Elfte Kapitel: Verseh Stuetze
Ginji had never felt so alive aside from whenever Mother Nature opened the heavens and painted the sky with Her display of majesty and power. But here, in the night club, Ginji could feel the thunderous vibration of energies as the music blared through the air, as the lights danced all around him and as the bodies of those around him danced with an unknown frenzy. It made his blood pound in his veins with an indescribable want and need, and the electrical hum of the multi-colored strobe lights teased at the outer corners of his mind. The electricity and the energy was like a faux thunderstorm, giving the blonde the sublime high of intoxication but still allowing the young man a small sense of sobriety.
This manmade electric storm of heavy music and flashing lights were nothing compared to the natural energy of Mother Nature's true storms, in Ginji's honest opinion. However, Ginji was not going to begrudge the delight of sweet intoxication that he felt, nonetheless. It was fun and exciting, and probably one of the best birthday presents he had ever received. Well, aside from Jai-chan's cake, and the present he had yet to receive from his lover.
The music continued to wash over him, making him blissfully unaware of his surroundings. His mind, body and soul became consumed by the heavy beat of the music, becoming one with the wild and frantic energies of the music and the dancing throngs that surrounded him. He was unaware of the time and space until…
A pair of warm, strong and loving arms encircled his body. Strong and destructively powerful hands caressed against his stomach and sides. Instinctively Ginji leaned into that destructive power which held him so tenderly. The blonde knew this power. It was his other half. The one who made him feel complete. Ginji's body continued to roll and move with the thunderous tempo of the music, even being pressed against his lover's lean and taunt body. As the music continued to wash over and control the blonde youth, Ginji unknowingly purred and hummed as he felt his partner moan, groan and purr in delight.
Suddenly an iron grip held the blonde incubus in place. Glazed honey brown orbs pouted while lust filled, illuminated serpentine blue gems remained focused on Ginji's slender neck. The junction behind Ginji's ear, where the hungry brunette knew was the most sensitive and most sensual part on his seductive incubus. Ban did not know why, but he had always found the neck to be the most seductive part of the human body, and his beautiful partner's slender neck the most perfect and seductive neck he had ever since.
Ban tried to tame his erratic pulse and labored breathing. He had to keep her image in the foreground to remind himself of the dangerous situation that surrounded them. Or Ban would find himself claiming his beautiful Sun as his own. The Covenant, the Gods and Allies be damned; however, Ban knew that the time was not right, and the air hummed for a different kind of bloodlust… The bloodlust of a hunt, which could reveal her to his enemies.
"Ba~an…" Ginji's voice was thick with want.
"We gotta go." Ban whispered mournfully then immediately pulled the blonde off of the floor, ignoring the gathered girls' protests and the Volt Lieutenants' shocked and disturbed expressions.
"Midou-kun…" Kazuki hissed angrily as he followed the pair off of the dance floor. The String Master was not angry at the fact that Ban was taking Ginji off the dance floor and quite possible out of the club. No, what made Kazuki angry was the idea that Midou would dare to paw at someone as innocent as Ginji. It was akin to leaving a fox guarding the henhouse.
Ginji reluctantly allowed his partner to pull him away. Even though he was having fun, Ginji trusted his dark lover. If Ban said it was time to go then it was time to go, and Ginji quietly followed. As they quickly walked by a young man, whose appearance screamed yakuza, Ginji gasped in shock and confusion. Hidden amongst the throngs of many people, Ginji felt a familiar dark and wild presence. He looked at Ban, hoping for answers, but received none as his lover continued pulling him across the floor and out into the cool night air.
Once out of the confining club, Ban immediately went for their car. Since he and Ginji were the only ones out of their group that owned a vehicle and Ban was the only one who could legally drive, Ms. LadyBug was waiting not too far away. Ginji wanted to speak and demand an explanation, but he kept quiet as he noted his lover's eyes flittering about as if looking for something. This made Ginji to look as well, but for what, he was not sure. Ban's eyes moved from one object to another; he even scanned the dark eyes of the buildings that lined the area.
Ban knew he was not going to find it easily. They were the best and with her as their lead, they were formidable. If they wished to remain unseen then they would be until it was time to strike. Suddenly a flash of empathic color from the corner of his eye caught his attention. A van…
There was nothing out of the ordinary about the tiny, ancient Volkswagen van. It appeared to have been patched up and re-serviced more time than it should have been allowed. The passenger's side windows were bordered up or covered up by posters with names of local street vendors and street bands. The front windshield looked to be blacked out by either the night or a curtain. The van looked right. It belonged in this misbegotten neighborhood, but then again… It looked too right. There..!
"Ban-chan?" Ginji mumbled then pulled his hand free from Ban's stronger grip.
Bans looked at his partner and saw the confusion and worry in his honey brown eyes. Ban then knew that his adorable electric puppy had either seen or felt her presence in the club.
"Jai-chan was in there, wasn't she?" Ginji quietly asked.
Ban remained silent.
"You know that girl?" Shido remarked with a frown.
"Girl? What girl?" Kazuki demanded.
"None of your business, Yarn-ball." Ban replied, "Come on, we need to go."
Ban reached for his lover, but the blonde youth pulled back. For a brief moment, Ban felt his chest tighten as his Sun pulled away from him. Was he going to lose both of them, his Schwesti and his Sun? If he did, Ban knew that his sanity would shatter, and the Covenant would win.
"No!" Ginji exclaimed, "You said that she was working! And if she is then we're going to help!"
Ban just blinked in surprise, ignoring the other two's troubled expressions. Ban was surprised that his beautiful other half would want to get involved, even without knowing what exactly Jai was doing. But then again, Ban knew that Ginji viewed Jai as an older sister, and family helped each other no matter what.
"I didn't think you would know that type of girl, Midou-san." Kazuki remarked, effectively stopping Ban from saying what was on his mind and causing the quarter German to look sharply at the String Master.
"Excuse me?" Ban replied.
"What." Kazuki replied. His tone, although subtle, held a note of his nobility superiority that would surface time to time.
Ban narrowed his eyes. He felt his hackles rise in anger. He did not make that suggestion about my Schwesti?!
"You better not be insinuating what I think you are, Fuuchouin."
Kazuki's back straightened as he heard the obvious and underlining threat in the Serpent Bearer's tone. Shido remained quiet. He may not be in the same caliber of intelligence as Kazuki or Snake for Brain, but he could sense that there was more to the picture than meets the eye, especially by the way his former Leader had just ordered the Witch Heir that they were going to help. Ginji just looked confused as he watched his best friend and his lover just stare each other down. Well, a pseudo-stare down since Kazu-chan was not staring at Ban's eyes directly. What confused Ginji more was that Kazu-chan had made a rude comment about Jai-chan. The blonde did not know why, but Ginji knew that it was not normally in Kazu-chan's character to insult someone unless warranted. Ginji wondered what was wrong with his best friend.
Suddenly movement at the club's door caught Ginji's attention.
"Ban-chan!" Ginji hissed as he instinctively pulled Ban down and hid behind a nearby car. Shido and Kazuki quickly followed suit, and all four peered over the hood of the car and watched.
Ban and Ginji could see that Jai just had stumbled out and was leaning heavily on the small time yak, who had earlier been shamelessly pawing at her. Ban almost felt sorry for the poor thug, especially when the hunt was over… Ban almost felt sorry for the fool. Ban arched a brow as he heard a loud and hysterical cackle coming from his Schwesti.
From an outsider's perspective, it would look like the girl was hammered beyond belief, but Ban knew better. He knew very well that DarkRivers had high tolerance for alcohol and drugs. In other words, Jai was completely faking it.
"Man, she's blitzed." Shido mumbled then winced as the girl in question fell unceremoniously on her ass.
"She's good." Ban automatically corrected.
"How did her hair grow so long?" Ginji suddenly asked with pure, honest curiosity. This caused Shido and Kazuki to look at their friend and former leader curiously.
"Dunno." Ban replied with a shrug, "Maybe it's a wig or extensions."
"But why?"
"My guess to make her look younger." Ban answered then he looked around to ensure that the coast was clear, "C'mon. This way."
Ban slowly moved around the vehicle they were hiding behind and quickly crossed the street, all the while remaining crouched low.
"What? Wait!" Shido hissed as he attempted to stop Ginji from crossing on Ban's signal.
"Shimatta." Shido swore as the dynamic duo continued on without them.
A few seconds later, Kazuki and Shido had managed to catch up with Ban and Ginji as they slowly made their way up the street, staying hidden behind the row of cars and close to the shadows. Ban led the group closer to the van he had marked earlier. Occasionally he would glance back at his Schwesti, who was continuing a superb job of playing drunk. She was leaning against a flashy sports car while the yak talked on a cellphone. The thug then reached out and grabbed Jai by the hair, exposing her throat and forcing her to submit. Ban mentally winced.
He knew his Schwesti and knew her well enough to know that that dumb sap would be in a world of hurt once this game was over. Jai submitted to no man unless they had proven their worth as it was for all the women of the DarkRiver bloodline.
The extravagantly dressed yak suddenly hung up the phone, unaware of the promise of pain that flashed briefly through those jadeite green orbs of her's. The poor, doomed fool then began pulling the 'drunk' girl toward the trunk of his car. Jai put up the appearance of struggling, which the pathetic thug awarded her with a punch in the jaw. Ban watched as his Schwesti crumbled to the ground as if unconscious. Oh yeah, he's going to be wishing that he was dead after tonight. Ban thought then unceremoniously pulled open the side door of the van and froze.
"Jesus Christ!" A Southern voice drawled while Ban's eyes crossed, keeping in focus the rather large, intimating barrel of a Colt 1911 .45 caliber pistol. Slowly the pistol lowered, and Ban focused on the handler of said pistol.
"Davidson." Ban greeted the strawberry blonde Texan.
"Dammit Ban!" The larger man growled as a massive hand reached out and yanked the lighter weight male off of his feet and into the van. Quickly one by one, the others followed Ban into the van. Once inside the cramped van, Shido and Kazuki gapped in shock to see the state of art surveillance equipment inside the decrepit van.
"Bon. Ginji." Another voice called from up front of the vehicle as the engine turned.
"What the piss?!" The large blonde grumbled as he holstered his weapon, "Be goddamn grateful I recognized ya else I'da blown yer head off!"
"Whatever." Ban replied as he climbed into the front passenger's seat. "Mason."
"Bon." Replied the dark-skinned man absentmindedly as he began to follow the flashy yellow sports car.
"Kar-san! Mayson-san!" Ginji greeted with his usual cheer. Despite the Texan's big, menacing appearance and the Cajun's quiet demeanor, Ginji found the two Americans to be good people and very loyal to Jai-chan.
"Hey kiddo!" The large blonde greeted as a massive hand ruffled the smaller blonde's hair, ignoring the light zaps of static shock whenever the larger male did so. Then the giant blonde turned to his partner, "Yo Mas', pull over so we can drop them off."
"Like Hell!"
"No can do." Ban and Mason replied at once.
Davidson ignored the brunette teen in favor for his partner.
"And why not?"
"If I pull over, I'll lose the mark." Mason explained calmly, which caused the other to frown.
"Fuck!" Davidson swore under his breathe then he glared at the two strangers before softening his glance on the smaller blonde then glancing over to Ban, who was paying more attention to the road than to the back of the van.
"Ban." The Texan called, causing the brunette to turn around, "Ya four stay put and stay outta trouble. Ya hear me? Or it's my ass in dah sling."
Ban's lips thinned out. He was not happy. His Schwesti, and only living family member in the country, was on a case, where her backup was trailing from behind, and she was alone with some yak. Granted, Ban knew that she could take care of herself and that she was well trained, but that did not stop him from worrying. Ban's eyes narrowed as he glared at Lieutenant Davidson. It was subtle, but Ban knew that the larger male tensed up, ready to fight if need be.
"Was in Gottsname passiert." Ban demanded. The quarter German noted Kazuki's frown; it was slight, but it was all the clue he needed to confirm his suspicion about the Information Broker. The Fuuchouin Heir may not speak English fluently as Ban or Paul, but the String Master knew enough to understand what was being said around him. And Ban would be damned if he was going to allow the effeminate male to learn anything about his Schwesti, her men and her work. Ban knew that there was enough unscrupulous politicians, cops, yakuza leaders and whatnot that would be interested to know about any American Military personnel. Also the Information Broker, as Ban suspected, was working on a case for a client.
"Ya know --"
"Auf Deutsch." Ban interrupted, forgetting for a moment, how his beautiful Sun reacted to him speaking German. However, the brunette did note the Beast Master's curious look toward the now squirming blonde.
"Eh… warum?"
Ban blinked. That was the most oddest thing he had ever heard… German with a deep Texan twang. Ban shook his head. Jai had warned him once about speaking with Davidson in German, and she was right. It was… odd. Kinda like that Disney character, Goofy - a smart Goofy.
"Eh… Ban, warum sprechen wir auf Deutsch?" Davidson prompted again. Ban shook his head again. It was just too weird.
"Der ist ein Informationmakler." Ban replied. Suddenly noting his blonde's slight squirm but curious expression as he looked at Davidson, Ban then remembered his Sun's reaction to German, and mouthed a quick apology to his lover, who only smiled at him in understanding.
"Informationmakler?"
Ban knew that Davidson understood what the word meant; however, the Texan had no clue as to its implications. Ban then quickly explained that an Information Broker was one who collected information for a price and sold it to the highest bidder. Davidson then narrowed his eyes on Shido, who immediately became alert at the sudden hostile look coming from the giant blonde.
"Der?" The Texan continued to glare. Ban smirked then shook his head.
"Ne, der anderen."
Davidson blinked in confusion then he snapped his attention to the long-haired woman, sitting next to the wild-haired native. Suddenly with the manners and finesse of a boar, Davidson placed a massive hand on the stranger's chest.
"HENTAI!"
"HOLY SHIT!" The two men bellowed as Davidson moved out of the way of the womanly male's fist, who was being restraint by Ginji and Shido.
"DAVIDSON! STOP ROCKING THE GODDAMN VAN!" Mason bellowed as he maintained control over the van. Foreign vehicles were lighter than the American-made ones, and it would not be the first time that the boorish Texan had toppled a foreign van over by merely leaning against it! However, over Mason's colorful oaths, a deep laughter could be heard coming from Ban while Shido attempted to muffle his chuckles.
No matter how long they have known Kazuki of the Strings, a stunt like that never grows too old.
"Why you boorish pig!" Kazuki cursed with indignation.
"My apologizes, ma--- eh…" Davidson stuttered then looked toward Ban for help, but the brunette teen was no help as he continued to laugh at the raven-haired teen's expense. Suddenly a static cut through the laughter, catching everyone's attention.
"Captain America…" A voice said in broken English. "Captain American, dis is Si'ver Samurai."
Ban's brow furrowed together as he thought he recognized the voice as belonging to Detective Yabukita, a pseudo-friend of the boys.
Mason let out a deep sigh that bordered on a groan as he reached for a handheld radio out of a nearby compartment then tossed it to the back, which Davidson effortlessly caught and was grinning like a fool.
"Go ahead, Silver Samurai, read ya loud an' clear!"
The other four looked at one another curiously, but none of them had a clue as to who or what the strange American was referring to.
"Ah! Captain America! We good?"
"We ar' golden, my man! Just waitin' fer de package to be delivered, an' Martha Stewart to send out de invites!"
"Ah! Good! Good! We wait too!"
"Cool man! See ya soon!" Davidson cheered then grinned at his partner. "Everything's set. Now, all we have to do is get into position!"
Ban then leaned over to Mason and whispered, "Captain America?"
"Don't ask." Mason grumbled aspirated.
^_^
It was another half an hour of driving before the four young men recognized where they were. They were at the eastern end of the Waterfront Docks, ruled by the Akimine Family. Ban frowned as he wondered what exactly was his Schwesti and her men involved in.
Much like Shinjuku's Infinity Fortress, the Waterfronts had their own laws and government which developed during the Recession. The laws and rules of the yakuza governed the Waterfronts, despite the outward appearance of being legitimate businessmen with their business running and funding the Fronts. It was all a ruse. Each of those businessmen were in fact a yakuza clan's Head, and while during the day, they worked in conjunction with society. At night, their masks came off and their true colors known.
Bann looked at his three companions, and they too shared his understanding.
The van veered off to the left and parked underneath a random canopy.
"Why are we stopping, Kar-san?" Ginji asked, curious as to why they had stopped and not continued in following the yak, who kidnapped Jai-chan.
Davidson and Mason then looked at their stowaways before climbing out of the van. The side door opened, and the four climbed out but remained close to the van. Mason then climbed back in and started packing a few items away into two separate duffle bags. Ban made a mental note of where everything was as well as noted a set of clothing that obviously belonged to his Schwesti.
"Sorry, Kiddo," Davidson replied as he strapped on a protective vest, "but from here on out, all ya'll stay here. There's plenty of snacks an' drinks to hold ya over."
"Anou…"
"No but's…" Davidson said, "The Captain will have my hide if anything happened to ya two."
Then the giant blonde looked at the brunette DarkRiver pointedly.
"Especially ya, Bub. So stay put!"
Ban just arched his brow then moved aside as Mason jumped out and handed the massive Texan a black duffle bag. It was then that Ban noted the black clothing the two Americans wore. It was the type of night clothes that allowed the two to blend into the night's shadows. Mason more than Davidson, but they still became invisible to the untrained eye and mere flitting shadows to the trained eye.
^_^
Ginji and Kazuki were sitting on the van's instep while Shido and Ban were casually leaning against the van. Ginji was pouting while he absently began doodling on the ground with his foot. He had wanted to help. He did not like the idea that his oneechan was in the hands of some yakuza thugs. Suddenly Ginji looked up as he noticed his dark lover come over and not-so-gently pushed Kazuki aside while the brunette Witch Heir climbed back into the van.
It was then that the spell of silence was broken.
"You surprise me, Snake for Brain." Shido remarked as he turned around to watch the Serpent Bearer rummage through the van. The Beast Master watched curiously as the other began packing away a set of clothes, a thick vest with the word 'POLICE' in white letters on the back, a strange belt with something attached to it and a radio.
"And what are you yapping about?" Ban questioned then reached over to the gun rack. A slight frown marred the brunette's face as he realized that the rifle rack was locked. He knew that he could break the lock, but then he would have to suffer his Schwesti's ire for damaging government property and most likely would have to pay an insane amount of money for a cheap lock.
"The fact that you're not demanding to be part of your girlfriend's rescue." Shido replied as he warily watched the Witch Heir handle a sleek black handgun with comfortable ease. The Beast Master was not sure what bothered him more. The fact that the brunette knew how to handle the weapon or the fact that he was handling it at all!
"First of all, Pony Breathe, it's not a rescue operation." Ban replied then reached for several magazines fully loaded with ammo for the packed away pistol. "We're providing support."
"We?" Shido and Kazuki asked dubiously while Ginji perked up.
"And second, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." Ban sagely remarked as he slung the bag over his shoulder and climbed out of the van.
"You got to be kidding!" Shido barked, "We're not dealing with the usual punks of the Black World!"
"We're going to help Jai-nee?!" Ginji innocently and hopefully asked which caused his two former Lieutenants to pause while Ban just smiled.
"Doch."
"Yeah!"
Translations:
Was he going to lose both of them, his Schwesti and his Sun?
Was he going to lose both of them, his Sis and his Sun?
"Was in Gottsname passiert." Ban demanded.
"What in God's name is going on." Ban demanded.
"Auf Deutsch." Ban interrupted, forgetting for a moment, how his beautiful Sun reacted to him speaking German.
"In German." Ban interrupted, forgetting for a moment, how his beautiful Sun reacted to him speaking German.
"Eh… warum?"
"Eh… why?"
"Eh… Ban, warum sprechen wir auf Deutsch?" Davidson prompted again.
"Eh… Ban, why are we speaking in German?" Davidson prompted again.
"Der ist ein Informationmakler." Ban replied.
"He's an Information Broker." Ban replied.
"Informationmakler?"
"Information Broker?"
"Der?" The Texan continued to glare.
"Him?" The Texan continued to glare.
"Ne, der anderen."
"No, the other."
"Doch."
"Yep."