| Banana Fish; volume three |
| Volume three begins where two left off--Garvey is Ash's new cell-mate and has propositioned Ash. Ash tells him no way, but Garvey insists. So Ash proceeds to kick Garvey's ass. A crowd has gathered and luckily Max shows up in time to remind Ash not to kill the man if he ever wants out of there. Meanwhile, Ibe has managed to find Eiji. Eiji takes him to a clinic in Chinatown, where Griff is being tended for his gunshot wounds. There, Dr. Meredith reveals what he's discovered about the powder that Ash left with him. It's a powerful hallucinogen that caused violent, self-destructive behaviour in rats. This revives Ibe's determination to take Eiji home. He argues that they've gotten into a very dangerous area and that it's none of their business. Eiji says he's not afraid and insists he stay. Ibe knows that Eiji wants to stay because of Ash, but he also thinks that Eiji's closness with Ash is the very thing that puts him in the most danger. Before they can settle anything, Nadia calls them back into Griff's room. They arrive just in time to witness his death. Shorter re-iterates what Ibe said, telling Eiji to go back to Japan before Arthur gets ahold of him again. Eiji barely listens--he's worrying about telling Ash that his brother died, worrying that it'll be too much for his friend to handle. In prison, Ash has been cornered by Garvey's buddies--also working for Papa Dino. They rough him up a bit, demanding to know where he hid the "treasure" that Dino knows he has. Ash manages to get the better of them and instructs them to tell Papa Dino to get him out of prison--only then will he talk about the "treasure." Max bursts in, too late to help. He's just found out about Griff's death, and though he agreed it would be dangerous to tell Ash, he slips up and tells him anyway. Max's lawyer helps Ash make bail and Ibe and Eiji come with Charlie to pick him up. Before they can get all the way to the police station to talk with Inspector Jenkins, Ash tricks Charlie, steals his gun, and forces everyone out of the car. Charlie almost wrestles control back, but Eiji jumps to Ash's aid, jumping into the driver's seat and driving away, leaving Ibe and Charlie behind. After a bit, Ash tells Eiji to get out. Eiji refuses, claiming that Griff was killed because of his stupidity, therefore he's involved too. Grudgingly, Ash agrees to let him stick around. They meet up with Shorter in Chinatown. At first Ash wants Shorter to keep out of it, too, but, like Eiji, Shorter insists. They hole up in an apartment and Ash gets a new gun. He's planning to confront Papa Dino at an exclusive club he runs. Meanwhile, Max Lobo has also made and jumped bail. He meets up with Ibe, having just convinced Shorter's sister, Nadia, to tell him where the boys are hiding. Ash, Shorter, and Eiji go to Dino's club and Ash ambushes the mob leader, shooting to kill. At the last moment, Arthur shoots Ash, hitting him in the shoulder and throwing off his aim. Dino gets shot, but not fatally. All hell breaks loose, and everyone starts fighting. Eiji almost gets killed because he's unable to shoot a man who attacks him, but Shorter saves his life by reaching around and forcing Eiji's fingers to pull the trigger. Ibe and Max arrive in the midst of the tangle and they all escape by jumping into the river and swimmng to safety. Dino is livid and puts a price on Ash's head, demanding that he be brought back alive. Arthur protests that it'd be easier just to kill him, but Dino is insistant. He says that Ash belongs to him and that he won't turn him over to anyone. Max takes everyone to a safe place and he tends to the wounded--Shorter has a cut on his head, Eiji has passed out, and Ash has a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Max is determined to solve the mystery of banana fish so he decides that they're going to Ash's hometown in Cape Cod to get any of Griff's letters and notes that might have survived. Ash is very upset about this decision, but he doesn't fight it. When they get there, Ash's father is less than welcoming. Still, they get set up in the house that Ash and Griffin shared when Ash was little and find lots of letters and pictures--including a picture of the man who killed Griff. They were in Vietnam together. The man's name is Abraham Dawson and he has an address in California. Ash wants to leave right away, but Max insists on staying a couple of days to fix the car and give Ash's shoulder time to heal up properly. Ash's father is still as cold and snide as ever, and after a particularly harsh comment, Eiji comes down hard on him, demanding to know why he treats Ash the way he does. |
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