Chapter 09

## Chapter Nine

This is the ninth chapter of the *Banana Fish* manga.

## Summary

Ash, Shorter, and Eiji make plans to attack Dino but find some unexpected people trying to stop them.

To learn more about Banana Fish, the group have to take a trip to a location that holds unpleasant memories for Ash.

## Plot

Ash, Shorter, and Eiji continue discussing their next course of action. Ash explains that Dino will be heading into a restaurant at the fish market called Cape Cod that is actually a front for a brothel mainly consisting of young boys. Because many of the regulars are people of high status, Dino has many of them at his mercy. He adds that Dino's suppliers select the most attractive of the street kids wandering the city and take them to the club to be sold to Dino's customers. He finishes by telling them that Dino makes a scheduled visit every month on the fifteenth and this will be their best chance to confront him.

At Ibe's apartment, Charlie gets news that his gun was found in the streets. As he gets ready to head to the police station, Charlie informs Ibe that Max had been released from prison but had right away ditched his lawyer and skipped bail, something that has caused George to become laid up since the shock of two clients running off was too much to handle at the moment. As Charlie leaves, he comments how Ibe should freshen up and rest since the constant worrying about Eiji has been keeping him up.

After Charlie leaves, Ibe hears a knock and thinks Charlie forgot something bit is surprised to see Max instead. Max reveals that he's learned from Nadia about where the boys are heading but they will need to hurry to catch them on time.

In Chinatown, Arthur and Wookie are scouting the area but find no trace of the men they're looking for. Arthur also voices how he does not like or understand why Chinatown is offering so much help to Ash as Shorter cannot be the whole reason for the help.

Outside of Club Cod, Ash explains how this will be their best chance to get Dino since he will not have his large guard with him as too much protection will most likely cause his clients unease. Although he dislikes having had to ask the Lee's for help, he finds it may benefit both sides if they are successful in stopping Dino. As they load up and begin making their way toward the club, Shorter instructs Eiji that he will need to duck down when he says. Eiji becomes upset at thinking Shorter is trying to protect him but Shorter corrects him when he says that Eiji will need to take over the driving if anything happens to Shorter.

As Dino exits his car, he and his men are startled to hear a commotion and spot the large utility truck heading in their direction with Ash standing atop the vehicle. Ash raises his revolver to shoot but, just as he fires, Wookie shoots his shoulder, causing Ash to miss and hit Dino in the shoulder.

As Max and Ibe arrive and see everything already began, Wookie tries to kill Shorter but only manages to graze him. Blood from his wound gets in Shorter's eye and causes him to drive the truck into a wall. With Ash falling off the truck, Dino's men move in to capture him. One man closes in on Eiji. The Japanese man raises his gun to shoot but freezes and causes Shorter to fire instead. Max and Ibe rush in and instruct the boys to jump into the Hudson. The small group quickly do so and escape with Dino's men starting to search for them. Out of sight behind some warehouses, the five men emerge. With Ibe tending to a passed-out Eiji, Max notices Ash trying to leave to finish his mission but is able to stop him by knocking him unconscious.

At Dino's mansion, Dino is given medical treatment and orders Ash to be found and brought to him alive. Arthur questions why he simply doesn't have one of his hitmen kill Ash and is scolded for making such a suggestion. Dino then sadistically claims that Ash belongs to him, and he refuses to let him belong to someone else.

Elsewhere, Ash wakes up. While helping Shorter, Max informs him that they are in one of his hideouts but that they will be heading out at nightfall. Ash questions what he's planning. Max answers that they cannot stay in the city long and that they will be heading to Cape Cod, Ash and Griffin's hometown, to find Griffin's old photos and letters as they may contain clues about Banana Fish since Griffin was the only one who knew the truth about it.

Ash quietly leaves the room. Shorter notices how Ash didn't seem so happy about heading home and Max believes it's due to bad events that eventually led to him running away. On the building's roof, Ash mourns his brother.

The following morning, the group is nearing Cape Cod as Max's singing of "My Darling, Clementine" annoys Ash. Max suspects part of Ash's foul mood stems from him being away from his hometown for so long. They eventually reach the outskirts of Cape Cod and stop to wake everyone in the back. Eiji and Shorter marvel at the quiet little town before Eiji notices how solemn Ash looks as he speaks with Max and Ibe.

The group head to the Green Hill Diner where they meet Ash's stepmother, Jennifer, and his father, Jim. Unfortunately, father and son do not get along and their reunion ends as quickly as it started with Jim ordering Ash to leave when his business is done. Max becomes infuriated at Jim's behavior toward his own son and is shocked when Jim assumes Max is paying for Ash's intimacy.

Ash tells Max to ignore Jim and is about to leave but stops to inform Jim that Griffin died, although he feels that Jim doesn't care and leaves. He takes the group to his old home where he reveals he and Griffin are really half-brothers as they had different mothers. His mother had chased away Griffin's mother, but she left them all to be with another man as soon as she had given birth to Ash. From this, Jim had started living in a new house with a new love interest and left Griffin to care for Ash. Before they head inside, Jennifer arrives with food and supplies. She tells Ash that his father didn't mean what he said and is actually glad to see him, but Ash brushes his father's behavior off and thanks Jennifer for her kindness.

Inside the house, Shorter and Ibe admire the Cape Cod style architect design as Ash asks Eiji to gather candles from a drawer behind him. Eiji opens the drawer but is startled when a mouse jumps out at him, and he jumps onto an annoyed Shorter out of reflex. Meanwhile, Ibe has located a small collection of letters that Ash states were Griffin's along with another gathering of letters in his room. Eiji and Shorter are called forth to look at several pictures to see if they can identify who shot Griffin. The two look through photos and have no luck until they come to a group photo and point to the same man.

Max doesn't recognize the men in the photo and figures they are from a unit Griffin was in before they met. Ash provides a roster, and they learn the man's name is Abraham Dawson and his address is listed as the same address Ash was told by Stephen Thompson, 42 Westwood Los Angeles, California. Thinking that Abraham is Banana Fish, Shorter is not sure that it can be right as he claims Abraham doesn't look like a narcotic dealer.

Max thinks their next course of action is to track Abraham at his California home to see what they can find as well as being out of Dino's reach on the west coast and Max has family there as well. Ibe notices Eiji's expression and reluctantly states they will continue on but that they are faced with another problem, their visas expiring in a week and they would be considered illegals if they stay.

Ash asks when they will depart. Max answers that he would like to leave the following day, but the truck needs work and they need rest. Feeling confident that Dino will not find them there so soon, Max wants to take a little time to rest and re-group, but Ash wants to head out as quickly as possible to find Abraham and make him and Dino pay for what they've done. Max is able to convince him they should take a day to rest before heading out. Frustrated, Ash takes Eiji to gather items from the truck. Ibe questions if Dino's hitmen could possibly find them at their current location and Max uncomfortably answers that it's a possibility. Outside the house, Eiji comments how nice the area seems but Ash replies that there's nothing but wind.

The following morning, Ash is doing target practice when Eiji appears. The Japanese man questions if Ash's shoulder isn't in any pain but Ash simply answers that he's fine. He then surprises Eiji by asking if he wants to try shooting. Eiji agrees but his shooting stance right away earns criticism from Ash. The blond teen helps Eiji get a better stance and aim but Eiji unfortunately misses.

Ibe arrives and announces that Jennifer has invited them to the diner for breakfast. He sends Eiji to wake the others which Ash notices is a chance for the older man to speak to him. He suspects that Ibe doesn't like Ash teaching Eiji how to use a gun but Ibe claims that the two teens are drastically different especially with Ash's background. Ash believes that Ibe pampers and shelters Eiji too much which is why he is so dependent of others in certain areas.

Ibe tries to claim that Japan is the opposite of America when it comes to guns and violence, but Ash reminds him that they are in America where things are different from what the two Japanese men are aware of. Ash leaves and Max meets with Ibe. Ibe tells Max how Ash claims he pampers Eiji too much and Max surprisingly agrees with the teen. Ibe then states that, once they arrive in L.A., he and Eiji will go back to Japan even if he has to force Eiji against his will. Even though Max thinks this is a good idea, he wonders if Eiji will like it. Ibe knows that Eiji will be upset with him for a while but is willing to be hated by him if it gets him out of danger. However, Max points out that he meant something different.

Later at the diner, Max notices that Ibe and Shorter have not returned from getting a new car battery from Province Town. Just then, Jim appears and right away questions Ash on his return but does not get an answer as a local baseball team arrives. As some of the men appear to recognize Ash as Jim's son, Jim drives the men out of the diner and asks where Ash has been.

Ash answers that he's been in New York. Jim states that Ash shouldn't be back in Cape Cod and should leave as soon as possible. Ash replies that he and the others will leave as soon as the truck is fixed and leaves the diner. With Ash gone but Shorter and Ibe returning, Eiji suddenly yells at Jim for his behavior toward his son and questions why he treats him this way.

## Characters

* Eiji Okumura
* Shorter Wong
* Ash Lynx
* Charlie Dickinson
* Shunichi Ibe
* Dino Golzine
* Frederick Arthur
* Wookie
* Jennifer
* Jim Callenreese
* Abraham Dawson (Cameo/photo)

## Trivia

* According to Shorter, Cape Cod is located about three hundred miles from New York.

* One of the places Griffin was stationed was Saigon.