Why hello again! After getting an awesome beta, dangerpawn, the chapter changed quite a bit. So...here's the update version! THANKS DANGERPAWN! -worships-
Disclaimer: Don't own.
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"Bandages on my legs and my arms from you…"
Ginji let out a long, exasperated sigh as he leaned back against a cold brick wall in a dingy alleyway. He was in the depths of Shinjuku, wandering around like he had no one to go home to. He was hungry, tired, cold and dizzy. Those things didn't go well together. It was like making a Ban and Shido sandwich: not a pretty sight.
Rats and alley cats scurried about around him, trying to find food in order to survive the streets. Cars and trash covered the road before him, and the sidewalk was coated with flurries that had already fallen from the sky, typical Mugenjou.
It wasn't the safest place to sit. But, it was the safest place to hide. He didn't think that anyone would come looking for him there. He needed to be alone to puzzle something out in his head. He wasn't planning on coming out a way to solve his problem. How in the world did he get himself into such a mess?
This was, indeed, a huge problem. If only he had been more careful with what he said, what he encouraged…this would've never happened and things would be normal again.
He shivered almost uncontrollably as a light, bitter breeze blew past. The weather wasn't exactly good for swimming or hanging around outside. He should've been in the Honky Tonk or Mrs. Ladybug. But, strangely, both places had lost their warmth.
"Damn," Ginji murmured as he ran his rough fingers through his blond hair. His eyes were cloudy as he distanced himself from the world around him. He was completely absorbed in thought. That was a weakness, he knew, because anyone could jump him at the moment.
"Who would've guessed he'd actually go through with it…," Ginji wondered aloud. "Why the hell did I even try to…?" He groaned. This was giving him a head ache. Thinking back, he hadn't had a major head ache since he first left Mugenjou. Now, reliving the torture, he sympathized with Ban for whenever the man had a head ache and he just went on laughing and singing.
"He didn't know why, maybe?" that could be one excuse for his bewilderment over the recent events. It was wrong, Ginji knew, but that didn't change anything.
"Young man," he jumped in the instinctual, guilty way that young men jump, even young men who never had a mother, when they hear an older woman begin to scold them, "What are you doing outside, dressed like that at a time like this?"
It was, in fact, a woman, a woman in her early thirties. Despite her harsh tone he looked warm in more than one way. She was dressed for the weather. She was pretty, too. But, for once he didn't really care that he was looking at a pretty woman. He didn't feel like looking at anything warm or pretty at the moment. Of course he was relieved because it was not an intruder or murderer. And if she was, she had failed to take her advantage over him a few seconds ago. Now, it'd be like any other fight, so Ginji felt calm.
"Especially wearing such light clothing," the lady went on, grimacing.
"S-sorry…," Ginji whispered. He smiled nervously, as was his habit when he was caught in the act of worrying or eating or walking or talking or anything else for that matter. He babbled, "I'll go inside soon, I promise. I'm just thinking and it's so loud inside that I can't concentrate."
He had this awful habit of apologizing for things - constantly, even when it wasn't his fault. Ginji wasn't sure why he did that all the time; maybe he just wanted the problem to go away so he put the blame on himself? This time, though, everything was his doing. He cocked his head and smiled warmly at the kind woman.
The woman nodded understandingly, although she still had a hint of mock disapproval in her voice, "A thinker, huh? You sound like my son."
"Yeah, a thinker," he murmured sarcastically. She didn't catch it. "Don't worry about me, miss. I wouldn't want to cause anyone any trouble."
He winked at her. He wasn't looking to snag any MILFs. Maybe if he flirted with her a little bit she would go away. It had certainly, he thought in a pathetic circle, worked when he tried it with Ban. She reacted with a faint blush.
He grinned at her harder. She gave in with a motherly sigh, "Alright, blondie. You think. But, you take my scarf too and keep warm."
Ginji wondered why she, and the rest of the world as it seemed, was being so kind to him, when he had made such a fatal mistake earlier in the morning. I really screwed up, he thought. Before he got a chance to recollect himself, the woman was gone, leaving her scarf for him.
Ginji played with the scarf in his hands. It was nice and warm and looked expensive. He had one back at the Lady Bug, so there was no need for him to keep it. Ginji wearily put the scarf in someone's mail box, hoping they could find use for it. After doing that, Ginji returned to his former position which consisted of leaning against the wall of an apartment building.
He wasn't cold yet. But, it was starting to get dark. Ginji knew that violent Shinjuku only got bloodier after sunset. Of course Ginji could fend for himself. But, he would prefer, especially in the mood he was in, not to get his hands dirty. He was annoyed and embarrassed and his fingers were starting to get numb and the fact that he, as Ban put it, couldn't even find his way out of a closet wasn't going to make that any better. So, he chose a direction and started walking. It didn't help that he ran smack into somebody.
"Oi! Watch where you're going, jackass!"
"I'm sorry," Ginji mumbled with his eyes cast downward, trying his best to avoid a fight. God knew that whoever his opponent was would probably get the short end of the stick. The other man didn't answer. The frustrated blonde kept walking.
"Hey, wait," the man called, roughly. His voice was somehow familiar. That wasn't good. Ginji had run into scores of murders and punks and perverts in this part of town in his day. The voice very well could have belonged to any number of them. He kept walking like he didn't hear. The man reached out and grabbed his shoulder, "Ginji, I said wait."
Ginji looked up. It was Shido. No wonder the voice had sounded familiar. He was wearing heavier clothing, appropriate for outside, unlike Ginji. On his shoulder was a type of bird which Ginji had never seen before. Not that he would've bothered to remember all the birds he had seen with Shido before anyway. The bird cocked his predatory head at Shido as waiting for a dropped like of conversation to be picked up again. But, Shido just silently ordered the bird to leave and it did as it was commanded without a single complaint.
Ginji grinned sheepishly and waved casually. But, it was too late. Shido noticed had already noticed his odd behavior. He pointed at Ginji. Although he was nicer now than he had ever been he had never been very respectful of Ginji, even when he was the Lightening Lord, "What the hell are you doing here in that? What, did Ban loose all of your money at the pachinko parlor again?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Ginji stammered, defending his best friend. Again he was chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his head. His dizziness was gone at this point, thankfully, although the head ache was still present. Since it was slowly dying down, Ginji carried on and ignored it. "He bought me a coat a while ago; I just forgot to bring it with me. And I'm…thinking… about stuff. OK?"
"What? Yeah, right. You're lost. Aren't you?" Shido questioned softly, Ginji just grinned uncomfortably. Shido sighed, "Let me take you to the Honky Tonk with me."
Ginji knew what that meant, but he wasn't aggravated that another job was being stolen from them. In fact, he was glad. Ginji was definitely not in the mood to retrieve something, no matter how much yen he'd get for doing it. Ban wouldn't like that way of thinking, Ginji was sure.
"So," Shido continued somewhat uncomfortably. In the past he wasn't very good at comforting people. But, he was getting better and better at it with all the time he was spending with his new girlfriend. She, Ginji mused, was turning Shido into a social animal rather than a solitary beast. Also, he noticed, Shido definitely had the protective streak of a tough, older brother in him, "What were you thinking about anyway?"
"Well…," Ginji began as he blushed and admired his sneakers. They made little crunching noises and left a straight line tracks in the freshly fallen snow. The usually happy boy continued, "Uh…lots of things."
"Such as..?" Shido pressed, unfazed by the vague answer. The Beast Master was determined to get his friend, his former leader, to tell him what was going on. Thanks to Kazuki's flapping ears most of the time he knew all of the gossip. But, today was offbeat. From what the birds had told him before, Ginji had been out here for quite some time, and he didn't know why.
"Um…," Ginji sputtered. He paused for a moment, leaving an empty silence in place. The silence lingered on, threatening to engulf both Shido and Ginji. Shido allowed Ginji to collect his thoughts, "Well, you know when you really like somebody...?"
"Yeah, I guess," Shido blushed. It was a touchy subject. "You mean kinna," he stammered, "kinna… like the way I feel about Madoka?"
Those words only made Ginji frown. Shido was confused. Love was a perfectly natural thing. It was nothing to be ashamed of or angry about. Ginji continued genuinely even though it sounded as if it was hard for him to force the words out, "...and somebody else comes along and takes the somebody that you like?"
"Yeah, it happens all the time," Shido hastily agreed. But, Ginji's frown didn't fade. Shido let out a sigh of relief. The conversation was getting pretty heavy, "I can see the Honky Tonk from here."
Ginji didn't look up, "OK. So, I know… it happens all of the time… but… what if –" he paused as he tried to string his thought together logically, "I mean is it okay for the somebody that took the somebody you like to take the somebody you like even if they know you like the somebody?"
"Uh…" Shido's eyes narrowed as he puzzled it out in his head. His boots squeaked to a stop in the snow, "Shit. Is Ban dating some chick you like? Dude, that's low. I totally don't understand why you hang around with him."
"No," Ginji shook his head and continued walking towards the warmth of the café, "I mean, sort of... him and Himiko are going out."
"No offense. But, don't cha' she's sorta butch?" Shido grinned roughly and tried look at the bright side for Ginji because, for once, he wasn't looking at the bright side himself. "I mean I thought she was a lesbian. I think you could do much better. I remember back in the day you could get any chick you wanted. All you had to do was look at them."
"Yeah, I guess," he smiled even though he still looked troubled.
"It won't last anyway," Shido tried.
Ginji nodded slowly and asked, "Ya think so?" like he didn't really care to hear the answer.
Shido tried something else as they reached the door to the café, "Hey. You want me to kick his ass for you? I know you can't do it... because you're in business together. But, I could pick a fight with him and go completely beast mode on him. He'd never know."
"No, that's okay," Ginji shook his head sadly, "I'll deal with it myself. But, thanks Shido."
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A/N: Yeah...so there's the way-better version of the chapter! Thanks for reading!
