"Damn … I wish we could get better jobs than this." Ban whispered.
"Oh common this is fun!" Ginji replied, clearly in a really good mood.
"Shit, like dressing in drag is fun …" Ban was certainly disgusted. Ginji smiled at Ban who was frowning at the time. "I don't see how women can walk in these things?" Ban added and made a painful face while adjusting his shoe.
"Well, don't you ladies look sexy?"
Ban stiffened at the sound of that man's voice. Oh man did he have to be a part of this too? Ginji was blue in the face and did not want to turn around. It was none other than Dr Jackal. He was so teasing them with a smile, a smile that wanted them to hurl. Ban quickly grabbed hold of Dr Jackal's black coat in a threatening posture but with a lot of people around to what seems to be some fancy dance hall Ban unfortunately had to restrain himself, and act like a "lady".
"Just you wait Jackal and you better not get in our way." Ban threatened a whisper.
"Yeah, what he said." Ginji agreed.
"Oh, but I'm going to enjoy this, indeed I am." Jackal smiled wickedly. Ban frowned, glaring at the creep.
"I don't care what they say about you. You are on twisted ass hole."
Jackal kept a grin on his face. "Let's set all this trifle talk aside shall we. As I see it right now you are my competition and if you two stop me from doing my job I will enjoy cutting you two up." Jackal warned with his sinister smile again as well as bringing forth his scalpels from his hands. Taking a slight bow and tipping up his hat with one of the scalpels, and walked away.
"I don't care what he says we are here to get back that item our client asked us to get and we are going to get it back." Ban hissed.
"Ok so … oh my, Ban look!" Ginji said astonished at what he was looking at. Ban turned to see what his friend was talking about and his jaw just dropped in surprise. It was none other than the string wielding Kazuki and he was clearly not having a good time. Practically all the men in the dance hall fell head over heels over him. His hair was loose and shimmering down to the floor. His makeup looked like a makeup artist dolled him all up, and he wore a long red dress with the accent of rhinestones around the halter like straps and around in the breast area. Ban whistled which caused a few odd looks from some people. Kazu was shocked he didn't expect to see the Get Backers, and it's been a while to boot.
"Hey Kazu!" Ginji hollered, excited and glad to see his long time friend.
Kazuki hurried over to them. "Don't say my name out loud like that, and no whistling either I get enough of it from all the men here as it is I don't need it from you two." he whispered.
"Oh common, you actually look like a girl, a hot one too." with the sound of a bell Ginji was petrified and the sinister glare coming from Kazu even had Ban worried.
"Say that again and I will …"
"HEY ladies wanna dance?" A male but trying to force a feminine voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
"Oh no, not …" Ban said, and as the three of them turn there was Emishi also dressed in drag and well he clearly had no fashion and no sense of how to look like a woman.
"Emishi what are you doing? I told you that you had to stay out of this one." Kazu scolded.
"Hey, I wasn't going to let you have all the fun. Plus I haven't seen these two for a long while." he was a dead giveaway that he was a man in a woman's dress. Granted he had a very beautiful green dress but the dress exposed his legs and well you can take a venturing guess what they looked like. He had no makeup, and he didn't shave either. Ban, Ginji and Kazu shake their heads at him. Kazu looked at Ginji and Ban as the two also look at him.
"Sorry my friend but you leave me no choice." Kazu said. Near them were other people and suddenly heard a very loud thump. Looking to where the noise came from Ban and Ginji stood side to side displaying silly grins. Kazu had tied Emishi up with his threads and stuffed him under a table they were near. The people looked at Ban and Ginji oddly.
"Oh sorry I fell." Ginji apologized, trying so hard to sound like a woman. Ban started to laugh but fell victim to his high heels and crashed to the floor. The people laughed as well as Ginji.
"How is it that I end up falling when you only say you did? That's not fair!" Ban hissed. Before Ginji could respond the orchestra sounded and the lights darkened.
"It starts now." Ban said standing back up.
"Hey Kazu is gone?" Ginji noticed but his eyes were drawn to spot lights shining brightly on a stage.
Out from the back stage and into the spot lights was a middle aged man. It was clear this man had money and it was also clear that this is the man that stole the item; the Get Backers are going to get back for their client.
"Welcome ladies and gentleman. Tonight is a night I welcome you to my greatest finding of all time, but first as most of you know me I'm a well renowned treasure hunter for lost ancient artifacts and gem's …"
As the man continued to ramble on and on about his greatest adventures; Ban and Ginji now in their normal attire made their way down the hallways leading to the back stage and to their target. Of course they ran into some guards along the way but they took them out with ease. Down in the floor level beneath the ball room was a cellar. It was dark, damp with moisture. There was minimal light to brighten up the place and in the shadows a man wearing a tux, his hair slicked back quietly made his way to a stairway leading up to the next floor.
"Hey once we get this job done we will be able to pay off our tab. Man I love jobs like this." Ban exclaimed.
"Yeah, but Ban our tab is higher than the payment we will receive from this job." Ginji pointed out.
"Ah damn it … Ginji did you have to ruin my mood!" Ban hissed.
"Well it would have been ruined anyway."
"You got a poin.t"
Suddenly Ban and Ginji stop dead in their tracks. There in front of them and leaning against the wall was none other than the Jackal himself. "I've been waiting for you Ban. It's been a while since we had a good fight." he said unfolding his arms and bringing out his scalpels.
Ginji gulped down his spit, but Ban was determined with his smile. "Hey… Ban I don't think it's a good idea."
"Don't worry about me you get going, I'll handle him."
Ginji didn't want to leave but he had to and so he took off down the hall passing Akabane till he turned a corner and could not be seen anymore.
"So why have you become weak?" Akabane asked coldly.
Ban dimmed his eyes. How dare he call the great Ban Mido weak? "Who are you calling weak? When this is all said and done, the one who is going to be looking weak is you Jackal!"
"You know I do know what happened to you and the life of that poor young woman was almost lost."
"SHUT UP!"
Akabane looked at Ban. "The rumor is … that he's back in the city." Ban's eyes widened immensely. Why has he come back and why? Akabane sighed and retracted his scalpels. "There's no need to fight you know, not while you are unstable. What a letdown." Akabane began to walk away and Ban was stunned speechless.
"Hey don't walk away from me Jackal!"
"I'm doing you a favor my friend." Akabane waved just as the power went out.
"A favor?... Last you wanna do is get on my bad side Jackal…"
Then a flashing image came to mind and with her… with her screaming… he looks up to one of the lights on the ceiling. "I guess it was a good thing I didn't fight him …" Ban said to himself as to looking at his right hand.
"I'm still not recovered yet…" Ban clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall creating a crater six feet in diameter. Then Ban ran into the darkness, being swallowed up till he was no longer seen.
"I can't believe he did that to us!" Ginji pouted. He was sprawled out on the bar top making sad faces in chibi form. Ban just sat there irritated and Paul just smiled.
"Well it seems you will never pay off your tab."
"Hey we were played, played big time!" Ban hissed.
"Yeah we were used." Ginji cried. Ban looked at Ginji.
Paul laughed, not meaning to but it was funny. "Well, there is a first time for everything."
Ban snickered. "Hell, Akabane and Shido … speaking of him I had no clue that was him. The bastard fooled all of us good. Ha, wearing that tux, his hair slicked back, those eyebrows and goatee? Shit, no wonder we were played like that, but it was all our clients doing. Yeah, sure we got some money but the FEE took it all!" Ban complained.
"Yeah, and not only did Shido and Akabane get the money for the escort but they turned around and took it back to our client getting double the money…" Ginji sniffled.
"It looks like you two are working today." Paul teased throwing aprons in their faces.
Just then Natsumi's father approaches the Honky Tonk. He raised a questioning eyebrow from all the commotion coming from inside. Opening the door Ban and Ginji freeze in place as they tried to reach over the bar trying to strangle Paul. "Um, I don't mean to interrupt."
"Oh no, don't mind these two they are just on their rags right now and welcome." Paul smiled.
Natsumi's dad stifled a laugh and Ban glared at Paul.
"What rag?" Ginji asked totally missed the meaning of it.
"What can I help you with sir?" Paul asked.
"Well this is the place my daughter Natsumi works right?"
Ban sat straight up instantly changing his attitude. Paul and Ginji noticed it and wondered.
"Um, yes she does and these two are regulars and well we all know each other quite well here, as you just say walking in." Paul smiled. "Take a seat for a moment while I go get your daughters check and would you like some coffee?"
Natsumi's dad sat down at the bar near the front window. "Um black would be good."
Paul prepared him a cup of coffee and went into the back room to get her check.
"Are you guys the young men named Ban and Ginji?" he randomly asked.
"Yes we are, I'm Ginji and this is Ban." Ginji replied with a smile.
"She talks a lot about you two and a few others as well …" he paused. "-I've never seen her so happy. She would come home from her work here and tell me all the jobs and dangers you two do. Well only during the times when I'm able to be home when she's not asleep or away on trips for business."
"So how is she doing on her family trip down south?" Paul asked walking up with her check and giving it him. "The coffee is on the house by the way."
"Thank you but … she's on a college road trip with her friends."
Paul, Ban and Ginji were shocked. Her father saw their expressions and wondered. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Oh no, we were thinking of another friend who went on a trip around the same time as Natsumi. I'm sorry but we remember that she told us she was going on some college trip." Paul replied with a smile, in the hopes of not making it obvious that Natsumi basically lied to all of them about where she went to.
"Oh ok, your faces had me worried I'm sorry to question you three." he apologized and bowed his head as he stood.
" It happens."
"Yes well thank you again and it was good to meet you all finally."
"You too, and thanks for coming please feel free to come again I make the best pizzas here, among other things as well." Paul said reaching for a glass to dry.
"I'll do that when Natsumi returns." her father went out the door and was gone. Ban looked at Paul as Paul looked at Ban in return.
"Where did she go?" Ginji looked down at the bar top.
"I would have no clue … oh …"
The both of them said at the same time. "Her account records!"
"I can't believe you are going to stoop through her personal, very private bank account. You know if you get caught its jail time don't you?" Paul looked up raising an eyebrow.
"Paul buddy you are going to help us." Ban making a hint that with Paul's computer they could find out that way.
"Oh no, I'm not going to do it, forget it!"
Ban stood to his feet with a stern look. "We need to find her Paul and find out why she lied to us. What if something happens and one of our enemies finds her. What now?"
Paul sighed. Ban was right they need to find out where she went to, only for her safety so he agreed. Entering the basement he turned on his super computer and began his finger work. It only took about thirty minutes and he was in her files, but there was nothing for airline purchases.
"I don't get it why isn't there anything there?" Ginji wondered.
"She knows we would find out and so she covered her tracks." Ban replied standing off in the distance against the wall with his arms folded.
"Why though. It makes no sense?" Ginji looked at Ban saddened.
"Who knows but she took her time with planning all this out and now I'm very worried." Paul said softly. Ginji and Ban look at him. "If you want this tab to be erased then you know what I'm asking you." he replied shutting down the computer.
"It's not about the tab Paul it's personal." Ban replied as Paul turned to face him.
Somewhere in the thick forest regions of the city Numata, Natsumi arrives at a rundown house. It was so remote and isolated that she had a hard time finding the place from the stories her mom told her when she was young. She took this gamble to see if the place was still in existence and sure enough it was. A woman with long white hair down to her waist wearing a black house kimono and about in her early forty's came walking out of house approaching Natsumi slowly. She stopped about twenty feet away from her, puzzled and curious to why a very young woman is at her house. "What do you want?"
"Um I'm Natsumi and …" she surly was intimidated by this woman. She has never felt this way before not even from the others. There is something quite different about her that strikes your soul. Natsumi had a hard time saying what she was going to say but then the flash backs of that night and Ban suddenly grabbed hold of her. Standing straight up with determination in her eyes caught the curiosity of the woman. "I want to learn."
The woman's eyes widened in utter surprise and who is she? But the woman said nothing but wrinkled a smile shaking her head. "I have been waiting for your spirit for a long time."
Natsumi didn't know what to say her words were taken from her. Could she tell? Well one thing is for sure she perked up with joy, a joy she had long since left behind that night.
'It's strange how life plays out but in the end if you take the right path you will be alright.'
To be continued …
Next chapter …
Three months have gone by and the Get Backers can't seem to find any clues to where Natsumi had gone to. Ban seems more bitter than usual and Paul knows why but will he tall him? And the rumors about that very foe who almost killed Natsumi and Ban are true. He is back and is he out for blood, or is it Ban? With a sudden unexpected arrival and the very night from long ago seems to be a déjà vu. What will the outcome be? Find out next time, chapter 3 "Rain"
