Hello. I am EK. Thank you for reading this first chapter. The concept is based on a notion I've had ever since I've seen GetBackers. I hope you like it. For the most part I'll be using the English equivalents of the taunts and name-calling, sorry. Suggestions and comments are really welcome.

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"WHO the hell took in the case?!"

The think tank of the two-man retrieval team stomped around the Honky Tonk and gave his two blond associates angry stares. The former Thunder Emperor cowered behind the bar counter, the secretary-of-sorts calmly twirled her hair. Natsumi went to the kitchen, Paul sunk deeper into his newspaper. This was a typical afternoon at the headquarters of the GetBackers. But this was not a typical meeting.

"I go out for some smokes. I come back and Natsumi congratulates me on a new client. No call, no message on the cell phone. You know we're all out of money, and we need a big case. I'm the one who decides what that big case is. Why was I not told?!"

"Well, you guys wouldn't go out and search for the big clients yourself, so I took the liberty, as always, to find them for you," Hevn rolled her eyes. "And this is the thanks I get?"

"And you weren't around when the client came, so I agreed for the two of us," Ginji's head popped up from behind the counter, then ducked again.

Ban sighed. "So what cat-in-the-tree, old-lady-crossing-the-street, missing-doll, no-commision case did you get us into now, Ginji?"

"Give them a little more credit, Ban," Paul murmured from behind the newspaper. "The case they got made the papers today."

"Really?" Ban cocked his purple glasses up to his eyes. "Lemme see."

Paul handed over his newspaper, pointing at a certain headline. "Jade Exhibition at the National Museum".

The National Museum opened today its exhibition of jade statues and jewelry, the finest created in the last 2 centuries. More than two thousand people are expected to attend this exhibition during the coming month. Included in the exhibition are jewelry manufactured by the best craftsmen in all parts of China and other Asian countries.

To celebrate its fiftieth year of operation, the museum unveiled a magnificent replica of the famous Jade Dragon, made by the world-renowned artist Hiyazawa Miroku. The organizers consider it a disappointment that they have not been able to acquire the statue itself for the exhibition. The legendary statue is reputed to be the largest made out of the finest jade in China during the late 1800's. The best collectors of the twentieth century have tried, and failed, to find the statue, making critics consider its existence a hoax.

Ban's head nodded with interest as he returned the newspaper to Paul.

Hevn showed Ban the picture of the client, a wiry man in his thirties, wearing a dark and formal suit. "Chan Feilong. The client claims that the Jade Dragon is real, and priceless. He also claims that his organization knows who the last known owner was. They're now asking for your help in finding information about the current whereabouts of the Jade Dragon. It doesn't have to be the dragon itself, the client said; any good information you dig up will be sufficient for you guys to get paid."

"And the payoff is……….?"

"A million dollars, aside from all expenses incurred," Ginji's head popped up again.

Ban rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Of course, if we managed to get the Jade Dragon itself……."

"You'll be paid double the agreed amount," Hevn completed.

He calculated the figures in 2 seconds, and rubbed his hands together with glee. "Oh…….kay………..so what do we have to work with?"

Hevn led both retrievers to a table, and opened a folder before them. Ban began to leaf through the facsimiles of old documents, while Ginji looked at the photographs in the folder. Ginji raised one after another in quick succession, then he stopped at the last one.

"Yeesh, the documents here are at least a hundred years old!" Ban exclaimed. "1878! Is that guy crazy? This Jade Dragon must have changed hands plenty of times already! 4 wars have passed!"

"Um……..Ban-chan………" Ginji tapped Ban on the shoulder.

Ban mumbled to himself about the client's name, address, and contact information. A respectable jewelry business was backing up the client, and a little catalogue of the other jade articles in their collection was placed in the file.

"Ban-chan, take a look at this………" Ginji tapped him again, but was ignored.

He then found the information about the last owner of the Jade Dragon, from a century back. A well-known, well-feared boss in the Shanghai underworld. A high-level weapons dealer, trading even in warships. Back then he was the only one rich enough, and with enough connections, to acquire the statue for himself. Only the official police documents of the time gave the man's name. Evidently the newspapers only knew him as the White Tiger.

"Ban-chan………" Ginji gave him a few more taps.

"What IS it, Sparky?!" Ban brushed away his partner's hand with irritation.

Ginji pointed to the picture. "Ban-chan, why does the man look EXACTLY like you?"

It was only then that Ban took a good look at the copy of the last owner's daguerreotype. He drew it closer to his face, then pulled it back. He placed it on the table, then brought his nose closer to it.

The man in the picture wore a white Chinese shirt over white pants, both obviously made of rich silk. He looked very young, in his twenties, when the picture was taken. He had the bearing of one used to authority and power, as he sat on a large laquered chair. But these were not what drew the retriever's attention.

The man in the picture had eyes and a chin that were oddly out of place with his clothes. Perched over his nose was a small pair of tinted glasses, almost identical to the one Ban was wearing. And the man's straight and fine hair, while unusually white, was tousled all around his proud head, the same way the retriever's messy hair fell over his head as he kept staring.

He pushed the photo back to his partner, and tossed his head. "That's probably just a big hoax, Ginji! Something to get us to accept."

"I don't think so, Ban-chan," Ginji looked at him with unusual seriousness, then lightened up. "What if this guy's your ancestor or something, and you actually have a big fortune?"

"Hmph," Ban replied. "Not happening." But he kept glancing back at the photo.

Hevn took it up, then looked back and forth from the picture to him. "We asked Paul to check all the photos and document copies. None have been digitally altered. This is the real deal, Ban." She elbowed himcandidly."This fellow is probably your great-great-grandfather."

"Think about it," Ginji prodded. "You don't know a whole lot about your family, right? A little research about your lookalike can't hurt, right, right?"

"I agree, Ban, think about it," Hevn added, still with teasing eyes. "It might help you get this case done faster."

"I'm telling you, there's no way!" he retorted. "First of all, the man is obviously Chinese!" He then stood up to get a fresh cup of coffee.

"He's Japanese, Ban-chan," Hevn quietly said.

He stopped walking to the counter, and looked at her.

"The newspaper clippings and semi-official documents from the time gave his Chinese name, but the client has come across police documents. His real name is Yukishiro Enishi."

He hmphed again, as he continued to the counter. "So? I am MIDOU Ban."

"But you got your surname after you were adopted, right?" Ginji asked.

"No, when I lived with the old lady I was already Midou Ban," he answered as he poured out his coffee. His eyes were somewhat distant from both Ginji and Hevn, as he thought about his answers.

"Maybe this Yukishiro guy only had a daughter, then the daughter got married, then had another daughter…….." Ginji chatted cheerfully, blissfully unaware of Ban's hand giving his coffee mug little tremors. "Then this daughter got married and had a son………."

"This Yukishiro Enishi disappeared from police records, that is why no one knows what happened to the Jade Dragon," Hevn answered. "That's what you guys are hired to find out. If this Japanese man in China got married, if he had children, and if he passed on the Jade Dragon to them. If he did, to whom did he pass it." She looked up at Ban, his fingers tremblingas he cocked his glasses. She changed her tone to apologetic. "That's your mission, Ban, that's all! We're probably just taking this to extremes. You're probably right, he's probably not related………"

Ban gritted his teeth, left his mug at the counter, and walked back to the table. He placed both hands on the table, and gave Hevn a piercing glare. "I'm not taking this case." He took out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter.

Ginji tugged at the end of his shirt. "But Ban, what if------"

"I don't want to know!" and with that, he marched out and slammed the door of the coffee shop behind him.

Hevn did not know what to make out of his outburst. They looked at him for a long while in silence, as he let out puff after puff, leaned on the window outside.

"Hevn," Ginji said quietly, "He'll get mad at me, but I still want to go on with this. I'm still one of the GetBackers, and I still accept this case."

Hevn was skeptical. "Why would you want to know about his past if he doesn't?"

Ginji gave her a happy, knowing grin. "Who says Ban doesn't want to know?"

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Enishi Yukishiro is a character from Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X). He was animated in the RK OAVs (Seisouhen, the second set), but for the most part he's a manga-only character. Ban is a perfect copy of that character, from hair to purple glasses to untouchable attitude. (I actually paid attention to GB first because of this.) Hence, the idea of this story. But since this is a story that will focus on the GB, it's placed here, without a copy at the RK section.

Sorry the initial chapter is short. It will get longer eventually. Thank you for reading, and I hope you come back for more chapters.