'm doing a semester at NYU." Eiji said.
"That's wonderful, Eiji! I'm also thinking about taking some college courses. I've applied at NYU as well. So did Yue." Ash said.
"Ash, that's great! I'm so happy that you, Sing, and Yut-Lung decided to start a new life and leave the old one behind! We should take some classes together and do our homework together!" Eiji said.
"I'm excited about living a somewhat normal life now. And if I get to do the whole college thing with you, that would be even better!" Ash said.
"But don't forget, once I go back to Japan, you're coming with me." Eiji said.
"I really want to." Ash said.
"Well, this is my university in Japan! You're gonna walk with me to class today!" Eiji said.
"Let's see!" Ash said.
Yut-Lung woke up and went outside to find Ash on the balcony talking to Eiji. Ash was all smiles and giggles the whole time.
Sing noticed that Yut-Lung had his eyes on Ash the whole time.
"What's the matter?" Sing asked in Chinese. (A/N: Any time Sing and Yut-Lung have a conversation together, they always speak Chinese.)
"Sing... do you think that if Ash had never met Eiji Okumura, he would've noticed me and liked me?" Yut-Lung asked.
"Maybe. Or maybe not. It depends. You really like him, don't you?" Sing said.
"Yeah. I really do. I mean... He's perfect." Yut-Lung said.
Sing giggled.
"What?"
"I understand you, Yue. I liked Ash too. And I still kind of like Eiji." Sing said.
"I didn't know you liked guys." Yut-Lung said.
"I mostly like girls. But there are some guys that I like too. I guess I might be bi." Sing said.
"Alright Ash, I'm outside of my class and it's about to start." Eiji said.
"Ok Eiji. Thank you for calling me today and showing me around! I hope you have a great day today." Ash said.
"You too, Ash. Sleep well, ok?" Eiji said.
"Ok. Goodnight, Eiji." Ash said.
"Oyasumi, Asshu." Eiji said and disconnected the call as he was about to go into class.
Yut-Lung and Sing joined Ash.
"Did you get an email from NYU, Ash?" Yut asked.
"I haven't even checked. Why?" Ash said.
"We have to go take our entrance exams tomorrow and if shit goes well, we have to enroll for the spring semester." Yut-Lung said.
Ash checked his emails and sure enough, he had his exams tomorrow.
"Fuck. That means we need to sleep like, now!" Ash said.