Disclaimer: They do not belong to me

Disclaimer: They do not belong to me. Only the story line is solely mine.

AN: Gomen nasai if anybody seems OOC. This was another difficult chapter to write.

Precious Things

Chapter Eleven

Things were going badly. Even the most skilled of fighters have their limit as to how long they can keep fighting against a never exhausting opponent. No matter how many of the men dressed in white they defeated, more continued to arrive, and they'd been at this battle for hours. Himiko was unconscious. Juubei was tied hand and foot. Shido was sorely outnumbered and nearing defeat. And Emishi had suffered sever injuries and was being tended to and protected by Natsume, but since they were seemingly no longer part of the battle none of the men in white even bothered with them. Exhausted, even Kazuki had collapsed, an invisible net of hair keeping any of the enemy from actually getting to him.

Akabane, Ban, and Ginji were the only ones left standing, and they, too, swaggered on their feet from fatigue. Ban and Akabane were both covered in cuts and lacerations, their clothes ripped, shredded, and bloody, yet they still struggled to maintain on their feet, Akabane sticking protectively to Ginji, who was not nearly in as bad of shape. Ginji was exhausted from battling for so many hours, but his injuries were minimal, scrapes and bruises, nothing like what everyone else was receiving. Why was it that the men attacking seemed to be ignoring Ginji? Did they really think him that little of a threat, even with his powers of electricity? Why were they grouping up on all the other members of Ginji's team, and yet not flocking to attack Ginji as well? It didn't make sense.

Suddenly, they're attackers all stopped. Moving as one, they retreated to the edge of the tree line and then... waited. Ban and Ginji shared a look of confusion, yet Akabane only appeared to grow more tense, inching even closer to Ginji's side, his dark eyes glued on an apparent opening between the soldiers.

"You've all done very well." A voice called out, just as another person stepped out of the woods, covered in white with a trailing muffler wrapped around the lower half of his face. "Especially you, Mr. Amano. I am most impressed with your abilities." He stated, lowering the muffler away from his face, peering at them from behind dark shades. He hooked his chin towards the three men standing ready for a fight. "Incapacitate the other one. I have no need for him."

No one moved, and yet suddenly Ban let out a strangled cry, a hand rising up to his neck even as he fell to his knees. He removed the tranquilizer dart from his neck, staring at it in shock and horror like a friend who had just betrayed him. He collapsed to the snow, eyes barely opened and fixed on Ginji, as though trying to send some silent message he no longer had the energy to say.

Akabane stepped directly between Ginji and the man in front of them, lips pressed together in a thin line as he glared dangerously yet remained silent. Those of their team that were still conscious watched fearfully, but still remained unable to do anything to help, too exhausted or injured to even push themselves to their feet. The man before them smirked as though amused, before taking a step forward.

"Ah, if it isn't my favorite failed experiment. I thought I made it clear you were not to interfere with my doings." He told Akabane crossly.

The dark haired man didn't blink, only glared with inhuman coldness. "And I thought I made it clear you were not to pursue this project, Doctor, but apparently we're both too stubborn to listen."

The doctor frowned, setting his jaw before waving his hand dismissively. "Come now, stand aside. I've wasted entirely too much time and energy already, and we don't even have the subject in custody yet." Akabane blinked, his hand twitching, but he didn't move from where he stood. This seemed to both annoy and impress the doctor. "What strength of will you have, to be able to defy my orders like that. It must take everything in you to do so, does it not? You were programmed to follow my orders without hesitation, and yet here you stand stubbornly refusing to move, all in order to protect some boy."

Ginji stood rooted to the ground, confusion and fear keeping his mouth shut as his eyes darted back and forth between the doctor and Akabane. The blond had absolutely no idea what was going on, but apparently he was the target of these people like Himiko had suggested earlier. The doctor barked with laughter suddenly, the sound echoing strangely in the area, his amusement a disturbing contrast to the direness of the situation. A sadistic grin crept across his face, as he took another step towards Akabane, the darker man not moving and barely even breathing.

"You stand defiantly before me, knowing you can do nothing against me." Drawled the doctor. "You sought me out when I first decided to undergo this project, you told me not to, warned me against it. You arrogantly told me you would not allow me to have the boy for my experiments. You sought me out a second time after your little group arrived here, a group I'm certain you arranged in order to keep your little pet safe. Again you told me to forget about this project, to forget about Ginji Amano and his abilities, warned me that you would not allow me to proceed. If you had the ability to kill me you had the perfect opportunity not once, but twice. And yet... Here. I. Stand." He chuckled in amusement. "You're efforts have been tossed by the wayside, your determination to thwart my attempts undermined. And you stand there knowing there is nothing you can do against me, after all, I spent a great deal of time and effort making sure you could never turn against me after I made you into what you are. I made you." He finished in annoyance, squaring his shoulders and rising up to full height.

Swallowing thickly, Akabane still refused to move, and Ginji noted the way sweat and goose bumps covered the back of Akabane's neck, almost as though he were afraid.

"You did not make me," Argued Jackal. "You took a child and experimented on him until he was nothing more than a warped version of the original." A vampiric sneer crossed his lips. "You made me a weapon. He makes me human."

Even as he appeared blase, Ginji noted the slight tremor in Akabane's voice, the tiniest trembling in his hand. Could it be that Akabane, the infamous Doctor Jackal, was actually afraid of the man that stood before him? But why? The man hardly seemed threatening, so far he had done nothing, his only real threat lying in his seemingly endless supply of soldiers. Yet, Akabane stood there, all color having drained from his face, the muscles in his jaw flexing as he clenched his teeth, and even though he tried to conceal it, his hands shook. He was afraid.

The doctor smirked in amusement, crossing his arms over his chest, shifting his weight to his back foot. "He makes you human?" He echoed, then laughed. "Don't kid yourself. What? Have you developed a soft spot for the boy? Feelings even?" He shrieked with laughter, the sound sending fear through the very heart of Ginji. Sobering he shot Akabane a condescending look, sniffing haughtily. "You can't have feelings for him, the most you could feel is an obsession and never ending need to battle him. You forget, we manipulated your brainwaves so you wouldn't be able to feel anything for your enemies-"

"He is not my enemy." Interjected Akabane, his voice cracking.

"And you are not to allow yourself allies, everyone is merely an enemy in waiting."

"He is not my enemy..." Whispered Akabane again.

The doctor continued speaking, oblivious to anything Akabane was saying. "Obey me. Listen to my every command. Help me in my efforts and turn the boy over to me. There is no need to protect one's enemies-"

"I love him!He is NOT my enemy!" Shouted Akabane suddenly, his whole body shaking, as he glared defiantly at the man before him. "Years of torture make an excellent teacher, but it was not enough to completely make me your pawn. I. Will. Not. Let. You. Have. Him."

The doctor flushed with anger. "Stand aside!" He commanded in a loud voice.

"Death first!" Retorted Akabane, nearly growling as his lips curled back in a snarl, scalpels appearing in one hand and a crimson sword in the other.

"You wouldn't kill me." Stated the doctor, taken aback by Akabane harsh reaction, even seeming a little fearful, he took a step back towards the woods.

A slow smile crept over Akabane's features as he physically relaxed, straightening as his weapons disappeared. He ran a gloved hand through his inky tresses, grinning. "I already have."

The remaining soldiers fell to the ground suddenly, J's carved into each of their backs, causing the doctor to take another step back in alarm.

"When did you...?"

Akabane slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat, shrugging elegantly. "I never said whose death would come before I'd let you take him. He belongs to me." He told him darkly, just as the doctor cried out and collapsed to the snow, red pool of blood staining the white snow around him.

A long moment passed in stunned silence, those of their group who had regained consciousness watching Akabane and Ginji with wide eyes, Ban glaring angrily, even while his eyes were unfocused and he couldn't even push himself up onto his hands and knees.

"You... knew?" He demanded, his words slurred. "...knew they... were after Gin?"

Laughter bubbled forth from Akabane's lips, his shoulders shaking as he began laughing uncontrollably and hysterically, a frightening sound that enveloped the area, and even made Ginji want to back away. Sobering, Akabane's dark eyes flashed once to where Ban still lay immobile on the ground, the corner of his mouth still curled up in an amused smirk. "It's why I hired all of you." He admitted, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped to the ground unconscious.

--

--

Ginji gnawed on his bottom lip worriedly, anxious eyes following Ban's every movement as he paced the length of the living room. Furious. Everyone was accounted for and their enemies had left after the defeat of their leader, but that wasn't enough to pacify Ban. Ginji sat at the foot of the stairs, too tired to stand, yet wanting to be able to block the path should Ban decide to rush up the stairs and throttle Akabane who was still unconscious in his own room.

'You made me a weapon. He makes me human.' Ginji hadn't really had the chance to react to what was being said earlier, but now Akabane's words came back to him, causing warmth to bubble up inside him, an affectionate smile crossing his lips. So Ginji made Akabane human, huh? Ginji hardly thought he had the ability to do something so profound; even he had been surprised by the change that had taken over Akabane since they'd been here. That didn't really have anything to do with Ginji, so much as just being able to be on friendly terms with everybody, right?

'I love him! He is NOT my enemy!' That memory left Ginji giddy, making him blush profusely and fight an inane urge to giggle hysterically. Akabane loved him... God, why was it such a wonderful feeling to know that? Ginji knew why. Ginji knew the moment the words had left Akabane's lips. Ginji was in love with Akabane, as well.

Oh, why was it that only the weirdest things possible only happened in Ginji's life? Two weeks ago, Ginji had been terrified of Akabane. It was no wonder Ban had been so shocked to find out Ginji liked Akabane, Ginji had been shocked too; if someone had told the blond two weeks earlier that he would fall in love with Akabane, he'd have laughed and then had nightmares for weeks on end.

"Alright! Who else knew that these people were after Ginji? Or that that ass Jackal is actually the one who hired us?" Demanded Ban loudly, taking out a cigarette and placing it between his lips only to have Himiko snatch it away, causing him to glare at her.

"You do not need to be smoking with your injuries." She told him flatly. "And I knew. He thought it was best to keep it a secret, lest we all end up arguing over what we each believe to be the best course of action, and then be stretched to our limits when and if something did happen."

"I figured Akabane knew Ginji was the target." Admitted Natsume softly, then shrugged. "I assumed that was why he always made a point to be right next to Ginji."

Ban frowned at her in confusion. "Did he always make a point to stand right next to Ginji?"

She nodded and shrugged again, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. "That or he was always watching him and then checking the area for anything suspicious. Protective like, you know?"

Narrowed eyes traveled suspiciously over everyone in the room. "Did anyone else know?" Demanded Ban through his teeth.

"Makubex knew." Offered Himiko from where she was kneeling next to Emishi to change his bandages while he lay barely conscious on the couch. She offered Ban a sideways glance while continuing her task. "When Akabane found out what the doctor had planned, he went to Makubex to have him run a simulation through his computers and come up with the best possible solution. Then he had Hevn contact all of you, and even himself, for the job. My guess, this is actually his house. I know you're mad, Ban, but I actually agree with Akabane on this, what he did makes the most sense, especially knowing these people like he does."

Kazuki was tenderly tending to Juubei's wounds, his own already neatly bandaged up. "I knew Akabane and Ginji had... feelings for each other, I didn't know to what extent exactly."

Ginji waved a hand in annoyance. "Can we stop talking like I'm not in the room?"

Ban whirled around to him angrily, looming over the blond. "How can you be so nonchalant about this?! You're life was on the line here! And he kept that from us!! And you're worried about the fact that we're talking about you like you're not here?! He lied to you!"

Nodding, Ginji shrugged. "I know he lied. He knows I know he lied. That's what we were arguing about yesterday and this morning, but I trust Akabane, and I trust all of you, and obviously he trusts all of you as well or he wouldn't have hired all of you for the job."

"Didn't think of it like that, did you, Snake-for-Brains?" Quipped Shido.

Growling angrily, Ban whirled around and stalked off, furiously scratching the back of his head in aggravation, before continuing to pace the length of the room. Sighing, Ginji pushed himself to his feet, looking at Himiko pointedly.

"I'll be upstairs with Akabane making sure he's okay and waiting for when he regains consciousness. Keep Ban out, but come check on us in a few hours, I may just end up falling asleep myself." He stated before turning and climbing the stairs.

He didn't wait to see if anyone tried to stop him, not that they could have. He marched straight up the stairs to tend to his lover.

--

--

Akabane awoke in an instant, yet waited to open his eyes. Mentally he recalled what he remembered and where he should be, struggling to pull the facts together. He was lying down, in a bed given the softness of the material beneath him. Hadn't they been in a battle? Yes, he was certain they had. How had he gone from the battle to being in a bed? Or had the battle been a dream? No, it had been too real.

Dark eyes sliding open, Akabane stared blankly at the ceiling above him. No fluorescent lights, no scent of alcohol and antiseptic, no bags of fluids hanging above his head, no beeping machines... Something beside him moved, the rustling of fabrics and then Ginji's worried face appeared above him, brows knitting together in concern.

"Akabane? Can you hear me?"

The darker man relaxed, not even realizing just how tensed up he'd been, nearly sighing with relief when he saw the other male.

"Ginji... You're here, you're okay..." He breathed, an elegant hand reaching up to cup the blond's jaw, assuring himself that it wasn't just an illusion. To his delight, Ginji closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

"I was so worried." Whispered Ginji before slowly opening his eyes. "You just collapsed and then you wouldn't wake up. It's been over two hours."

The dark man frowned, trying to recollect what the blond was talking about. He'd collapsed? Oh yes. He vaguely remembered the feeling of the last of his consciousness leaving him.

Oh God.

He'd killed the doctor.

Sitting up sharply, he lifted a shaking hand to his face, feeling his blood turn to ice in his veins. No, no, no, no... Attacking the Doctor was bad. Very, very bad. Attacking the doctor, not obeying, even just hesitating to obey meant hours of beatings and torture.

Ginji softly kissed his temple, murmuring against his skin. "You're okay... He's gone. It's over."

Akabane nearly cringed in self-disgust. Had he become so pathetic and weak it was obvious even to Ginji? Nothing against the blond, but he wasn't always the most observant, and Akabane had always made a point of wearing an impenetrable mask no one could see past, how was it he had revealed himself now? How did he explain what he felt, this uncontrollable... fear? Jackal feared no one and nothing, and he really didn't even fear the Doctor, but still the feeling of fear took over whenever those memories were awakened or touched. The memories just took over, and then the fear followed... It wasn't though he as he was now was afraid, but more like he was suddenly Akabane as he was then, and those memories, terror, and fear were something he never seemed completely able to rid himself of.

Ginji continued pressing butterfly kisses to Akabane's temple and jaw, murmuring softly, reassuringly. Sighing in defeat, Akabane turned his head so that their mouths brushed against each other before pulling back to smile at the blond.

"I'm okay, Ginji. Quit looking at me like that." He stated, slightly annoyed, gently brushing the blond away. He hated the concern and pity he saw in those brown depths.

Ginji shook his head, an affectionate smile playing over his lips.

"I was just thinking." He stated, sitting back on the bed.

Akabane tilted his head to the side, watching the blond Get Backer. "About what?"

"About how there's still so much about you I don't know, so much I want to learn. And about what you said earlier."

Akabane frowned lightly, trying to recall what Ginji was referencing, then shook his head lightly. "No offense, Ginji dear, but today is not something want to remember."

The blond laughed lightly. "That's fine for me, but you still have some explaining to do when we go back downstairs. Ban is very, very mad at you."

Snorting, Akabane smirked in amusement, peering at Ginji out of the corner of his eye. "You think I care what Midou thinks? Let him be angry." He paused, eyes traveling over Ginji carefully. The blond had his own set of bandages, dark circles still under his eyes from the night before, only darkened by the events of the days. Akabane pressed a kiss to the blond's temple then lay back in the bed, looking pointedly at Ginji. "Lie down, get some sleep, let Ban be angry later."

Smiling, Ginji did as told, laying down snuggling into Akabane's side, his head against the dark man's shoulder, an arm across his waist.

"Good night, Akabane."

The dark man smiled lightly, his lids drooping sleepily. "Good night, my love."

TBC