Vierzehnte Kapitel: Wahrheit und Folge
Ban found himself leaning against the door as he thought about the dark skinned Lieutenant's remarks. He gave a mirthless snort, which drew Ginji's attention back into their little hallway. A small frown graced the tired blonde's face as he noted that his brunette lover had not moved from his spot.
"Ban-chan?"
"Hm..?" Ban murmured as he looked at his blonde through half-mast eyes.
"You okay?"
"Ja… Bisschen muerdig…" The brunette mumbled, which caused Ginji to tilt his head to the side as he freely slipped into Ban's personal space. Instinctively Ban wrapped his arms around his tired lover and buried his face into the blonde's neck.
"Sleepy?" Ginji asked.
Ban gave a small smile before nodding his head in agreement.
"Okay!" Ginji stated, "Let's go to bed!"
He then tried to pull the brunette away from the door.
"Nh-ah…" Ban grunted with a shake of his head then requested, "Kaffee… bitte…"
Ginji frowned as he looked at the coffee press that his partner pointed to. The blonde quickly figure out what his lover wanted, but he was worried about keeping the brunette awake when he clearly should be sleeping.
"But Ban-chan, you're tired! You should be sleeping!" Ginji stated.
"Stimmt…" Ban replied then shook his head and slowly said, "… need to explain…"
The blonde nibbled on his lower lip. A part of him wanted to hear Ban explain what happened at the warehouse, but he also knew that the brunette would be struggling just to speak in Japanese. The blonde then closed his eyes and leaned into Ban. With slight chapped lips, Ginji chastely kissed Ban, who moaned in response. Ginji was not by nature a sneaky person, but he knew that he needed to distract his brunette lover from speaking about what happened and get some much needed sleep.
Ban instinctively tightened his hold around his blonde lab and slowly deepened his kiss; unaware of his Mate's true intention. His tongue gently caressed against the blonde's lips, asking for sanctuary in the energetic puppy's moist cavern. Ginji groaned as he granted refuge to the foreign pink appendage. Slowly twin appendages mock battled for dominance, but neither really winning due to their exhaustion. Then they broke free as their lungs screamed for air.
"Come…" Ginji whispered in Ban's ear, ignoring the pleasurable groan that escaped from the brunette, "lets go to sleep… we'll talk later… you need to sleep…"
Ban only squeezed his beautiful Sun and reburied his face into the blonde's neck. Ginji was right… He needed to sleep or he would cause more harm to himself than good, such as going mental or risk having a stroke and/or heart attack. And Ban knew that if that happened, he would have to deal with not only an agitated eel but also a highly peeved cat.
"… kay…" Ban mumbled into Ginji's warmed flesh then pulled away a bit, "aber… erst…"
"Hunh?" Ginji blinked as he watched his partner dig into his jean pockets.
"Deine Geschenk…" The brunette murmured then pulled out a carefully folded white handkerchief.
"My present?"
"Doch…" Ban confirmed as he shyly held out his hand.
Ginji gently opened the folded corners, revealing a beautifully etched charm. His chocolate brown orbs grew wide as he saw the black ceramic charm attached to a black leather cord. With great reverence, Ginji picked up the charm and held it closer to see the strange etching in better detail. The charm itself was three-fingers wide. It was rectangular in shape with the corners rounded. It reminded the blonde of the silver charms that his 'nee-chan wore. She had called them 'dog-tags' with a bemused smirk. The charm was a bit heavy, but nothing that Ginji could not handle. He also suspected that his lover had chosen to use ceramic because it would survive whenever the former Lightening Lord used his electricity. The blonde then rubbed his fingers over the etching and found himself mesmerized by the beautifully carved serpent.
The serpent was knotted to the point that Ginji could not tell where its body began nor ended. The great beast was so massive and knotted that it was eating its own tail, and in the center of the massive knot, Ginji could make out the faint etching of a crown and a sword. Curiously, Ginji flipped the charm around and saw more etching on the 'back'. Ginji could tell the etching was writing of some sort, but the blonde knew that he could not make it out. Not only was it in a language that Ginji could not read, but also in a style of writing which made it rather difficult to read.
Suddenly a frown marred the blonde's face as he felt a strange buzz coming from the ceramic charm. The buzz was similar to Ban's own electrical hum, which confused the young man.
"Anou… Ban-chan, it feels like you." Ginji confessed which made Ban truly smile.
"Gut!" Ban proudly stated then he leaned in for another kiss, "Du bist mein… Meine schoene, schoene Sonne…"
Ginji smiled into the kiss as he clutched the black charm against his heart, feeling the unique buzz beat in time with his own heart. Then he held it out for his partner to put it on him.
Ban lightly smiled as he understood his blonde puppy's desire. Taking the ceramic charm from the blonde, Ban fumbled with the clasp as he placed the necklace around Ginji's slender neck. The brunette was pleased to see the charm resting just below the hollow of Gin' throat, revealing to all to whom Ginji belonged to… of course, only those who knew about the royal crest of the Witch King would understand, and luckily for Ban, there was only one person who did…
"Ban-chan?"
"Hm…"
"Did you make it?" Ginji asked as he felt the piece of Ban's electrical energy caress into him through the charm. It was as if he was carrying a piece of his lover.
"Ja… ein Stueck von meiner Herz und Seele…" Ban mumbled then resumed his pastime, nuzzling Ginji's neck, "Ich liebe dich, meine huebsche Sonne…"
"I love you too, Ban-chan." Ginji whispered as he lightly kissed his partner's cheek.
"What does it look like..?" Davidson asked as he observed his Captain.
She looked up then sighed as she put the statement that she was reading down. It was not everything that they took, just a few of the girls' testimonies of their captivity and torture. It took every ounce of her military discipline to keep from seeking out the yakuza thugs in custody and personally castrate each and every one of them with a dull, rusted and plague-infested butter knife. And despite having her blood boiling in rage, Jaiden was also disappointed to learn nothing of what she truly wanted.
"It's only the beginning, Davidson." She replied.
The Texan frowned as he noted his Captain's cautious statement.
"Nothing from your gut?" Carl lightly teased.
Jadeite green orbs turned to the First Lieutenant, who instantly sobered up. True, he may have been jesting about his Captain's less than evidential hunches, but each and every one of their cases were solved because of her instincts, her natural empathic abilities. However, the look that she had sent him was not her usual 'shut-up' glares, but her rare 'I-wish-I-was-wrong' glance.
"I'll go make another pot of coffee." The Lieutenant stated as he stood up and left his Captain alone with her thoughts and the statements.
Jaiden watched her subordinate leave before she rolled her head against the back of her chair. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
Yes, she was happy that she and her people had helped the local authorities on their case, but she had really hoped that she would have found her missing Airman or even clues to the young woman's whereabouts. And even though she had only begun to go over the girls' statement, Jai feared that she may have lost any chance of finding Airman Amanda Hall.
Suddenly she gave a mirthless, dry chuckle as she realized that she had already lost any chance of finding any hard evidence that could have helped her. Jaiden slowly sat up and glared at the stack of paperwork on her desk. Her instincts were telling her that Amn Hall's disappearance had nothing to do with normal… human motives, such as greed and sex. Her eyes narrowed as she realized that she would have to shift her focus from the World of the Sun, the world of humans, to the World of the Moon, the world of witches and shape shifters…
Jaiden stood before a large bay window with her umpteenth cup of coffee since returning to the base after the bust. She stared out of the bay-window to look at one of the base's many gardens. The young Captain suspected that the conference room's view was the main reason why her commander continuously used that particular conference room for their squadron briefings.
"Are you certain, Capt. DarkRiver?" A calm and yet commanding voice questioned, causing the young woman to turn around and face the other occupants in the room.
Each man and woman in the room, not only did they represent their squadron, but they also represented their species and clans.
Jai looked at the handsome and regal man who spoke. The auburn-haired man sat at the head of the massive V-shaped conference table. Although the man sat relaxed in his seat, Jaiden knew that he was posed and tense for any action. He was well built and kept himself in shape despite being mainly an administrative officer ever since gaining his first star, which indicated his rank as a Brigadier General. His honey-brown eyes never wavered from her person, not even when she walked to the window after she gave her assessment of Amn Hall's disappearance.
"General Kingscale!" Shouted another male officer, startling everyone from their thoughts, save for the General and the Captain.
"Yes, Major McLain." Gen. Travyce Kingscale acknowledged as he turned his attention to the bulky officer in charge of the automotive squadron, commonly known as the Motor Pool.
"If what the Captain says is true then why did she waste valuable time and manpower to help the local police?" McLain demanded.
"Captain." Kingscale directed to his Captain.
"We were following up on a lead." Jaiden sighed, "Several sources stated seeing a young female, matching Amn Hall's description, at the warehouse. At the time, it was the only lead we had… we ran with it."
"And did you? Did you find her?" McLain continued to demand.
"The young woman's name is Natalia Putinova." Answered another officer, causing the others to look at the quiet and powerful blonde Communications Officer.
"Captain Lindstrom," Gen. Kingscale questioned, "I can presume that Capt. DarkRiver informed you of her findings?"
"She did, and I'm afraid that I agree with her assessment." The blonde Captain replied as he leaned forward, "Amanda Hall came from the Lakota Tribe. They are well known for their self-defensive abilities, meaning one of them would not be caught by a human without a lot of bloodshed."
"But there aren't any Covenants here in Japan!" Exclaimed a middle-aged Chief Master Sergeant from Services.
"That we knew of." Gen. Kingscale gave a cautionary remark.
"Then what about the Pys'? Should we warn them?" The Chief asked.
"The Pys' are not the only ones in danger. We shifters are, as well." Capt. Po remarked, which caused the room to fall silent again, "However, I'm more curious as to know why there would be Covenant members in this country since they prefer to isolate themselves in Europe. And why attack one of us now, after all this time?"
"Any speculations?" The auburn-haired General asked.
"If the Covenant is here then they're searching." Jaiden replied, keeping her suspicions that the Covenant was not involved to herself.
"Searching?" The Chief repeated, "Searching for what?"
"Not what, but who. Am I correct, Capt. DarkRiver?" Stated a raven-haired Lieutenant Colonel from the Intelligence Squadron.
Jaiden remained silent as she observed the Colonel. The DarkRiver was not at all surprised that he would suspect the truth of the Covenant's motive if they were truly involved. After all Lt. Col. Douglas Lopez was a Pys Alpha, a witch. All of the Pys Alphas would know and sense it… the Presence of the Witch King. It was a low hum of energy that echoed all around them in the air, and the entire base of Pys Alphas was sensing it.
Lopez' hazel-blue eyes glowed in anticipation that he did not bother to conceal. Those in the conference room were confused by the usually quiet Intel Colonel's excitement.
"Capt. DarkRiver, who would the Covenant be searching for?" General Kingscale questioned.
Jaiden sighed before answering.
"The Witch King."
Happily sleeping in the comfort of his bed, snuggling against his favorite electric blanket, Ban attempted to bury his face in the darkness as he tried to escape the encroaching sunlight. As the brunette continued to seek his comfortable spot, his blonde electric blanket moved about as well as he was slowly waking up. With a free hand, Ginji rubbed the sleep out of his eye and instinctively stretched his body to which Ban grumpily moaned. Knowing that now since his electric puppy was awake, Ban would not be going back to sleep.
Ban opened a single eye and mocked glared at his electric puppy, who just smiled at the grumpy serpent.
"Morning Ban-chan!" Ginji chirped.
Ban frowned, which made Gin' a bit shy. And before the blonde could say anything, Ban struck. The brunette's lips gently caressed against the blonde's, who was sporting a slight blush across his nose.
"Now, it's a good morning." Ban proclaimed then climbed out of bed.
Ginji just giggled as he watched his lover begin making coffee and a small breakfast for the two of them. As the blonde GetBacker watched, Ginji thought back to the events at the warehouse. He painfully remembered how his partner had looked as they had fought the yakuza thugs. Ginji shuddered at the memory of Ban's pale blue-white eyes staring at him and the feel of flesh-biting cold seeping into his soul.
"Gin'?" Ban softly called as he gently caressed his Sun's cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Hunh?" Ginji blinked then stared into Ban's serpentine blue eyes.
"Lieblings, what's wrong? You're shivering!" Ban worriedly exclaimed as he enveloped his better half in a hug.
"Ban-chan, what happened?" Gin' simply asked, knowing that the brunette would understand.
"Gin'…" Ban whispered as he placed butterfly kisses along his partner's neck, "I'm sorry, Lieblings… I didn't mean to scare you."
The brunette began to rub the blonde's arms.
"I… I should've told you…"
"Tell me what?" Ginji asked as he turned his head to face his dark lover.
"About me… about my powers… about my curse…" Ban flatly stated.
"Anou… you don't have to, Ban-chan." Ginji whispered as he sensed an overwhelming sense of dread begin to echo in his heart. The blonde knew that it was not he who was feeling the dread, but his stoically strong lover…
"You're right. I don't have to." Ban replied with a small smile, "But I want to…"
Suddenly Ginji began to bury his face into the brunette's chest. He had never been so shy or timid around his partner before, but the fact that Ban was trusting him with his secrets really revealed to the blonde at how much Ban truly loved the blonde GetBacker.
Ban could only stare at his better half in wonderment. He truly had no idea that his blonde puppy would be so happy, would feel so cherished and special by just learning the brunette's secret. Ban rested his cheek against Ginji's messy mop of hair and wondered would his partner still be by his side after learning the truth. Slowly serpentine blue gems closed to half mast as the young Witch King enveloped himself in the blonde's ever-buzzing aura and the bitter aroma of coffee brewing in the background. A small smile graced the quarter German's face as he realized that he was surrounded by comforts and that with a simple phrase in his native tongue, he and his Sun could forever stay the way they were.
"Ban-chan?" Ginji frowned when his brunette partner became quiet before slowly beginning to give out a low rumbling sound from his chest.
The blonde looked up with a slight tilt of his head and was surprised to see the slight glaze in Ban's sapphire blue orbs and the half smile gracing his lips.
"Ban-chan?" The blonde called again; however, he received no answer, save for Ban's rumbling grew louder.
"BAN-CHAN!" Ginji pouted as he placed a hand on his dark lover's chest and gave the Serpent Bearer a small zap.
"GACK!" Ban yelped as he jumped to his feet and stared at his pouting blonde puppy. "What was that for?"
"You didn't answer me, and you were purring!" Ginji mumbled as he crossed his arms.
"Was?" Ban blinked then groaned as he realized what he had done." Ach, Gotteswille… I'm sorry, Gin'… I slipped into a healing trance…"
"A healing trance?" Chocolate brown orbs blinked owlishly.
"Ja," Ban replied as he slipped behind is electric puppy once more and rested his chin on the blonde's shoulder, "I haven't fully recovered from last night -"
"Then you should be sleeping!" Ginji gasped as he turned to face his partner.
"I'll be fine… just as long as you stay nearby."
"Hunh?" Ginji blinked then asked, "Why?"
"Because… you're my Sun…"
Ginji tilted his head to the side with a slight frown.
"What do you mean by that?"
Ban sighed as he slipped his hands into his partner's and gave a gentle squeeze.
"You're so warm and bright like the sun… Die Sonne ist der Lebengeber… and without you, I'll lose myself to the emotions of others… like last night…"
"How?" The blonde whispered, not really minding that Ban spoken in German for a moment, "I mean… can you feel other people's emotions?"
For a moment, Ban was silent then he whispered, "Yes."
Ginji blinked as he thought back of all the times that Ban had known when the blonde Lightening Lord had been sad, despite Ginji's happy face and smile. There had also been times when Ban knew whether or not a client would betray them. Ginji also remembered a time when Natsumi-chan had been acting a bit odd, and Ban had showed up with a flower he had picked from a neighbor's flowerpot later that morning. It was also when the GetBackers learned that day was the anniversary of Natsumi's mother's death.
"Ban-chan, you were feeling the girls' emotions? Their pain?" Ginji's chocolate brown eyes grew wide as he instinctively squeezed his lover's hands.
"Yes." The brunette replied as he returned his blonde's squeeze. "I was becoming their rage… but thanks to you, I didn't… thanks."
"But..? Why?" Ginji asked, which made the Serpent Bearer sigh.
"It's part of my curse…" Ban began as he wrapped his and Ginji's arms around the blonde's torso, "The Jagan is a powerful ability for one person to possess… with a mere glance and thought, I can make anyone see heaven and make them into a god or… show them a hell and crush their minds… I can do this and possess the powers of a witch as well… I am power." Ban whispered as he gently squeezed his lover. "And people fear power… oh sure, there are those who would pursue it and try to control it, but people fear power that's not in their control… I don't know when or how, but all I know is that the Council of the Covenant cursed an ancestor of mine with an ancient blood-curse… they cursed my family with empathy… any who possess the Jagan have the empathy even worse… it's so strong that… that…"
Ginji looked at his lover when the brunette trailed off into silence.
"I felt them…" Ginji whispered.
"What?" Ban gasped as he stared into his puppy's endless eyes.
"Here… I felt them." Ginji clutched at his chest above his heart.
Ban's eyes grew wide as he realized what his blonde electric puppy was saying. Ever since Ginji had lost his powers for a short time, the blonde had developed the ability to sense the presence of all things. However, Ban had not realized that his blonde puppy was so in tune with the brunette's presence that the blonde would be able to sense when the Jagan-wielder was endangered of becoming consumed by the girls' emotions. And if the blonde could sense it then there was a possibility that his light lover could also be affected. Ban narrowed his eyes as he vowed to himself to never allow his beautiful Sun be tainted.
"Ban-chan," Ginji's voice drew the brunette's thoughts out, "does that mean your eyes become white because you feel too much?"
"Yes and no…" Ban sighed, "My eyes bleach out because… because I'm drowning from everything that I feel and that I went beyond what I'm accustom to… I don't practice much… you know that…"
Ginji's eyes grew wide as he turned completely around to face his dark lover.
"How can we stop it? Do you need to practice more often?" Gin' asked, which made Ban blink in surprise as he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of resolve and determination which came from Gin's love for the brunette.
Slowly a small smile graced the teen's face, which even shone in his serpentine blue orbs. Ban leaned in, placing a hand behind the blonde's head and drawing his partner closer. Ginji did not resist as his breath was taken away by Ban's gentle smile. Suddenly Gin's eyes fluttered close as he felt his partner's lips lightly caressing against his own lips.
"As long," Ban whispered against his lover's lips, "as you're with me, I'll be fine… and a pack of smokes as well."
Suddenly their little apartment echoed with laughter.
Translations:
"Ja… Bisschen muerdig…" The brunette mumbled, which caused Ginji to tilt his head to the side as he freely slipped into Ban's personal space.
"Yes… A little tired…" The brunette mumbled, which caused Ginji to tilt his head to the side as he freely slipped into Ban's personal space.
"Nh-ah…" Ban grunted with a shake of his head then requested, "Kaffee… bitte…"
"Nh-ah…" Ban grunted with a shake of his head then requested, "Coffee… please…"
"Stimmt…" Ban replied then shook his head and slowly said, "… need to explain…"
"True…" Ban replied then shook his head and slowly said, "… need to explain…"
"… kay…" Ban mumbled into Ginji's warmed flesh then pulled away a bit, "aber… erst…"
"… kay…" Ban mumbled into Ginji's warned flesh then pulled away a bit, "aber… erst…"
"Deine Geschenk…" The brunette murmured then pulled out a carefully folded white handkerchief.
"Your present…" The brunette murmured then pulled out carefully folded white handkerchief.
"Doch…" Ban confirmed as he shyly held out his hand.
"Yeah…" Ban confirmed as he shyly held out his hand.
"Gut!" Ban proudly stated then he leaned in for another kiss, "Du bist mein… Mein schoener, schoener Sonne…"
"Good!" Ban proudly stated then he leaned in for another kiss, "You are my… my beautiful, beautiful Sun…"
"Ja… ein Stueck von meiner Herz und Seele…" Ban mumbled then resumed his pastime, nuzzling Ginji's neck, "Ich liebe dich, meine huebsche Sonne…"
"Yes… a piece of my Heart and Soul…" Ban mumbled then resumed his pastime, nuzzling Ginji's neck, "I love you, my beautiful Sun…"
"Lieblings, what's wrong? You're shivering!" Ban worriedly exclaimed as he enveloped his better half in a hug.
"Lovely, what's wrong? You're shivering!" Ban worriedly exclaimed as he enveloped his better half in a hug.
"Gin'…" Ban whispered as he placed butterfly kisses along his partner's neck, "I'm sorry, Lieblings… I didn't mean to scare you."
"Gin'…" Ban whispered as he placed butterfly kisses along his partner's neck, "I'm sorry, Lovely… I didn't mean to scare you."
"You're so warm and bright like the sun… Die Sonne ist der Lebengeber… and without you, I'll lose myself to the emotions of others… like last night…"
"You're so warm and bright like the sun… the Sun is the Life-Giver… and without you, I'll lose myself to the emotions of others… like last night…"