Mido Ban yawned. As usual, today had been a slow day for the GB duo. With Hevn having no jobs for them, the pair was lazing around in the Honky Tonk. Even Paul couldn't be bothered to remind them of their tab. Presently, the soft ringing of the bell hanging above the door was heard. As the customer approached the counter, the bells in his hair made a similar chime.

"Kazu-chan! We haven't seen you in days," exclaimed Amano Ginji.

"Yo, Thread Spool, what brings you here," asked Ban.

"I have something for both of you. MakubeX has requested that you two meet him in Mugenjou, now." The unusual sombre tone of Fuchouin Kazuki's voice made the pair sit up straight.

"Kazu-chan, is there something going on?"

"I'm afraid so." Without further prompting, Ginji leapt off his chair and reached for the door. The other two followed suit.

"Minna-san, please take care," chirped Sendo Rena and Mizuki Natsumi together. Paul looked up from his newspaper.

"A storm is coming," he mumbled to himself.

In Mugenjou, at MakubeX's control room...

"Oi, Saru-mashi, what are you doing here," asked Ban as he entered the room. Before Fuyuki Shido could retort, a young man spoke.

"Mido Ban, I have serious business to discuss. I will not waste my time listening to your bickering."

"Persocom Boy, what is it that has gotten you so worked up," asked Ban, as he lit his cigarette. Ginji looked at his successor. MakubeX was indeed serious. Besides Shido, the other top leaders of VOLTS were here as well. They seemed to be observing some photographs. Kakei Sakura handed two copies to the GB duo.

"What's your take on this, Mido," asked MakubeX as the duo stared hard. Ginji's eyes widened.

"These body parts sure don't look human to me." Ginji couldn't help stating the obvious. Anyone who thought that humans had claws for fingernails, or scaly skin, ought to have his head examined.

"Looks like demons to me," said Ban after a short while. He decided to elaborate further.

"Broadly speaking, there are two types of demons: those that can't exist in our dimension, and those that can. This second type of demons can be detected by the five senses. Those exorcisms that you read about are for the first kind of demons."

"Take a look at this," said MakubeX. He then turned towards the giant monitor in the room. It showed a map of sorts.

"Over the past week, I already have four such killings spread out over the lowest levels of Mugenjou. This has never happened before." The blinking red dots stared back at the crowd as they studied the map.

"Not only that, my animal pals have noticed a sudden surge in the number of such creatures disguising themselves as humans in Ura Shinjuku," added Shido. Before Ginji could ask his question, Ban gave a short explanation.

"Animals can see or sense things which the average human cannot. But, coming back to our problem, if demons have lived quietly in Ura Shinjuku before, why the sudden change now?"

"That's what I was hoping you could answer, Mido."

"Look, Persocom Boy, I'm not your friendly neighbourhood exorcist..."

"But, you know someone who is," added Ginji.

"Mido, you're the best person to talk to Maria-san over this," said Kazuki. The rest nodded their agreements.

"Fine. I'll do it. But, make sure you pay for our bills at the Tonk, Persocom Boy!"

"I promise." The boy ruler of Mugenjou gave his word without a second thought.

On their way towards the exit, Ginji was asking for a lesson on demonology. Ban refused to bite. Suddenly, he sensed a sudden tinge. It gave him a little shock. He looked at the person who had just walked past him.

It was a young lady, about their height, with short, blond hair. There was something long, wrapped tightly and strapped to her back. The young lady stopped in her tracks too. As she turned around, the duo observed her. She was wearing a black business suit, complete with a tie, white shirt and black leather shoes. With her shades on, the duo couldn't tell if she was displeased at their behaviour.

The girl then looked away and walked on, as if nothing had happened. The pair stood where they were, until...

"Ban-chan?"

"Sorry. Let's go." It could be a false alarm, thought Ban. The duo didn't notice the girl retracing her steps after they had turned around. As they drove off in the Beetle, the lady hailed a cab...

Outside the card shop, Ban parked the Beetle, and made sure that the parking meter was fed. Some distance away, the lady got off her cab. She unslung her load, and leaned against the wall...

"Maria-san," asked Ginji as they stepped into the shop. Maria Noches had been seated next to the table in the hall. It was as if she was expecting them.

"Alright, Maria. You should have divined why we're here. So, let's get down to business." The witch nodded. She then stood up and walked to the bookshelf. After taking down the book she needed, she gave it a good wipe, before putting it on the table. Ban lifted the cover gently.

"Maria-san, what's going on in the neighbourhood?"

"The hunters are here, Gin-chan. The hunters who hunt demons," replied Maria.

"Just as I suspected. The Claymores," said Ban tersely.

"Claymores?"

"The nickname given to these hunters by outsiders. When it began was unrecorded. However, it was most probably coined during the Middle Ages, where these warriors wielded single-handedly swords so large that it would take an average person two hands to use." Maria paused for a while.

"Would you guys like some tea?"

"I think we'll need it. Ginji here needs a crash course on who these guys are."

So, over cups of tea and seated around the table, Ban continued leafing through the ancient book, while Maria began her lesson.

"As you probably already know, there are two types of demons in this world: those that need to be exorcised, and those who had to be hunted. We're dealing with the second type here. Obviously, these demons are stronger than average humans. Thus, the church began a secret order 1000 years ago to create warriors who could destroy them."

"If the order was a secret, how did you know all this, Maria-san," asked Ginji.

"Be patient. Let me continue. The order's secrets were betrayed by those whom it abandoned, those warriors who had turned from hunters into the hunted." It was only a while before Ginji realised the sinister undertone of her words.

"Wait! You mean..." Ban decided to chip in.

"This order hid the most shameful secret of the church. In order to create the hunters, the order infused demon flesh and blood into young men and women. These children who were choosen were the so-called 'children of sin'. They were children of whores, murderers, the like. The half-human, half-demon creatures which these children were turned into, became the hunters of demons." Ginji clenched his fists.

"As can be expected, many of these warriors couldn't control their demonic powers. Physically, they were transformed into hideous monsters. But, for the lucky ones, their minds remain human. But, nontheless, the church saw them as demons to be eliminated," continued Ban.

"We witches formed an unofficial alliance with these so-called Awakened Ones, if they were still of human mind. We sheltered them, and fought side by side with them." With that, Maria paused, to collect her thoughts.

"In short, against witches and heretics, the church had the Inquisition. For demons, they had the Claymores," concluded Ban.

"What did these 'Claymores' look like?"

"Their appearances had changed throughout history. It seems that in the early days, men were allowed to be warriors. But, apparently, they 'awaken' too easily. Later, only women could become warriors. They could be identified by their silver hair and eyes. But, when tapping into their demonic powers, their eyes would turn gold," explained Maria. She then sighed.

"Ban, Ginji, the war is coming here, to Ura Shinjuku. I don't know why. But, more and more demons are roaming the streets nowadays. The Claymores would be here."

"They already were. MakubeX had recorded some cases of demon slaying in Mugenjou," said Ban.

"Be careful, both of you. There's no telling what they might do, especially to you," warned Maria, pointing at Ban. The spiky-haired teen nodded.

"Thanks for the warning, and the tea. Let's go, Ginji." As the blond GetBacker bidded Maria goodbye, Ban had already stepped out of the shop. He saw the girl at once. As if in reply, she straightened herself.

"Ban-chan..."

"Listen. We're being tailed. Don't go back to the Beetle." Ban then walked down the streets, with Ginji following behind him. Once they were sure that whoever was following them had noted their presence, they ran, at a speed slower than their lightning-fast maximum. The girl struggled to follow...

She lost the duo in a back alley. As she walked further in, she realised that it was a dead end. When she turned around, the duo was staring at her. Ban had the usual cigarette in his mouth, while Ginji adjusted his gloves.

"Now, now, young lady, if you were so kind as to tell us why you are following us..."

"Are you a demon," she asked softly.

"I've been called a monster before. What do you think," challenged the GetBacker. Instantly, he realised why the girl had tailed them. The lady then unpacked her package. When the duo saw what was in it, they braced themselves.

It was a large claymore, and the lady picked it up with just one hand.

"Ban-chan..."

"It's me she wants. You just wait and watch." Ban then spat the cigarette butt out of his mouth.

The girl came charging towards him. The teen calmly stepped aside as she made her swing. He then gave her a punch right in her face. While she reeled from the blow, her sunglasses broke, and the lenses cracked on the pavement. When she straightened, the pair noticed that she was bleeding from her nose. Her eyes were blue, but not for long. They were turning golden... and cat-like. Also, the pair could feel the air getting thicker.

She made another dash. Although it was much faster than the first, Ban simply gave her midriff a hard punch. As she keeled over, the Genius of Battles grabbed her head and drove it into the pavement with a loud smack. The girl didn't stir after that.

"Ban-chan..."

"We'll get her to the Tonk. When she wakes up, we'll have some questioning to do. Oh, and grab her sword. We don't want that thing lying around."

"But, Ban-chan, the Beetle's..."

"No buts! Let's just get the hell out of here!"

Afterthoughts

-Hoped you guys like it. For non-GB fans, the GetBackers universe IS indeed more crazy than the Claymore universe.

-Please RnR!