by Kira
It was amazing, how quickly the Thunder Emperor vanished and was replaced with an awed, lost boy, thrown into a city he had never walked before, and banished from the only place he called home. In Mugenjou, he was known as Raitei, but on the outside, he was no one. Only Amano Ginji, a sixteen year old that might have ruled over a slummy town once, might have been the biggest, baddest bastard and the leader of the fearsome Volts. But not anymore. Now, he was only another face in the crowd, and the people they passed in their rush from work or school or to appointments could careless who he was.
And somehow, Midou Ban had saddled himself with this lost, confused kid. Maybe it was those sad, empty eyes that struck him. Maybe it was the soft request to come with him when he threatened to leave. Whatever it was, he had taken the emperor from his castle, and hell if he could dump him on some curb with a, 'So long, kid.'
"Oi. You hungry?"
Paying for two on his limited budget would take some getting used to. He had gone into Mugenjou with enough from his last snatching job for maybe a cheap dinner and an even cheaper motel. He had walked out with the same, but with Raitei trailing quietly at his heels. Made things a bit more complicated.
The kid didn't answer him. He walked alongside him, probably closer than he needed to be. Ban spared him a glance. He looked lost. Not scared, but lost. And it was a different kind of lost than Ban had seen in his eyes within Mugenjou. There was lingering excitement and awe in those eyes as he took in all the sights and people and businesses around them.
It was a better switch from what had once been an empty void.
"Oi." Ban tried again. "Lightning kid."
The kid snapped from his daze with a visible jerk of his shoulders, head swiveling around to look at Ban. "... what, Midou-san?"
"I asked if you were hungry."
"Oh." He paused, considering the question, and then slowly nodded. "A little."
"Well, c'mon." The feel of his wallet would be a hell of a lot lighter later, but a decent meal would be worth it. Especially when he had no idea how much they were going to be living on for the next week. Maybe on his own, he could make do, but now he had the lightning kid to think of. Almost like having a puppy.
"Midou-san?"
"What," Ban answered, and he tried not to growl. The soft, polite 'Midou-san' was starting to grate on his nerves. He wasn't used to it.
"... it's louder than Mugenjou," the kid intoned, quietly. "And faster and bigger, and there's more people... "
"Think you're gonna get lost?"
"Yeah," he answered. "Kind of."
Ban took his pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. He was getting close to the last. Another thing to add to their growing expenses budget. "Don't worry. Stay with me, and you won't get lost."
The lightning kid looked up at him with a smile so bright and open, Ban was almost startled.
"Thanks, Midou-san."
Ban shrugged and put a cigarette to his lips. "S'nothing. And knock it off with the Midou-san shit, would you?"
The gaze that met his was surprised and confused at once. "What should I call you?"
"Anything but that."
"Ban-san?"
Again, Ban shrugged. The grin that answered him was mischievous and amused.
"Ban-chan."
Ban nearly choked on his cigarette. "... chan?"
"Mm." The kid nodded enthusiastically. Ban hadn't seen him smile like that before. Maybe it was for that reason he sighed softly, blowing a thin stream of smoke from his lips as he continued walking, hands thrust into his pockets.
"Whatever works for you, lightning kid."
"Then, could you not call me that?"
Ban spared him a glance. "Y'want me to call you Raitei?"
"No. My name's Ginji."
"... all right. Ginji."
His face lit up in that smile again. Maybe he could learn to appreciate having the kid -- Ginji -- tagging along at his heels.
"Thanks, Ban-chan."
... but the Ban-chan was going to take some getting used to.