Dear Ash
Ash —
I’m worried to death because I haven’t been able to see you doing well.
You said we live in different worlds. But is that true?
We have different colored skin and eyes. We were born in different countries.
But we’re friends. Isn’t that what counts?
I’m really glad I came to America. I met lots of people.
And more than anything, I met you.
You asked me over and over if you scared me. But I never feared you, not once.
What’s more, is you’re hurt much more than me. I couldn’t help feeling that way.
Funny, huh?
You’re way smarter, bigger, and stronger than me. But I always felt like I had to protect you. I wonder what it is I wanted to protect you from.
I wanted to protect you from fate.
The fate that tries to carry you away, drifting further and further.
You told me once about a leopard you read in a book. How you believed that leopard knew that it couldn’t go back.
And I said you weren’t a leopard, that you could change your destiny.
You’re not alone. I’m by your side.
My soul is always with you.
— Eiji Okumura
(This is a letter from an anime called banana fish. I couldn't help myself, and I put this here, and the main reason was that the title of the book reminded me of the anime.)