This is the thirteenth chapter of the Banana Fish manga.
Summary[]
Secrets and sinister plots surface as the Lee family make their move.
Plot[]
As the group is eating dinner, Max is told that he has a call from Jessica. He is at first nervous of what Jessica might want but quickly becomes concerned when one of the assailants is on the phone and informs Max that he will need to hurry to the house before they hurt any further. They further drive the point by making Jessica speak to Max, but she only pleads for Max to save Michael. Hearing his young son plead for his father's help, Max is told to hurry over with Ash and the call ends.
Ash was able to hear how the group wants him to go with Max and asks Yau Si if there are any weapons in the house. Yau Si gathers a hunting rifle with the ammunition as Ash tells everyone else to stay in the house and not to let anyone in or go outside no matter what. With final instructions to call the police should the two not return by the next day, Ash give Shorter private instructions to stay close to everyone as he feels something about the situation is off and wants his friend to particularly keep an eye on Ibe and Eiji.
After Ash and Max leave, Ibe and Eiji talk about how easy the situation makes them feel but accept they have no choice but to wait to see if they need to call for help. Elsewhere in the house, Yut-Lung muses how fortunate it was that Ash left Shorter behind and decides now is the time to carry out their plan.
Ash and Max hurry to Jessica's house where they see police have already arrived. Not wasting anymore time, Max tries to rush into the house but is held back by police until he verifies his relation to Jessica and Michael. When inside, he right away tries to comfort a frightened Michael. When Jessica steps forward, Ash takes Michael outside so the two can talk. Once they're gone, Jessica slaps Max and then tells him the men sexually assaulted her. Max attempts to comfort her as she cries and he begs for forgiveness as he blames himself for what's happened.
Outside the house, Ash asks Michael if he can go over what happened. The young boy starts to tell Ash how the men had arrived without warning and how Jessica was able to give him time to escape. At this point, he begins crying at the memory and Ash right away comforts him while apologizing for having him remember such things. Michael is able to continue speaking and informs Ash that his mother had been on the phone with George Scott when the men arrived but the three men had rushed off when the police were beginning to arrive on the scene. Ash asks if the men were Caucasian or African American but Michael answers that the three were Asian.
Back at the Dawson house, Yau Si offers some tea that he claims will relax them. Ibe begins drinking a cup of tea when Eiji points out how long Ash and Max have been gone. As Ibe mentions how they also need to think of Jessica and Michael, he suddenly collapses. Eiji rushes to Ibe's side when Yut-Lung suddenly pricks his neck with a needle, taking away his ability to move, see, and hear; leaving him in a comatose like state. However, Ibe is the opposite as he is conscious and can see and hear everything taking place, including Shorter's betrayal.
Yut-Lung speaks to Ibe of how Chinatown was never going to provide support and that he is taking Eiji to New York. Ash and Max will need to follow otherwise Eiji will fall into the hands of Dino and potentially robbed of his innocence. With the final warning to Ibe that he will be in great pain when the drug wears off, Yut-Lung prepares to leave with the others. Before Shorter follows with Eiji, he promises Ibe that he will protect Eiji with his very life. He then follows Yut-Lung into a limo that will take them to an airport where a private jet will fly them to New York. As they're heading to the airport, Yut-Lung expresses interest in Banana Fish and reveals he's had training of plants and poisons since he was six years old. Now knowing that Banana Fish is of a particular chemical substance, Yut-Lung wonders if this is why his oldest brother brought him into the situation.
At Jessica's house, Ash finds Max and shouts how they need to get back to the others to prevent Chinatown from going through with anything. Jessica questions why Max has to leave too, but her ex-husband assures her that he still loves her and will explain when he can. As they hurry back, Ash scolds himself for being fooled and not realizing sooner that Yau Si is Yut-Lung. They get back to house and find Ibe collapsed on the floor and unable to speak. In his fury, Ash attempts to head to Chinatown but is stopped by Ibe when he tries to speak.
At the airport, the group goes into a private room where Lee Hua Lung is waiting. Hua-Lung comments how Shorter will have a secure future with the Lee family but Shorter naturally rejects the offer that Yut-Lung suspects is due to feeling guilty at having betrayed his friends. Their talk is halted when another guest arrives. Shorter is shocked to see Arthur. The former member of Ash's gang reveals that he is now a high-ranking member of Dino's mafia, but this does little to impress Shorter who thinks that Arthur is only proving why others chose Ash over him.
The plane is announced to be ready to board but Shorter refuses to let Eiji out of his sight. Arthur tries to prevent Shorter from joining them to New York but Shorter makes things clear when he pulls out a knife and holds it to Eiji's throat with the promise of killing Eiji and then himself if they try to separate them.
Yut-Lung finds the scene hilarious, but Hua-Lung sees how serious Shorter is with carrying out his threat and decides not to risk things further by allowing Shorter to join them. The group is escorted out with the Lee brother's staying behind. Hua-Lung notices his brother's mood, but Yut-Lung passes it off as being weary from his mission. Hua-Lung asks if Yut-Lung got the information they needed. The younger brother confirms he got the information but cannot give it to anyone but their oldest brother since he memorized the information instead of having a paper copy.
Although annoyed, Hua-Lung agrees before commenting how Yut-Lung looks like his mother whom their father adored greatly to the point that Yut-Lung may have been favored by their father. Hua-Lung asks if Yut-Lung is still angry but Yut-Lung answers that he isn't since it's been ten years since it happened.
At the Dawson house, Ibe is starting to recover more but is in immense pain. Though Max tries to get him to rest, Ibe manages to speak enough to inform Ash and Max that Eiji was taken to Chinatown in New York and is at risk of falling into Dino's hands unless they save him. With Shorter revealed to be part of it, Ash refuses to judge his friend too harshly as he knows Shorter wouldn't betray him for no reason.
Suddenly, Ash brings out his gun and points it to a seemingly empty room where he claims he heard someone moving around. When Ash threatens to shoot, a man comes out and announces himself to be the homeowner, Alexis Dawson.
Characters[]
- Ash Lynx
- Max Lobo
- Shunichi Ibe
- Yut-Lung
- Eiji Okumura
- Shorter Wong
- Jessica Randy
- Michael
- Suk-Leui
- Lee Hua Lung
- Frederick Arthur
- Alexis Dawson (debut)
Trivia[]
- Yut-Lung was six years old when his mother died. Hua-Lung was fifteen when he and his brothers killed their stepmother.
- Hua-Lung shows incestual interest in Yut-Lung.