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 futher and futher. 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
