Authoress' Notes:

Well, no one had emphatic objections to the story ending soon (at least not vocal ones).

So… this story is, in fact, wrapping up rather nicely, I think. I was sitting there racking my brain to figure out how to make this transition to the ending, and suddenly I just kinda knew how I wanted it to work. Yay. -feels accomplished-

Anyways, this is a major chapter, since Ginji finally realizes his own feelings, and it was hard to make it work right. I hope I didn't kill the fluff! T.T;

DISCLAIMER: I DUN OWN ANYTHING!

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Guilty

Ginji sat in the Honky Tonk, wondering where Ban-chan could be. He'd said that he was only going out to buy some more cigarettes, so he should have been back fifteen minutes ago. Ginji swallowed his bite of ham sandwich, worrying about Ban-chan.

The little store was quiet. Paul sat behind the counter looking at his newspaper, and Natsumi had already gone home, so no one was saying a word.

The door swung open and Ginji looked up, smiling when he saw Ban-chan standing there. But then he frowned, seeing Ban-chan's expression. Ban-chan sat down at the counter, looking very much creeped out. "What's wrong, Ban?" Paul asked, leaning on the counter.

Ban-chan looked up at Paul. "Akabane." Ginji suddenly felt cold. "He was…" Ban-chan trailed off, spacing out.

"Ban-chan?" Ginji asked.

"Huh? Oh!" Ban-chan seemed to shake off his temporary reverie. "He was… crying."

Ginji stared. "W-what?" How could that happen?

Ban-chan shrugged, seeming almost to read Ginji's mind. "I've got no clue why, but he was almost sobbing. It was really creepy. I mean… he's so strong; what could make him cry?"

"What, indeed?" Paul wondered out loud.

A very nasty thought suddenly occurred to Ginji. "Ne, Ban-chan?" he ventured.

"Yes?"

"Um… about what time did you see him?" Ginji asked, trying to sound casual.

Ban-chan stared. "Around… I dunno, maybe 7? Why does it even matter?"

Ginji figured he'd seen Akabane-sama around 6:30 or so. When he thought about it, there was really only one explanation. He closed his eyes, feeling guilty. "I think… I think I may have made him cry."

Ban-chan and Paul stared. "You did what?" Paul asked incredulously.

Ginji felt nervous. "I… I saw him in the park about… maybe half an hour before Ban-chan saw him. And I… decided to talk to him, to figure out if he meant what he said last week, or if it was some sort of trap. But he just… got up and left."

Paul was silent for a moment. Then he looked up at Ginji. "Well, if he was crying then the answer seems clear to me." Ban-chan stared while Ginji blushed slightly. "The thing I want to know, Ginji," Paul continued, "is what are you going to do?"

Ginji couldn't speak. He stared at the floor, blushing. Ban-chan looked a little annoyed. "Come on, Paul," he said. "You really think Ginji would… like, fall for that freak or something?"

Ginji was silent. Y-yeah! Ban-chan's right. I mean come on… fall for that guy? N-no way! he thought. But his thoughts kept being interrupted. Thoughts of Akabane-sama's smile flashed into his mind. But I took away that smile, didn't I? I made him cry, he thought guiltily. Why did I make him cry? WHAT? No! No! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts to have! No! I did NOT just feel guilty about making Akabane-sama cry! No! No! No! Ok Ginji, come on! Think happy, gloating and vengeful! Ahem: I made him cry! Yay! Muahahaha! Serves… serves him… oh, who the hell do I think I'm kidding?

But… why am I still thinking about him? Could Ban-chan be wrong? I can't have actually FALLEN for Akabane-sama! Can I?

"Ginji?"

Ginji looked up, blushing furiously. "I-I…" he started. But he couldn't finish- he was too confused.

Paul sighed, sitting down in a nearby chair. "It's true, isn't it?" He smiled slightly. "Well, it's not like you've done anything wrong."

Ban-chan gaped. "WHAT? Ginji, he's not right is he?"

Ginji didn't know what to say. Is it? Am I actually in… in… L-LOVE with Akabane-sama? After a moment, he slowly nodded to Ban-chan.

Ban-chan just sat down. He took a deep breath. "Oh… ok… Um, I guess that's cool," he stammered. Surprisingly enough, he didn't seem to object to this revelation. That may, however, have merely been because he'd been struck dumb by this new turn of events.

Silence once more covered the room as the three simply sat there, each lost in his own thoughts.

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That pep talk Ginji was giving himself was really fun to write! xD

Please review!