DISCLAIMER: I do not own Get Backers. But I guess the plot is all mine...

I thank Mayumi-san who had Beta-ed this chapter and is going to Beta all the forth coming chapters. She has taken the story to the next level (because I simply suc* at grammar).. Thank you so so so so much!

Author's note is at the end of the story!

Normal P.O.V:

"You can always use the back room for this purpose, kid!" Paul said, catching a sleeping Asuka just as she was about to fall off the bar stool.

Coming back home late last night, then coming in to the Honky Tonk early this morning had deprived Asuka of her much-needed sleep. And so, while waiting for the icing to set, the waitress had fallen asleep right on one of the cafe's bar stools.

Deciding to give in to her body's drowsy needs, she got up. "I think I'll take a nap until the base icing sets in the freezer. Be back in an hour, Chief!" She called out groggily as she made her way to the back room.

Twenty-four hours is so not enough for me! She thought, closing her eyes.

Two and half hours later...

"WAKE UP!"

A loud voice woke her up from her deep slumber.

She could feel a pair of strong hands holding her shoulders as her eyes tried to adjust to the sudden bright light. As soon as she gained back her senses, Asuka could do nothing but get lost in those amazing cerulean orbs that were staring right into her brown ones. She felt as if he could see through her soul at that moment and the world seemed to stop for a minute. But just for a minute!

Even when he is not casting the Jagan, I could feel like I am in a dream! She thought.

"Not only do you sleep like a log but you also mumble in your sleep," Ban commented with his trademark smirk adorning his pale face.

Attempting to hide the sudden blush, she tried to think of something to retort back with, but found nothing and just ended up sticking her tongue out at him. She left the room in hurry, feeling as if his gaze would burn her down. With an ever so light chuckle, he followed her back into the cafe and took his seat on the bar stool.

His gaze turned back to her as she tied her hair into a bun with a pencil. She always had the habit of tying her hair into a bun when working on such big cakes.

"I don't want any icing on my hair, Ban-san," she had replied when he did ask her about it. "...Or any hair on my icing, as well."

His mind drifted off to a certain memory at this thought...

Flashback:

Snap!

It was the sound of a small twig breaking which released that dark hair into a cascade around her shoulders.

Asuka was demonstrating to Natsumi one of her kung fu moves and in the process broke the hairpin that held her hair in a tight bun. A troubled look came over Asuka's eyes as she took out the pieces that were tangled in her hair.

The hairpin looked like it was made of rosewood and had a leaf shape at one end. The leaf was shaded in the bright colours of autumn that made it stand out from her thick dark hair whenever she wore it.

The pin now had a split in the leaf part and its underside was broken in two. No genius can ever figure out how she managed to break it in such a way, but it did not take a genius to guess that it cannot be repaired.

She stared down at the broken pieces in her hand, her eyes glazing with tears.

Ban watched as she took a deep breath, seemingly mustering her strength as she retrieved a small pouch from her bag and stored the broken pieces there.

He couldn't stand seeing her sad face, and so he had asked her later that evening, "What's wrong?" Thankfully, his curious nature around the mysterious girl served as a mask to his worry.

She didn't answer right away, but just tried to clean some invisible dust on the counter. Finally, she swallowed the lump in her throat and answered, "I broke my hairpin."

Ban frowned. "You can just buy another one, right?" He then shrugged. "Why the sad face for a silly pin?"

Typical Ban! Asuka almost chuckled. She gave him a sad smile, then explained."This hairpin was tied to my blanket when they found me in the orphanage. For all I know, it could have been my mother's," she added as she stared back down at the counter. "Besides, I have been using it for as long as I can remember. I even grew my hair so that I can tie it up with this pin." She bit her lip. "It may seem silly to you, but this pin is very dear to me."

There was silence.

Ban watched as she wiped the counter again, then said slowly, "If you want... I can fix it for you."

He didn't want her to see that he was anxious to help her, so he avoided looking at her. But by doing so, he missed seeing the amount of happiness that was reflected in her eyes at that moment.

"Do you thinkyou can fix this?" She asked as she opened the pouch and displayed the broken pieces for him.

After examining it, he gave her a cocky grin and said, "Piece of cake!"

She felt like she could hug him right at that moment, but didn't. They had nothing but a relationship between a customer and a pastry chef, after all.

That pouch could still be found in the glove compartment of Ban's car. He hadn't gotten around to fixing it yet, and she had also stopped asking him about it.

Asuka had finished tying up her hair. Seeing Paul come into the kitchen, she followed him back in, asking, "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"You were sleeping nicely. Didn't want to wake you up," he said while getting the cake out of the freezer. The base icing had already set and all that was left to do was the piping and detailing. Paul helped to carry the cake to the cafe counter, where Atsuka could work on it.

She came out of the kitchen to see Atsushi Nakashima sitting in one of the booths doing some work with his laptop. She bowed to him and apologized.

"It's really ok, Miss Asuka. You still have four hours, right? Also, I am here to personally take care of the delivery of the cake. It's the least I can do to lessen your burden!" He grinned, then added, "Besides how can I let such a beautiful girl do all the work by herself?" From the way that he spoke, it was clear that he was trying to flirt with the pastry chef.

"I assure you Mr. Nakashima, that the cake will be ready before you know it," she said, bowing again.

"Please, call me Atsushi," he said. "No formalities!" He added with a smile.

Nodding to him, Asuka went behind the counter to work on the cake. Oblivious to the hints that the guy was obviously throwing at her, she continued to be polite, which unintentionally encouraged him.

All this while, a certain recovery service guy was watching them, fuming with anger. How dare he try to hit on my girl?He thought.

But that thought was instantly replaced by another thought. Since when did she become my girl?

Even the Great Ban Mido-sama can have internal conflicts and this was one such instance. Lately, the brunette had been having trouble with his thoughts, and his raging hormones were of no help. To say that he was madly in love with the brown-eyed girl was an understatement that even the naive Ginji had figured out, but he continued to struggle hard not to show it.

Ban's P.O.V:

I turned around to look at Ginji, who was in deep slumber in the corner booth, and I noticed Natsumi covering him with a blanket. Those two were totally in love. I wondered what made Natsumi fall for that goofball lightning brat.

I also saw that the Nakashima guy was busy typing something in his laptop. He looks up from the screen from time to time to see Asuka working. A smile then forms on his idiotic face before he goes back to typing something. I highly suspect that he is pretending to do some work but is here just to show off that he is a darn busy guy.

Satisfied that Ginji was covered properly in the blanket, Natsumi came to sit next to me.

My eyes darted back to my favourite waitress (Not that I dislike Natsumi. It's just that Asuka is a lot more mature than the high school girl), who was intently working on the three tiers of the cake. She was so lost in her work that she did not notice me or this Nakashima bastard stealing glances at her.

A rather heavy sigh escaped my mouth as I turned my attention to the hot coffee that was placed on the counter by dear Natsumi.

I looked up to see the gray-eyed girl watching the lightning brat sleep with contentment in her eyes.

Sometimes I feel really jealous of those two. They are so happy just to be around each other. I wonder how it will be if things had worked out between me and Asuka. Having a couple around can sometimes make you regret your decision about being single...

Seriously, how did Natsumi fall for that goofball of a lightning emperor?

She lightly chuckled. "It is his childishness that made me love him, Ban-san."

Did I just speak out my thoughts?

"I can kind of tell what you were thinking with that look of yours!" She added with a smile on her face.

Since when did I become so easy to read?

Since you fell in love, Ban... I could hear that damn inner voice laughing at me.

"His childishness," I repeated. "So guys like me will never have the chance of getting a girl, then."

Natsumi chuckled.

"What's so funny?" I asked gruffly.

"Has the great Ban Mido gotten desperate to get a girl now?" She managed to tell me.

I was just about pissed off when Natsumi continued, "Girls like a person like Gin. He is sweet, caring, and funny. Plus, he is naive. Those are some things that are hard to see in a guy. But sometimes a person like you is needed for a girl to survive in this dog-eat-dog world."

Her straightforward answer made me gape at her. Was this the same Natsumi Mizuki who asked us to retrieve a cat-shaped mascot doll? That girl that I knew was a tad bit shy over topics like this.

"Who are you and what have you done to Natsumi Mizuki?" I joked, earning a rich laughter from her.

Somehow this laughter was enough to get Asuka's attention, making her head snap up for a moment, connecting her brown eyes with mine. I saw sadness in it and something else that I couldn't quite make out. Regret?

I stood up quickly. Natsumi gave me a questioning look, to which I just shrugged, saying, "I'm gonna have a smoke."

I had to go get some fresh air since the air inside the cafe just got too dense for me all of a sudden.

Normal P.O.V:

A lot had happened in the almost two and a half hours that it took for Asuka to finish up the cake.

Atsushi had tried talking to Ban, asking him a lot of questions about the pastry chef and not realizing that he chose the wrong person to ask. It took all of Ban's willpower to stop himself from punching the guy.

Ginji didn't even wake up until it had gotten pretty dark outside. As soon as he did, he was given the task of carrying the cake into Atsushi's van along with Paul. Again, for some reason, Asuka didn't call Ban to help out with the work. Instead, she requested Paul to help Ginji, which sent steam out of Ban's ears.

Soon, the cake was successfully placed inside the van.

"Thank you for the business, Nakashima-san." Atsuka bowed.

"The business is not over yet, Asuka-san!" The smarty pants grinned. When she gave him a confused look, he said, "I'm inviting you to the party. I would like to introduce you to the guests as the beautiful lady who created such a heavenly cake!"

Not knowing how to respond, she turned back to see Paul with his mouth agape, Natsumi grinning and showing her a thumbs-up sign, and Ginji who was scratching the back of his head.

"Well...," she said, turning back to Atsushi. "I am not dressed for the occasion."

Atsushi wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "It's alright. I just want to introduce you as the pastry chef who baked this cake, so it would be a great honor if you could come. Please?" He then took hold of her hand.

From inside the cafe, a nerve started popping out of Ban's forehead at the sight of Atsuka's hand being held by the bastard just outside the window.

Asuka looked back at Atsushi and saw the almost desperate look in his eyes, which made her hesitantly mutter an "Alright!"

She went into the cafe to get her bag and noticed that Ban was calmly drinking his coffee. She wondered if he saw what just happened outside the cafe. Well, if he did, it looked like he didn't even give a damn.

"Bye," she just said hastily as she stepped outside.

No one noticed that Ban was trying so hard to control his temper at that very moment. Just a little more pressure and surely his favourite mug would have shattered. Seriously, if that mug had a mouth, its screams would have drowned the whole of Shinjuku. He was simply strangling the piece of porcelain imagining that it was Nakashima's neck.

Asuka was almost tackled down by Natsumi when the said gray-eyed girl came in for her shift.

"Tell me all about it!" She exclaimed, holding the kung-fu girl in an almost deadly hold.

"About what, Natsumi? Let go of me," Asuka cried.

"About your date, silly. How did it go?"

"It was not a date, Nat-chan," she protested.

"It looked like one to me."

"Well, it wasn't!" She said, shaking her head at the high school girl. "Not much happened, anyway, but I gotta tell you, his niece is a really cute girl. She loved the cake and so did her mother. I think we will be getting more cake buyers from now on." She winked.

"Alright, everyone loves your cake," Natsumi said, dismissing that part as she tried to squeeze out more information about the topic that she was really eager to hear about. "But what about Nakashima-san?"

"Well, Atsushi-san was really sweet. He never left my side because I told him that I knew no one at the party."

Natsumi's gray eyes were sparkling now as she listened.

"He introduced me to several of his guests and I did manage to get a few new customers," Atsuka continued. "But we didn't do much beyond that."

Both girls didn't notice the duo sitting in a booth, listening to their conversation. While the blonde cared less about it, the brunette was once again having a hard time keeping his temper under control.

So it has become Atushi-san from Nakashima-san, huh? He thought, closing his eyes.

"He said he will be dropping by today," Asuka added in an absent-minded way.

"So the busy man has suddenly got time to drop by a cafe that is far away from his office," Natsumi teased, making the former blush.

"I... It's nothing like that, Nat-chan!" Atsuka protested again as she cleaned the counter.

"Accept it, Asuka-chan. He's going to ask you out again. Trust me!" She winked and went to the kitchen to handle her work, singing, "He likes you...", making Asuka blush.

Asuka had just put up a blueberry cake for display when Ginji, with his ever-so-cute-chibi-face, called out, "Hey Asuka-chan! Can I have a piece of that cake?"

With a slight chuckle, she cut two neat pieces of the freshly baked cake and placed the two plates in front of the Get Backers.

Ginji began digging in, while Ban just scowled.

"I didn't ask for free food," Ban snapped at her.

Asuka stopped and stared back at Ban, and he immediately regretted the words that flew out of his mouth as soon as he saw that hurt look in her eyes.

"Oh, you don't want it?" Ginji, who obviously did not notice Asuka's expression, asked his partner. "Does that mean I can have your piece, Ban-chan?"

Before Ban could answer, Asuka slid the plate that was in front of Ban toward Ginji.

Despite the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, she couldn't help but crack a smile at the Lightning Lord who was now swallowing big chunks of the other piece of cake. She said nothing, but just turned back to walk towards the counter.

No one saw the pained look that crossed Ban's own blue eyes just then.

A few weeks went by and Atsushi had made it his habit to drop by the cafe during his lunch break, getting Ban all irked.

And it had become customary for Asuka to get him his usual meal, which consisted of a prawn sandwich with fries and a cup of dark coffee. Plus, he always insisted that she pack him a couple of pieces from her cake of the day as takeaway.

It was just another afternoon when the said man entered and sat in his usual booth. Quickly, Asuka got to the business of preparing his lunch and handing it over to him.

As he was leaving, he left a generous amount as tip on the table, which was then retrieved by Asuka and deposited in the tip box.

"Now that is what I call a regular customer," Paul said, pointing at the rapidly disappearing car.

"Aww, Chief... Then what are we to you?" Ginji asked him, turning all chibi.

"You are a customer who has built up a massive tab and won't think of paying for it any sooner."

"But we didn't get any jobs recently. Hevn-san has been trying to get us a decent assignment though, so I'm sure we'll get one soon!"

"Until then, you guys can work off your tab, right?"

"We, the Get Backers, have some pride, Paul!" This time, it was Ban who was interrupting. "We can't be seen washing dishes in a gloomy cafe."

"Pride is not going to fill up a hungry tummy, Ban!"

"Ban-chan, my tummy is hungry..." Ginji called out, rubbing his stomach.

"Shut up, Ginji!" He said, throwing the chibi thing onto the wall and making a dent.

"I will add that to the tab as well. And forget getting any more food unless you are going to pay for it," Paul said as he left to go inside the kitchen.

All the while, Asuka had been watching their conversation. She silently picked up the chibi Ginji in her arms, holding it like a big-sized stuffed doll.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling at him. "I will get you some food from my allowance."

"Yay! Free food!"

Ginji started doing his happy dance when Ban struck his foot on his head.

"What did you do that for, Ban-chan?" A tear-stricken Ginji asked him.

Instead of answering his partner, he turned to Asuka and, with his ever-so-harsh tone, said, "No one needs your charity."

He then strode out of the cafe, dragging behind a crying Ginji that had a huge foot mark on his head.

Asuka's P.O.V:

Silent tears rolled down my cheek as I stood there, too shocked to believe what I had just heard. Of all the days I have been here, never once have I heard Ban use that tone to me or even to Natsumi.

I thought it was usual for Paul to be hard on them when it comes to their tab. Besides, in the end, either I or Natsumi would offer them some food, anyway.

But he has never been so rude to me...

He has been rude to you for the past few weeks.My mind decided to butt in.

It has been like this for a while now, I realized. I could feel that tension has been growing between us these days, but I never thought that he would go to the extent of snapping at me all the time. It was almost like he hated my guts.

Well, I was getting tired of it. He had no right to talk to me like that.

I shut my eyes as hurt and anger started to well up inside. I didn't realize that I had been standing as if I had frozen, rooted at the same spot until I felt a fatherly hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Paul asked.

No, I was not alright. Finding my voice, I asked instead, "Can I take the rest of the day off, Paul-san?"

He smiled a bit. "Sure, kiddo. Just get some good ol' rest."

I noticed that it was almost time for Natsumi to come by, so I decided not to waste any more time and to just go back to my apartment.

When I came out of the cafe, I saw the Jagan Master inside his car, lighting his cigarette. I couldn't find Ginji anywhere in the vicinity.

I almost froze in my tracks as soon as I saw him. I was still angry.

This has got to stop. I thought with determination. Building up my courage, I walked towards the bug-like car, and knocked on the driver's side window.

Looking at me, he lowered the window and said "What?" in an almost menacing tone.

And that did it.

"Don't you dare use that tone towards me, Mido," I snapped at him. I guess my anger reflected in my voice because his eyes widened.

"All I try to do is to be your friend and this is how you treat me? You have no right to keep hurting me like this."

Tears started to roll down my cheeks. These, however, were not tears of sorrow, but of anger.

"Asuka..." He started, but I cut him off.

"You don't want my charity? Then I will never offer it, or anything else, to you ever again!" I started walking away.

I heard him get out of his car.

"Asuka!"

I stopped, turned around, then said, "It's Sakamato to you, Mido!"

I ran away as fast as I could, not wanting to stay within his sight any longer.

Normal P.O.V:

Somewhere else:

"They are ready to put their plan into action. What do we do now, Maria-san?" The middle-school-aged boy asked the silhouette that was sitting by the window.

"We let it unfold, Kengo-kun," she spoke, her eyes never leaving whatever she was seeing from her position.

"What do you mean that we let it unfold? We can't just sit and watch! She is the only family I have left!" He exclaimed, terror evident in his eyes. "I am not ready to see another loved one die!" His tears now started to fall as thoughts of his father's death a few days ago ran through his mind.

She looked back at him now, her voice softening as she said, "Samuel Hamano was a great man. He is the reason that she is alive now. If it were not for him, her mother would have never been able to save her from those people." She then looked straight into his eyes. "It is her duty to take care of the mess her parents made. We don't have a role in it and if we interrupt, it will reflect in the flow of the archive and cause more problems that can complicate things."

Even in the dark, she could see the glistening tears that streamed down his cheeks. He was just a little boy, after all. "Believe in the Get Backers," she continued. "They won't rest until they have found the last piece of the puzzle."

She looked at him one last time before diverting her gaze back out the window.

Kengo wiped away the last of his tears, reassured by her words. Curious about what Maria's gaze was locked onto, he looked out the window as well. Down the street, he could make out a figure standing under a street light.

Shinjuku again:

"Bye, Makubex!" She waved at the gray-haired boy who grinned back at her.

"Be safe, Asuka-san." He waved back as she teleported back to her apartment.

Going to the Limitless Fortress had become her passion now. That place emitted some kind of warmth at her for some strange reason.

She chuckled to herself. If Ban or Ginji had ever found out about this thought of hers, they would probably think that she was crazy.

A frown then came over her face as she remembered what Makubex had just told her. Lately, things had been getting a bit suspicious at the Limitless Fortress. A lot of people had reported seeing a man in really strange robes, but he was never once spotted in any of the security cameras.

She took a deep breath as she pondered about what that could mean. It would appear that her work there was getting more urgent.

Taking her sling bag off her shoulder, she went to rummage the fridge to find it almost empty except for some milk.

Letting out a sigh, she took her bag and got ready to leave for the grocery store.

As she walked across her living room, her mind kept replaying the afternoon's scenes and she couldn't help but let a few tears drop. She didn't know why she spoke like that to Ban. Half of her was angry – so angry - at the brunette, but the other half wanted to just melt in his arms. As much as she was hurting, she still had a little bit of hope left – hope that maybe, just maybe, they could be more than friends.

She sighed. Now that being friends had just gotten harder, that hope seemed much farther away.

She was so lost in her thoughts that little did she notice the black silhouette that was standing near her bedroom, perfectly camouflaged in the dark.

Asuka's P.O.V:

Why am I getting the feeling of not being alone all of a sudden?

I stopped, and that was when a rather funny smell wafted through the room.

A perfume?

"My, My... A feisty girl you must be. I was told that a whiff of this perfume will make you unconscious for a whole day. And here you are still standing."

I turned to see a black-cloaked figure standing in my living room.

"Even Ken-kun was not that good when he was your age," he continued.

He was wearing a black hat and a black suit beneath that coat. I didn't need his name. I knew who he was.

" !" I murmured in surprise as I stared at him.

He tipped his hat in greeting. I didn't even see his hand leave his hat but I felt a sudden pain shoot through my body before my vision went hazy.

The last thing I saw was a pair of violet boots that stood next to me as everything went black.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for such a delay! It has become really hectic for me to find time. And this is just a repost of the 12th chapter that was posted almost a month back. It has been revised since a few of you guys found the earlier one confusing.

bokpricken: I am glad you liked Asuka. You will see more of Ban's jealousy here!

kei-sama: Here is the update and sorry for the long wait!

a-kun: I believe that the answers will be given to you by the end of the story. This story is about Asuka actually and it will be revealed in the upcoming chapters. You think it's a bit too much? Well sorry about that. Since GB has got a lot of guys who have a lot of talents and all I wanted a girl to be their equal. And when I needed a pair for Ban, I wanted her to be as talented as he is. So she has been portrayed that way. Hope you like this chapter even though it is a repost and you may have read the previous version... I got a Beta as well. I followed your advice ;)

Serious Monkey: Your wish has been granted. Sorry about that purple boots thing. It was Akabane. Fanfiction takes the liberty to cut off words when I am posting a chapter at times.

Nylimor and Guest: Thank you for the reviews. Hope you like it!

So I don't know when I might be able to post the next chapter... But it will take a while. Sorry about that guys! R&R! :)