Authors' Notes: After much discussion and deliberation, we have decided NOT to continue the fic "Where Do Babies Come From?" Instead, we will leave you hanging torturously at the last chapter for you to come up with your own ending, so you won't be disappointed with whatever we come up with.
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Hey...that was a joke. :D
Sorry for the delay, by the way. Rabid Lola's being banned from the phone and computer during the last two days of our deadline didn't help any. For more information, read her bio. And No, she was not grounded. But Riyuji was. -Riyuji sighs in the background-
We don't own the Get Backers, or Noboeda, Kyushu. We own Reiji, George, Chiaki, and Raoul.
Anyways...On to the last chapter!
Enjoy!
Ginji and Ban looked from the baby…to Parentti…to the baby. "Reiji?" Ginji asked, surprised. "Is that your name? Reiji?"
The kid looked at him, cocking his head in what seemed like a thoughtful manner. After a while, he opened his mouth and said, "Reiji."
Ban and Ginji sweatdropped. They couldn't tell if he was confirming it, or just repeating what Ginji said.
"I know him," Parentti insisted. "He's my friend's kid. Chiaki and George's kid."
The information Raoul Parentti gave them coincided with that of Kazuki. Chibi was actually Reiji Schwarz, son of George and Chiaki Schwarz, who currently resided in Italy. And…
"They'll be moving here, to Japan, in a week," Raoul said excitedly, not noticing the stunned, closed looks of Ban, Ginji, Kazuki, Paul, and Natsumi. Chibi stared at the stranger, from Ginji's lap. "Not here to Shinjuku, although I'm sure they will stop by. To Noboeda, in Kyushu. They'll be so grateful you found him! And he's in such healthy condition!" Raoul smiled at the baby, who smiled uncertainly back.
"Ban-san and Gin-chan take very good care of him," Natsumi said quietly.
"Ban and Ginji…yes, the Get Backers." Raoul nodded gratefully as Ginji silently handed over the briefcase containing his belongings, and his wallet. "I am deeply in your debt, sirs. Chiaki and George will be, too. Of course, I'll contact them, but they'll want to talk to you, too…. Shall I give them your number? Or email?"
Ginji hesitated and looked at Ban. Ban shook his head. "We'll be the ones to call, or email," he said, and Raoul nodded and wrote what they needed on a piece of paper. The man then pushed over his payment for the retrieval—25,000 yen.
"Get Backers, thank you so much…I'll leave him in your care, until Chiaki and George come. That is…if you don't mind?"
"We don't," Ginji said immediately, smiling faintly.
"Thank you for your business," Ban added.
When Raoul left, there was silence in the Honky Tonk. All five adults looked at Chibi, and the baby blinked and looked curiously back.
"Kyushu's far," Natsumi said in a small voice. Ginji nodded.
With a small, almost regretful sigh, Ban ruffled Chibi's hair gently. "Guess what, twerp," he said softly. "We found your parents."
Seven days.
They'd called MakubeX, asking if he could email them the pictures of Chibi's parents. The boy had willingly obliged, and now Ban was opening the email in the Honky Tonk, using Paul's laptop. Ginji had suggested they try something, just to check if what Raoul was telling them was true.
The picture downloaded quickly….a family picture, fairly recent. The baby in the middle clearly was Chibi.
Ginji pointed to the screen; first to the woman, then to the man. "Hey, Chibi, who are these two?"
Chibi squinted, looked forward—Ban and Ginji held their breaths—and suddenly the baby burst into a joyful cry. "Mama! Papa!"
Ginji sighed, and looked at Ban. The other man nodded, face blank. "No doubt about it."
Reiji looked up at the two with suddenly wide green eyes. "Banchan? Jinji? Where Mama and Papa?"
Ginji gave Reiji a little hug as Ban pulled the laptop towards him and began typing an email to Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz. "They're coming, Chibi—Reiji. Don't worry."
Six days.
Ban and Ginji were surprised when Himiko stopped by the Honky Tonk, and even more so when they found out it was not a business visit.
The girl fidgeted uncharacteristically as she stopped by the bar. Ban looked up at her, and raised an eyebrow. "Yo."
"Hi, Himiko-chan," Ginji smiled. Natsumi, situated behind the bar, greeted her too, and Paul grunted an acknowledgement.
"Him'ko!" Reiji smiled cheerfully as he greeted her. The girl's face softened.
"I heard," Himiko said quietly, half-pinching Reiji's cheek. "So, you're going back to your parents, huh?"
"In six more days," Ban said gruffly, a little bleakly. Ginji looked down at the counter, expelling a soft, sad breath. Reiji wondered, once more, why all the adults around him seemed sad, and he asked, "Banchan? Jinji?" Ban shook his head and smirked at the baby, who giggled back, and thumped Ban on the arm. He scurried to Ginji to escape Ban cuffing him. "Twerp."
A little grin formed at the side of Himiko's face. "I see." She was silent again, then she said, "Well…I guess I can go now…that is…"
Ban snorted. "Why don't you just shut up and admit to yourself you're going to miss him, and want to spend as much time with him as possible?"
"Ban-chan!"
"Ban-san!"
Himiko's eyes glinted angrily…but not that angrily. "Baka," she said, thwacking him one alongside his head. He let out a loud complaint and glared at her, rubbing the sore spot as Ginji grinned and allowed her to slide onto the stool beside him. She smiled a little, then, and watched as Natsumi and Ginji played with Reiji. She'd decided to stay for a while, it seemed.
Only for a while. The hakobiya girl soon received a call from a client, asking if she had time for a job. She sighed as she stood, and bid goodbye to others, giving Reiji an unexpected hug. Just as she was exiting, though, a thought struck her. She turned. "Ban?"
"What?"
"You'd better tell Jackal about it." She smirked at him, and he glared back. "He might not be happy, you know, if Reiji doesn't say goodbye."
"Get outta here," the man grumbled. She grinned and left.
"Ban-chan?"
"Aa?"
Ginji placed the sleeping Reiji in the backseat. "Are we going to tell Akabane-san?" There was a note of fear in his voice.
Ban was silent, contemplating all the nasty, creative things Jackal could do when he learned that his friend Chibi-kun (or Reiji-kun) had left for another city without saying goodbye, because the Get Backers had neglected to inform him. The Man of the Evil Eye shuddered. "Y'know, I think we will."
Five.
The air in the Honky Tonk bordered on oppressive. They were expecting a very special guest today.
"Ban-chan, did we have to tell him?" Ginji whined. He was beginning to sweat nervously; working with Akabane-san was one thing, voluntarily inviting him for something like a social call was another. Reiji looked questioningly at the man, who shook his head at him and motioned him to continue eating.
"It was either that or answer for it when he demands why his Ch—Reiji-kun wasn't able to say goodbye to him," Ban snapped back, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. Damn, he hated it when Himiko was right.
Ginji went slightly pale. "I guess we did have to tell him, then."
Ban sighed. "You should think more often."
Just then, the door opened and a cold breeze wafted into the room. "I'm glad you made the right choice, Get Backers," Akabane said in his scarily pleased tone as he stepped into the café.
Ginji's eyes became as wide as dinner plates, and he inched away slowly.
"Glad you're here, Jackal," Ban said sarcastically.
Akabane smiled. "Ah, Chibi-kun. Wait, my mistake, Reiji-kun. I hear you're going to leave us soon?"
Coming from Akabane, that sounded kinda scary. Sort of permanent.
Reiji took no notice and poked at Akabane's hands. "Kuro-chan, borrow sca'pels."
Ban winced. "It's AKA-bane, not KURO-chan!" he snapped. Where the hell did that come from, anyway? Wait… "And no scalpels!"
"I don't often ask you for favors, Akabane, but the kid's violent enough already without your influencing him," Paul said calmly. All eyes turned to him. Did someone just reprimand Akabane?
The homicidal-happy man just smiled. "Since your café is one of the more excellent ones in the vicinity, I'll oblige you." He shook his head at Reiji as the kid tried to reach once more for his hands. "No, Reiji-kun, I'm sorry. Your Ban-chan would get upset."
Paul didn't know whether Ban's deep intake of breath was because he was creeped out, or because he was trying to keep his temper.
Akabane stayed around an hour in the Honky Tonk, playing with Reiji happily. He did not seem to notice that the table they were at was shaking every so often. He left at the same time Natsumi arrived, holding the door open for her in his gentlemanly way. When the waitress stepped into the Honky Tonk, she noticed the trembling and looked under the table.
"Gin-chan? What are you doing there?"
Four.
Kazuki and Juubei dropped by.
"We'll be out of town for the next four days, so we're dropping by now to say goodbye to Reiji," Kazuki said, as they sat at the bar.
Ban raised an eyebrow. "What, hot springs again?"
Kazuki shot him a death glare. "No, we found a possible cure or at least therapy for Juubei's eyes." In the background, Reiji was actually seated on Juubei's lap, playing once more with the eyegear.
Ban nodded. "Ah. Hot springs again."
"Midou…"
"Make sure to tie your towel RIGHT ABOVE the waist, NOT at chest level. Men not as nice as me might try to take advantage of you," Ban quipped.
Ginji barely had time to magnetize Juubei's needles and keep them from hitting Ban. His partner was able to evade the strings that shot out. "Eh, Kazu-chan, Juubei, he was kidding!"
"Oooh! Cool!" Reiji yanked at the strings, jerking back Kazuki by several feet and causing him to crash into a bar stool. Where it hurts.
Natsumi covered her mouth in sympathy as the man doubled over in pain.
Ban gasped. "You ARE a man! I was thinking you pulled a HEVN and got transplants…"
A shoe came flying to crash painfully into his skull. There in the doorway was the subject of the conversation…or rather, the bearer of the subjects of the conversation.
"I hate you, Ban," HEVN snarled.
Ban pried an eye open and glared at her. "You're just saying that. I bet you dream of me at night."
Natsumi shrieked and covered Reiji's ears. "Ban-san!"
Ginji was red. "Ban-chan…"
Juubei spoke for the first time. "But then, what about Himiko-san?"
Paul, Kazuki and HEVN snickered as Ban yelled some colorful, profane denial that contradicted his red face. Natsumi stared, not sure whether to cover Reiji's ears. She'd never even suspected such words existed, so maybe the kid wouldn't either.
If Juubei could blink, he would be doing so now. "Why? What did I say?"
Three.
"Chiiiiibi-han!!"
Ban, Ginji, Paul and Natsumi couldn't tell if Emishi was drunk again or just acting himself. Wait…maybe "inebriated with sorrow" instead of the usual liquor.
Reiji looked pleadingly at Ban and Ginji, begging them to release him from the chokehold the Joker had on him.
"Emishi, it's Reiji, remember? Not Chibi," Shido said, as he helped Madoka into a chair.
Emishi shook his head, tears flying in all directions and drenching Reiji in the process. "But Reiji-han will always be Chibi-han to meeeeee!"
"You got him all wet," Paul observed.
"He can consider it payback," Ban countered.
"Emishi, I think Madoka-chan wants to say goodbye to Reiji, too," Ginji said, nervously trying to pry Reiji from the Joker's iron grasp.
"Fine! Leave me then!" Emishi practically flung the kid into Ginji's arms and turned away, arms crossed over his chest and pouting.
"You're such a spoiled brat," Shido told him. "No, not you," as Reiji looked up at him with big green eyes that said, "Who, me?"
Madoka gently pulled Reiji into her lap. "You're happy to be going back, aren't you, Reiji-kun?" she asked softly.
"Back?" the baby repeated, confused.
She laughed. "Back to your Mama and Papa." She handed him to Shido. "Come on, Shido-san, say goodbye to him."
Shido didn't seem to know how to hold a kid, almost turning him upside down in the process. Natsumi made a dive to correct him. "Shido-san, Shido-san, other way around!"
Reiji made a complaint and clutched at Shido's bandanna, causing it to slip over his eyes. The Beastmaster sighed and straightened it. "Uh huh. I'm gonna miss you…" I think, he added mentally. He glared at Ban, who seemed to have read his mind and was snickering. Apparently neither had forgotten Shido's last encounter with Reiji.
Emishi was suddenly all over the two, trying to hug Reiji once more and including Shido in the process. "I'm gonna miss you toooo!" Shido pushed him off before the waterworks started again.
Ban pulled Ginji aside. "I'm betting he's gonna forget about the kid in two days."
"No betting, Ban-chan."
As they watched Emishi emoting, Madoka trying not to laugh, and Shido trying to handle the baby and Emishi at once, Ginji nudged Ban. "Wait. I'm betting four."
Two.
"Last day." Ginji looked at the sleeping baby, a trace of regret on his face. "Should we wake him up now? It's kinda early…"
Ban shook his head. "Nah. Let him tank up." He settled against the Ladybug to smoke. "We've got lots of stuff planned for him today, and we want him more active than usual." He snorted. "I can't believe I said that."
Ginji grinned, but it was half-hearted. Ban saw, and punched him lightly in the head. "Cheer up, Ginji."
The man eyed his partner. "I will when you do."
Ban gave a strange sort of grin that didn't fool Ginji at all, and continued with his smoking.
One.
Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz were arriving today. Raoul was bringing them to the Honky Tonk at around 10:30 AM. Ban and Ginji sent Reiji to the back room with Natsumi first. They wanted to see what the couple was like…if they were good enough for the kid.
Paul noted the way they stiffened every time a car drove past the Honky Tonk, and relaxed when it didn't stop. But finally, right on time, a taxi parked outside and the door opened to let in Raoul, a Japanese woman, and a foreign man.
"Chiaki, George, meet the Get Backers." Raoul gestured to the two, who nodded in acknowledgement.
"Pleased to meet you," Chiaki said politely, as she shook their hands. Ban winced when she shook his. Boy, this woman had a grip that could almost match his Snake Bite. Almost. Still, he made a mental note not to get onto her bad side.
Ginji, in the meantime, was being shaken around by George. "I'M SO HONORED TO MEET YOU, SIRS!" he said in surprisingly good Japanese. His eyes were wide, round, and practically sparkling with gratitude. "Thank you sooooo much for finding Reiji!"
No wonder Reiji didn't get freaked out by the Get Backers, Paul thought to himself.
Raoul pulled George back and hit him solidly on the head. "Behave. You're embarrassing your wife…and yourself. And me."
George put a hand dramatically to his chest. "Ouch!" He turned away from his friend. "You wound me, Raoul. And your Japanese is horrible," he finished snidely.
He gets weirdness enough at home, Paul finished his mental monologue and continued to observe. His gaze turned to Chiaki, and he started another mental note. And she married him why?
"George, calm down," Chiaki seemed unfazed, but the others were startled when she grabbed him by the ear and pulled him downwards, forcing him to seat himself. Her husband's head connected a little painfully with the table. "Oops. Sorry honey."
Okay, maybe I should pity him more.
"Where's Reiji?" Chiaki asked eagerly. Her hands were beginning to twist together in her lap. "Is he all right? From what Raoul here says, he's in really good health and all. You don't know how grateful we are…"
Ban shook his head. "It was nothing." Paul stared. Say what?
"Just curious…what did you call him?" Raoul asked, as he remembered that they'd been so surprised to find out Reiji's name.
George looked at them in surprise. "You didn't know what to call him?"
"Of course, you idiot, did you expect the kid to have a nametag?" Raoul asked.
"Uh…yes? I think I put it on the tag of his shirt…"
Chiaki shook her head, exasperated. Ban began to pity her, too.
Ginji was the one who answered. "Well, at first we called him Chibi. Then, we found out from Raoul that his name was Reiji."
"No, it's not!" George said excitedly, leaping to his feet again. "It's Valentines Alkelanela Shihakshushihua Boherres... Gambigobella Blue Stradivari…"
Chiaki was the one who thwapped him on the head this time. "George, be quiet."
"You and your Trigun obsession," Raoul muttered.
"That's where I LEARNED most of my Japanese. Before I met Chiaki," George told him.
"Ban? Ginji?"
The two started, almost not recognizing the soft voice as Chiaki's. The woman was now looking at them, with a soft, pleading look in her eyes. They realized just how much she missed her baby, and how worried she had been.
"Where's Reiji?"
George was looking at them now, too, and in spite of the grin on his face and the twinkle in his eye, they saw the same expression in him.
No matter how odd this couple was, they really loved Reiji. And were good parents for him.
Ban sighed. "Master, call Natsumi."
Paul turned, feeling somber himself. "Natsu—"
There was a crash, and everyone jerked in their seats, surprised. From the back room came Natsumi's voice. "Reiji!"
Chiaki and George perked up instantly.
Paul strode to the door and opened it, peering gingerly inside. "Natsumi?"
"Coming, Master…Reiji, your shirt…oh, forget it."
The girl came out, and they stared.
She was spattered head to toe in paint, as was the baby in her arms. It was a sight to rival the time Reiji had gone wild with markers.
George and Chiaki stared at their son. Was that a…dog painted on his shirt?
Reiji stared back. And suddenly, light dawned in his eyes.
"Mama! Papa!"
Ban, Ginji, Paul, Natsumi and Raoul watched as Reiji leaped out of Natsumi's arms and ran to his parents. Immediately, the two scooped him up and hugged him tight, and they saw tears on both their cheeks. Paint smudged Chiaki's and George's faces, and got onto their clothes…they didn't care.
In the silence that followed, they heard a soft muffled sob from Natsumi, and Ginji hugged her with one arm gingerly, his expression solemn, but happy for them. Ban shoved his hands into his pockets, smiling a soft, sad smile, and Paul actually felt moisture gathering at the corner of his eyes.
Chiaki looked up from hugging her baby. "Thank you," she choked out. "Thank you so much."
George had brought Reiji into the washroom to clean him up, and Raoul was outside explaining to the taxi driver why they had taken so long. Chiaki had cleaned up already, at least her face, if not her clothes, and when Natsumi pointed it out she waved it away, saying what was a few clothes when they had their son back?
When George came out with the kid, she told him to go outside, and then pushed Reiji to the Get Backers so that he could say goodbye.
Ban ruffled his hair fondly, one last time, as Ginji hugged him. "See ya, twerp," the former croaked. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Take good care of your parents, and don't worry them like that again."
Reiji looked up at Ban and held out his arms to him, smiling brightly. "Ban-chan," he beamed.
Ban closed his eyes as the kid hugged him, and Paul could have sworn there was wet in them, too. A few tears were streaking down Ginji's cheeks, but the man ignored them, and gave Reiji another hug, then a tickle. The baby laughed. "Stop, Jinji!" Then he looked up, and frowned, brushing at Ginji's cheeks with his hands. "Jinji crying?"
Ginji shook his head. "Nah, I'm all right." He smiled, and Reiji smiled back. Then Ginji handed him to Natsumi, who kissed both his cheeks and squeezed him tight. "Be good, Reiji-kun."
Reiji toddled over to Paul, and said one final, "Ayig'to, Master."
Paul ruffled his head, too. "Bye, Reiji. Take care."
Chiaki held out her hand to her son, and he took it, looking back at the others. A sudden, stricken look came over his face. "Bye?"
Ban and Ginji nodded. "Yes, Reiji. Bye."
Tears filled the green eyes, and he shook his head. "No! Don't want!"
Ginji knelt until he was eye level with the kid. "Don't worry, we'll see you again, okay? We'll visit. Or you will. We promise."
Reiji turned his head from Ginji to Ban. "Promise?"
Ban nodded. "Aa. We promise."
Reiji gave a watery smile. "Okay."
Chiaki pushed him outside the door. "Papa's waiting for you."
Reiji gave one last smile, then ran outside.
His mother turned to the four others and tilted her head. "You will miss him a lot, won't you? More than I expected," she amended, when she saw their faces.
The four nodded. "We're not the only ones," Ginji said softly, thinking of Kazuki, Himiko, Juubei, Emishi, Shido, Madoka…even Akabane. "Reiji made many friends when he was here."
Chiaki smiled at them. "We'll make sure to visit," she promised them in turn. "As soon as possible. We're staying in Japan possibly for the rest of our lives…you can watch him grow up."
"That'd be great," Natsumi smiled.
"Thank you again, Get Backers." Chiaki turned to go.
"Aren't you going to pay them?" Paul spoke up. The two other men turned to glare at him, and his look answered, Well?
"Oh! Of course!" Chiaki began rummaging in her purse.
"Chiaki-san, there's no need…" Ginji began.
"Of course there is, for all the food you gave him, and the diapers? And clothes, too…Paul-san, just send me the bill of how much he's eaten here. Get Backers…" She handed them a check. Two million yen.
Ginji's eyes bugged out, but Ban took one look at it, and shook his head. "That's too much," he said, handing it back.
Natsumi and Paul stared at him, shocked. Ban said that?
Chiaki shook her head and pushed it back to them. "I insist," she said, and there was a steely undertone to her voice.
They gulped and accepted it. More out of fear than anything else.
Chiaki smiled gently. "Come out to say goodbye."
They waved until the taxi was out of sight, then went back inside the Honky Tonk. It seemed quiet, all of a sudden, and empty.
Paul sighed. "Well, that's that."
Ban and Ginji nodded, staring out the window. "Aa. It is."
They had a hard time sleeping that night.
Four days, since Reiji had left.
In the darkness of the Ladybug, Ginji turned over restlessly. Ban cracked open one eye. "Ginji?"
His partner was silent, then there was a soft, "Can't sleep, Ban-chan."
Ban shifted in his seat. "I know what you mean."
Silence again. Ginji's voice broke it. "Neither of us has slept straight since Reiji left."
Ban snorted. "I know. I keep waking up, thinking he's going to want his milk."
"Or his diaper changed."
"Or his butt cleaned."
"Same thing."
Both let out identical sighs.
"Everyone else misses him, as well," Ginji remarked, looking up at the sky.
"Aa. Natsumi's not half as perky. Master's been cooking early in the morning three days in a row, forgetting Reiji wasn't there anymore."
"Shido misses him too, Madoka-chan told me. Kazu-chan keeps asking after him. Himiko-chan's kinda sad, when I see her…he must have been like a little brother to her, ne, Ban-chan? Akabane…" Ginji shuddered. "Haven't seen him, but I'm sure he misses Reiji."
"In whatever weird way he can actually miss somebody," Ban interjected. Ginji nodded.
"HEVN-san asks about him, too. And Ban-chan? Our bet about Emishi?"
"What?"
"We both lost. Coz even if he's still weird and trying to be funny and all, he hasn't forgotten."
"Aa." Ban looked up at the sky, too.
Why is it so easy when person to comes into your life, but so hard when he leaves?
It was a bright and sunny day. Not exactly like the Get Backers' mood…nine days now, and they still missed the kid…but they felt better. Sort of. The backseat still seemed annoyingly empty, and the surroundings lacked a cheerful baby voice, but they felt better. They were looking forward to receiving a letter from the Schwarzes, in fact. Maybe today.
It was a bright and sunny day. Their car pulled up in front of the Honky Tonk…and almost before they'd parked, a highly excited Natsumi was crashing out of the door, grabbing them by the arms and hauling them inside. "Ban-san! Gin-chan! Look!" she cried.
"Oi! Girl, slow down!"
"Natsumi-chan, what…"
Both stopped short.
Paul was grinning widely, behind the counter. There was a hot, steaming pan of pizza ready, looking mouthwateringly delicious and somehow meant for them. The look on Paul's face seemed to say that it was free. And perched beside the pizza, swinging his legs happily, was a pint-sized kid with a mop of brown hair and bright green eyes.
"CHIBI!"
"REIJI!"
Natsumi beamed as the two men practically stampeded over, swinging the baby around, tickling him, and smothering him in a whirlwind of rough affection. Paul actually laughed. "Hey, let the kid breathe!"
"Banchan! Jinji!" Reiji was equally happy to see them, because he didn't want to let go of them, either.
Ginji noticed a note on Chibi's back…held in place by many, MANY paperclips. "Er, Ban-chan…what's this?"
Ban flipped the baby around, took one look, then sighed. "I'm betting his dad did this," he muttered. After carefully unfastening the letter, the man opened it and began to read. The others crowded around behind him to look.
Dear Ban and Ginji,
Hello! We hope you're doing fine. As you can see, Reiji is here in Shinjuku again. Let me explain. George's wonderful, efficient, oh-so-organized company—Everyone winced…they could practically FEEL the knives in Chiaki's words—apparently made a teeny mistake and gave us the wrong location. George is NOT supposed to be working in Noboeda, Kyushu, and we are NOT supposed to be here at all. Guess where we're supposed to be? That's right…Shinjuku!
You won't BELIEVE how long it took to clear things with George's company. When we heard the news, we were frustrated…then we saw the bright side. The company is willing to pay the extra expense of our trip from here to there, and is even helping us find a house. Also, Reiji has been asking for his "Banchan" and "Jinji" nearly every minute of every day.
George and I are eternally grateful to you two for taking care of our son. We are so lucky he landed in your hands. But…could you do us two big favors?
The first is…well, George and I still need to fix up a few things, as well as oversee the moving of our belongings from Noboeda to the house here. This will take at the most a day…can we please please PLEASE ask you to take care of Reiji in the meantime?
And the second…well, if ever George and I have a business trip…or late night meetings…or are otherwise unable to leave at least one of us at home with Reiji…
What I'm trying to say is, if we need babysitters, can we call you two?
We'll pay you well, we promise! I know how busy you two are…If it's too much trouble, then it's all right, even if you leave him in the Honky Tonk…I'll pay Natsumi-chan and Paul-san too!
You see, while Raoul is a very dear friend of ours, he's worse than what we've heard of one of your friends—Emishi-san, I think?—when it comes to babies. Um…hehe.
Thank you so much, Ban and Ginji! We'll pick him up later, we promise! AFTER we deal with the incompetents…
Signed, Chiaki (and George) Schwarz
P.S. I pity my company…they upset my wife. 0.o ->George
Natsumi giggled when she finished the letter, Paul chuckled, and Ginji gave a whoop of joy. Ban lowered the paper and stared at Reiji, for one long, long minute.
Then, he grinned and swiped a hand over the kid's head. "Guess we're stuck with you, eh, twerp?"
Far, far away, in a dark, grand old house located in Germany, a regal, ancient lady was sitting in an armchair and chuckling quietly.
A large stork appeared out of the shadows behind her and settled beside her, peering into the fireplace inquisitively. Its eyes could not see the same thing hers did in the strangely blue-white flames.
The Witch Queen ruffled the feathers on its head, stroking it like she would a pet dog or cat. "That was fun. The little runt needed another challenge in life, aside from getting back lost objects all the time."
The stork clacked its beak questioningly.
"Who? That man and his partner I made you deliver the baby to. My arrogant, bigheaded grandson." She smiled, a strange sort of fondness in her expression. "Chiaki and George were none the worse for Reiji's disappearing for a while. If Ban only knew they were related, on his father's side…" She stood, and gestured with her hands. The blue-white fire died down to a normal color, and she rested her hand on the stork's back. "Come. Let's get something to eat."
Ban's grandmother disappeared with her pet, still laughing quietly.
A/N 2: WOAH! It's done!
Depending on the amount of questions thrown at us, we MIGHT put up a question-and-answer chapter to satisfy your curiosity.
limelie: Except a new fic from us in one or two weeks. Not the sequel, though...that'll come soon!
Peter the Muggle: Halu! Thanks for the props...yap, it's the end. Did you enjoy?
Eizan Fujishima: We think that's called cheating...haha, just kidding. Anime Marathon? So far it's been all episodes of CCS (plus movies 1 and 2), coupla episodes of RahXephon and some of Gundam SEED...meaning it's still ongoing. Yes...this was a senti chapter. Hey, you haven't been emailing in a while. Watsap?
Purple Neko.Chan: It's okay! There's a sequel! Well, Akabane did say goodbye, didn't he? Rabid Lola: Hey, you'r asthmatic? I AM, TOO! haha...Hope you're ok!
Atropos' Knife: Riyuji: I know that I'm corrupted. I'm jst not too sure about Lola, on the other hand. Rabid Lola: I'm a little corrupted. Riyuji makes sure I don't get TOO corrupted. Most of the time.
DaredevilX: New reviewer! Thanks for the props. Hope you enjoyed!
marbles: Well, expect more craziness from us then. Rabid Lola: marbles, meet my sensei and siamese brain. -points to Riyuji- Riyuji: marbles, meet my deshi.
KarotsaMused: Knowing the Get Backers...We actually think that those situations are highly...HIGHLY possible. Whoa...? Yeah? THAT'S SO COOL! You gotta cool grandpa!
the PIERROTT: The stork did do it on purpose. What? Reiji's dad is cool! The sequel...well, I guess you'll just need to find out when you read it. Oh, by the way...Lola has been held back for many, many, many, MANY years. -Riyuji and Rabid Lola nod seriously-
Hyper Konzen Douji: New Reviewer! Uhm...it is like a Daddy Day Care thing.
kikio-sama: That was our second longest chapter! We did explain why the stork dropped Reiji with the Get Backers. Kazuki is in this one again!
Quentin Dahl: Uhm...it's finished now you know. Hope you're not...that frustrated.
bluejem: bluejem-chan! Go ahead...but I'm sure you would have finished the box of Kleenex by now.
The Invader Androgynous: Um...Thanks for the "grammar lesson". But... -plucks rolled-up newspaper from Invader's grasp- are you okay?
Faye-chan: It's okay. How's the ending though? Hope you enjoy! Riyuji: As soon as this is done I'll begin the KazukixRen fic that I promised. Rabid Lola: YAY!
Philips: We know it's scary. What! The Parents were mentioned already! Si Philips talaga o! Rabid Lola: PHILIPS!!! HOW ARE YOU? :D
Wielder of Paperclips: See! We TOLD ya Reiji's dad was cool!
Ja, friends, and till next time...
-Riyuji and Rabid Lola
