Tai: Well, I'll tell you now I haven't seen all of GetBackers, I haven't even seen the very first episodes. I've seen...maybe eps 7-14? That sounds about right, so yea. They probably don't fit all that well into character, but I tried to keep them in character as much as possible. It was a little hard considering I don't know them all that well, but I did try.

So yea, some parts of my story might conflict with what happens in the series, but I can't really help that...

Disclaimer: Don't own Getbackers or any other anime.

He's gone.

Those words seemed to echo around the limitless fortress endlessly and loudly, torturing those who heard them. Of course the noise was only in their heads, as the rest of the group remained, heads hung low as they considered their options. Their leader had gone, left them to fend for themselves after a battle with some outsider. That was the opinion of everyone within the fortress, and that was all they knew.

Most believed the Volts would disappear, knowing that the kings would only follow Ginji, only accept him as their leader, and so they too would leave. With their departure the only sort of 'peace' felt by the city would end, and chaos would ensue. Then no one would be safe, not until they returned, and brought back order.

'Why would he leave, with everything he has here?' A large, muscular male thought, looking intently at a large eagle nearby. His spiked black hair seemed to be drooped down over his eyes, shielding them from anyone intent on watching the Beastmaster, while still able to observe carefully his surroundings. It wasn't that he didn't like people, it seemed that people weren't particularly fond of him.

"Shido!! SHIDO!!" A ragged voice called, catching the attention of the stoic male. One of the gang's followers he didn't care to learn the name of seemed frantic about something, and he was close to guessing what as more words reached his ears. "Please don't tell me you're gone as well. SHIDO!!" The sleeping bird awoke, clicking its beak angrily at the disturbance and sending a glare at the male, who sighed and finally answered the call.

"What is it?" He asked, glancing towards the door as the searching male reached it, the frantic look in his eyes disappearing at the sight of the other. "Kazuki…" the younger panted, remaining near the entrance. Most knew it was a bad idea to step into the Beastmaster's domain; those who didn't never had a chance to learn. "Kazuki…he…left…"

"What?" the older male snarled, his eyes widening into an intense stare as he looked the younger over. "Kazuki left…just a few minutes ago. I was on one of the higher levels…looked out and he was…he was walking out…I called out but he just kept walking. Shido…are…are the volts going to disappear?" he asked gently, unable to read what the most vicious of the four kings was thinking or feeling at that point. "Yes." Shido answered, glancing out his own window to the outside.

It seemed that was all the young male needed to hear, as soon enough he was running down the hallway, and probably out of the fortress himself. 'Kazuki…are you still following Ginji? He left to lead others, he wanted us to stay and lead the Volts, the four of us…'

His mind drifted to the elegant male, his mind streamlining to think of how graceful his movements were, how the movements he made seemed to flow on from one another. His incredible speed, his near flawless performance, and over all, how beautiful he seemed to be. It wasn't just his eyes, those dark amber gems that seemed to always sparkle, nor just his hair that looked like silk and probably felt just as smooth. Not just his porcelain skin that never seemed to blemish, or his gentle personality that stopped him from killing.

It was everything about said King that entranced the Beastmaster, that drew him to the Stringmaster like a moth to a brilliant flame.

And now, just like Raitei, he was gone. Like a bird set free from it's cage he had been allowed to soar, but instead he followed obediently his leader, like a graceful pack-wolf. Following the alpha where he must, to continue to be of service in some small way, while the other three kings remained in the limitless fortress, licking the wounds left by departure.

Gazing towards the ceiling, he wondered just what the other male was thinking. His graceful and silent exit would allow the wounds to close and the pack to move on…but some…some would notice. Shido had noticed, and he found it unusual, how much it stung.

It seemed to burn more than fire ever had, stung more than any life-threatening wound and left him with a feeling worse than what seeped through him after animals had died because of his commands. It was gut wrenching. Ginji's departure hadn't done this, not even close. This hurt more than anything he thought he'd ever experienced, and only one urged emitted in his mind.

Follow.

It was a command from something deep inside, demanding him to obey it. And the male knew he would, there was no reason for him to remain behind. The other kings were likely to stay, they could lead the volts, but like Kazuki he felt drawn to follow Ginji. He was nothing more than a member of the pack, where he leader went he had to follow.

Instinct.

The word shot through him quickly and he knew there was nothing more to do. There was no reason to announce his departure; it would only cause distress for some of the other members. The other kings wouldn't stop him, no one with sense tried to stop the Beastmaster, or the Stringmaster. No one who wished to live tried, and even those seeking death avoided the task. They were two individuals who had something driving them forwards, upwards, onwards, wherever it was they were heading.

But for once, it was the same thing driving both.

Liar.

Shido froze, allowing the word to ricochet around his mind, embedding itself in his subconscious, sinking through every fibre of his mind before he could continue. That single word refused to leave him, even as he repeated in his mind that Ginji was his reason for leaving, that the leader of the Volts was his alpha and it was his duty to follow. Even his flying companion sent him a knowing look, screeching at the male the truth. 'We both know who you're following, and it's not Ginji.'
Acceptance.
Shido broke into a run, his body seconds away from activating one of his hundred abilities to speed up the departure from the Limitless fortress. What his body yearned for was no longer there, what he craved had left. The only part of him that still lingered was his scent…
That gorgeous scent…
As he burst from the limitless fortress, his mind locked onto that alluring scent, allowing it to embrace him, hold him and entice him further. The scent in the fortress would fade, but the source would still be somewhere, and that's what the Beastmaster needed. What he wanted, and more than anything, what he yearned to have to himself. "Kazuki…"

The wind was rustling his loose clothes, the breeze swirling majestically around his lithe form and he urged to swirl with it, the desire to join the breeze and show off his own elegance so tempting, but it would make things difficult. His elegance was unusual and unique, and what identified him strongly as one of the Four Kings. Only the gentle chiming of his bells and loose strands of hair played with the air, accepting the invitation to dance and pirouette around him as he moved.

With Ginji gone, there was less to keep him preoccupied, less to keep his mind off another and the thoughts that suffocated him constantly. When he was completing a task for the Raitei, he had something to do, his strings to focus on, and nothing more than that on his mind.
In his downtime he would constantly practice, improving his speed just that little more, his grace that tiny bit more, anything just a little to keep him that tiniest bit busier than he had been since meeting him. Shido Fuyuki, the Beastmaster. He was unlike anyone the Stringmaster had ever met, just that little more interesting and unusual. He was unpredictable, like the patterns of the wind or the fall of rain, and those were both things Kazuki loved.

He was drawn unexplainably towards the bestial male. While his own hair was of a light brown and silky in texture, the other had rough black spikes. His eyes were sparkling amber brown, against the hard black of the other. Slender against strong, graceful versus brutish, and more than anything, feminine as opposed to masculine. They were opposites, or close enough to, and it drew the young male to the other even more.

It couldn't be. The Fuuchouin heir knew that. Shido didn't just control beasts; he was a beast. His mannerisms, his appearance, even his stance told those observant enough of that fact, and that fact made him unavailable.

When it came to mates, beasts were careful. They made sure they were of the same species, both fertile and ready to mate. For Shido, Kazuki didn't fall into any of those categories. He was of no use to the beast, he couldn't produce children for the other male and they could barely be considered the same species. Most considered the other king something different entirely, and that was Kazuki's downfall.

He sought after different, demanded unusual and craved out of the ordinary. The second he'd met Shido, he was drawn in and like one of his tied victims, and he couldn't escape. The string of affection had wound itself around the Stringmaster, ensnaring him in a delicate web from which he could not break free. Around said male the threads seemed to tighten, causing his heart to ache and his breathing to quicken, and nothing more than the urge to be ensnared by the beast arose, to have his self-control shredded to ribbons.

To be driven wild by the untamed man, to be restrained by someone for once, instead of only tying up others. He wanted something from the Beastmaster he knew he could've have, and it cut like a knife. It stung more than a string cutting into a fresh wound, and every glance dug it deeper, until Kazuki was certain the string had merged with his blood, cutting from both inside and out.

He shook his head to remove the fervent thoughts from his mind. They would never be accepted anyway, no matter how great his desire became. All he could do was run, leave the limitless fortress and follow Ginji with the hope that the Beastmaster would leave his mind. It couldn't be that easy, but he would still try.

Crystal tears dropped from his eyes as he ran, his long hair streaming out behind him as he darted swiftly through the city, dodging people faster than most thought possible as he tried desperately to escape from everything, even things from inside his very body.
Yet somehow, like an invisible string connecting the two, Shido was there. Running beside him on the adjacent rooftop, unseen to the graceful male as he continued to run anywhere, expertly weaving through the crowd until he reached the outskirts of the town. His pace didn't slow once, nor did his tears dry up as still more innocent moments spent with the Beastmaster filled his mind.

Finally his legs collapsed beneath him, bringing the Stringmaster to his knees and more tears to his eyes. His shoulders shook violently and he let his bangs cover the deep brown of his eyes, shielding his face from view as he uttered a single word. "Shido..." The tears continued to stream down, as he remained blissfully unaware of his watcher.

A pair of muscular arms pulled him tight against a defined chest, his head pressed gently into the crook of another's neck. "Kazuki…" His shaking stopped and eyes widened, allowing the tenderness in the other's voice to register. It sounded foreign in the gruff voice, but it was needed as two lithe arms wrapped around the older male shyly, almost testing.

"Shido…shouldn't you be back at the limitless fortress?" he asked quietly, keeping all trace of tears from his voice. "Why would I be there when what I want isn't?" He replied, breathing in the scent of the smaller male. It was the first time he'd been so close to the graceful fighter, and he loved the feel of the small frame pressed close to his own.

His still tear-stained eyes looked up at the Beastmaster, looking deep into his dark eyes for any sort of clarification. The sentence was open but the book of expressions that was Shido was closed, unable to be read by the other. A small smile graced the larger males lips for several seconds before they were pressed tenderly against those of the slender male, revelling in the sweet taste. More tears threatened to fall from the bright brown eyes as he returned the kiss, burying his hands deep into the spiky locks of the others hair.

As the sensual embrace broke, he was lifted and cradled tightly in the Beastmaster's arms, almost protectively. Not a word passed between the two, as the Stringmaster fell asleep, his head resting gently on the shoulder of his fellow King. Said King was smiling happily as he followed his instinct onwards to Ginji, knowing wherever the Raitei had gone they would follow.