Disclaimer: Me no ownie.
Precious Things
"Alright, people. Group meeting!" Called Ban as he moved past the bedrooms and up the second set of stairs leading to the loft that was Akabane's room. He knocked on it a little louder than he needed to. "Yo, Akabane! Group meeting, c'mon."
"Hey, Snake-for-Brains, you really shouldn't try to annoy him." Warned Shido. "He may just lose his charming facade and decide to make your insides your outsides."
Making a gagging noise, Emishi sneered.
"That doesn't sound pleasant."
"Indeed it doesn't." Agreed Akabane as he exited his room, shutting the door behind him. "But you should know I would never dare cause you any manner of grief, my friend, it just isn't in my nature to harm my friends."
Despite herself, Natsume giggled.
"I don't know why all of you are so worried when it comes to Mr. Akabane, he's always so nice to everyone."
Several of the others snorted, while Dr. Jackal ignored them, smiling pleasantly at the young girl.
"Indeed. I believe you and I could also become equally good friends."
"Anyway!" Interrupted Ban in an exasperated tone, cutting his eyes at Natsume. "The client insists there is something important in this house that will be targeted to be stolen. Thing is, the damn bastard won't tell us what the stupid thing is, so we need to split up and search this house from top to bottom, inside and out, got that? Just don't destroy the house while looking, we have to continue living here for the next two weeks, remember? Pick your partner or search alone, just get it done."
"Hey Natsume," Called Emishi, suddenly in front of the teenage girl. "Let's look together. We can search outside to see if there are any other buildings on this property or nearby, okay?"
She nodded happily.
"Okay!"
"I guess I could have my animals help sniff out the grounds." Commented Shido off-handedly.
"Juubei and I can check the lower floor and basement." Offered Kazuki; Juubei nodded in affirmation.
"I suppose Ginji and I will search the upper floors, then." Akabane stated with a smile. "That way Miss Himiko won't have to search alone or worry about any more misunderstandings should she be paired up with Ginji."
Himiko blinked in surprise, taken back.
"Wow, Dr. Jackal... that's really considerate of you."
Ban immediately protested though.
"Wait a minute, Kurodo! I don't like that arrangement one bit. You're trying to get Ginji by himself so you can fight him again, aren't you?"
Akabane cocked his head to the side as though puzzled.
"Fight him? Why ever would I want to do that? This pairing seemed the most logical, that's all. This way, Miss Himiko can set her mind at ease-"
"Me and Ginji can team up, while the transport team works together. Partners and partners." Argued the brunette.
"Ah, yes, but see: that doesn't help your argument against Miss Himiko's suggestion that you're in love with our little lightening bolt here." Ban faltered, having nothing to say as a retort, and Akabane smiled pleasantly. "You see? I was being most considerate of those around me, lest they find themselves in a compromising situation."
Ginji nodded, grinning.
"Wow, Akabane, you really are smart."
"Why thank you, Ginji."
Ban grabbed Ginji by the ear, causing the blond to shriek in pain. "Spend less time being impressed and more time worrying about watching your back."
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry, Ban! He just came to the conclusion so quickly-"
"I didn't ask for your excuses!" Grit out Ban, twisting his friend's ear a little harder.
A strong hand snapped out to grip Ban's own wrist, and the brunette lifted his blue gaze to that of Akabane's, who smiled dangerously at him.
"I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from hurting my partner in any way. As his friend, I simply can't allow it."
Ban released Ginji's ear, a vampiric grin crossing his own lips.
"You think you can overpower my strength, buddy? Haven't we been through this before and I kicked your ass?"
The taller man continued to smile. "I haven't the faintest idea of what you mean. I simply meant we should refrain from fighting amongst ourselves; it's no way for friends to behave."
Yanking his hand away, Ban stuffed his fists into his pockets, consenting and moving down the stairs with Himiko on his heels, everyone else already gone. Akabane turned to Ginji with a pleased smile.
"Well now, my dear Ginji, where shall we begin our search?"
"Huh? Oh. Um," He crossed his arms, frowning in thought. "well, since Kazu and Juubei are starting in the basement and working their way up, let's start at the top and work our way down."
"What a splendid idea, Ginji. Then let's begin, shall we?" He asked, holding out a hand as though to usher Ginji towards the loft on the higher floor, in an 'after you' sort of manner.
Ginji reached the bottom of the stairs, frowning at the door above him.
"Uh, I wouldn't feel right going in first, since it's your room and all while we're here. Why don't you go in first?"
Ever smiling, the dark man nodded, moving past the blond and up the stairs.
"Of course, Ginji, but I'm afraid we probably won't find anything in my room."
"But at least we looked, right?"
"Indeed, we did at that." Agreed the onyx haired man, a smile in his very tone.
Ginji stared in amazement as he reached the loft and looked around. It was bigger than he'd expected, nearly the size of the entire second floor, it's vastness only amplified by the fact that it was nearly empty. There was a small fireplace burning on one side of the room, beside it a chest of drawers, and then in the very center of the room was an enormous wooden four poster bed, the sheets and everything as white as the snow outside.
"No wonder you said we wouldn't find anything," Laughed Ginji. "There's nothing in here."
"Well, almost nothing." Stated Akabane, pointing off to the far end of the room. Ginji followed the man's direction, noting the stacks upon stacks of books arranged on the others side of the room. Ginji quirked an eyebrow in interest.
"Books? You don't think one of the books could be the item, do you?"
Akabane raised a challenging brow.
"And laying about in such an unorganized manner? I highly doubt it."
With a sigh, Ginji crossed the loft to the towers of books.
"We might as well go through them to make sure there isn't anything special about them or something hidden in one of them."
Akabane wordlessly followed lead, taking a seat several yards from the blond as he began sorting through the books. Time passed slowing, filled with the soft sounds of turning pages and the crackling fireplace. Ginji looked up when he heard someone humming softly, only to realize the sound was coming from Akabane. The blond watched the other man silently for several minutes, observing the way Akabane casually and comfortably set about his task, occasionally tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear or tapped his fingers against his knee. It was almost like looking at a completely different man...
"What is it?" Questioned Akabane, turning to face Ginji. "You keep staring at me, is something the matter?"
Flushing with embarrassment at having been caught staring, Ginji shook his head.
"No, nothing's the matter, I just..." He shook his head again, looking for the words. "You seem different than usual, somehow."
Akabane tilted his head to one side, a slight frown replacing his usual smile. "Do I?" He smiled pleasantly again. "It must be your influence, Ginji, just as it has been with everyone else around you."
The blond laughed lightly, waving him off.
"You're such a flatterer, Akabane. Quit lying."
Laughing too, Akabane grinned.
"No, I mean it. Sometimes I wonder if your electric powers are merely a physical manifestation of your own magnetic and electrifying personality."
Ginji only laughed out loud again before sobering.
"Hey Akabane, I just thought about it: You know just about all there is to know about my past, but I don't think any of us know anything about you. Tell me about your past."
The dark haired man's smile faded and he turned his attention back to the book in his lap.
"Not much to tell, really. I was an orphan, like many others, and at a very young age was taken in by an institution that made sure I survived to adulthood, and made me into the man you know today." He offered Ginji another smile. "Like I said, not much to tell."
Ginji frowned.
"What kind of institution? Like an orphanage or something?"
Akabane shook his head before holding up his left hand, his signature scalpels appearing between each of his fingers as he smiled.
"The experimenting kind of institution"
A deep frown of confusion twisted Ginji's usually cheerful face as Akabane's scalpels melted back into his skin and disappeared.
What did Akabane mean by that, he wondered?
They had all gathered in the living room to report what they'd all found, Ban standing more to the center, like the ring leader or something.
"Nobody seems to have found anything," Stated Ban, taking out a cigarette, before rolling his head around to look at Ginji and Akabane. "What about you two?"
Shaking his head, Ginji grinned.
"There wasn't anything in any of the rooms, except for Akabane's room which had like a thousand books in it."
Ban frowned, hesitating in lighting his cigarette, his eyes shifted to Akabane.
"Books? What kind of books?"
The dark man smiled pleasantly, appearing almost like a different man with out his usual outfit on and his hair held back.
"Oh you know, the usual kind. History, philosophy, geography, literature, art, religion, and so on and so forth. Nothing that would stand out that's for certain."
His eyes narrowed, Ban continued to gaze at Akabane, as though trying to tell if he was being truthful.
"It's true, Ban." Chimed in Ginji, drawing the brunette's attention. "And a lot of them were in a foreign language or something, because I couldn't read a word of it, not that I understood most of the stuff in our own language anyway."
Snorting, Ban offered his best friend a lopsided grin.
"That's because you can't read anything with more than two syllables to it, Gin."
Nodding cheerfully, Ginji laughed and agreed with the insult.
"Yeah, that's pretty much true, isn't it, Ban?"
Snorting, Himiko shook her head in disbelief.
"Do you always agree with someone even when they insult you?"
The blond scratched the back of his head.
"I dunno. If it's true, then is it really an insult?"
"Well," Added Kazuki softly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't suppose you can expect much more from those who grew up in the Limitless Fortress. It's not as though you're given the chance for a proper education. Those who are fortunate enough to know how to read and write teach those who don't."
Tilting his head to observe the Lightening Emperor, Akabane frowned delicately. "That would explain your less than elegant penmanship."
The barest hint of a smile crossed Juubei's lips.
"I admit to not being able to read or write. I'm blind."
"Hey, hey!" Cried Emishi, waving his hands frantically to get everyone's attention. "Not to change the subject, but since we have like a loaded kitchen full of free food, and I was smart enough to bring like all kinds of crap to do, what do you guys say to a movie night, huh? I got Sakura to download all the different DVDs for me, we could have a marathon!"
Ban frowned in disapproval, but Natsume happily joined in on his excitement.
"Oh! Oh! I'll make popcorn!"
"I suppose I could throw together some party mix..." Offered Himiko as she moved lead the way into the massive kitchen.
Shido waved them off, going upstairs.
"I'll pass, I never was good at just sitting down to watch a movie."
Juubei wordlessly head upstairs, as well, while the others agreed that staying up late to watch movies could be fun. Ginji decided to help prepare the snacks for the movie night, and without having to be asked Jackal smiled and volunteered to help him as well. The blond smiled, having no complaints with the other man's assistance, which was unusual, if not completely uncharacteristic of the blond male. It was strange, but ever since they had arrived, it was though Akabane were, in fact, a completely different person, his bloodlust aura all but gone, leaving a slightly less terrifying man in his wake. Even stranger still, Ginji found himself relaxing more and more around the man he normally feared, part of him wishing to be friends with this new Akabane. Then again, Ginji always had been rather naive and forgiving when it came to people.
"I must admit," Began Akabane, distracting Ginji from his own musings, "I'm not very familiar with this 'movie night' thing..." He his head to the side in puzzlement. "I wished to assist you, but I'm not even sure what to do."
Laughing lightly, Ginji began rummaging through the cabinets, handing things to Akabane as he found them.
"Basically, you just grab the most unhealthy food you can find. Endless movies and junk food. You eat till your stuffed and watch movies until you pass out." He laughed again, looking at Akabane over his shoulder. "Or, at least, that's the way Ban explained it to me when I had my first movie night." Akabane continued to stand there, arms full of snacks that Ginji had handed him, his face void of all expression, but a glimmer of confusion deep in his dark eyes. Ginji continued to explain. "There's something about watching movies and hanging out with a whole bunch of friends that just makes it so much fun; by yourself you just get bored."
A soft smile spread across Akabane's lips.
"If you're involved, Ginji, then anything is guaranteed to be quite entertaining." He chuckled in amusement. "You are, by far, the most amusing person I know, and even more so, the most unpredictable." He smiled. "I like watching to see what you'll do next, perhaps you'll surprise me once more."
Himiko entered the kitchen from the door leading down to the basement, with Natsume right behind her.
"We looked in here and in the basement, but there isn't any microwaveable popcorn, so we'll just have to do things the old fashioned way and have kettle corn." She shrugged, wrapping her arms around her slight frame, "And I figured while I was at it, I'd make some funnel cakes, too."
Ginji's brows shot up in surprise as he stared at the woman with cropped locks.
"Wow, Himiko, you know how to do all that?"
The girl behind her giggled.
"We're girls, Ginji, having a knack for things around the kitchen is more or less just part of our DNA.:
"I believe they have a point," Admitted Akabane in an amused tone. "So how may we be of assistance to you?"
Both males found themselves roughly shoved out the door and into the living room.
"Stay outta the kitchen!" They ordered.
Kazuki look up as they both were shoved out of the kitchen, smiling in amusement.
"Threw you out, did they?" He laughed when Ginji pouted sadly, glancing over his shoulder at the door that wouldn't open to him. "You know very well you have no talent for the kitchen, Mr. Ginji, your electrical powers have a tendency to make things not work as they should when you're either too excited or tired."
Ginji frowned at the toes of his shoes.
"I know, but still... I wanted to help..."
"Ah, relax, Ginji," Stated Ban cheerfully, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders. "I bet you before tomorrow is over those girls will have us running some kind of ridiculous errands like chopping wood or something." He laughed loudly, as Ginji brightened. "Then you'll wish they would tell you to stay out of the way."
"Of course, then again," Laughed Emishi, "It's probably better if Ginji didn't help in something like chopping wood, he never was the most coordinated, you know?"
Ginji's face fell again, and he made a face at the joker of the group, sticking his tongue out at him.
Ban clapped him on the back once before plopping down on the loveseat in the living room.
"Relax Ginji, worse comes to worse, if the circuit breaker dies, you can be the one to jump start the generator, you're the only one who could."
Pride stirring in him over his unique powers, Ginji straightened and grinned, feeling better again.
"Yeah, you're right Ban, I may be no good in the kitchen, but there are things only I can do, isn't there?"
"My, my, how quickly we bounce back from the sting of insult." Cooed Akabane softly; reaching up to ruffled Ginji's hair. "I don't think you should worry about whether you can help out in a woman's kitchen, Ginji, I mean after all, you were the Lightening Emperor and leader of the Volts, and one of the few people able to claim having solely bested me in battle. Surely there are greater things destined for you and your talents than baking cookies."
His smirk made Ginji laugh and nod happily in agreement. Ban chuckled, glancing at Jackal out of the corner of his eye.
"You know, Akabane, you are one punk assed and psycho MFer, but you can be pretty funny, too."
The man in question bowed slightly at the waist, causing stray strands of hair to come loose and fall across his eyes.
"Thank you, Midou, though I must admit, humor was not my objective."
"Hey, um" Began Emishi, glance back and forth between the kitchen and the television in the living room. "Since the girls are going to be in the kitchen for a while, do we have to wait on them to start the movie?"
"That is the considerate thing to do." Pointed out Kazuki, taking a seat on the couch.
"For who?" Demanded Ban, chewing on the end of a cigarette. "We're having to sit and wait on them! Why shouldn't we be able to watch them movie?"
Ginji sat on the floor next the couch, while Akabane seated himself next to Kazuki.
"Well..." Began the auburn haired male, glancing over his violet sunglasses at the kitchen. "They're making the snacks for all of us, it would be kind of rude to just start the movie without them..."
Ban threw a pillow at his face.
"You're the one who brought this up, Laughing Boy! Why are you going to turn around and argue against your own suggestion?"
Emishi threw the pillow back at him.
"I didn't suggest anything, simply asked what we were planning to do."
Ginji giggled from his spot on the floor.
"He just doesn't want to make Natsume mad at him, because he likes her so much."
Lifting a brow in mild surprise and interest, Akabane glanced at the stand up comedian who was blushing bright red before the red head snatched a pillow Kazuki had sitting in his lap, and threw it at Ginji.
"GINJI!!!!!!! SSSsssssssshhhhhh, man!" Hissed Emishi, his face glowing brightly. "Do you want her to hear you?! She'd never talk to me again!" He dropped down into a crouch, holding his head between his hands in miserable agony. "Oh what would I do? I'd never be able to look her in the eye again."
"Would you relax, you damn comedic pain in the ass?" Snapped Ban, rolling his eyes. "With all the flirting you do, I'm pretty sure she knows you like her. But then again..." He shook his head with a small chuckle. "This is Natsume we're talking about here. She can be a little dense."
"But Ban," Frowned Ginji. "You say the same thing about me, so what's that mean?"
"Exactly Ginji." Stated Ban with a curt nod, causing Kazuki to laugh.
"Hey, do you guys want to play cards until the girls get done with the snacks?" Asked Emishi, lifting his head and retrieving a deck of cards from his pocket. "We can play Wham Bam."
"Do we have any candy to use?" Asked Ginji, looking around.
Akabane pointed over his shoulder.
"Have you already forgotten all the snacks we retrieved from the kitchen, Ginji? They're sitting on the bar."
Ginji stood to his feet, as Ban ordered, "Grab some M&Ms or pretzels or something." They all began positioning themselves around the coffee table, except for Akabane who remained seated on the couch. As Ginji came back with a bag of M&Ms, he frowned at the man not participating in the group.
"Aren't you going to play?"
Shaking his head, he smiled.
"No, I think I'll just watch for a while."
Ginji shrugged and turned back around as Emishi began shuffling the cards. Ban's hand reached out to cover the deck of cards.
"No way, Laughing Boy. I don't trust you to shuffle. Get..." He glanced around the table. "Kazuki, let Kazuki shuffle them and pass them out."
Kazuki wordlessly obliged, and they all began to play, Akabane looking on with only the mildest bit of interest.
In all honesty, Akabane felt that he had entered some form of Twilight Zone, it was strange to be living together with such a diverse group of people in an allegiance. Normally when he was with the group, they were working on a job, in which case he was constantly fighting and defeating some faceless opponent. Never had he been in a setting such as this where it was such a relaxed atmosphere. He found himself looking on with far more curiosity and puzzlement than he liked to admit. Granted, he did not envy the carefree attitude they all held towards each other, nor did he wish to become part of the carefree circle of friends, but he was apart of this group, whether or not they liked to admit it. He was apart, if only to observe the Lightening Emperor he found so utterly fascinating.
His fascination was borderline obsession, and he knew it. That didn't mean he necessarily cared, either, he simply acknowledged the fact that his attachment was clinically viewed as unhealthy. Of course, then again, his entire mindset was also unhealthy. What other person could enjoy bloodshed and violence the way he did and be considered sane? He did enjoy it. He thrived on causing pain, tormenting his victims, seeing the raw fear and terror in their eyes when they realized who he was, realized that he was Death itself.
Service with a smile; the Doctor is in.
No, his own sanity was no longer in question. And to tell the truth, he rather liked his obsession with Ginji Amano. For everything there is something to counteract it to restore the balance in the world. For every bad, there is a good, and for every dark shadow, there is a light. If Akabane was the shadow, then Ginji was going to be the light to counteract Akabane's own darkness, whether by choice or by... persuasion.
"Uh, Akabane?" Someone questioned, causing him to blink in surprise, noting the four faces watching him in confusion. Ginji was the one speaking. "Are you okay? You were smiling like you about to torture some small animal or something."
Smiling pleasantly, he tilted his head slightly to one side as he locked eyes with the blond male.
"Why on earth would I torture a small animal, Ginji? Honestly, knowing me as you do, does that really seem like something I would enjoy?"
Ban snorted, looking down at his on hand of cards.
"Yeah, Jackal's more likely just to cut the thing into tiny little pieces and balls of fur." He stated, setting down a card and picking up another one.
Akabane narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the brunette.
"Killing an animal is below me. There's no point in it." He smiled again when Ban glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Besides, why would I want to risk angering the Beast Master?"
Ban barked with laughter.
"As if anybody is threatened by Monkey Boy! That's a good one, Akabane."
Kurodo Akabane only continued to smile.
"Again, humor was not my objective."
The girls finally finished making the snacks, and they started the first movie. Everyone piled on the couch and loveseat while Ginji made himself comfortable on the floor with a pillow to lay on. As the hours wore on and the movies were swapped in and out, one by one each of the friends retired to their rooms, until it was four in the morning and only Ginji and Akabane were left. Having complied with the idea of staying up all night only so that he could further observe the object of his fixation, Akabane glanced at the blond in curiosity, seeing how much longer the boy could possibly stay awake. Akabane was surprised to find the male already fast asleep on the floor, using the crook of his arm as a pillow.
Smiling softly, Akabane stood and turned off the TV, before moving back over to the boy and kneeling to scoop him up into his arms, before gently placing him to the couch. He removed the quilt laid across the back of the couch, unfolding it and laying it over the slumbering boy, before pausing to merely look at him, a warm feeling stirring within his own heart.
When was it that he'd become so attached to the boy? Perhaps it was the first time he'd saved his life, or maybe even before that? Maybe it all began when the blond defeated him, the first ever to do so? How closely were love and obsession related? Was it possible that one could have transformed into the other?
He reached out to tenderly stroke Ginji's cheek with the back of his fingers.
He snorted.
Love? Not bloody likely.
He withdrew his hand and moved to exit the room, stopping when he came face to face with Ban Midou at the foot of the stairs. The brunette observed him with narrowed eyes, taking a cigarette out and placing it between his lips.
"You know, I have to wonder how much truth is behind what Himiko said earlier and if it was you she was referring to."
Akabane smiled and moved past him.
"My dear Get Backer, I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about."
With a dark smile, he disappeared up the stairs and to his room.
TBC
Tenoko: So... what does everyone think so far??
AJ: Quite honestly, it's better than some of the other GB fics. Though there really aren't that many to pick from. Maybe some of the readers could suggest their favorite GB fics.
Tenoko: I'm just happy if they review. I'm not going to make a bunch of special requests from them.