I have been wanting to write a longer Get Backers fan fiction for the longest time, so I'm glad I'm finally getting to it. Plus, I am hoping to have this be a heavy angst/romance/occasionally funny, fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy it.

Note: This is an alternate universe, as you would hopefully notice as you read through it. While the universe in the fanfiction is mine, the characters are clearly not and belong to their respectable, and obviously amazing, owners.

XXX

Broken Like Me

A Get Backers Fanfiction

Chapter One

Rainy Nights and B-rate Movies

XXX

Dark gray skies covered the small city of Shinjuku, making the residences feel heavy and weighed down. The clouds had been hanging above the town for about a week, with no sign of growing thin any time soon. Thick rain storms had occurred every few days, lasting a few hours each. Puddles were scattered about the streets, splashing violently as cars swept over them, bad weather not slowing down the town's pace by much at all.

Every sound in the area sounded muffled and oddly stretched out from the strange amount of fog that had drifted down over the city limits. making you feel as if you were walking in a dream.

Down in the streets was a tall young man, dark hair splayed across his face, hands shoved into pockets, eyes facing the concrete. His walking stride seemed a little sluggish, as he strode down the sidewalk, not even bothering to watch where he was headed. Somehow, he had not ran into one person, and even managed to dodge quite a few of them. It was as if he had some type of sixth sense, enabling him to be aware of his surroundings, without having to actually see them.

He walked down a few blocks, not seeming to care that he was getting soaked by the pouring rain, and the occasional car running over a giant puddle of water, thrashed street water into his face. The only thing the young man did to show that he cared about something in the situation was rub the bottom of his nose from the sensation of an oncoming sneeze, most likely caused from the extreme exposure to the cold weather.

It was clear that he had some type of destination, as he would stop at a corner here and there to figure out his surroundings and switch direction if he felt the need to.

As soon as the soaked man stopped in front of a large run down building with windows on the side, and one door on the front with a sign reading 'Inazuma Apartments'*, he began to show some type of emotion. His face switched from irritated, to sad, to angry in a matter of a few seconds. He began pacing in front of the door for a few minutes before he finally figured out what he wanted to do. He let out a small curse word, then opened the door slowly, getting chilled from the sudden change in temperature, though it wasn't by much.

Heading up the stairs till he reached the top floor, he then hesitated in front of a door with the numbers '436' inscripted upon it. He sighed disheartened a few times, stroking his scalp while his hand slid through his soaked hair, in an action that appeared to be caused by nerves. Eventually he knocked on the door, going from barely audible, to a decent knock. Once he pulled his hand away, he shoved it back into his pocket, and stared down at the cheap wooden flooring.

In only a few seconds, someone came to the door, his bright brown eyes widening in a shocked expression. "Ban! Why are you soaking wet?! Get in here before you get sick!" The man shouted, sounding extremely worried for the other man in front of him, who at that moment resembled a soaked rat more than a human being.

Ban slowly walked through the doorway, slipping his shoes off next to an old rug that said 'welcome' on it. "I'm sorry for intruding you at such an odd hour, Ginji."

The man who lived in the apartment, Ginji, placed a large hand on Ban's shoulder, squeezing for a few seconds before he spoke. "You know you're allowed to come over whenever you want, Ban. Why didn't you bring an umbrella or something? The weather's been horrible all week, and you're soaked!"

The only way Ban knew how to respond was by a simple shaking of his head. He had no words to explain his actions, because he was not sure how he had even ended up at Ginji's in the first place. He stared at the welcoming matt for a few moments, then made his way to the living room, only to stop himself mid step, somehow forgetting for a little that he was soaking wet, and did not want to get Ginji's carpet wet in the process.

Ginji ran to the bathroom, bringing a large towel with him, then began to dry Ban's hair for him. "Are you trying to get yourself sick, Ban?" His voice full of concern as he attempted to dry Ban's hair as fast as he could.

Ban's thin shoulders shrugged in a weak motion. "Not really."

"Then why would you walk all the way over here in the middle of a rain storm without an umbrella, or so much as a jacket?" Ginji's words were flying out of his mouth faster than he could think. Ban always made him worry too much, because he seemed to be too careless about his own well being. It made Ginji a little crazy, because he noticed that Ban would always get on Ginji's case for not doing the same.

Ban did not bother to respond to that question. He was too cold and wet to care about talking, and the only thing he wanted at that moment was to hop into a hot shower and pretend that he had not just done such a stupid thing. He was embarrassed by his actions, but most of all, he felt bad for making Ginji worry about him, again.

After Ginji was satisfied about getting Ban's hair dry from rain water, he allowed Ban to use the shower so he could actually warm up.

Ginji's bathroom was pretty small, even to the point that instead of a regular tub, he had a shower unit in it's place. It was decent though, and Ginji always kept it clean.

Ban told Ginji that he may take a while, then shut the door behind him, beginning to unbutton his soaked shirt. He winced a little bit as he slipped the soaked fabric off, having irritated a sore muscle on his left shoulder. Ban was not even aware that that area hurt until he moved it just then.

Once he was finished peeling off his clothing, wincing at a few more sore spots in the process, he leapt into the shower, having the water heat on a little higher than it probably should have been. He sighed in relief as the hot water slid over his ice cold skin, warming up his body in a matter of a few seconds. The fact that you had to use water, to get over water making you uncomfortable had always fascinated Ban. The whole concept was just a little weird for him, though he appreciated how fast the warm water worked on his low body temperature.

As soon as Ban had finished showering, he slid into some large blue shirt, and thick gray sweats that Ginji let him borrow. They were way too big on him, but Ban was grateful to be in something dry again.

When he arrived in the living room, Ginji approached him with two large cups of hot cocoa, a big goofy smile planted on his face. "So, why did you decide to come over anyway, Ban?" Big brown eyes peaked over his large cup as he took a sip.

Ban shrugged once more, taking a mug from him, then responded. "I don't know. I just felt like it."

Ginji gave Ban a questioning look. "You just felt like it? Then why didn't you think it through a bit more?"

"I don't know." Ban repeated once more.

A little frustrated, Ginji let out a sigh and sat down on his warn couch. He patted the cushion beside him, signaling for Ban to sit next to him. Ban did as he was asked, placing his cup on the small table in front of him, elbows rested on his knees, he placed his chin on top of his fists.

Ginji took a few sips of his cocoa before placing it down in front of him, and turning to look at the side of Ban's face. "Is something wrong, Ban? You've been acting a little bit strange."

Ban leapt a little bit at Ginji's comment, but not to the extent of Ginji being able to notice. He bit his lip, then spoke. "Not really."

Ginji leaned in closer to Ban for a second, trying to examine his face, but Ban's hair was covering it, so Ginji gave up, and leaned back onto the couch. He poked his lip out, trying to get Ban to say something more. "Are you sure you're alright? You haven't said much since you arrived."

"You're just saying that, because you talk too much." Ban rolled his eyes, a small smirk finding his lips as he flicked his eyes toward Ginji before staring at the coffee table again.

Ginji smiled a little bit, glad that he had gotten Ban to say something that didn't sound like such a generic response. "Maybe you're right." He took a quick sip of his drink. "Hey, Ban! Do you want to watch a movie or something? Since you're here and all."

Ban sat against the back of the couch, folding his arms, and looking over at Ginji from the corner of his eyes. "Sure. I guess so." He placed a little smile on his lips to please Ginji.

"Yay! Because I rented this really cool sounding movie. It has zombies and stuff in it, and I think you'll like it!" Ginji practically shouted as he leapt off of his couch to grab the disc he was speaking of.

Ban actually chuckled a little bit at Ginji's sudden cheerfulness. "Zombies, eh? Sounds like something weird again."

Ginji turned around to face Ban, his cheeks puffing up in a teasingly offended expression. "No, Ban. Not weird. Cool. It's going to be cool."

Ban shook his head, as he listened to Ginji. He was such a goof ball all the time. One second he'd be lecturing Ban about caring for his own health, the next second he'd be excited to watch some b-rated zombie movie. The crazy transition between the two attitudes always amused Ban somehow.

Once Ginji had popped some popcorn, placed the movie in, and turned out the lights, they began to watch the film. It was beginning to be just as Ban had expected it to be, needlessly gory, and had poor acting in it, but Ginji seemed to be enjoying it, which was enough for Ban to be satisfied.

Ginji's apartment had a poor heating system in it, so Ginji had grabbed a blanket from his bedroom and placed it on Ban, afraid of him getting cold again. Ban had tried to convince Ginji that he did not need it, but Ginji would not hear of such a thing, thus, Ban gave in and took it anyway. In the end, Ban was actually grateful for it, because he had began to get cold a little into the film. One of the windows in the apartment had a draft in it because for some reason it would never fully close, so the cold from the outside had leaked inside, causing an unpleasant breeze to blow by occasionally.

About twenty or so minutes into the movie, Ban could not help but notice Ginji rubbing his hands along his forearms from time to time, probably from being cold. Ban knew that Ginji would most likely not admit that he was cold, because he gave Ban the blanket. Because of that, Ban elbowed Ginji in the side lightly, holding out some of the blanket for him.

Ginji shook his head, holding his hands out signaling that he claimed to not need it. Ban knew he had to be lying, he could see the goosebumps raising on his skin. "Ginji, take some of the blanket."

Showing a big smile, Ginji continued to shake his head. "I don't need any Ban, I'm jut fine."

Ban's eyes squinted into a small glare. "Ginj, take some of the blanket, or I'm leaving."

Ginji shook his head a few more times before he finally took hold of some of the blanket, placing it over himself, though, it seemed to only cover on of his legs, because most of it was draped over Ban. They were sitting kind of far apart, so there was a big gap of the blanket that was still remaining unused. Ban was sitting comfortably against the corner of the couch, and did not appear to want to move. He simply stared at Ginji.

Not even taking a second to hesitate, Ginji began to scoot himself closer to Ban, eventually pleasantly huddled next to him, the blanket covering them both nicely.

There was absolutely no space in between them, and Ban was suddenly feeling as if he was being pressed into the couch. "Ginji, move over, you're squishing me."

Ginji did not move, nor did he speak, instead he ate popcorn, and stared at the screen, appearing to have ignored Ban's comment entirely.

"Ginji. Move over, you're squishing me." Ban repeated, voice more serious, beginning to feel strangely awkward.

Ban was not entirely sure, but he thought he saw Ginji shake his head a little bit, not taking his eyes away from the screen even once. Ban bit his lip, moving himself over to the side of the couch a little bit more. He really did not mind Ginji's presence beside him, he was warm, and felt nice against him. No, what Ban was starting to mind was the sudden change in his pulse. His heart was pounding so hard, that it began to echo in his ears.

His heart rate did not want to slow down for some reason, but Ban was so comfortable with where he was at, that he tried his best not to care that it freaked him out. There was no reason for his pulse to have risen so randomly.

The sudden sound of thunder outside startled him Ban, leaping in his chair, forcing him back into reality almost instantly. Ginji remained unaffected by the sound, but he was now facing Ban, with a worried look on his face.

Ban scowled in response. "The thunder just startled me for a moment. Geez. Just watch your movie and stop staring at me." He turned to face the tv, and pretended he was interested in the film.

Ginji didn't say anything, but he poked his lips out again, and forced himself to watch the tv once more.

The rest of the film they had sat there, not making any comments at all. The mood was not necessarily awkward, but it was definitely strange. Ban remained huddled in his corner, sneaking looks over at Ginji occasionally, while Ginji sat next to Ban cautiously, also sneaking looks at him. The two had frequent occasions that happened as that one did, so it was nothing too new or unusual.

For some reason, they always played out the same way. It began with Ban arriving unexpectedly, most often soaked in rain, or out of breath and soaked in sweat. Then Ginji would lecture him about being careless and how he needed to be more careful, then that there was absolutely no need for him to apologize. Then Ban would take a shower, borrow Ginji's clothing, Ginji then asked a few more times on whether or not Ban was alright. Ginji would never get a straight answer from the man, so then he would recommend they watch a movie. Ban would always agree to it, and they'd end up watching the film not speaking a word to each other.

It was a strange routine they had somehow fallen into through out the years of friendship they had. Neither of the two knew why they did it the same way each time, in fact, they probably were not even aware that it happened in the first place.

Once the horrible zombie movie came to an end, Ginji stood up to get the disc out of the player and back into the case. As soon as he put it away, he sat back onto the couch, and studied Ban's expression.

Ban still remained against the corner, staring at the coffee table again. His eyes seemed lifeless as they almost always did, his voice trying so hard to cover up that fact. "I told you that movie was going to be weird."

Ginji laughed lightly. "It wasn't that weird Ban! You just don't know a good movie when you see one."

"Tch. I could say the same to you."

Leaning into Ban a little bit, Ginji said. "No Ban, you can't! That movie was good." His eyes were full of a strange sparkle in them, showing his apparent passion for the odd film.

Ban waved his hand in an up and down motion. "Okay, okay whatever. It was alright. Just get out of my face." Bright blue eyes glared into soft brown ones.

Ginji locked his eyes for a few seconds longer than he should have, then pulled away, smiling a little bit. "That's what I thought." He nodded his head, as if he had somehow won an imaginary battle.

Ban stared at Ginj's face for a moment, trying to take in his silly expression before he looked away to stare behind him and out of the window, watching the rain slip down. The outside appeared to be nothing be fuzzy gray hues.

"Hey Ban..." Ginji spoke suddenly, sounding more serious than a few moments before.

Ban answered a few seconds later after he finished watching a water droplet drizzle down to the bottom of the window. "What Ginji?" He continued to study the rain drops outside.

Ginji fell oddly silent, not sure if he should say what he had planned on saying or not. Ban looked over at him for a moment before placing his focus back on the window behind Ginji. Eventually, Ginji finally said something. "There really is something wrong, isn't there?"

Ban's eyes dropped from the window to the floor, then he turned his head to look at his feet. Somehow, he knew Ginji was not going to drop that question that night. The question had been floating in the air since he first asked it. Ban could not find his voice, so he simply shook his head once again, that motion becoming his main means of conversation recently.

The blondie suspected that Ban would do that again, only answering Ginji's question. "Why don't you ever tell me what's wrong? You run over here, always in horrible condition, obviously with something to say, then you give me the silent treatment."

Ban's mouth opened for a moment, almost giving in to Ginji, and spilling everything all at once. He held himself back though, still not entirely comfortable with the idea. "I'm sorry." Those two words were the only words he could seem to get out of his mouth at that moment. They were the only words he could say without feeling like they were covered in a mountain of lies.

Ginji let out a huge sigh, deciding to give up interrogating him for the night. If Ban wanted to tell him what was wrong, he would eventually come out and say it, even if it took years to do so. Ginji knew Ban. He was stubborn, and hard headed, but he would always get something done, or say something. Though he was often times slow at doing so, he was always guaranteed to get to it at some point. Ginji trusted him enough to believe that Ban would trust him to say what was wrong on his own time.

Standing up from the couch, Ginji began putting away the dishes they had brought out earlier that night. For a boy in high school, Ginji was astonishingly clean. "Since it's late, and you don't seem to want to talk, why don't we just call it a night and go to sleep?"

Ban nodded, aware that Ginji could not see him do so, then slowly stood up off the couch. He watched Ginji rinse the dishes and place them in the dishwasher. Ban always found interest in watching Ginji clean for some reason, maybe it was because it was while he was doing that he looked more his age, and less stressed out and older than a seventeen year old should. Dishes were the job of a seventeen year old, and Ban loved to watch Ginji be normal for the few minutes they took.

Ginji looked up at Ban as soon as he placed the last dish in the dishwasher, and closed the door to it, not planning on turning it on till the morning because it was a loud machine. He caught Ban's eyes. "What?"

Ban blinked a few times, breaking eye contact. "Nothing, just spacing out I guess." He turned around, blanket wrapped around his arms, and headed toward Ginji's bedroom.

Ban took no time to quickly leap onto Ginji's small bed, huddling under the blanket he had carried back into the bedroom. He curled his knees up to his chest, eyes remaining open as he waited for Ginji to turn off the lights and hop in as well.

A small click could be heard as the lights flickered off, and the door closed behind Ginji slowly waltzing through the room, as to not trip on the floor boards. The edge of the bed dipped down as Ginji laid down on it, facing the opposite direction as Ban, curling into his pillow.

"Good night Ban." Ginji whispered, as they both shut their eyes in an attempt to sleep.

Ban stared at the wall after his eyes had slid back open, and he could not seem to remain comfortable. He was never one to wiggle while sleeping, but he just could not find the correct position. He flipped over to his other side, facing Ginji's back, slinking against the wall as to not break the unspoken touch barrier. However, Ginji, who appeared to be dozing off, moved himself back and closer into Ban's area, forcing Ban to huddle against Ginj's muscly back. Ban was not sure what to do with his legs, until Ginji moved his legs to the point that Ban had no choice but to maneuver his own in between Ginji's knees. Ban's head eventually found a comfortable spot, the back of his hands against Ginji's back, palms towards his own face.

The areas they were touching felt warm and tingly, forcing Ban to relax a little bit. Soon, he found himself completely wrapped around the back of Ginji, though it was unintentional, and just a movement for comfort. His arms were wrapped around Ginjis waste, head resting against Ginj's back, and his legs twisted with Ginji's. His heart beat had began to thump against his chest against his own will, but he was far too tired to care.

As Ban began to doze off, a spot on his cheek began to itch, so he brought his finger up to his face only to feel a wet spot forming along his skin. He had not realized he had been crying to that moment. Only after the realization did the small tears grow into sobbing against Ginji's back, as Ban found himself gripping Ginji as hard as he could for some form of comfort.

Salty tears stained Ginji's perfectly white shirt.

XXX

Okay. So I know you are all probably super confused with this.

And that's good. That's what I want you to be like.

Questions will eventually be answered, that is, if you decide to continue reading this to my future chapters.

Yeah. I'm pretty mean, but you're just going to have to deal with it.

I hope you enjoyed my angst. The angst will consume your soul.

You're probably wondering how I can manage to write angst, when according to my stupid Author's Notes I am clearly a psycho. Well get over it, and deal with reality.

Ha ha.

ANYWAY.

Hope you enjoyed my first chapter of this.

*Inazuma=Translates to Lightning in Japanese.

Til next time...

~AkemiKae~