Disclaimer: I no own GB, but it is officially my favorite manga ever
written! So there! Thppth!
Warnings: Yeah, I'm not even going to bother anymore. If you're on chapter four and not ready to beat my head into a wall, then you know what's going on.
Notes: Hikaru, I'm afraid my manga's are in Japanese. I'd do translated scanlations and post them on a site, but Tokyopop recently acquired GB and will be releasing the Manga's in English sometime in 2004. Besides, my Japanese isn't that good, and Juubei would be a bitch to translate what with his double usage of Kisama and really archaic speech patterns (I was confused for the longest time as to why he was calling Kazu-chan bad names when a friend finally explained it all to me).
Chapter Four: Fudo Myo-o
It had been a long day, Ban had a headache, and Dotombori was a city that could turn a headache into Hell. Neon signs flashed, their gaudy technicolour glow reflecting on the white, snow-covered streets. There were noises everywhere: shop doors jingling open, the buzz of the crowds of Christmas shoppers, the pulsing dull thud from what looked suspiciously like a basement level strip-bar, and the general bells and whistles of shop owners trying to sell their wares.
Ginji would bound from one stall or shop window to another, then back to Ban, babbling about everything he saw.
"Look! There's a Maneko Neki, just like the one we retrieved a while ago! Oh lookit! An arcade! Wow, they even have that dancing game! Prance-Prance Evolution, right Ban-chan? Let's play! Please? Just one go? Pretty please?"
"You mean Maneki Neko and Dance-Dance Revolution," Ban corrected, his voice sounding oddly distant. Just when was this headache planning to go away? Just where the Hell were they going to find Hozenji Temple? And what did Bai Hu mean by ensuring a lucky evening?
"One game? PleasepleasepleasepleasepleasePLEEEEEAASE? Ban-chanBan-chanBan- chan!"
"No," Ban grumbled rubbing his forehead, "Not now. We gotta find that temple, and for God's sake keep a lookout for any signs of trouble. I don't trust this Bai Hu an inch."
Ginji looked troubled. "But didn't the map and riddle say we have to be here?"
"Like I said, I don't trust any of this."
"So you think Bai Hu is lying to us? Why are we following the riddle then?"
"Because lies can be uncovered. I'd rather follow a lie and figure out the truth than run around in the dark."
Ginji beamed and threw his arms around Ban's neck, hugging him tightly. "You're good at this sort of thing, Ban-chan. I trust you." He declared quite truthfully.
"Ch," Ban grunted, but his hand found it's usual place and came to rest on top of Ginji's head, "idiot, you sound like I'm asking you to follow me to the end of the world."
"If you did, I would," Ginji replied, nodding his head in emphasis.
"I know," Ban said, ruffling Ginji's hair. "I know."
Somewhere in the crowd, Ban missed a flash of hair, white as snow, and streaked with black stripes.
---------------
Hozenji Temple was at the end of a narrow street that wasn't really a street. It was more a very long alleyway lined with countless shops. Sounds of the main street drifted here, but were oddly muffled. It was like stepping between two worlds: the silent alleyway of the pious and devout, and the main road of the material world. The Christmas decorations had vanished here, replaced by lanterns, giving off barely enough light to see. The shops did not hold the same manufactured merchandise the stores on the main road were advertising. Instead, they were selling incense, jars of home-made food, bizarre medicines, countless shrine tables and strange hand made statues. It was the statues that were most disturbing though, for they stared out at the world through round, blank eyes, judging each soul that stepped past.
It was the statues that had really caught Ginji. He was standing in front of one, with an expression that seemed a mixture of horror and awe.
"Ban-chan, what one is that?" He asked tremulously, pointing to the statue staring out from behind the shop window. It was a man all dressed in armor, enshrouded in flames, perched atop a rock, wielding a sword and rope. A third eye rested in the center of his forehead.
"That's Fudo Myo-o, the same one we're going to see. Except the one in the temple doesn't look quite that ferocious." Ban said knowingly.
"Ban-chan, let's not go!" Ginji burst out suddenly.
"Huh?" Ban's ears must've been playing tricks on him.
"Let's not go! Please, I really think this is a bad idea. Let's just forget the whole thing and go home. Please, Ban-chan, let's go home!" Ginji said desperately.
"Wha'? Jesus, Ginji what's gotten into you?" Ban couldn't believe what he was hearing from his partner.
"Please," Ginji begged, grabbing a hold of the sleeve of Ban's sweater. "We'll just tell Mei-chan that we couldn't do it. Please, let's not go to the temple!"
"We're not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is the matter with you!"
"He's going to kill you!" Ginji cried shrilly. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes and he was gripping Ban's arm so tightly that he was leaving marks.
"Who's going to kill me?" Ban asked gently, steering them away from the crowd of merchants carrying racks of dried and fresh fish.
"Fudo Myo-o," Ginji sniffled. "He was the one in my dream. The one in my dream... he killed you! And I'm sure if we go there, he'll kill you for real. I don't want to loose Ban-chan!"
"Idiot," Ban growled, pulling Ginji into his arms, "I ain't gonna die."
"Ban-chan..."
"I promise."
"But Ban-chan..."
"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"
"No, but..."
Ban sighed and patted Ginji reassuringly on the back. "C'mon, pull yourself together. We're the invincible retrieval service. I ain't gonna let some statue kick my ass."
Ginji laughed in spite of himself. "When you say it like that..."
"Let's go." Ban said, leading Ginji down the street towards the temple. "We'll get to the bottom of this."
---------------
The temple was nearly deserted, except for a somewhat tipsy couple standing in front of what was unmistakably the statue of Fudo Myo-o. It stood several feet tall, and covered in green moss and lichen. Even in the bitter cold of winter, the moss remained. Icicles hung from every inch of the statue, gleaming in the faint glow from the temple lights.
The couple heaved a bucket filled with water and doused the statue, which explained why it was covered in ice.
"What are you doing?" Ginji asked, looking rather perplexed.
"Making sure we have a good night!" The young woman laughed, hugging the arm of her boyfriend. He gave a dazed sort of grin that had nothing to do with how much alcohol he had consumed.
"So you splash a statue?" Ginji responded gazing up at Fudo Myo-o. The statue, while intimidating, was nothing like what he had seen in his dream. The moss made it seem kinder than it's furious stone brethren in the shops. Maybe Ban was right, there was nothing to worry about.
"Of course!" The boyfriend replied jovially. "It's good luck. Maybe if you douse Fudo-sama, you'll get lucky as well!" He gave Ginji a wink, and nodded towards Ban.
"Oh stop it, Tsutomu! You shouldn't make assumptions about people like that!" The young woman reprimanded, smacking Tsutomu's arm.
"Wah, Mikako, you're so violent all the time. Come on, let's go!"
The couple took off, hand in hand and disappeared into the night, echoes of their laughter ringing out and melding with the muffled hubbub of the main road.
"'To ensure a lucky evening'... so we gotta splash the statue." Ban said simply, eyeing the empty bucket. A hose lay not far off.
Ginji looked confused. "And then we'll get the treasures?"
"That's what's supposed to happen."
"How?"
"No idea. Go turn on the hose. I'll fill the bucket and splash Fudo. Then, whatever happens, happens."
Ginji nodded, and followed the hosepipe to where it was screwed into the tap. He turned it and water flooded out the other end.
"Tell me when to turn it off, Ban-chan!" He called to his partner, switching the water on.
Ban watched disdainfully as the bucket filled. There was something about this place that was making his skin crawl. He quickly shot an anxious look at the statue but it simply glared back with the same menacing stare it had when they first entered the temple. Ban mentally reprimanded himself for being stupid. The statue wasn't going to jump to life and attack him!
He had no idea how wrong he was.
---------------
Ginji and Ban simultaneously hurled the water at the statue with an audible splash. And then silence reigned across the temple grounds for all but five minutes.
"Well, this has been absolute waste of time," Ban growled furiously, turning on his heel to leave.
Ginji suddenly threw himself at Ban, bowling the brunet over flat on his face. Ban gave an angry grunt, just as a bolt of flame shot past overhead.
"...The hell?" Ban exclaimed, rolling aside and shielding Ginji as the enormous fireball made to turn right around and strike them again.
"How dare you sinners beg a favor of Fudo Myo-o!" Boomed an unfamiliar voice. Ban and Ginji got to their feet, searching for the source of the voice. Ginji glanced to the statue of Fudo Myo-o... or where the statue had been.
"Ban-chan!" Ginji was near tears. It was like reliving the dream all over again!
"I know, I know! Let's just take this Fudo bastard down as quick as possible!"
The flames around the hovering fireball dispersed to reveal a middle-aged man, hard of face and eyes burning with a deep fury. All three eyes. He carried a sword in one hand, a strange rope whose fibers shimmered eerily in the other. It was Fudo Myo-o, in flesh, blood and flame.
"Demons shall not set foot in this sacred ground," Fudo threatened, "you shall meet you're end here."
The deity did not waste time with flamboyant introductions, or flaring displays of power. He bolted at Ban and Ginji in a rush of flame, wielding his sword and rope in broad arcs. The Get Backers darted to either side of Fudo, away from the attacks.
Fudo turned his piercing gaze to Ginji. "You boy... You may leave here unscathed. While one inside you bears a great burden of sin, your heart is pure." Fudo's attention shifted to Ban. "But you, you are no more than a mere demon. Your life shall end here."
"You fight Ban-chan, you fight me as well," Ginji snarled, the fierce glow of electricity enshrouding him.
Fudo's gaze was still on Ban when he replied to Ginji. "Then die as well along side your demon friend."
Ban lowered his sunglasses to meet the gaze of the living statue. He felt the strange surge of power he often got when he used the Jagan and he was about to plunge Fudo Myo-o into a recreation of his own personal hell...
That's what would have happened too, had Ban not slammed into what must have been the metaphorical equivalent to a brick wall for Jagan. He was jolted back, a rush of white-hot pain bolted through every nerve in his body. He clutched his eyes where the pain was most severe, feeling warm moisture beneath his fingers. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he was crying, but the wetness felt too thick, too hot, too sticky, to be tears.
Ban wiped the blood from his eyes, getting to his feet.
"You're gonna pay for that." The brunet growled, clenching his fists.
"Fool demon, your third sight won't work on me." Fudo laughed, lashing out Ban with his rope. "Your Jagan can not get past my center eye!" Ban dived to the side, and mentally cursed Fudo Myo-o. That third eye must be some sort of protection against the Jagan's power. He rolled foward and come to a brief halt before the rope lashed out again, and again. It struck Ban the second and third times, leaving severe burns on his arm and the left side of his waist through the smoking fabric of his sweater.
"Ginji, knock him down, dammit!" Ban roared, diving away from several more strikes of the rope.
"I can't do anything if he's not grounded!" Ginji cried back. He had never fought an enemy that could hover before, and using his electricity would just be a waste of energy and he might hit Ban.
"Dammit," Ban grunted dodging aside another lash of the rope, "that only leaves me one choice..." the rope whipped out again, but this time instead of getting out of the way, Ban grabbed a hold of the end and pulled. The fibers flared beneath his grip, but he persevered, dragging Fudo steadily towards him. Fudo raised a brow, but did not release the rope.
"You want these so bad?" Fudo chuckled to Ban, waving the sword to emphasize his words.
"You have no idea," Ban laughed, eyes fixated on the deity. His opponent seemed unwilling to let go of the rope, Ban noted, blood trickling from his hands and falling in steaming red puddles on the ground. He gave a mighty heave of his body, pulling Fudo off balance and forcing the deity to slam into a wall. Stone cracked, and Fudo slumped to the ground from the dent in the wall. Ban seized the chance, charging towards Fudo and slamming him hard into the frozen earth, pinning him there.
"Now Ginji!" Ban commanded.
"But--"
"NOW!" Ban roared. Fudo was starting to come back to his senses.
Ginji squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, focusing on his target. Fudo struggled beneath Ban's grip as clouds gathered in the sky, hiding the stars. Fudo reached for his sword...
"No you don't!" Ginji snarled.
That moment, many things happened at once. The sky flashed in warning for Ban, and the brunet rolled away from Fudo Myo-o as fast as he could propel himself. Fudo took up is rope and sword instantaneously, throwing the rope out to wrap around Ban and drag the blue-eyed man towards him and his sword. The blade pierced Ban's shoulder just as a thick bolt of lightning struck Fudo Myo-o, bringing the deity to collapse in a pile on the ground. The rope unwound itself, the blade disintegrated leaving only the hilt, Ban slumped to the ground, and Ginji screamed.
---------------
It couldn't be real. It was too much, too painful for it to be real. It had to be a nightmare. It had to be. It couldn't be real. Any moment now he'd wake up and Ban-chan would be there in their apartment, on the foldout couch. Ban-chan would reach out and wrap those strong arms around him. Ban- chan would reassure him that it was just a bad dream, that they would be together forever, that everything was going to be all right. Ban-chan would be all right. He promised he'd never die, and Ban-chan had never broken a promise to Ginji.
But he had never actually kept one either.
---------------
Ginji lifted his head, praying the chill on his back was the cold of their apartment, that he had just somehow kicked the blanket off him in the middle of the night, and Ban-chan would be across from him, sleeping soundly. No such luck. Instead he was greeted by the sight of a tall man in a business suit, holding in on hand the hilt of the broken sword, wrapped in the fibers of the unwound rope. Slung over the man's shoulder was Ban, completely unconscious. Almost immediately, Ginji could tell this man was not Japanese. His skin was a deep brown, bordering on the color of ebony. His hair was a wild mane, white as snow and streaked with black stripes, falling in every which-way. He stared down at Ginji with a pair yellow-gold eyes, the pupils slit like a cats. He was a handsome man, with an even, clean shaven face, and somewhere in his early to mid-twenties. But even with the business suit, the man gave off the wild, untamed radiance of a tiger.
"You're..."
"Bai Hu, at your service." The tiger god flashed a very white grin, complete with enlarged and very sharp looking incisors. There was something about his voice that reminded Ginji of Ban. "Come on, Ginji. Let's get your partner some help. Fudo-sama's toxin is beyond my skill."
Ginji stared up at Bai Hu, at a complete loss for words, and slowly got to his feet.
"Ban-chan, he..."
"I know. I saw. Don't worry, I'm on your side. For now, just worry about Midou Ban-san."
There was a rumble in the sky, growing steadily louder and steadily closer, and Ginji was at a loss to what it was until the helicopter rose over the roof of the temple. The side compartment door opened, and a rope-ladder tumbled down. Bai Hu stashed the sword hilt and shredded rope in his suit pocket and took a hold of the ladder.
"Come on," Bai Hu coaxed, "I won't bite."
Ginji grabbed hold of the ladder.
---------------
"Sit down," Bai Hu commanded, as two men in suits helped Ginji on board. "I need you to look after your partner. He needs you, especially now. The toxin should be taking effect soon and... I'm not really the one for this sort of thing." Bai Hu lowered the horrendously injured Ban into Ginji's arms when the blond had seated himself. "If you need anything, I'll be up front." Bai Hu slid open the compartment to the cockpit, where Ginji might have noticed the wide brim of an all too familiar black hat had he not been so upset about the grievous damage done to his partner.
Bai Hu shut the door, leaving Ginji alone with Ban. Saying Ban looked the worse for wear was like saying Akabane was a bit of a sadist. The blue eyes had become very pale, the pupils having the diameter of a pinhole. The whites had become quite red where several blood vessels had burst when Ban attempted to use his Jagan on Fudo. Dry blood was smeared and caked around Ban's lids, his mouth was open, moving slowly but only indiscernible murmurs escaped. His body was covered in head to toe with severe burns, but worst of all were the palms of his hands where the flesh had been burned away, where the muscle and sinew had been scalded. The hands that had crushed so many were charred black, stiff, unmoving.
"Ban-chan," Ginji sobbed drawing his partner close to him, "Ban-chan, Ban- chan... Please live, please, please, be back to normal. Ban-chan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I was useless, Ban-chan please, don't--"
Bai Hu stepped out of the cockpit once again, holding a vile of a clear liquid.
"He's hurt, real bad..." Ginji whimpered, stroking Ban's hair gently. Please, please, get through this, Ban-chan...
"I know. I'll need to take care of those burns before we go to Maria's." He popped the cork out of the vile with his gleaming fangs. "Give me his hands first, those are the worst."
Ginji obeyed, holding out the charred remains of Ban's hands for Bai Hu. The tiger god smiled, pouring a few drops of the clear liquid onto where the palms had once been.
"You trust me, Ginji-san?" Bai Hu asked, dropping more of the strange liquid onto Ban's other hand.
"I don't know, but if you can help Ban-chan--"
Ginji was cut short from whatever he was going to say because suddenly the burn marks vanished, muscle, sinew, and even skin replenished. Ban's hands were as good as new. Bai Hu gave a satisfied smile, dripping more of the liquid onto the other burns which quickly healed over with not even a trace of scar tissue.
Ginji was utterly awestruck.
"Wha....?"
"His body will need to be in top shape," Bai Hu explained, putting one drop of the liquid in each of Ban's eyes. The redness vanished, but the iris's remained pale, and the pupils narrow, "for when Maria-san draws the toxin out of him."
"Toxin?" Ginji inquired, calming down considerably when he saw Ban's body healed flawlessly.
"Fudo Myo-o polishes his blade with an aroma that is toxic to what he considers sinful. The more so one is, the more the toxin will make them suffer."
"He called Ban-chan a demon!" Ginji cried, hugging Ban close.
"He will be in for a long night then." Bai Hu replied apologetically, corking the vile of clear liquid. "Don't worry, the toxin isn't fatal to humans, and Maria-san will be more than capable of drawing it from him. But as I said, he will need you."
"Why me?" Ginji groaned miserably, "If I hadn't been so useless, this never would have happened."
Bai Hu chuckled, standing up. "Why you?" He echoed thoughtfully. "Isn't it obvious?"
Ginji shook his head.
"Kuroudu-san was right, you are dense." Bai Hu laughed, and slipped back into the cockpit, leaving a rather confused Ginji to cuddle a limp Ban.
---------------
The helicopter ride might have excited Ginji had the circumstances been different. Had Ban been sitting beside him, bragging about their skill, laughing, ruffling Ginji's hair, the blond would have had his nose pressed against the window staring in awe as they flew through clouds.
If that had been the situation, it would have made Ginji the happiest human being on earth.
But at the moment, Ginji was tired, scared and begging his partner not to die. Ban lay in Ginji's arms, eyes open but not responding. The brunet seemed to be in a sort of coma, not dead, but not Ban.
"Ban-chan, it'll be alright. Bai Hu said we're going to see Maria. He said she'd be able to help you. It's going to be alright Ban-chan, I promise you, I promise."
Ban gave a jolt, and made a motion to grab at something, anything. Ginji offered his hand, and Ban took it instantly, holding on for dear life. His breath became ragged; beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I can't do it!" He shouted hoarsely. "Please, Yamato, I can't do this!"
Ginji gathered Ban close, rocking his partner like a child, smoothing the damp brown hair from his forehead.
"Shh, shh, Ban-chan, I'm here. It's me, Ginji."
"Yamato... please, no..." Ban whimpered.
Once again Bai Hu emerged from the cockpit, although he didn't seem to come baring any medicine for whatever was wrong with Ban.
"So he's become delusional now?" Bai Hu inquired calmly, sitting down beside Ginji.
Ban whimpered again, arms waving frantically.
"NO! NO! I don't want to! I can't! This isn't fair! This ISN'T FAIR!"
Ginji reached for Ban's flailing arms, drawing them back down to rest on his chest. The brunet gave a hoarse sob.
"What's wrong with him?" Ginji sounded nearly panicked.
"The toxin, from Fudo's blade, forces his enemies to relive their most horrible memories again and again." Bai Hu replied, resting a comforting hand on Ginji's shoulder. "It isn't fatal, but it is painful, and if we do not get him the remedy soon enough, it could possibly cause him brain damage or drive him insane." He told Ginji bluntly.
"It could...?"
"It could, but I doubt it will. We're almost to Maria's and the toxin needs a good twenty-four hours to set in before it can really get to work."
"So Maria will be able to help him?" Ginji asked, his hands trembling.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Ginji looked horror struck, holding Ban even more tightly.
"If she still has the remedy then he'll be fine."
"If not?"
"I was never much one for prayer, but that'll be the extent of what we can do."
---------------
The drive to Maria's was a short one. The combined facts that Akabane had been hired not only to transport them there in a very fast helicopter but a very fast car as well, and that Maria didn't live far from the helicopter base really cut the large amount of time Ginji had expected the trip to take. Things seemed to move in blurs, he hardly noticed Akabane greet him and he only managed a brief nod of his head before carrying Ban out of the car with help from Bai Hu. The center of his universe had become the delusional Ban, begging Yamato again and again not to have to kill him. And Ginji would quietly beg Ban to be all right, to get through this so they could laugh about it another day.
They carefully lugged Ban to the front door of the small home. Ban was limp again, murmuring uncontrollably, head lolling to and fro. Bai Hu knocked heavily on the door, his fists leaving mild dents in the wooden frame. At that time, Akabane had stepped out of the car to trail behind, a rather bemused expression on his face.
Maria answered the door, dressed in a yellow silk flower patterned night- robe with a hemline that was only slightly less revealing than simply walking around in underwear.
"Bai Hu, Gin-chan, Midou? What?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily, blinking several times, trying to comprehend the scene before. Ginji and Bai Hu were supporting a limp and writhing Midou Ban, and a tall man in a ridiculously long trench coat and wide brimmed hat was walking slowly from a car. "What's going on this time of night?" She didn't need to be the most skilled witch in the art of divination to know something was very wrong. Ginji's normally radiant face was pale and panicked, it seemed as though something was wrong with Ban judging by the way the man could not even stand. Why was Bai Hu with them? And that man in the black coat, she had met him once before...
"Maria-san, it is a bit urgent. If we could come in?" Bai Hu requested, shifting Ban slightly.
"Of course, of course," Maria replied dazedly, stepping aside to allow the tiger god and Ginji to carry Ban inside.
"What happened to him?" she asked, adjusting her night-robe over her buxom bosom.
"Fudo Myo-o happened to him," Bai Hu responded with the old cliché. "Do you still have the remedy for Fudo's toxin?"
"Absolutely," Maria stated in affirmation, holding the door open as Akabane stepped inside as well. He nodded his thanks to Maria, but remained silence, preferring to simply observe the fuss and rising hubbub in the small home.
"Get him into the guest room, Bai Hu, I'll get the elixir. My goodness, what was he doing pitting himself against one of the Godai Myo-o?"
Bai Hu chuckled softly. "I'll tell you later Maria-san. Come on Ginji, I'll show you where we take Ban."
---------------
The guestroom was small and held the faint aroma of cat's as rooms such as these always do, even if the owner of the house has a general lack of the feline species. It was furnished in a homely manner, with a soft looking bed and several quilts. Bai Hu helped Ginji drape Ban on the bed, the brunet arching his back and waving his arms frantically.
"What about Himiko!? How can you abandon your own sister?"
Akabane was watching interestedly from the doorway. He was curious to see just what would become of the Get Backers this evening.
Maria came bustling in, holding a vile of some foul looking, green colored liquid.
"Gin-chan, darling, hold him still for me. Where did the sword pierce him?" She asked, busying herself over Ban.
"Through his shoulder, here, where the hole in his shirt is ripped... huh? There's no wound!"
"There wouldn't be," Maria said knowingly, uncorking the bottle. "The kurikara sword is a spiritual weapon so it wouldn't wound his flesh." She ran one long nail through the gap in the sweater, cutting the skin where the sword had gone through. Blood trickled out, small ruby droplets glistening in the faded yellow light in the room.
"What are you doing?" Ginji asked tentively.
"The remedy to Fudo's poison has to mix with his blood before it actually works." She tipped the small glass flask and the green liquid dribbled slowly onto the cut. Ban's breathing became suddenly quite ragged, his body convulsed violently. "Hold him down! Hold him down!" Maria commanded, trying to steady the flow of the green liquid. It was amazing how one drop was not off the mark, even with Ban's delirious thrashing. Ginji obeyed, gripping Ban's wrists and held them down. Bai Hu did the same with Ban's kicking feet.
The bottle finally emptied and the wound mysteriously closed. The only hint that it had ever been there was the tiny pools of blood around it's general vicinity.
Maria gave a satisfied smile as Ban's pupils dilated, the paleness vanishing from the irises. He remained, arched up tense, unmoving...
...and collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Ban-chan!" Ginji exclaimed, gripping his partner's arm.
"He's through the worst of it now," Maria offered comfortingly to the blond.
"He should be fine?" Bai Hu asked, letting go of Ban's ankles and relaxing his demeanor considerably.
"Yeah," Maria replied, brushing a stray tendril of dark hair from her eyes. "Would you fine young men like some tea?" She added, her perky manner already returning.
Bai Hu smiled. "It isn't Friday, but I would love some. Maria, you make wonderful tea."
"Gin-chan, you should have something hot to drink. Your Ban-chan should be fine by morning. Probably in one of his usual pissy moods," Maria laughed with a huff, "but fine."
Ginji smiled and shook his head. "I'll be alright. I want to wait for Ban- chan."
"Suit yourself," Maria adjusted her night-robe again, which had begun to slide a bit. "And you?" She asked Akabane.
"Ah, yes, I would be delighted. That was... certainly fascinating, Maria- san."
"There's nothing fascinating about simple potions," Maria said brushing by Akabane. "You won't find any fascinating mysteries or complex puzzles here. Just remedies and divination. And in my apprentice's case, the greenhouse being invaded by man-eating Venus flytraps. I still have no idea how she managed that."
Akabane smiled, the deviant smile of a fox who's found a pheasant. "You madam, are very interesting."
Maria flashed a smile. "If you're working for Bai Hu, I'm the least interesting of people you'll be meeting." She strolled out of the guestroom, Bai Hu beside her.
He followed Maria and Bai Hu to the kitchen.
---------------
The kettle shot jets of steam into the dimly lit kitchen. Batches of strange dried roots, herbs and fungus' hung from the ceiling. A crystal ball lay dormant in the center of the table, draped in a red velvet cloth. Several centuries-old books on palmistry were piled haphazardly at the end of the table. Countless runes, relics and discarded medallions littered the floor and counter. A pot simmered on the stove excreting some foul, bitter odor. Parchments and scrolls were stacked in a disorganized fashion.
Maria bustled about, pouring three white porcelain cups, laden with tea bags, full of steaming hot water.
"Bags today, I'm afraid Bai Hu. I'm a bit tight this month, and so I'm only reserving the leaves for Fridays and readings."
Bai Hu winked and flashed her a blindingly white fanged grin. "Fine with me, Maria-san."
Akabane nodded. "Tea bags are fine. Do you have cream?"
"Sorry," Maria apologized. "I have sugar if you don't like your tea strong." She set two of the cups rested on saucers before Bai Hu and Akabane, shortly followed by a beautifully carved antique, milk-glass sugar bowl. Akabane picked up the trinket, studying it scrupulously.
"My, what a pretty thing," He mused, removing the lid, scooping two spoonfuls of sugar into his tea. "An antique?"
"Older than I am, even." Maria said jokingly, sitting down and resting her cup and saucer before her.
Akabane raised a brow, but said nothing. Instead he sipped his tea, observing Maria and Bai Hu. Both were quite the enigmas. Akabane was more than a little intrigued.
"I'm glad you helped Midou Ban-san," Bai Hu said, breaking the momentary silence in the kitchen. "I know how you horde rare potions like the remedy to Fudo's toxin, especially seeing as it's not life threatening to humans."
A faint smile passed across Maria's lips. "We have all lost too much."
Bai Hu raised a brow, peering over his mug of tea. "Indeed?"
"I was told a story by little Ban's mother, quite some time ago, before he had been born. A woman's son had grown very ill and finally died. She could not accept her child's death and so wrapped the child in blankets, carrying him door to door, person to person, begging for them to help her. They all told her she was mad, shaking their heads in bewilderment. It was a very sad sight. She finally took her dead child to the Buddha and begged him, 'please, help my son'. The Buddha told her, 'bring me mustard seed from every house in your town that has not met felt the weight of tragedy, and I shall help your child'. So the woman went door to door, person to person, asking for mustard seed. The people felt deep pity for the woman, and happily complied. But when she asked if they had suffered any losses in their family, she was flooded with story after story of who had died, who was dying, and all of the uncertainties of life. She returned to the Buddha, empty handed, took her dead son, and buried him properly." She paused and took a long sip of tea. "When I saw Ginji this evening, carrying Ban, I saw a flicker of that woman and all the people she asked for mustard seed. He has lost much. Ban has lost much. We all have. The Buddha said, life is suffering. But there can be no suffering without joy, and it would be cruel to rob those men of their only joy. There was always the possibility that Ban might have lost his mind before he recovered."
Bai Hu chuckled softly. "I never thought you much for Buddhism."
Maria laughed. "I'm not. I'm not much for anything."
"Ah, an atheist?"
"Bai Hu, you are speaking to a woman who has slept with the devil, guarded the tears of Zhu Que, brews remedies for Shiva, and has tea every Friday afternoon with the tiger god. I don't think I could be an atheist if I tried." Maria was now openly laughing, shaking her exquisite head.
"Ah? What are you then?"
"Maria." She quieted, bringing the cup to her lips, her bangles and jewels jingling. "I'm just Maria." She finished the last of her tea in one swig, and stood. "Ginji must be tired now, I should go get a roll out bed for him."
"No need. He's probably curled up with Midou Ban-san." Bai Hu replied, standing and pushing his chair back in.
"Aa, yes I never thought that blondie could get under dear little Midou Ban's thick skin so quickly. He never really quite struck me as the type to go for guys."
"So you think they really are in love?"
"The fact that Midou hasn't killed him or left him in three years speaks volumes on it's own. You don't need to look into a crystal ball to know their hearts are beating as one, as the old saying goes." Maria laughed softly, sitting back down. "Now tell me, how did Ban have a run-in with Fudo Myo-o?"
Bai Hu was quiet for a moment. "Well, the logical place to begin would be the beginning..."
"Yes...?"
"You know the stone tears of Zhu Que?"
Maria nodded, twirling her finger in absentminded circles in her tea. "My apprentice is guarding them. You've met Mei."
Bai Hu looked remarkably awkward for someone who could maintain a cool composure so often. "Yes, well, one of the tears has been stolen, and your apprentice hired the Get Backers to find it."
The only sound before silence swept over the kitchen was that of Maria's cup dropping and shattering on the tabletop.
---------------
Ai-chan: Geh, well, Maria finally made her first appearance. The way I had first planned it, this was originally meant to be the end of chapter two, but so far the fic has become twice as long as I intended it to be. Finally I get to introduce Bai Hu! Obviously he'll be having a lot more appearances. Ah, I had to sneak Akabane in here. Good lord, he amuses me. (Oh, I hope people caught the Neighborhood Story reference here! If you didn't, oh well! 3)
Translations!
Kurikara: Sword of submitting demons (or something to that extent O.x;)
Warnings: Yeah, I'm not even going to bother anymore. If you're on chapter four and not ready to beat my head into a wall, then you know what's going on.
Notes: Hikaru, I'm afraid my manga's are in Japanese. I'd do translated scanlations and post them on a site, but Tokyopop recently acquired GB and will be releasing the Manga's in English sometime in 2004. Besides, my Japanese isn't that good, and Juubei would be a bitch to translate what with his double usage of Kisama and really archaic speech patterns (I was confused for the longest time as to why he was calling Kazu-chan bad names when a friend finally explained it all to me).
Chapter Four: Fudo Myo-o
It had been a long day, Ban had a headache, and Dotombori was a city that could turn a headache into Hell. Neon signs flashed, their gaudy technicolour glow reflecting on the white, snow-covered streets. There were noises everywhere: shop doors jingling open, the buzz of the crowds of Christmas shoppers, the pulsing dull thud from what looked suspiciously like a basement level strip-bar, and the general bells and whistles of shop owners trying to sell their wares.
Ginji would bound from one stall or shop window to another, then back to Ban, babbling about everything he saw.
"Look! There's a Maneko Neki, just like the one we retrieved a while ago! Oh lookit! An arcade! Wow, they even have that dancing game! Prance-Prance Evolution, right Ban-chan? Let's play! Please? Just one go? Pretty please?"
"You mean Maneki Neko and Dance-Dance Revolution," Ban corrected, his voice sounding oddly distant. Just when was this headache planning to go away? Just where the Hell were they going to find Hozenji Temple? And what did Bai Hu mean by ensuring a lucky evening?
"One game? PleasepleasepleasepleasepleasePLEEEEEAASE? Ban-chanBan-chanBan- chan!"
"No," Ban grumbled rubbing his forehead, "Not now. We gotta find that temple, and for God's sake keep a lookout for any signs of trouble. I don't trust this Bai Hu an inch."
Ginji looked troubled. "But didn't the map and riddle say we have to be here?"
"Like I said, I don't trust any of this."
"So you think Bai Hu is lying to us? Why are we following the riddle then?"
"Because lies can be uncovered. I'd rather follow a lie and figure out the truth than run around in the dark."
Ginji beamed and threw his arms around Ban's neck, hugging him tightly. "You're good at this sort of thing, Ban-chan. I trust you." He declared quite truthfully.
"Ch," Ban grunted, but his hand found it's usual place and came to rest on top of Ginji's head, "idiot, you sound like I'm asking you to follow me to the end of the world."
"If you did, I would," Ginji replied, nodding his head in emphasis.
"I know," Ban said, ruffling Ginji's hair. "I know."
Somewhere in the crowd, Ban missed a flash of hair, white as snow, and streaked with black stripes.
---------------
Hozenji Temple was at the end of a narrow street that wasn't really a street. It was more a very long alleyway lined with countless shops. Sounds of the main street drifted here, but were oddly muffled. It was like stepping between two worlds: the silent alleyway of the pious and devout, and the main road of the material world. The Christmas decorations had vanished here, replaced by lanterns, giving off barely enough light to see. The shops did not hold the same manufactured merchandise the stores on the main road were advertising. Instead, they were selling incense, jars of home-made food, bizarre medicines, countless shrine tables and strange hand made statues. It was the statues that were most disturbing though, for they stared out at the world through round, blank eyes, judging each soul that stepped past.
It was the statues that had really caught Ginji. He was standing in front of one, with an expression that seemed a mixture of horror and awe.
"Ban-chan, what one is that?" He asked tremulously, pointing to the statue staring out from behind the shop window. It was a man all dressed in armor, enshrouded in flames, perched atop a rock, wielding a sword and rope. A third eye rested in the center of his forehead.
"That's Fudo Myo-o, the same one we're going to see. Except the one in the temple doesn't look quite that ferocious." Ban said knowingly.
"Ban-chan, let's not go!" Ginji burst out suddenly.
"Huh?" Ban's ears must've been playing tricks on him.
"Let's not go! Please, I really think this is a bad idea. Let's just forget the whole thing and go home. Please, Ban-chan, let's go home!" Ginji said desperately.
"Wha'? Jesus, Ginji what's gotten into you?" Ban couldn't believe what he was hearing from his partner.
"Please," Ginji begged, grabbing a hold of the sleeve of Ban's sweater. "We'll just tell Mei-chan that we couldn't do it. Please, let's not go to the temple!"
"We're not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is the matter with you!"
"He's going to kill you!" Ginji cried shrilly. Tears were beginning to well up in his eyes and he was gripping Ban's arm so tightly that he was leaving marks.
"Who's going to kill me?" Ban asked gently, steering them away from the crowd of merchants carrying racks of dried and fresh fish.
"Fudo Myo-o," Ginji sniffled. "He was the one in my dream. The one in my dream... he killed you! And I'm sure if we go there, he'll kill you for real. I don't want to loose Ban-chan!"
"Idiot," Ban growled, pulling Ginji into his arms, "I ain't gonna die."
"Ban-chan..."
"I promise."
"But Ban-chan..."
"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"
"No, but..."
Ban sighed and patted Ginji reassuringly on the back. "C'mon, pull yourself together. We're the invincible retrieval service. I ain't gonna let some statue kick my ass."
Ginji laughed in spite of himself. "When you say it like that..."
"Let's go." Ban said, leading Ginji down the street towards the temple. "We'll get to the bottom of this."
---------------
The temple was nearly deserted, except for a somewhat tipsy couple standing in front of what was unmistakably the statue of Fudo Myo-o. It stood several feet tall, and covered in green moss and lichen. Even in the bitter cold of winter, the moss remained. Icicles hung from every inch of the statue, gleaming in the faint glow from the temple lights.
The couple heaved a bucket filled with water and doused the statue, which explained why it was covered in ice.
"What are you doing?" Ginji asked, looking rather perplexed.
"Making sure we have a good night!" The young woman laughed, hugging the arm of her boyfriend. He gave a dazed sort of grin that had nothing to do with how much alcohol he had consumed.
"So you splash a statue?" Ginji responded gazing up at Fudo Myo-o. The statue, while intimidating, was nothing like what he had seen in his dream. The moss made it seem kinder than it's furious stone brethren in the shops. Maybe Ban was right, there was nothing to worry about.
"Of course!" The boyfriend replied jovially. "It's good luck. Maybe if you douse Fudo-sama, you'll get lucky as well!" He gave Ginji a wink, and nodded towards Ban.
"Oh stop it, Tsutomu! You shouldn't make assumptions about people like that!" The young woman reprimanded, smacking Tsutomu's arm.
"Wah, Mikako, you're so violent all the time. Come on, let's go!"
The couple took off, hand in hand and disappeared into the night, echoes of their laughter ringing out and melding with the muffled hubbub of the main road.
"'To ensure a lucky evening'... so we gotta splash the statue." Ban said simply, eyeing the empty bucket. A hose lay not far off.
Ginji looked confused. "And then we'll get the treasures?"
"That's what's supposed to happen."
"How?"
"No idea. Go turn on the hose. I'll fill the bucket and splash Fudo. Then, whatever happens, happens."
Ginji nodded, and followed the hosepipe to where it was screwed into the tap. He turned it and water flooded out the other end.
"Tell me when to turn it off, Ban-chan!" He called to his partner, switching the water on.
Ban watched disdainfully as the bucket filled. There was something about this place that was making his skin crawl. He quickly shot an anxious look at the statue but it simply glared back with the same menacing stare it had when they first entered the temple. Ban mentally reprimanded himself for being stupid. The statue wasn't going to jump to life and attack him!
He had no idea how wrong he was.
---------------
Ginji and Ban simultaneously hurled the water at the statue with an audible splash. And then silence reigned across the temple grounds for all but five minutes.
"Well, this has been absolute waste of time," Ban growled furiously, turning on his heel to leave.
Ginji suddenly threw himself at Ban, bowling the brunet over flat on his face. Ban gave an angry grunt, just as a bolt of flame shot past overhead.
"...The hell?" Ban exclaimed, rolling aside and shielding Ginji as the enormous fireball made to turn right around and strike them again.
"How dare you sinners beg a favor of Fudo Myo-o!" Boomed an unfamiliar voice. Ban and Ginji got to their feet, searching for the source of the voice. Ginji glanced to the statue of Fudo Myo-o... or where the statue had been.
"Ban-chan!" Ginji was near tears. It was like reliving the dream all over again!
"I know, I know! Let's just take this Fudo bastard down as quick as possible!"
The flames around the hovering fireball dispersed to reveal a middle-aged man, hard of face and eyes burning with a deep fury. All three eyes. He carried a sword in one hand, a strange rope whose fibers shimmered eerily in the other. It was Fudo Myo-o, in flesh, blood and flame.
"Demons shall not set foot in this sacred ground," Fudo threatened, "you shall meet you're end here."
The deity did not waste time with flamboyant introductions, or flaring displays of power. He bolted at Ban and Ginji in a rush of flame, wielding his sword and rope in broad arcs. The Get Backers darted to either side of Fudo, away from the attacks.
Fudo turned his piercing gaze to Ginji. "You boy... You may leave here unscathed. While one inside you bears a great burden of sin, your heart is pure." Fudo's attention shifted to Ban. "But you, you are no more than a mere demon. Your life shall end here."
"You fight Ban-chan, you fight me as well," Ginji snarled, the fierce glow of electricity enshrouding him.
Fudo's gaze was still on Ban when he replied to Ginji. "Then die as well along side your demon friend."
Ban lowered his sunglasses to meet the gaze of the living statue. He felt the strange surge of power he often got when he used the Jagan and he was about to plunge Fudo Myo-o into a recreation of his own personal hell...
That's what would have happened too, had Ban not slammed into what must have been the metaphorical equivalent to a brick wall for Jagan. He was jolted back, a rush of white-hot pain bolted through every nerve in his body. He clutched his eyes where the pain was most severe, feeling warm moisture beneath his fingers. The first thought that crossed his mind was that he was crying, but the wetness felt too thick, too hot, too sticky, to be tears.
Ban wiped the blood from his eyes, getting to his feet.
"You're gonna pay for that." The brunet growled, clenching his fists.
"Fool demon, your third sight won't work on me." Fudo laughed, lashing out Ban with his rope. "Your Jagan can not get past my center eye!" Ban dived to the side, and mentally cursed Fudo Myo-o. That third eye must be some sort of protection against the Jagan's power. He rolled foward and come to a brief halt before the rope lashed out again, and again. It struck Ban the second and third times, leaving severe burns on his arm and the left side of his waist through the smoking fabric of his sweater.
"Ginji, knock him down, dammit!" Ban roared, diving away from several more strikes of the rope.
"I can't do anything if he's not grounded!" Ginji cried back. He had never fought an enemy that could hover before, and using his electricity would just be a waste of energy and he might hit Ban.
"Dammit," Ban grunted dodging aside another lash of the rope, "that only leaves me one choice..." the rope whipped out again, but this time instead of getting out of the way, Ban grabbed a hold of the end and pulled. The fibers flared beneath his grip, but he persevered, dragging Fudo steadily towards him. Fudo raised a brow, but did not release the rope.
"You want these so bad?" Fudo chuckled to Ban, waving the sword to emphasize his words.
"You have no idea," Ban laughed, eyes fixated on the deity. His opponent seemed unwilling to let go of the rope, Ban noted, blood trickling from his hands and falling in steaming red puddles on the ground. He gave a mighty heave of his body, pulling Fudo off balance and forcing the deity to slam into a wall. Stone cracked, and Fudo slumped to the ground from the dent in the wall. Ban seized the chance, charging towards Fudo and slamming him hard into the frozen earth, pinning him there.
"Now Ginji!" Ban commanded.
"But--"
"NOW!" Ban roared. Fudo was starting to come back to his senses.
Ginji squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, focusing on his target. Fudo struggled beneath Ban's grip as clouds gathered in the sky, hiding the stars. Fudo reached for his sword...
"No you don't!" Ginji snarled.
That moment, many things happened at once. The sky flashed in warning for Ban, and the brunet rolled away from Fudo Myo-o as fast as he could propel himself. Fudo took up is rope and sword instantaneously, throwing the rope out to wrap around Ban and drag the blue-eyed man towards him and his sword. The blade pierced Ban's shoulder just as a thick bolt of lightning struck Fudo Myo-o, bringing the deity to collapse in a pile on the ground. The rope unwound itself, the blade disintegrated leaving only the hilt, Ban slumped to the ground, and Ginji screamed.
---------------
It couldn't be real. It was too much, too painful for it to be real. It had to be a nightmare. It had to be. It couldn't be real. Any moment now he'd wake up and Ban-chan would be there in their apartment, on the foldout couch. Ban-chan would reach out and wrap those strong arms around him. Ban- chan would reassure him that it was just a bad dream, that they would be together forever, that everything was going to be all right. Ban-chan would be all right. He promised he'd never die, and Ban-chan had never broken a promise to Ginji.
But he had never actually kept one either.
---------------
Ginji lifted his head, praying the chill on his back was the cold of their apartment, that he had just somehow kicked the blanket off him in the middle of the night, and Ban-chan would be across from him, sleeping soundly. No such luck. Instead he was greeted by the sight of a tall man in a business suit, holding in on hand the hilt of the broken sword, wrapped in the fibers of the unwound rope. Slung over the man's shoulder was Ban, completely unconscious. Almost immediately, Ginji could tell this man was not Japanese. His skin was a deep brown, bordering on the color of ebony. His hair was a wild mane, white as snow and streaked with black stripes, falling in every which-way. He stared down at Ginji with a pair yellow-gold eyes, the pupils slit like a cats. He was a handsome man, with an even, clean shaven face, and somewhere in his early to mid-twenties. But even with the business suit, the man gave off the wild, untamed radiance of a tiger.
"You're..."
"Bai Hu, at your service." The tiger god flashed a very white grin, complete with enlarged and very sharp looking incisors. There was something about his voice that reminded Ginji of Ban. "Come on, Ginji. Let's get your partner some help. Fudo-sama's toxin is beyond my skill."
Ginji stared up at Bai Hu, at a complete loss for words, and slowly got to his feet.
"Ban-chan, he..."
"I know. I saw. Don't worry, I'm on your side. For now, just worry about Midou Ban-san."
There was a rumble in the sky, growing steadily louder and steadily closer, and Ginji was at a loss to what it was until the helicopter rose over the roof of the temple. The side compartment door opened, and a rope-ladder tumbled down. Bai Hu stashed the sword hilt and shredded rope in his suit pocket and took a hold of the ladder.
"Come on," Bai Hu coaxed, "I won't bite."
Ginji grabbed hold of the ladder.
---------------
"Sit down," Bai Hu commanded, as two men in suits helped Ginji on board. "I need you to look after your partner. He needs you, especially now. The toxin should be taking effect soon and... I'm not really the one for this sort of thing." Bai Hu lowered the horrendously injured Ban into Ginji's arms when the blond had seated himself. "If you need anything, I'll be up front." Bai Hu slid open the compartment to the cockpit, where Ginji might have noticed the wide brim of an all too familiar black hat had he not been so upset about the grievous damage done to his partner.
Bai Hu shut the door, leaving Ginji alone with Ban. Saying Ban looked the worse for wear was like saying Akabane was a bit of a sadist. The blue eyes had become very pale, the pupils having the diameter of a pinhole. The whites had become quite red where several blood vessels had burst when Ban attempted to use his Jagan on Fudo. Dry blood was smeared and caked around Ban's lids, his mouth was open, moving slowly but only indiscernible murmurs escaped. His body was covered in head to toe with severe burns, but worst of all were the palms of his hands where the flesh had been burned away, where the muscle and sinew had been scalded. The hands that had crushed so many were charred black, stiff, unmoving.
"Ban-chan," Ginji sobbed drawing his partner close to him, "Ban-chan, Ban- chan... Please live, please, please, be back to normal. Ban-chan, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I was useless, Ban-chan please, don't--"
Bai Hu stepped out of the cockpit once again, holding a vile of a clear liquid.
"He's hurt, real bad..." Ginji whimpered, stroking Ban's hair gently. Please, please, get through this, Ban-chan...
"I know. I'll need to take care of those burns before we go to Maria's." He popped the cork out of the vile with his gleaming fangs. "Give me his hands first, those are the worst."
Ginji obeyed, holding out the charred remains of Ban's hands for Bai Hu. The tiger god smiled, pouring a few drops of the clear liquid onto where the palms had once been.
"You trust me, Ginji-san?" Bai Hu asked, dropping more of the strange liquid onto Ban's other hand.
"I don't know, but if you can help Ban-chan--"
Ginji was cut short from whatever he was going to say because suddenly the burn marks vanished, muscle, sinew, and even skin replenished. Ban's hands were as good as new. Bai Hu gave a satisfied smile, dripping more of the liquid onto the other burns which quickly healed over with not even a trace of scar tissue.
Ginji was utterly awestruck.
"Wha....?"
"His body will need to be in top shape," Bai Hu explained, putting one drop of the liquid in each of Ban's eyes. The redness vanished, but the iris's remained pale, and the pupils narrow, "for when Maria-san draws the toxin out of him."
"Toxin?" Ginji inquired, calming down considerably when he saw Ban's body healed flawlessly.
"Fudo Myo-o polishes his blade with an aroma that is toxic to what he considers sinful. The more so one is, the more the toxin will make them suffer."
"He called Ban-chan a demon!" Ginji cried, hugging Ban close.
"He will be in for a long night then." Bai Hu replied apologetically, corking the vile of clear liquid. "Don't worry, the toxin isn't fatal to humans, and Maria-san will be more than capable of drawing it from him. But as I said, he will need you."
"Why me?" Ginji groaned miserably, "If I hadn't been so useless, this never would have happened."
Bai Hu chuckled, standing up. "Why you?" He echoed thoughtfully. "Isn't it obvious?"
Ginji shook his head.
"Kuroudu-san was right, you are dense." Bai Hu laughed, and slipped back into the cockpit, leaving a rather confused Ginji to cuddle a limp Ban.
---------------
The helicopter ride might have excited Ginji had the circumstances been different. Had Ban been sitting beside him, bragging about their skill, laughing, ruffling Ginji's hair, the blond would have had his nose pressed against the window staring in awe as they flew through clouds.
If that had been the situation, it would have made Ginji the happiest human being on earth.
But at the moment, Ginji was tired, scared and begging his partner not to die. Ban lay in Ginji's arms, eyes open but not responding. The brunet seemed to be in a sort of coma, not dead, but not Ban.
"Ban-chan, it'll be alright. Bai Hu said we're going to see Maria. He said she'd be able to help you. It's going to be alright Ban-chan, I promise you, I promise."
Ban gave a jolt, and made a motion to grab at something, anything. Ginji offered his hand, and Ban took it instantly, holding on for dear life. His breath became ragged; beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I can't do it!" He shouted hoarsely. "Please, Yamato, I can't do this!"
Ginji gathered Ban close, rocking his partner like a child, smoothing the damp brown hair from his forehead.
"Shh, shh, Ban-chan, I'm here. It's me, Ginji."
"Yamato... please, no..." Ban whimpered.
Once again Bai Hu emerged from the cockpit, although he didn't seem to come baring any medicine for whatever was wrong with Ban.
"So he's become delusional now?" Bai Hu inquired calmly, sitting down beside Ginji.
Ban whimpered again, arms waving frantically.
"NO! NO! I don't want to! I can't! This isn't fair! This ISN'T FAIR!"
Ginji reached for Ban's flailing arms, drawing them back down to rest on his chest. The brunet gave a hoarse sob.
"What's wrong with him?" Ginji sounded nearly panicked.
"The toxin, from Fudo's blade, forces his enemies to relive their most horrible memories again and again." Bai Hu replied, resting a comforting hand on Ginji's shoulder. "It isn't fatal, but it is painful, and if we do not get him the remedy soon enough, it could possibly cause him brain damage or drive him insane." He told Ginji bluntly.
"It could...?"
"It could, but I doubt it will. We're almost to Maria's and the toxin needs a good twenty-four hours to set in before it can really get to work."
"So Maria will be able to help him?" Ginji asked, his hands trembling.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Ginji looked horror struck, holding Ban even more tightly.
"If she still has the remedy then he'll be fine."
"If not?"
"I was never much one for prayer, but that'll be the extent of what we can do."
---------------
The drive to Maria's was a short one. The combined facts that Akabane had been hired not only to transport them there in a very fast helicopter but a very fast car as well, and that Maria didn't live far from the helicopter base really cut the large amount of time Ginji had expected the trip to take. Things seemed to move in blurs, he hardly noticed Akabane greet him and he only managed a brief nod of his head before carrying Ban out of the car with help from Bai Hu. The center of his universe had become the delusional Ban, begging Yamato again and again not to have to kill him. And Ginji would quietly beg Ban to be all right, to get through this so they could laugh about it another day.
They carefully lugged Ban to the front door of the small home. Ban was limp again, murmuring uncontrollably, head lolling to and fro. Bai Hu knocked heavily on the door, his fists leaving mild dents in the wooden frame. At that time, Akabane had stepped out of the car to trail behind, a rather bemused expression on his face.
Maria answered the door, dressed in a yellow silk flower patterned night- robe with a hemline that was only slightly less revealing than simply walking around in underwear.
"Bai Hu, Gin-chan, Midou? What?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily, blinking several times, trying to comprehend the scene before. Ginji and Bai Hu were supporting a limp and writhing Midou Ban, and a tall man in a ridiculously long trench coat and wide brimmed hat was walking slowly from a car. "What's going on this time of night?" She didn't need to be the most skilled witch in the art of divination to know something was very wrong. Ginji's normally radiant face was pale and panicked, it seemed as though something was wrong with Ban judging by the way the man could not even stand. Why was Bai Hu with them? And that man in the black coat, she had met him once before...
"Maria-san, it is a bit urgent. If we could come in?" Bai Hu requested, shifting Ban slightly.
"Of course, of course," Maria replied dazedly, stepping aside to allow the tiger god and Ginji to carry Ban inside.
"What happened to him?" she asked, adjusting her night-robe over her buxom bosom.
"Fudo Myo-o happened to him," Bai Hu responded with the old cliché. "Do you still have the remedy for Fudo's toxin?"
"Absolutely," Maria stated in affirmation, holding the door open as Akabane stepped inside as well. He nodded his thanks to Maria, but remained silence, preferring to simply observe the fuss and rising hubbub in the small home.
"Get him into the guest room, Bai Hu, I'll get the elixir. My goodness, what was he doing pitting himself against one of the Godai Myo-o?"
Bai Hu chuckled softly. "I'll tell you later Maria-san. Come on Ginji, I'll show you where we take Ban."
---------------
The guestroom was small and held the faint aroma of cat's as rooms such as these always do, even if the owner of the house has a general lack of the feline species. It was furnished in a homely manner, with a soft looking bed and several quilts. Bai Hu helped Ginji drape Ban on the bed, the brunet arching his back and waving his arms frantically.
"What about Himiko!? How can you abandon your own sister?"
Akabane was watching interestedly from the doorway. He was curious to see just what would become of the Get Backers this evening.
Maria came bustling in, holding a vile of some foul looking, green colored liquid.
"Gin-chan, darling, hold him still for me. Where did the sword pierce him?" She asked, busying herself over Ban.
"Through his shoulder, here, where the hole in his shirt is ripped... huh? There's no wound!"
"There wouldn't be," Maria said knowingly, uncorking the bottle. "The kurikara sword is a spiritual weapon so it wouldn't wound his flesh." She ran one long nail through the gap in the sweater, cutting the skin where the sword had gone through. Blood trickled out, small ruby droplets glistening in the faded yellow light in the room.
"What are you doing?" Ginji asked tentively.
"The remedy to Fudo's poison has to mix with his blood before it actually works." She tipped the small glass flask and the green liquid dribbled slowly onto the cut. Ban's breathing became suddenly quite ragged, his body convulsed violently. "Hold him down! Hold him down!" Maria commanded, trying to steady the flow of the green liquid. It was amazing how one drop was not off the mark, even with Ban's delirious thrashing. Ginji obeyed, gripping Ban's wrists and held them down. Bai Hu did the same with Ban's kicking feet.
The bottle finally emptied and the wound mysteriously closed. The only hint that it had ever been there was the tiny pools of blood around it's general vicinity.
Maria gave a satisfied smile as Ban's pupils dilated, the paleness vanishing from the irises. He remained, arched up tense, unmoving...
...and collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Ban-chan!" Ginji exclaimed, gripping his partner's arm.
"He's through the worst of it now," Maria offered comfortingly to the blond.
"He should be fine?" Bai Hu asked, letting go of Ban's ankles and relaxing his demeanor considerably.
"Yeah," Maria replied, brushing a stray tendril of dark hair from her eyes. "Would you fine young men like some tea?" She added, her perky manner already returning.
Bai Hu smiled. "It isn't Friday, but I would love some. Maria, you make wonderful tea."
"Gin-chan, you should have something hot to drink. Your Ban-chan should be fine by morning. Probably in one of his usual pissy moods," Maria laughed with a huff, "but fine."
Ginji smiled and shook his head. "I'll be alright. I want to wait for Ban- chan."
"Suit yourself," Maria adjusted her night-robe again, which had begun to slide a bit. "And you?" She asked Akabane.
"Ah, yes, I would be delighted. That was... certainly fascinating, Maria- san."
"There's nothing fascinating about simple potions," Maria said brushing by Akabane. "You won't find any fascinating mysteries or complex puzzles here. Just remedies and divination. And in my apprentice's case, the greenhouse being invaded by man-eating Venus flytraps. I still have no idea how she managed that."
Akabane smiled, the deviant smile of a fox who's found a pheasant. "You madam, are very interesting."
Maria flashed a smile. "If you're working for Bai Hu, I'm the least interesting of people you'll be meeting." She strolled out of the guestroom, Bai Hu beside her.
He followed Maria and Bai Hu to the kitchen.
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The kettle shot jets of steam into the dimly lit kitchen. Batches of strange dried roots, herbs and fungus' hung from the ceiling. A crystal ball lay dormant in the center of the table, draped in a red velvet cloth. Several centuries-old books on palmistry were piled haphazardly at the end of the table. Countless runes, relics and discarded medallions littered the floor and counter. A pot simmered on the stove excreting some foul, bitter odor. Parchments and scrolls were stacked in a disorganized fashion.
Maria bustled about, pouring three white porcelain cups, laden with tea bags, full of steaming hot water.
"Bags today, I'm afraid Bai Hu. I'm a bit tight this month, and so I'm only reserving the leaves for Fridays and readings."
Bai Hu winked and flashed her a blindingly white fanged grin. "Fine with me, Maria-san."
Akabane nodded. "Tea bags are fine. Do you have cream?"
"Sorry," Maria apologized. "I have sugar if you don't like your tea strong." She set two of the cups rested on saucers before Bai Hu and Akabane, shortly followed by a beautifully carved antique, milk-glass sugar bowl. Akabane picked up the trinket, studying it scrupulously.
"My, what a pretty thing," He mused, removing the lid, scooping two spoonfuls of sugar into his tea. "An antique?"
"Older than I am, even." Maria said jokingly, sitting down and resting her cup and saucer before her.
Akabane raised a brow, but said nothing. Instead he sipped his tea, observing Maria and Bai Hu. Both were quite the enigmas. Akabane was more than a little intrigued.
"I'm glad you helped Midou Ban-san," Bai Hu said, breaking the momentary silence in the kitchen. "I know how you horde rare potions like the remedy to Fudo's toxin, especially seeing as it's not life threatening to humans."
A faint smile passed across Maria's lips. "We have all lost too much."
Bai Hu raised a brow, peering over his mug of tea. "Indeed?"
"I was told a story by little Ban's mother, quite some time ago, before he had been born. A woman's son had grown very ill and finally died. She could not accept her child's death and so wrapped the child in blankets, carrying him door to door, person to person, begging for them to help her. They all told her she was mad, shaking their heads in bewilderment. It was a very sad sight. She finally took her dead child to the Buddha and begged him, 'please, help my son'. The Buddha told her, 'bring me mustard seed from every house in your town that has not met felt the weight of tragedy, and I shall help your child'. So the woman went door to door, person to person, asking for mustard seed. The people felt deep pity for the woman, and happily complied. But when she asked if they had suffered any losses in their family, she was flooded with story after story of who had died, who was dying, and all of the uncertainties of life. She returned to the Buddha, empty handed, took her dead son, and buried him properly." She paused and took a long sip of tea. "When I saw Ginji this evening, carrying Ban, I saw a flicker of that woman and all the people she asked for mustard seed. He has lost much. Ban has lost much. We all have. The Buddha said, life is suffering. But there can be no suffering without joy, and it would be cruel to rob those men of their only joy. There was always the possibility that Ban might have lost his mind before he recovered."
Bai Hu chuckled softly. "I never thought you much for Buddhism."
Maria laughed. "I'm not. I'm not much for anything."
"Ah, an atheist?"
"Bai Hu, you are speaking to a woman who has slept with the devil, guarded the tears of Zhu Que, brews remedies for Shiva, and has tea every Friday afternoon with the tiger god. I don't think I could be an atheist if I tried." Maria was now openly laughing, shaking her exquisite head.
"Ah? What are you then?"
"Maria." She quieted, bringing the cup to her lips, her bangles and jewels jingling. "I'm just Maria." She finished the last of her tea in one swig, and stood. "Ginji must be tired now, I should go get a roll out bed for him."
"No need. He's probably curled up with Midou Ban-san." Bai Hu replied, standing and pushing his chair back in.
"Aa, yes I never thought that blondie could get under dear little Midou Ban's thick skin so quickly. He never really quite struck me as the type to go for guys."
"So you think they really are in love?"
"The fact that Midou hasn't killed him or left him in three years speaks volumes on it's own. You don't need to look into a crystal ball to know their hearts are beating as one, as the old saying goes." Maria laughed softly, sitting back down. "Now tell me, how did Ban have a run-in with Fudo Myo-o?"
Bai Hu was quiet for a moment. "Well, the logical place to begin would be the beginning..."
"Yes...?"
"You know the stone tears of Zhu Que?"
Maria nodded, twirling her finger in absentminded circles in her tea. "My apprentice is guarding them. You've met Mei."
Bai Hu looked remarkably awkward for someone who could maintain a cool composure so often. "Yes, well, one of the tears has been stolen, and your apprentice hired the Get Backers to find it."
The only sound before silence swept over the kitchen was that of Maria's cup dropping and shattering on the tabletop.
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Ai-chan: Geh, well, Maria finally made her first appearance. The way I had first planned it, this was originally meant to be the end of chapter two, but so far the fic has become twice as long as I intended it to be. Finally I get to introduce Bai Hu! Obviously he'll be having a lot more appearances. Ah, I had to sneak Akabane in here. Good lord, he amuses me. (Oh, I hope people caught the Neighborhood Story reference here! If you didn't, oh well! 3)
Translations!
Kurikara: Sword of submitting demons (or something to that extent O.x;)