by: Rabid Lola and Riyuji
Disclaimer: We do not own Get Backers or any of its characters whatsoever.
Authors' Notes: This was inspired by Episode 36 of the series, when Riyuji mentioned to Rabid Lola that Himiko was there because Ban and Ginji would have no idea on how to take care of a baby.
This will be placed up in Riyuji's account because Riyuji is still bugging Rabid Lola to get one.
"Ban-chan?" Shake. Shake.
Ginji sounded nervous.
Ban grumbled and turned the other way, choosing to ignore Ginji's persistence. After all, it was freaking four-thirty in the morning…
"Ban-chan…" Shake shake shake. More urgently now.
Go away, Ginji…
"BAN-CHAN! A STORK JUST DROPPED A BABY ON THE WINDSHIELD!!"
This is all a dream. I'm still asleep.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a sudden wail.
His eyes snapped open and he jumped up, banging his head against the roof. The wailing intensified, coming from a small form clutching at the windshield wipers. These were precariously close to being torn from their fastenings.
Faster than lightning, Ban was out of the Ladybug and prying—trying to pry, the baby off the windshield wipers. "Eh! DON'T—HURT—MY—CAR!"
This, of course, caused the little kid to cry harder, and grip tighter.
"Eh…Ban-chan? I think you're scaring it." Ginji was out of the car now, staring curiously at the baby.
Chibi-Ban had tears streaming down his face. "It's hurting my caaar…"
Tare-Ginji started patting Chibi-Ban on the back. "It's okay Ban-chan…"
The wails dissolved into little giggles.
Both Ban and Ginji stared at the baby. It was laughing by now, and it took one hand off the wipers and pointed…and started crying again as it slid off the hood and crashed into the bumper.
"MY CAR!" Ban wailed, louder than the baby.
Ginji picked it up, and stared at it. "Ban-chan, what do I do now?"
Unfortunately, Ban was hugging his car too tightly to take notice. "Thank God you're all right…"
"Ban-chan…!"
The baby stared up at Ginji with big, tear-filled puppy eyes, bigger than even he could manage.
"Aww…isn't it cute…"
"I don't care about that," Ban said shortly. "I'm more worried about who owns it! Who brought it here anyway?"
"I told you Ban-chan, a stork came and dropped it on the windshield!" Ban stared blankly at Ginji. "What?"
Ginji stared as blankly back, and pointed to something behind Ban.
The other man turned and saw, sheltered under a nearby tree, a huge stork about three-fourths his own height. It stared at them…in an oddly evil, amused manner. It opened its beak and emitted what could have been a cackle, and then flew away.
Ban turned back, sweatdropping. "I did not see that."
Ginji was still staring at the baby, who by now had stopped crying and was just sniffing, its mouth turned down mournfully in a puppy-dog pout. "Is it a girl or a boy?"
Ban stared at Ginji. "You check."
Ginji sweatdropped. "Eh..what if it's a girl?!"
"It's just a kid anyway!"
"Eh…Ban-chan…" Ginji whined.
"Just do it."
"What if…there's something in the diaper?"
"I don't smell anything."
Tare-Ginji nervously stood beside the baby and checked. He sighed in relief. "It's a boy."
Ban stared down at both of them, as Ginji poked the baby. It giggled and poked back, hitting tare-Ginji's eye. "Ouch!"
"Who owns him anyway?"
Paul watched Ban and Ginji curiously from behind the counter. They were sitting at a table in the Honky Tonk, staring at the little form before them. The baby, seated on the table, stared as curiously back.
He was a little lower than Ginji's knee, round-faced with big greenish eyes. He was not that fat, but not malnourished either. His hair was a brown messy mop on top of his head, and he looked about one to two years old. He was dressed in a red t-shirt and blue shorts, with little sneakers on his feet.
Ban leaned closer to the baby. "What's your name?"
The baby stared back. He didn't seem so scared now…more like shy.
Ban gritted his teeth and repeated his question. "What is your name?"
"Name," the baby replied in a small voice.
Ban's forehead hit the table.
"Let me try," Ginji said. "What's your name?"
"Name."
Ginji reverted to tare form. "Eto…Maybe he'll understand me this way?"
"What's your name?"
"Name!" You could tell that the baby was kinda annoyed.
Ban lifted his head. "Say I."
"I," the baby repeated.
"Am."
"Am."
"A."
"A."
"Ban-chan?" Ginji said nervously.
"Parrot."
"Pawot."
"Ban-chan, that's mean!"
"Shut up."
"Shup," the baby said gleefully.
"It's so cute," Ginji said with a huge smile, and the baby giggled back. Ban shook his head in exasperation.
"I suggest you look for its parents," Paul said from his observation post.
Ban sighed and got up from the table. "Get back the missing parents of the baby. Great, and we don't even get paid…"
"Do you want to look after him for the rest of your life?"
Even Ginji got up quickly. "Never mind," Ban said. "All right, let's go."
They were almost out of the door when Paul said flatly. "Ban."
They stopped. "Eh?"
"You left the baby."
Ban cursed softly under his breath. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
To be continued...
