Disclaimer: me no ownie.
AN:This chapter goes into the past of Akabane and Natsume, and if it's inaccurate to whatever is in the manga, I apologize, but I have not read the manga. So please disregard any discrepancies.
AN2: And this starts focusing more on all the different relationships, so everybody gets some love and fans get their service, okay? Love you!
Precious Things
Chapter Eight
The four of them sat lounging around in a lazy circle in Akabane's room, the snacks set up in the relative center of the circle. Natsume and Ginji shared the futon Akabane had used only days earlier during his sickness, Ginji sitting closest to Akabane while Natsume sat across from the dark man and next to Himiko. Sitting back on her hands, Himiko tilted her head to the side to observe her partner in the transport service.
"Hey Akabane..."
He looked up from behind his bangs, his wild hair falling around his shoulders and across his brow.
"Hm?"
"I'm curious. How did you come to have your particular... abilities? I learned mine, Ginji was born with his, Ban and the others learned theirs, but I don't think the ability to materialize scalpels and swords from your body is something you learn or are born with."
Relaxing on his side, Ginji pushed himself onto his elbow, shifting his warm colored gaze to the man seated beside him.
"I asked you that after we first got here, well, I asked about your past. You said you were taken in by an institution, the experimenting kind of institution." The blond shook his head. "You never did explain exactly what you meant by that."
Pursing his lips the dark man tapped his thumb against his knee, thinking for a moment.
"I... know I wasn't always at the institution. I have vague memories, still-shots as it were of a life before that, but I was still very, very young when they did take me in, and why, I know not." He didn't look at any of them while he spoke, his eyes fixed on the pile of snacks they surrounded, but his gaze was miles away. "And I wasn't always in the same place, or looked after by the same people, though they all seemed to work for a mutual cause. At several points I was at the Limitless Fortress, on the higher floors, isolated from the inhabitants that lived in the levels below. I was almost always isolated..." His brows drew together as the memories seemed to come back to him. "I remember the surgeries, the testing, the machines they would hook up to me, the noise, the smell..." He shook his head. "I was just a child when it first started, a toddler. They would strap me down, I.V's attached to the backs of my hands and the inside of my elbows, countless other wires and machines monitoring me... There was a helmet, and I couldn't see, it must have been a brainwave manipulator. I always felt like I was loosing my mind after they would put it on me. I was forced to feel all these... things, see things I couldn't see with my eyes but in my mind." His brows knit together, eyes shifting rapidly, pupils constricting. "Surgery, testing, training, endurance training, punishments, cruel games... As I got older, I 'met' others like myself, we were put into a solid white, domed arena and made to fight. If we didn't fight, they left us in there with no food and no water until survival instincts kicked in and we attacked each other like ravenous dogs, it was always a fight to the death, only the survivor was allowed to leave the arena. The reward for victory was scraps and a few hours sleep before they began making you run through tests again."
He raked his hands through his dark hair. "They pushed you to be faster, stronger, smarter, crueler... You weren't allowed to stop until you passed out from sheer exhaustion and pain, they did only just enough to keep you alive, minimal sleep, minimal food, minimal water. They put me in a vast white room once, and when I saw another boy standing there, I immediately attacked. He was so bony and frail looking, burn marks and scars all over, vacant eyes. It was a wonder he'd survived for so long, he couldn't have been more than twelve; he looked half dead already. When I attacked, he shattered and fell to the floor in countless glass pieces. I'd been looking into a mirror and hadn't even recognized my own reflection. There are whole days and weeks I can't remember, it was beyond anything the imagination could conjure, beyond what the mind could withstand."
He paused again, looking perplexed. "And then one day... they stopped coming." His brow drew together in confusion. "Hours went by, then days, and no one came to get me from my cage for testing or experiments. On the brink of starvation I broke out of my confines and wandered through the labs. There was no one. The drawers were emptied out, the computers gone, the laboratories emptied... there was no sign anyone had even been there. Was I abandoned or was I saved?" He suddenly seemed to remember where he was and who he was with, violently yanked back into the here and now. Feigning blase' and unconcerned by the memories he'd just revealed, Akabane shrugged and ran a hand through his inky tresses, offering the three a lazy grin. "I wandered down to the lower floors and never looked back." He cocked his head to the side to observe Himiko. "Tell me, when 'hanging out', does it normally involve such dreary conversation?" All three of them shook their heads in unison, causing Jackal to laugh. "Then let's change the subject, shall we? Natsume, dear, what's your life like? Surly a high school girl has better things to do than hang around with the likes of Ban and Ginji." He told her, casting a playful wink to the blond in question.
Ginji laughed happily, as Himiko hugged her knees to her chest, her head turned towards the girl by her side.
"Yeah, Natsume. We know as little about you as we did about Jackal."
The teenage girl laughed and scratched the back of her head, popping another chip into her mouth.
"Nothing much to tell really. My mother died a few years ago, and my siblings and I were spilt up among our relatives. I live with my aunt who is actually only a few years older than I am, so we're a lot like sisters. When I say my siblings and I were split up, it's not as bad as it sounds. My younger brother and sister are twins and they live with our father and his second wife, we're half siblings. So when my parents divorced when I was a little girl, I stayed with my mother, he got remarried and the twins were born, my mother fell sick a few years later, and passed away my first year of high school. I work at the Honky-Tonk in order to pay Ban and Ginji their recovery fee for doing a job for me, which is how we first met."
Ginji seemed surprised by what she said.
"So you just go to school, and then to work? You don't have anytime just to yourself?"
She shook her head. "The chief gives me the weekends off. I make sure to get my work done during school so I can have that time to myself to do whatever."
"Do you date a lot?" Teased Himiko, a sly grin stretching across her features.
Blushing, Natsume shook her head rapidly, tossing her ponytail back and forth.
"Nuh uh. I've been on one date, but that didn't really count, it was a disaster I did as a favor to a friend." She groaned and rolled her eyes at the memory. "It was a nightmare, ugh. He really creeped me out."
"Then perhaps I should take you on a proper date one day, my dear friend?" Offered Akabane, a pleasant smile on his face. "We can do whatever you'd like, yes we can."
Grinning broadly, Natsume beamed with excitement.
"Really? That would be so much fun! We can do it after we get back to town, there's suppose to be a Japanese festival. I even bought a spring kimono already."
Dr. Jackal nodded. "Well then, it's a date. But you'd best not let Emishi know, lest he steal you away." He smirked playfully. "I would be so disappointed I might never recover."
Natsume flushed with embarrassment as the others chuckled, and she brought one hand up to cover her flaming cheeks.
"D-don't be silly. Emishi wouldn't care if I was at the festival with you."
The blond male nudged her playfully in the side. "You could always dump Akabane and ask out Emishi, Natsume."
"Ginji!!" She shrieked, slapping his arm, only causing everyone to laugh.
Himiko shook her head.
"I honestly don't understand what you see in the guy, Natsume. He's a complete goofball."
An affectionate smile crossed the teenager's lips and she softly shook her head. "He's not always like that. When we're together he's really very sweet and nice, and when we were attacked earlier he immediately was in front of me to protect me. He makes me laugh, he tries to keep me from worrying, he looks out for me..." She sighed happily. "I think he's great."
"Why don't you tell him?" Questioned Akabane, causing the brunette to look up in surprise.
"I can't tell him! Are you kidding?" She lowered her head to her arms, which were folded across her drawn up knees. "He'd only laugh at me."
"Well, then I suppose he'll just have to tell you." Stated Himiko matter-of-factly.
The teenage girl snorted. "Like that will ever happen. He probably just thinks I'm some helpless little kid who tags around with him too much. I bet he thinks of me like a sister." She spat the last word contemptuously, a deep frown adorning her usually smiling face.
"I bet Miss Hevn could make him see you as a woman..." Suggested Himiko, the corner of her mouth wobbling in an attempt not to smile.
Again the teenage girl snorted. "No thanks, Hevn would probably have me dancing on a pole in high heels by the time she was through with me."
All four of them roared with laughter, cut off suddenly when the door to the bedroom was thrown open to reveal a very disgruntled Emishi being barely restrained by a struggling Shido and Juubei.
"Never!" He cried out indignantly. "Never will I allow that woman to corrupt your innocence, Natsume!"
"Idiot." Hissed Shido, still trying to pull the man out of the room. "I told you not to go in there."
Juubei snorted. "It's kind of a dead give away you were listening at the door."
The auburn haired joker-turned-bleached blond went still as death, all the color draining from his face as he realized the gravity of his mistake. As quickly as he'd entered, he turned and shoved Shido and Juubei from the room, quickly following suit, with a quick 'We were never here!' over his shoulder as he shut the door.
Three sets of eyes turned to face the pony tailed teen that sat rooted to the floor, her eyes wide in horror and a furious blush across her cheeks.
"...I believe going after him would be the best course of action." Offered Akabane gently, and Himiko nodded in agreement.
"Better now than later, it'll only be more awkward." Natsume didn't budge. Rising to her feet, Himiko took the girl by the hands and pulled her up. "C'mon. I'll go with you to have a chat with the other two, okay?"
The blushing teen left reluctantly, Himiko pulling on her hand, leaving Ginji and Akabane alone in the dark man's room. The blond turned to him curiously, and Akabane merely smiled pleasantly, yet seeming quite pleased with himself.
"You knew they were listening in, didn't you?"
Dr. Jackal appeared innocent for a moment before a dark laugh escaped him and he shrugged lightly.
"I knew someone was by the door, I didn't know who. Though I don't know Emishi very well, I think he's fairly easy to predict, and I took a chance in guessing it was probably him at the door. This will certainly get the ball rolling, don't you agree, my friend?"
Chuckling, Ginji tried to give Akabane a disapproving look, his frown wobbling at the corners as he tried to keep from smiling.
"As helpful as your intentions were intended, that really was very inconsiderate to Natsume."
Head tilted to the side, Akabane asked, "Do you really believe so?"
"You backed them both into a corner, Akabane..."
Shaking his head, Jackal reached up one hand to brush his dark bangs away from his face with long, slender fingers.
"Not as much as you'd think. Emishi did that really, when he came bounding in the room, revealing that he was listening in." He shrugged. "Had he not done that, he would have know how Natsume felt, or at least that she does, in fact, like him, and then he probably could have mustered up the courage to tell her how he felt, without her ever knowing he was listening in on her conversation. It was merely a confidence booster, or attempt at one." He smiled fondly. "Natsume's a sweet girl."
Ginji blinked in surprise then smiled affectionately.
"You're really very kind, Akabane."
The other man blinked in surprise then. "Kind?" He smiled dangerously, his eyes narrowing. "You know me better than that, don't you, Ginji dear? Yes, you do... I would think you of all people would know my true nature."
Ginji pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, leaning a bit closer to Akabane, frowning delicately.
"That's just it, Akabane." He stated, shaking his head lightly. "I don't think even you know your true nature, and I realize I'm only just beginning to see it. You can be malicious and cruel, but I suppose given your past, that's to be expected, but you can also be very kind. I mean, just look at the time we've been here at the cabin, how well you've gotten along with everyone, better than you ever have in the past." Akabane didn't say anything, his dark gaze focused solely on Ginji's face and his mouth as the blond formed the words as he spoke. "I think you're learning us and yourself, just as we're all learning you. It's okay to be kind. You can be kind, and still be a strong warrior, compassion for others is not a weakness, if that's what you're worried about." Ginji frowned as Akabane still said nothing, his dark blue eyes almost black, never wavering from Ginji's face. The blond inched closer, tilting his head. "Are you listening to me?"
Nodding subtly, the barest hint of a smirk crossed Akabane's lips as his gaze shifted from the blond's mouth to his eyes.
"Yes, I'm just suddenly very distracted. Tell me, Ginji-kun, whose idea was it to hang out with me this afternoon."
"Mine."
"Whose idea was it to wait at the foot of the stairs for me to get out of the shower?"
Akabane didn't miss the sudden blush to color the blond's cheeks, the same blush that he'd had when Akabane had first stepped out of the bathroom, dressed only in a pair of pants. Ginji swallowed thickly, his gaze dropping to Akabane's mouth then quickly back to his focused gaze.
"Mine."
The blond suddenly sat back, his legs folded beneath him and hands in his lap a he averted his gaze to the side, his bottom lip between his teeth. Akabane watched him curiously, his head tilted to the side. Ginji's blush deepened and spread, the tips of his ears even turning red, causing Akabane to smirk in amusement. The boy was just so cute.
"Is something the matter, Ginji-kun?" Questioned the dark man softly, "You suddenly seem troubled."
The blond shook his head miserably.
"I just don't know. He said to either react or confront, but I honestly don't see how that's going to help me." The blond frowned in confusion, his brows drawn together. "And how am I suppose to react or confront?" He snorted. "'Don't think, just react', he told me. Easier said than done."
"Friend, I'm afraid you've lost me on this." Stated Akabane confused, a brow arched slightly. "What are we discussing?"
The blond shook his head, apparently growing increasingly agitated. "I dunno. You. Me. Us. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow."
Akabane offered a slight nod. "Okay. What about you and I?"
Again, Ginji shook his head. "I don't know."
Chuckling despite himself, Akabane shook his head. Never had he seen Ginji like this, it was actually amusing.
"Just spit it out, Ginji dear. What's bothering you?"
Ginji immediately looked up, as though suddenly resolved.
"This." He stated, suddenly leaning forward on his hands and knees again to close the space between them, pressing his mouth against Akabane's, one hand coming up to cup the side of Akabane jaw as he kissed him.
--
--
Natsume cast one last desperate look over her shoulder at the dark haired woman standing on the porch. Himiko merely nodded in encouragement, but honestly, Natsume had absolutely no idea what the other woman was thinking.
After Emishi was found out as an eavesdropper, they followed him out of the room, Himiko promptly shoving both Emishi and Natsume out the front door, pointing out over by the lake.
'Both of you go for a walk around the lake. And I want you to keep walking around it until everything is resolved between you, understand? Oh, and Emishi? You owe her an apology, don't forget to give it to her.'
So here they were. Laden down with awkward silence, shuffling through the snow covered trail around the lake. Natsume could feel her cheeks burning even while the frigid air whipped through her, causing her to tug her coat tighter around her body, averting her gaze so as not to look at the man walking beside her.
God, this was so humiliating!
The teenage girl snorted. Thanks a lot, Himiko, some friend you are. Whatever happened to girls sticking together?
Was Emishi feeling as awkward and embarrassed as she was? It so wouldn't be fair if he wasn't. She chanced a glance at him; he kept his focus on the path beneath his feet, his expression solemn.
That wasn't much relief. Sure, he wasn't acting as though everything was normal, but for all she knew he was simply bored. Here she was going completely insane with panic, and he takes that time to finally wipe his usual goofy grin off his face. What was she supposed to say anyway?
'Yeah, I'm sorry you overheard me gushing about how I think you're absolutely great and gorgeous, and the fact that when you're around no one else matters. We're still friends, right?'
Um, yeah, somehow she couldn't see that coming across very well. Bad situation would then become worse situation. You know, let's just find a rock to crawl under right now, because there was no way this could possibly be resolved happily. That's it. Life, you're over, been nice knowing ya.
With a growl of frustration, she turned around and began storming back to the house.
"I'm going home." She spat, feeling tears beginning to build up behind her eyes, then welling up and threatening to spill over. She hastily swiped at her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand, hating herself anew.
"Natsume, wait!" Cried Emishi, apparently following after her.
She quickened her pace. First thing she was going to do was throttle Himiko for trying to force them to 'make-up' as it were. Then she'd probably sob like a baby on the older girl's shoulder, and never be able to look Emishi directly in the eye ever again.
"Wait, Natsume!" Called Emishi again, she could hear him jogging after her, the snow crunching beneath his shoes. She began to run. God, when had they gotten so far away from the house? Had they really been walking that long in silence? Track team never had to run in the snow.
He caught her just as she reached the side of the house, one hand grabbing her by the wrist. She tried to wretch herself free, trying to pull out of his grip.
"Let go!" She begged, silently ordering herself not to start crying in front of him.
"No!" He snapped, yanking hard on her arm, forcing her to turn around and face him. "Don't run away from me..." He told her softly, one hand still holding her wrist so that she wouldn't bolt away again.
Natsume kept her gaze focused on the patch of snow off to her left, blinking rapidly in an effort not to cry. Why this? What did she do to deserve this?
They were both breathing heavily, puffs of white escaping them with each breath.
"I'm sorry." He told her miserably, his head bowed. She looked at him in surprise, then quickly looked away again. "I shouldn't have been listening at the door. I was wrong."
She stubbornly refused to look at him, instead tried tugging her hand free from his grip again.
"Can I go now?"
"Natsume..." He stated, sounding almost pleading.
She turned angrily around, glaring while tears spilling over onto her cheeks.
"Oh, should I apologize too, then? Is that what you want? Well, then, yeah, I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry you were listening at the door. I'm sorry you had to hear that. I'm sorry I even came on this stupid trip!" She began tugging desperately to be freed. "Now. Will. You. Please. Let Me. Go?!"
He embraced her instead, his face buried in her hair as he held her as though she were his last lifeline. She froze, barely even breathing as her heart began slamming against her rib cage.
"No." He whispered. "No, I won't let you go." He squeezed her a little tighter. "I was happy to hear you felt that way about me, Natsume." He raised his head so he could look at her, hand cupping her jaw as his thumb wiped away one of her tears. He shook his head lightly. "I've been crazy for you since the first day we met, I just never knew how to say it..."
--
--
Akabane eased his way beside Himiko as she stood in the kitchen staring out the window. She seemed lost in thought, holding her cup of steaming cocoa and staring off into space.
"Might I inquire as to how things between Natsume and Emishi went?" He questioned.
She motioned out the window. "Fine. They went to take a walk around the lake, she came running back with him chasing after her, then they had a moment over on the side of the house. After that, went back to take a walk hand-in-hand around the lake and now they and Kazuki are trying to teach Juubei how to ice skate." She frowned lightly in disappointment. "He hasn't kissed her yet, though."
He leaned over so as to see what she saw.
"Is it really safe to put a blind man in ice skates?"
She shrugged and turned away, hopping up onto the counter to sit. "Your guess is as good as mine, but with someone holding onto him and being his guide the whole time I think he's safe." She cast him a sideways glance. "You're looking very pleased with yourself. Did things between you and Ginji go well after we left?"
He couldn't hide the smirk that crossed his lips at her question, instead focused his attention to the four people struggling out on the frozen surface of the lake.
"I believe we're making progress, yes. But tell me, Himiko, how are things between you and Midou?"
She flushed a deep scarlet, looking up in surprise before looking away. "W-what do you m-mean, Dr. Jackal? Ban and I are barely friends and closer to being enemies-"
"So the fact that he was kissing you out on the front porch last night had nothing to do with anything, I'm sure." He remarked with cunning offhandedness.
"How do you know about that?!" She hissed, looking around frantically to see if anyone else was in earshot.
"Why, my dear Lady Poison, surely you didn't think someone in this house full of people wouldn't find out about it, did you?"
A moment of panic crossed her features.
"He didn't tell you, did he?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
If he said 'yes', Ban Midou would die within the next ten minutes, an interesting sight to be sure, but...
"No, he didn't. Your feelings mean too much to him for him to so foolishly go broadcasting such events. You should know him better than that I would think, Himiko."
She snorted and averted her gaze.
"Yes, and he also killed my brother with his own hands, so I'm never quite sure what to expect."
Akabane 'tsked' lightly, shaking his head in disapproval. "Is it really fair to continue using that against him? Knowing both of them as you did, do you not think that there are details behind that day that you are not aware of? Something that might have happened between those two? Surely you do not believe yourself to be all knowing, do you, my dear Lady Poison?"
She sighed miserably, setting her drink to the side.
"Ban has gone to say something about it, then stopped himself, like it's something I'm not supposed to know. I've even questioned him about it, and he refuses to say anything. He apologizes because he won't say anything, but all the while he keeps silent about it." She shook her head. "Is he someone I should hate, or is it okay to continue to feel this way, even after everything we've been through?"
Leaning back against the counter beside her, Akabane shrugged lightly, running a hand through his silky tresses.
"I don't think you should force yourself to feel one way or the other. If you feel something towards him, then go with it, but know that it isn't the only thing you have to feel."
Shido casually strode into the kitchen then, stopping when he saw the two of them talking.
"Hey."
"Hey." Replied Himiko. "Did you just get off the phone with Madoka? How is she?"
The beast Master's cheeks took on the slightest shade of pink as he moved to the refrigerator and removed a bottle of water before shutting it again. "How did you know I called Madoka?"
The young girl smirked in amusement. "Because despite your best efforts, you're as transparent as glass when it comes to her." She paused and frowned. "Well, to everyone but Madoka. No pun intended."
Glaring, Shido fixed his mouth in a thin line.
"What do you mean?"
Leaning towards his partner, Akabane whispered "I think he believes you're poking fun at her blindness."
"Wha- no, no, no, no! No." She stated frantically, waving her hands in a desperate attempt to clarify her statement. "It's just the people in the relationship always have a hard time seeing it as those uninvolved do. You're too close to the picture, where as I am able to see it from a distance, see? I can see both your feelings towards her and hers toward you, understand?"
He hardly seemed appeased.
"Oh?" He challenged. "And what do you see when you look at me?"
Not understanding his question, Himiko shook her head.
"The same thing as everyone else: You're in love with Madoka. What did you think I saw?"
Akabane was pleased to see the blush deepen on the beast master, who looked away in embarrassment.
"You call her at the exact same time everyday." Pointed out Akabane, causing the other man to whirl around defensively.
"Is everyone paying attention to when I use the phone?!" He demanded in an angry tone. "Yes, I call Madoka everyday. I'm worried about her. It's just... weird, to be this far away from her for so long. I keep worrying 'what if something happens while I'm gone', I mean, she only has that old butler with her."
"You left some of your animals to look after her, didn't you?" Questioned Himiko, trying to help his anxieties.
Jackal shook his head. "That's not the same as him actually being there himself, where he can see her with his own eyes, reach out and touch her."
"Well, then he should have invited her to come along." Argued the female beside him.
Again, the dark haired man shook his head. "No, he wouldn't have done that because he didn't know how dangerous the job might get, and she wouldn't have accepted because she didn't want to be a burden. From what I can tell, she's a very considerate person."
"You've never actually met Miss Madoka, have you?" Asked Himiko, and again Akabane shook his head lightly.
"Never had the pleasure, though Ginji and Natsume speak quite fondly of her."
"So why don't you just tell her, Shido?" Demanded Himiko, suddenly redirecting the conversation back to the brunette man.
He blinked in confusion, brows drawing together as he tried to follow the conversation.
"Tell her what? That she could have come with us?"
The female chemist rolled her eyes.
"No. That you're in love with her." She raised a challenging brow. "Have you even kissed her yet?" Shido flushed a deep scarlet.
"My guess," Stated Akabane conversationally, "that would be a 'no'."
"Yeah, and I say you're half wrong." Stated Ban sauntering into the kitchen. He gave Shido a once over before offering a cocky smirk to the other two people in the kitchen. "My guess: He went to kiss her, then chickened out right before hand."
Shido managed to turn an even darker shade of red, glaring angrily at the man he forever held in contempt. Himiko nodded in agreement.
"Yeah with that reaction, he definitely backed out, tried, but backed out."
Shido growled angrily, turning and preparing to storm out of the room. "I don't have to listen to this!"
"You forget we can follow after you wherever you go." Ban reminded him coolly, gaze sliding over to the other man. "Might as well grit and bear it now."
Setting his jaw, Shido did a 180, standing there bracing himself for the worst. "Get it over with then."
Himiko waved him off. "Relax, Beast Master, that was pretty much it. Go back upstairs and call Madoka again. Tell her you miss her, and you'll be home soon, and then when you get home... take the girl out on a date." She shook her head lightly. "You don't have to rush it all in one step, but start showing her how you feel in little ways. Now go upstairs and call her, or I will."
The brunette man didn't budge, and Ban shook his head seriously.
"She's not kidding man, she will call her, and you don't want to know what she'll say."
Defeated, he offered the barest hint of a nod to Himiko before turning and leaving, followed by the sound of him climbing the stairs. Both Akabane and Himiko turned to Ban curiously then, Akabane lifting a well-sculpted brow in question.
"Well, Midou?"
The brunette man nodded, getting to the reason he'd come in there to begin with. "So, Paul said that the chemicals that guy took were the same that have been purchased off the black market and stolen from pharmaceutical companies by another pharmaceutical company that supposedly went out of business fifteen years ago. Some tailored account hidden beneath piles of useless paperwork and rerouted a million different ways is continually active, but the transactions are run out of so many different fake aliases, it's completely impossible to really trace who's doing what, receiving what, and why." He shook his head. "They're really into some illegal shit, probably experimentation that is beyond the point of immoral and unethical, which only confuses me more as to why they might be after something on this property. We've looked this place over with a fine-tooth comb and there ain't jack squat worth stealing."
Lady Poison shrugged. "You said it yourself, Ban. What's being stolen might only have value to the person who wants it. Unless, the client tells us exactly what the culprits are after, we might never know until they actually make a grab for it."
"Maybe one of the books upstairs is actually encoded." Offered Akabane with a shrug. "It appears normal, except to those who know the code and then it's simply a fountain of knowledge that has completely different meaning."
"Then we burn the books, easy as that." State Ban matter-of-factly.
The dark man raised a brow in disbelief.
"You can't be serious, my dear friend. Are you prepared to explain to the client why you've destroyed all his books without sound reason? And what if it isn't a book? What then?"
"You're the one who said it was a book!" Snapped the Get Backer, causing Jackal to sigh heavily.
"I merely offered you an idea out of many possibilities. Was it not you who was angry with me only earlier today because I wasn't sharing me thoughts?"
"Has Hevn learned anything more from the client?" Interrupted Himiko, causing Ban to roll his eyes in irritation.
"No." He growled. "'I'm sorry Ban,'" He mimicked. "'The client insists you'll understand the moment anything is to happen.' Shit lot of help that is." He snapped in irritation.
"Well, if it's an institution that you believe is involved in illegal experiments, then what they're after must be vital to that extent, don't you agree?" Asked Akabane with a pleasant smile.
"Something they need in an experiment they're doing." Echoed Ban, before appearing incredulous. "And you think what they need is here?"
Akabane pushed away from the counter, heading towards the back door. "Again, I merely offered you an idea out of many possibilities, Midou. It's up to you to decide which is the correct one."
When the male transporter left, Ban turned to Himiko expectantly. "Why do I even talk to him? On second thought: Why is he even here?!"
The dark haired female offered him a careless shrug, before turning to look back out the window.
TBC