Traffic and Truth
The district of Shinjuku was flooded with thousand of commuters making their way back home after work. At 5PM, the streets would be as busy as rush hour, and in the main road which led to the Honky Tonk café, a small, white Volks beetle stood in the heavy traffic after a minor accident had completely stopped the flow of cars. Inside, a super-deformed chibi Ginji and an irritated-looking snake chibi Ban were waiting restlessly in the cramped vehicle.
"Ah Ban-Chan! Don't you think we should help the poor man in front?" Ginji asked as he used his dancing fans to cool himself down.
"Bakayo! The guy's 80 year old mother can drive even better than him!" Ban muttered as he punched Ginji's head.
"Itayo!!!!! Ban-chan!" Ginji said as he rubbed his head in pain, his features returning to normal.
"Because we won't get paid!" Ban said as his head enlarged three times its size while screaming at his friend.
Ginji turned back into his chibi form with tears streaming down his pudgy, butt-shaped face. "Gomen-ne Ban Chan! I just thought that we might reach Natsumi-san earlier if we stopped this traffic."
Ban clapped a hand to his forehead and shook his head. Sometimes, he wondered if the stupid, overtly deformed stuff toy beside him was once actually the much-feared Thunder Emperor Raitei of Infinity City. Ginji Amano sometimes just acted too stupid and childish to be considered as a ruthless killing machine. Ban continued tapping his fingers on the steering wheel when he heard some knocking on the window.
"Kore wa?" Ban said as he turned to face the window. It was Himiko, one of the last children whom Ban had sworn his life to protect.
"Ban. Do you need a ride?" she offered as Ban lowered the car window.
Taking a smoke from his pocket and lighting it, he said, "Sure. Can you drop us at the Honky Tonk?"
Himiko looked at the car and asked, "But what about the car?"
Ban looked at Ginji and said, "Ginji can drive it to the café."
Ginji turned super deformed chibi and said, "Nani?! Ban, you're going to leave me alone??? But I don't even know how to drive!!!!"
Ban stepped out of the car and pulled Ginji over to the driver's seat. "Yes you can. Use your thunder power to operate the vehicle." And he adjusted his glasses as he took the seat behind Himiko, clutching her waist with his arms at the process.
"But! But..." he said as his mouth bobbed up and down.
"Yes Ginji, I know. Your face looks like a butt," Ban said as he put on Himiko's spare helmet.
"I can help drive this car to the Honky Tonk, you know," said a creepy voice behind Ginji. It was Akabane Kurudo, known more popularly to those who know him as Dr. Jackal. He opened the door to the car and sat right beside Ginji...only inches away from the Thunder Emperor.
Ginji's chibi form welled up tears and began begging Ban to let him come with him. "Ban-chan! Please let me come with you! I don't like Akabane- san. He's so weird and cruel that I might die if I stay in the same car with him."
Akabane pulled Ginji's collar and put him on the passenger's seat. "Oh nonsense Ginji-kun. Stop being so heartless. It just makes you more interesting..." he said coolly as he tipped his hat lower to make his face look sallower and darker. Ginji began shaking.
"Why do you want to torment me so much?" Ginji asked as he cried.
Akabane pulled a knife out of his body and began tracing his finger over the blade, emphasizing his actions by doing it directly in front of Ginji. "I don't torment you. I just find you so...interesting Ginji-kun," he chuckled as he showed the knife to Ginji. "It looks sharp doesn't it?"
"Y-y-y-yes A-a-a-a-akabane-san! Please keep that away from me," he said as he attempted to unlock the car. It was stuck, however, as only Akabane's side was able to be opened.
"You know what I can do with this knife Ginji-kun?" he asked as he passed the back of the blade softly over Ginji's arm. Upon contact, Ginji fainted and Akabane chuckled. He inserted the knife into the keyhole and started the car, driving toward the Honky Tonk as the traffic began to dissipate.
-----------------------
"Ban," Himiko said as she stopped by a gasoline station.
"Hmmm?" he asked as he continued puffing smoke from his cigarette.
Pulling over to pick out the cigarette from his mouth, she smiled at him and said, "You should stop smoking. It's bad for you." She threw the cigarette down on the ground and crushed it with the heel of her boots.
Ban smiled and said, "I didn't know you cared..."
Himiko blushed and quickly replied, "And besides we're in a gasoline station! No smoking allowed!" She drew a hose from one of the stations and plugged it into her bike. Ban just stared at her.
"What?" she asked Mido Ban.
"Nothing. I was just remembering the old days," he said as he gazed into her eyes.
Himiko averted his gaze and began filling her motorcycle with gasoline. 'Why is he doing this?'
Ban was thinking, 'She is my friend, but I want to be more than friends...'
Himiko blushed as she noticed Ban staring at her intensely. "He's my friend but, I want to be more than friends..." She didn't notice that her tank was already full.
"Eh, Himiko." Ban pointed to the meter and indicated the full tank signal. "You distracted?"
Himiko blushed an even deeper shade of red and said, "Ah! I'm so careless! I'm not usually like this but...(I think I like you...Ah! I shouldn't even be thinking of that!)...maybe the traffic just distracted me."
Ban just chuckled and waited for Himiko to take the driver's seat. When she was done paying, she went back to where she left Ban. "Let's go!"
Ban nodded and gave her some space. She sat down and Ban rested his head on her shoulder. Himiko blushed for the nth time that day. 'What is this that I'm feeling?'
Ban leaned his head towards Himiko's and whispered, "Look...about Yamato...I...am...sorry. Please forgive me...?"
Himiko jerked slightly and wondered, 'Forgive me? Ban, I...just don't think you were cruel enough to kill Yamato. If you did, then perhaps there was a reason...Please don't even talk about his death.'
"Ban, it's okay," she sighed. 'He was asking a question with the forgive me wasn't he? Maybe he didn't kill my brother after all. But...that day...I saw him."
Ban leaned closer to her and pulled himself closer to her waist. "I promised Yamato to take care of you Himiko. Please don't leave my sight from now on."
Himiko was surprised at all this emotion coming from Ban. 'I...I think I'm falling for him...Ban...'
"Ban...I...We have to go! It's getting dark," Himiko said as she ignited the engine of the bike. Ban sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder.
'She smells good,' Ban thought as he inhaled her sweet scent.
"Ban, did you really kill Yamato?" Himiko asked the snake man.
Ban didn't know what to say for a moment. He just answered, "I didn't have a choice. He was...never mind. Just drive."
Himiko took in his words and nodded. Somehow, those bitter feelings between her and him had faded since she first met him with Ginji. Mido Ban was a changed man.
Himiko drove her bike to the Honky Tonk, and when they arrived, Ban and Lady Poison stepped out of the vehicle. Ban was scratching the back of his head.
"Ah, thanks for the ride," he said shyly.
"No problem," Himiko said, keeping her helmet on to keep the extremely scarlet blush under the covers. They walked to the café to be greeted by Natsumi, Hevn, and Pore.
"Ban, where is Ginji?" Pore asked.
After taking his usual seat, he looked at his watch and said, "He should be here...right...about...now."
The entrance chimes of the café rang as Dr. Jackal brought a petrified chibi into the café by his arms. He dropped him on the bar table as Pore and Natsumi began poking at Ginji with their fingers.
"What happened to him?" Natsumi exclaimed.
"What did you do to him?" Pore asked Akabane.
"He's frozen stiff, and I didn't even touch him...how interesting," Akabane said as he stepped out of the Honky Tonk.
"Natsumi, get my rubber gloves," Pore told his assistant.
"Why master?" she asked as she reached under the bar for Pore's heavy duty rubber gloves. Ginji was still frozen in chibi form when Pore lifted him up.
"Because I don't want to get shocked. Fill the sink with hot water Natsumi," he ordered her. When the tub was filled up to the brim, he said, "Okay Natsumi, step back." He dropped Ginjji into the water and a massive bolt of electricity came from the sink. Suddenly, Ginji jumped out and made a beeline towards Ban.
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN-CHAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!! Please don't leave me with Akabane-san again! I could't take it! Please don't leave me! I promise not to be stupid!" Ginji said as he groped Ban's head.
Ban struggled to get Ginji out of his sea urchin do and finally did when he used half the power of his snake bite to dislodge his chibi friend from his head. "Baka! Alright! Now go play with Natsumi or something. I have to talk to Himiko."
Ginji laughed and said, "Okay Ban, I know that you've been dying to tell her about you plan to have a..."
Ban immediately punched his mouth and said, "You talk too much!"
Ginji caressed his face and walked over to the other side of the café. "Itayo! Gomen-ne Ban-chan."
When Ban was left alone with Himiko, he unconsciously brought his hand over hers and said, "Himiko...would it be alright if you ...ah..."
Himiko fluttered her eyes and said, "Nandes ka Ban? What if I what?"
Ban stuttered and quietly said, "Will you go out with me tomorrow night?"
Himiko blushed and said, "Oh! Ah...yes...okay! Of course!" Inside, she wanted to kiss Ban and hug him so tight (so much tighter than snake bite) and say "I love you" but decided that this wasn't the place for that.
"So it's a date then?" Ban asked her.
"Yes! Yes!" she beamed.
Ban smiled and put an arm around her shoulder, unaware of the koto string underneath their chair.
The district of Shinjuku was flooded with thousand of commuters making their way back home after work. At 5PM, the streets would be as busy as rush hour, and in the main road which led to the Honky Tonk café, a small, white Volks beetle stood in the heavy traffic after a minor accident had completely stopped the flow of cars. Inside, a super-deformed chibi Ginji and an irritated-looking snake chibi Ban were waiting restlessly in the cramped vehicle.
"Ah Ban-Chan! Don't you think we should help the poor man in front?" Ginji asked as he used his dancing fans to cool himself down.
"Bakayo! The guy's 80 year old mother can drive even better than him!" Ban muttered as he punched Ginji's head.
"Itayo!!!!! Ban-chan!" Ginji said as he rubbed his head in pain, his features returning to normal.
"Because we won't get paid!" Ban said as his head enlarged three times its size while screaming at his friend.
Ginji turned back into his chibi form with tears streaming down his pudgy, butt-shaped face. "Gomen-ne Ban Chan! I just thought that we might reach Natsumi-san earlier if we stopped this traffic."
Ban clapped a hand to his forehead and shook his head. Sometimes, he wondered if the stupid, overtly deformed stuff toy beside him was once actually the much-feared Thunder Emperor Raitei of Infinity City. Ginji Amano sometimes just acted too stupid and childish to be considered as a ruthless killing machine. Ban continued tapping his fingers on the steering wheel when he heard some knocking on the window.
"Kore wa?" Ban said as he turned to face the window. It was Himiko, one of the last children whom Ban had sworn his life to protect.
"Ban. Do you need a ride?" she offered as Ban lowered the car window.
Taking a smoke from his pocket and lighting it, he said, "Sure. Can you drop us at the Honky Tonk?"
Himiko looked at the car and asked, "But what about the car?"
Ban looked at Ginji and said, "Ginji can drive it to the café."
Ginji turned super deformed chibi and said, "Nani?! Ban, you're going to leave me alone??? But I don't even know how to drive!!!!"
Ban stepped out of the car and pulled Ginji over to the driver's seat. "Yes you can. Use your thunder power to operate the vehicle." And he adjusted his glasses as he took the seat behind Himiko, clutching her waist with his arms at the process.
"But! But..." he said as his mouth bobbed up and down.
"Yes Ginji, I know. Your face looks like a butt," Ban said as he put on Himiko's spare helmet.
"I can help drive this car to the Honky Tonk, you know," said a creepy voice behind Ginji. It was Akabane Kurudo, known more popularly to those who know him as Dr. Jackal. He opened the door to the car and sat right beside Ginji...only inches away from the Thunder Emperor.
Ginji's chibi form welled up tears and began begging Ban to let him come with him. "Ban-chan! Please let me come with you! I don't like Akabane- san. He's so weird and cruel that I might die if I stay in the same car with him."
Akabane pulled Ginji's collar and put him on the passenger's seat. "Oh nonsense Ginji-kun. Stop being so heartless. It just makes you more interesting..." he said coolly as he tipped his hat lower to make his face look sallower and darker. Ginji began shaking.
"Why do you want to torment me so much?" Ginji asked as he cried.
Akabane pulled a knife out of his body and began tracing his finger over the blade, emphasizing his actions by doing it directly in front of Ginji. "I don't torment you. I just find you so...interesting Ginji-kun," he chuckled as he showed the knife to Ginji. "It looks sharp doesn't it?"
"Y-y-y-yes A-a-a-a-akabane-san! Please keep that away from me," he said as he attempted to unlock the car. It was stuck, however, as only Akabane's side was able to be opened.
"You know what I can do with this knife Ginji-kun?" he asked as he passed the back of the blade softly over Ginji's arm. Upon contact, Ginji fainted and Akabane chuckled. He inserted the knife into the keyhole and started the car, driving toward the Honky Tonk as the traffic began to dissipate.
-----------------------
"Ban," Himiko said as she stopped by a gasoline station.
"Hmmm?" he asked as he continued puffing smoke from his cigarette.
Pulling over to pick out the cigarette from his mouth, she smiled at him and said, "You should stop smoking. It's bad for you." She threw the cigarette down on the ground and crushed it with the heel of her boots.
Ban smiled and said, "I didn't know you cared..."
Himiko blushed and quickly replied, "And besides we're in a gasoline station! No smoking allowed!" She drew a hose from one of the stations and plugged it into her bike. Ban just stared at her.
"What?" she asked Mido Ban.
"Nothing. I was just remembering the old days," he said as he gazed into her eyes.
Himiko averted his gaze and began filling her motorcycle with gasoline. 'Why is he doing this?'
Ban was thinking, 'She is my friend, but I want to be more than friends...'
Himiko blushed as she noticed Ban staring at her intensely. "He's my friend but, I want to be more than friends..." She didn't notice that her tank was already full.
"Eh, Himiko." Ban pointed to the meter and indicated the full tank signal. "You distracted?"
Himiko blushed an even deeper shade of red and said, "Ah! I'm so careless! I'm not usually like this but...(I think I like you...Ah! I shouldn't even be thinking of that!)...maybe the traffic just distracted me."
Ban just chuckled and waited for Himiko to take the driver's seat. When she was done paying, she went back to where she left Ban. "Let's go!"
Ban nodded and gave her some space. She sat down and Ban rested his head on her shoulder. Himiko blushed for the nth time that day. 'What is this that I'm feeling?'
Ban leaned his head towards Himiko's and whispered, "Look...about Yamato...I...am...sorry. Please forgive me...?"
Himiko jerked slightly and wondered, 'Forgive me? Ban, I...just don't think you were cruel enough to kill Yamato. If you did, then perhaps there was a reason...Please don't even talk about his death.'
"Ban, it's okay," she sighed. 'He was asking a question with the forgive me wasn't he? Maybe he didn't kill my brother after all. But...that day...I saw him."
Ban leaned closer to her and pulled himself closer to her waist. "I promised Yamato to take care of you Himiko. Please don't leave my sight from now on."
Himiko was surprised at all this emotion coming from Ban. 'I...I think I'm falling for him...Ban...'
"Ban...I...We have to go! It's getting dark," Himiko said as she ignited the engine of the bike. Ban sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder.
'She smells good,' Ban thought as he inhaled her sweet scent.
"Ban, did you really kill Yamato?" Himiko asked the snake man.
Ban didn't know what to say for a moment. He just answered, "I didn't have a choice. He was...never mind. Just drive."
Himiko took in his words and nodded. Somehow, those bitter feelings between her and him had faded since she first met him with Ginji. Mido Ban was a changed man.
Himiko drove her bike to the Honky Tonk, and when they arrived, Ban and Lady Poison stepped out of the vehicle. Ban was scratching the back of his head.
"Ah, thanks for the ride," he said shyly.
"No problem," Himiko said, keeping her helmet on to keep the extremely scarlet blush under the covers. They walked to the café to be greeted by Natsumi, Hevn, and Pore.
"Ban, where is Ginji?" Pore asked.
After taking his usual seat, he looked at his watch and said, "He should be here...right...about...now."
The entrance chimes of the café rang as Dr. Jackal brought a petrified chibi into the café by his arms. He dropped him on the bar table as Pore and Natsumi began poking at Ginji with their fingers.
"What happened to him?" Natsumi exclaimed.
"What did you do to him?" Pore asked Akabane.
"He's frozen stiff, and I didn't even touch him...how interesting," Akabane said as he stepped out of the Honky Tonk.
"Natsumi, get my rubber gloves," Pore told his assistant.
"Why master?" she asked as she reached under the bar for Pore's heavy duty rubber gloves. Ginji was still frozen in chibi form when Pore lifted him up.
"Because I don't want to get shocked. Fill the sink with hot water Natsumi," he ordered her. When the tub was filled up to the brim, he said, "Okay Natsumi, step back." He dropped Ginjji into the water and a massive bolt of electricity came from the sink. Suddenly, Ginji jumped out and made a beeline towards Ban.
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNN-CHAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!! Please don't leave me with Akabane-san again! I could't take it! Please don't leave me! I promise not to be stupid!" Ginji said as he groped Ban's head.
Ban struggled to get Ginji out of his sea urchin do and finally did when he used half the power of his snake bite to dislodge his chibi friend from his head. "Baka! Alright! Now go play with Natsumi or something. I have to talk to Himiko."
Ginji laughed and said, "Okay Ban, I know that you've been dying to tell her about you plan to have a..."
Ban immediately punched his mouth and said, "You talk too much!"
Ginji caressed his face and walked over to the other side of the café. "Itayo! Gomen-ne Ban-chan."
When Ban was left alone with Himiko, he unconsciously brought his hand over hers and said, "Himiko...would it be alright if you ...ah..."
Himiko fluttered her eyes and said, "Nandes ka Ban? What if I what?"
Ban stuttered and quietly said, "Will you go out with me tomorrow night?"
Himiko blushed and said, "Oh! Ah...yes...okay! Of course!" Inside, she wanted to kiss Ban and hug him so tight (so much tighter than snake bite) and say "I love you" but decided that this wasn't the place for that.
"So it's a date then?" Ban asked her.
"Yes! Yes!" she beamed.
Ban smiled and put an arm around her shoulder, unaware of the koto string underneath their chair.