Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Water, he could use water. The water could help him escape. A gasp of pain slipped through his lips as another tiny slash was cut in his arm. He was already covered in open wounds, but that didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore. The pain had torn him from his thoughts to the man standing before him, holding the knife that looked so much like a scalpel that he couldn't help but thinking of a hospital and the doctors in it, but no doctor ever looked like that when they held scalpels.

"Whatever were you thinking?" The sickly smooth voice caused shivers to run down his spine and more pain flared up as his tiny wounds moved. He didn't have the energy to answer. He didn't have the energy for anything. He probably couldn't even make a lightbulb flicker at that moment. All of his energy had been spent trying to keep himself from being put in this position. That hadn't worked out very well though.

He wanted to call out for someone, but who could he call. Nobody would hear. Nobody ever heard. It seemed that whenever people needed to be heard the most, they were ignored or unable to be heard. He whimpered out a name, the name he always called for when in trouble. He winced as laughter filled the small space.

"He's right over there, but I don't think he can help you." The man turned to look and laughed again. "I don't even think he can hear you." The bloody figure was slumped against the corner of the room, a widening deep stain surrounded him and coated one of his sides. His hair had been flattened by a wash of red, and head drooped from unconsciousness. A pair of crushed glasses laid next to him. Not being able to stand seeing his friend like that, his eyes closed. As they closed sleep tried to rescue him from his nightmare, but another slit and his eyes opened. The tsk tsk tsk and wave of knife almost made him sigh. He knew he couldn't sleep. He wasn't allowed to. He wasn't allowed to sleep, to eat, to do anything that might regenerate his powers.

He was defeated, but he wasn't dead. He just wanted to be dead. He looked at his friend again and wondered if it had been a minute yet. It had to be. This couldn't be real. He knew it was though. It wasn't horrifying enough to be an illusion.

"Gin-chan." Both pairs of eyes widened. A smile, not a true one, as he doubted he could truly smile ever again, limped onto the chained man's face as hope filled him.

"No!" He screamed as the man standing before him started to walk over to injured body. That was the last of it. His energy was gone. He slumped completely, no longer able to do anything, stand, walk, his eyes closed and he drifted to sleep. He hoped he would wake up from this horrible nightmare.

- - -

"Ban-chan!" Ginji ran down the hallway as fast as he could. He was running from one person and to the other. He jumped into the air as he neared Ban and as always landed flat on his face with a bump on the back of his head. "That's not nice." He rubbed his head as he looked up at Ban who had a serious look on his face. That's when he remembered who he had been running from. Akabane was standing down the hall in a dark corner. It was creepy how he did that, found the darkest corner and set up camp. Ginji was tempted to send a jolt to the light that had been burnt out and brighten the scary man's day. He didn't though. He didn't want him angry.

Ban was gone when Ginji turned back to him. He could almost see the outline of where he had been. "Ban?" he asked the empty hallway. The hallway crumbled and all that was left was the dark walls and the lights from the flames of the candles as they danced.

He was back in his nightmare. Ban was gone, he'd been there moments before. Had it been moments truly? Or had it been longer. "He's no longer allowed to be with us," Akabane said coldly, after he saw where Ginji was looking. "I just want to have fun with you."

A whimper must have broken from his mouth, he didn't hear it, but from the joy that lit up Akabane's face he could tell he had. Any sound he made seemed to make the eerie man happy. Pain, anger, sadness, fear, everything seemed to excite him. He closed his eyes tightly when he heard the swish of movement from the man's long jacket.

"Oh my," Ginji's eyes opened cautiously at the shock in Akabane's voice. He hadn't felt anything. What had happened? He saw the back of a familiar head and nearly cried. The chains that bound his wrists jingled as he tried to pull away from the wall. Something was wrong, he knew that Ban was hurt, but couldn't see what had happened. Once again he had put himself in between the two of them. "Why didn't you stay where I put you?" Akabane was leaning into Ban, putting his mouth just above his ear. The fact that he could do that told Ginji that it was terribly worse than he had thought.

"Couldn't let you hurt my best friend." Ban laughed then. Ginji jingled his chains again as Ban fell to the floor. The space opened up before him and laughter came as he landed flat on his face. "What a friend." Terrifying eyes turned slowly to him. Helplessness overcame him and he flinched. Nobody could save them now. Nobody knew where they were. Hell, he didn't even know where he was. He looked down an Ban whose back was rising and falling still, but barely. He didn't even know how Ban had found them.

He screamed. The sharp pain was followed quickly by a warm liquid running down his side. He gasped for air, but found none. Another small slash brought his breath back. He breathed heavily and tried to calm himself down. He could still feel the sting where the cold air hit the wound, but also the sweet warmth that ran down his leg. He looked once more to the floor before him, but quickly looked back when Akabane moved, he was still standing where he had been, but had made a movement. "Would you like it if I killed him? You know the only reason he's still alive is because him getting hurt creates such an amusing reaction from you."

Ginji shook his head. He knew that it was true. He didn't know why he was here, what he had done to deserve this, or why he hadn't fought harder immediately. He didn't know a lot, but he knew Ban was only alive so that Ginji would suffer more, and suffering he was.

Another quick slash, this one longer and deeper struck his arm, almost from elbow to wrist. He grimaced, but tried to keep still. His resisting made Akabane even angrier and a series of slashes opened up his chest. He gasped in a desperate breath. He looked down and could see stark white amongst all that red and knew as he had suspected he'd been cut to the bone. Another series ran along his legs and he screamed. Laughter accompanied his scream and he stopped. A sudden jab in his shoulder brought the scream up again, but he held it in, along with the tears threatening to flow. He was surprised he had any liquids left after all the bleeding he had done, and was doing now.

His eyes grew heavy, and he could hardly find the energy to breath. His other shoulder was torn through and he whimpered. The blood continued to flow and he could hear it dropping down into a sickening puddle below him. Everything was starting to go black. "No more, please." Those words seemed to stop Akabane. Ginji knew it wasn't his words at all. Or not entirely. It was more that he actually asked him to stop. Every time Ginji asked he was near death and Akabane would stop and let him heal. A growl came from Akabane and suddenly the scalpel like knives were pulled from his flesh. He screamed and the chains jingled innocently.

The flames flickered as the room was emptied. Akabane and all his torturous rage had left. A gurgling noise below him turned his attention, what little he could spare to the floor. "Ban-chan," Ginji whispered. He moved his foot and it was just long enough to nudge his friends foot. He stirred. His head moved side to side slightly. Ginji's heart rose as Ban pushed himself off the ground slowly. Dark hair covered most of Ban's eyes, but when he turned to Ginji they seemed to brighten.

- - -

"Gin-chan! Wake up!"

The blond boy jolted awake, he opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The comforting smile of Natsumi filled his vision and he was immediately calm. "It was just a dream." Even as he was whispering it, Natsumi's face crumbled and she stood up slowly. He looked at her, then realized where he was. The hospital. It wasn't a dream. He looked around the room and began to panic. Natsumi made a strangled sound before running out of the room.

A doctor walked in a few moments later and he twitched, his skin began to squirm like it was alive. He moved away as the doctor came closer to him. "Amano-san. I'm not going to hurt you." He didn't care, the scalpel like knives that played along his skin for... he didn't even know how long, forced a fear on him. He moved away again and the doctor sighed and left. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, but nightmares filled his mind and he couldn't sleep.

- - -

Hevn was sitting with him again he knew it was serious since she was wearing clothes that completely covered her. Again he looked around and Hevn frowned. They were hiding something from him. He moved his fingers and pain shot up his arm. He flinched and more pain rolled down his skin. He spasmed as his nerves tightened from the pain. It felt like he was an open sore. "Where's Ban?"

- - -

"He's dead."

Those words echoed through him. How did he die? He wanted to ask, but couldn't. He smiled and tears started to run down his face. Dead. A comforting hand covered his and he barely held back the sobs in his throat. He looked up into the eyes of his best friend and laughed. His torturer and worst fear was dead. "Ding Dong the Jackal's dead, now barbque his head."

Author's Note:

Requested by a friend. He wanted more gore, but I was eating when I wrote this, and just couldn't think about that while eating spegetti... so yea. This is what it came out. Spookily this was actually like a dream he had once. I laughed at that. Enjoy it or not. I kind of like it... since it was my first getbackers fanfic ever.