"Sum of the Parts"
Disclaimer : Don't own Ban, Ginji or the rest of the gang, just playing puppet master on this fan fic so I can make them do incredibly twisted things. BWAHAHAHA!
A.N. : I'm done with fluffy GinjiXNatsumi for now. Hope you liked! Anyway, starting with this chapter, it gets a little ecchi, and Ban, being the "Get Backers" resident lech, may act accordingly ;). So, a word of warning to y'all who like their Ban vanilla-flavored, 'cause you probably won't find him here hehe. As always, please keep those reviews coming because I really do love to hear from you!
ENJOY!
Chapter 6 : Ladies Night (Oh, what a night)
'The Wicked Witch' held up a glowing glass of amber liquid, tempting young, innocent 'Alice' with it.
"You must be thirsty. Here, drink this."
"Thirsty and starving," 'Alice' replied, gratefully taking the glass. "What is it?"
"Apple juice," the witch smiled malevolently.
'Alice' downed the drink in one gulp, gasped and coughed violently.
"Ban!" Paul scolded.
"I… think… this juice… spoiled…" Ginji sputtered between coughs.
"Dummy! That was tequila," Paul sighed loudly.
Ginji doubled over. "Ban-chaaan! You tricked me!"
"It's for your own good." Ban had taken the wicked witch disguise a little too much to heart. "You've been way too nervous. This will help you chill out."
"Way too nervous, huh? Well, by the time that drink kicks in, he'll be way too wasted." Paul slapped his palm to his forehead. "Or have you forgotten your partner hasn't eaten anything in two days?"
Ban was speechless. One could almost see the "uh-oh" thought bubble over his wigged-out head.
"Natsumi-chan, you fed Ginji today, haven't you?" He crossed his fingers.
She shook her head. "Nope." Then brightly, she added, "But maybe later. My dad and I are having sukiyaki for dinner at home. I'll save some for you guys when you get back, okay? I'll wait for you."
"Sukiyaki… Meat…" Ginji drooled and grinned ridiculously. The tequila was acting faster than expected. He took Natsumi's hand.
"You're the nicest girl ever," he drawled. "I think I –"
Ginji was interrupted by short, hard slaps to the face.
"Look alive, will 'ya?" Ban yelled as he pulled Ginji by the dress collar." Come. We've got to leave now."
As they headed out the door, Natsumi called out to them.
"Ban-san! Gin-chan!"
Simultaneously, the Get Backers turned. Flash.
"Natsumi!" Ban roared. Another flash.
"Delete that picture at once!" he demanded, coming after her.
Natsumi hid her cellphone-camera inside her apron and ducked behind the counter with Paul.
"Don't you want a memento of this job?" she chuckled.
"Hey, I know. Let's upload it into the computer," Paul suggested with a diabolic grin.
"Paul! You sonofa-"
"Just a little insurance, that's all."
"Bullshit! That's blackmail!"
"Tomato. To-mah-to."
"Tch!" Ban pointed an accusing finger at the café owner. "I'm getting your money, so don't you dare show those pictures to anyone, got that?"
He turned on his heels and stormed out of the Honky Tonk with Ginji in tow, slamming the door behind him.
---
"Hehe. It's raining pebbles." Ginji laughed childishly as he held out his hand in the pouring rock 'shower'.
"Why? Why? Why?" Ban wailed as they huddled under the Honky Tonk's overhead awning. Ban's avian nemesis had enlisted a battalion of birds to strafe him. Apparently, not even being disguised as a female had the birds fooled.
After a few seconds of bombardment, there was a lull in the attack. Ban took the opportunity to stride into the middle of the street next to his Ladybug.
"That's it, you crazy sparrow!" He shouted up at the dusky sky with his arms extended in a challenge.
"This load of crap ends right now! Take your best shot! Whatever happens, we call it quits, you hear me?"
Ban stood looking like a shadowy spectre of death in the middle of the road, waiting for the inevitable bomb. Suddenly, a rock the size of a golf ball whizzed past his head and landed with a heavy thud close to his feet.
Ban picked up the rock and smirked triumphantly.
"Hah! You missed, pea-brain!" he cackled. "Now have a taste of your own medicine!"
As Paul and Natsumi joined Ginji at the door to see what the commotion was all about, Ban threw the rock back towards the twilight with the force of his 200kg Snake Bite. Satisfied, he brushed the dirt off his hands and turned to the group.
"Let's go Ginji. I won! This battle is mine – "
CRRA-AACK!
Gravity brought the rock right smack dab in the middle of the Ladybug's windshield.
---
That summer weekend's night in Shibuya was heavy with the visions, sounds and smells that came with the decadence and hedonism of youth gone wild. Out of school and running out of time, there were taboos to break, bizarre rites of passage to experience, and for those high school girls for whom summer meant a suspension in allowance – a lot of money to be made.
The Get Backers had just entered this alien world of meaningless excess. While Ban and Ginji had driven through the streets of Shibuya-ku countless times before, never had they any excuse to walk amongst its carefree, prodigal denizens of the night.
This was unfamiliar territory, and no matter how worldly and well-informed he was, Ban couldn't help but feel somewhat unprepared.
And dressing in drag didn't help at all.
Ban still felt the infuriating boiling of his blood and the incessant ka-ching, ka-ching of cash registers ringing in his ears. He already calculated losing most of his share of the job's down-payment and was hoping to the money gods that Kojio would be carrying a heck of a wad of cash on him.
Because the Evil Eye wouldn't be enough payment for all the trouble the pervert was now putting him through.
Leaving the damaged Ladybug in an alleyway far from the flashing neon lights, the partners knew they were approaching Dogenzaka (1) – with its myriad of dance clubs, bars and 'love hotels' – when they met up with throngs of people headed the same way.
Ban was slightly relieved. Except for looking too tall for average Japanese girls, he and Ginji hardly stood out in the thick crowd of couples in heat, bar-hopping kogals, enjo kosai girls waiting for the night's sugar daddy, and all sorts of weirdos, punks and repressed white collars searching for their idea of the perfect good time.
Not that it stopped them from getting their share of cat-calls from pimply-faced teenage boys who didn't know better.
Maybe it's the walk, Ban realized self-consciously. The tight skirt forced him into a hip-swaying gait; taking small, measured steps that made the flared skirt hem swish flirtily around his feet.
Crap, I even move like Akabane, he cringed.
Meanwhile, Ginji really did look like an innocent Alice trapped in a libertine version of Wonderland. Light-headed from the shot of alcohol he downed earlier, Ginji's eyes darted everywhere, taking in the assault of exotic sights that held him in a trance.
"Stop clinging to me like that," Ban ordered irritably while trying to pry both of Ginji's hands from his right arm.
"I feel dizzy," he complained. " – And I can't walk on these shoes. This is all your fault. This plan, your car. We made Natsumi-chan cry… Your fault."
Ban narrowed his eyes at Ginji's sudden outpour of candor. Booze always did that to him.
"Ohhh… So we're playing the honesty game now, huh? Ok, then. My turn. What did you do to Natsumi in the backroom? She came out with her hair all messed up, and you know her hair is never out of that ponytail."
"I didn't do anything," Ginji blushed. "She just fell."
"And?" Ban pressed on.
"- And I… I sort of fell on her."
"And?"
"Nothing! Nothing happened!" Ginji exclaimed hotly.
Ban clucked his tongue. "Eh, Ginji. You sound as though you regret nothing happened."
The blond Get Backer was silent as his fingers dug deeper into Ban's leather-clad arm.
"I can't say I blame you, though," he continued thoughtfully. "Natsumi's a beautiful, vivacious girl and a great cook. Who'd refuse that?"
"It's not about that at all. It's – " Ginji froze in his tracks, stopping Ban in the middle of the sidewalk. "Wait. What do you mean by 'You don't blame me'?"
"Aw, geez…" Ban sighed with the impatience of a grownup explaining the ways of the world to a small child. "So you like Natsumi. Deal with it!"
Puzzled, Ginji backed into the window of the sex shop they were standing in front of. "And you're not angry?"
"Why would I?"
"I don't know. Just as I was about to – " Ginji could still feel the fiery charge between him and Natsumi as they closed their eyes. So intense was the feeling that, in retrospect, Ginji couldn't be certain if, in fact, he had not actually kissed her.
" – you screamed from the bathroom."
Ban boxed Ginji's ear. "Man, are you deaf? I screamed because I thought I looked like Akabane's twin sister!" he yelled.
"There, I said it! Now quit moping around. You'll get your chance with Natsumi. You spend most of your time with her anyway."
As people stared at how that 'witch' roughhoused and shouted at the poor blonde 'girl', Ban took Ginji's arm and started off again at a quickened pace.
Despite truthfully claiming he wasn't angry in any way, Ban acknowledged a wee bit of jealousy rearing itself in him – whether of Ginji or Natsumi, he wasn't quite sure.
"Ban-chan," Ginji's voice trembled as he was being dragged towards the entrance of 'Dolce Vita'. "Akabane-san has a twin sister?"
---
'Dolce Vita' was Shibuya's newest and trendiest club. Famous for its weekend Ladies Nights that offered free entrance to girls in costume, the place was always packed to the rafters with outrageously – and skimpily - dressed nubile nymphets. And where they were, so, too were the men who kept the place running – the hentais, the frustrated middle-aged suits and fetishists of all proclivities. They had only three things in mind. To ogle, to grope, and to get lucky.
"At least Kojio was thoughtful enough to meet at a club with no entrance fee. Fortunately for us, we're ladies and we're in costume," Ban snorted wryly.
The Get Backers stood before the unusually spacious club with its mirrored plate glass exterior and minimalist sign. As giddy teenagers and wary office workers with backs hunched and heads bowed passed them by, Ban took Ginji aside to go over their plan, which – typically – wasn't much.
"Kojio will probably call to let us know he's here. But keep an eye out for him just in case," Ban reminded.
" – No indiscriminate use of your electricity."
Ginji nodded.
" – And don't even think of transforming into that runt creature - " he warned, referring to chibi-Ginji. "You running around like that in a room full of girls is a disaster waiting to happen."
"Remember, I'm Midori…"
"Midori," Ginji repeated dully.
"And you're – " Thinking hard, Ban's eyes looked up. " – Kazuki."
"I'm Kazu-chan?"
"Right. Under the circumstances, it's quite fitting."
"Ginji stroked the strands of his wig. "But if I'm playing Kazu-chan, shouldn't I have bells in my hair?"
Ban realized the tequila had already dissolved some of the few remaining brain cells in Ginji's head.
"No, dork! You're playing 'Alice'. But your name is Kazuki."
Before Ginji could launch into a whole new line of inquiry, Ban shoved him towards the 'Dolce Vita' entrance. "Never mind. Just try not to say too much to anyone, okay?"
Inside, Ban and Ginji, or rather, 'Midori' and 'Kazuki' – faced the scrutiny of the stern, Frau Farbissina-like receptionist.
"Is there a problem?" Ban demanded bitchily with arms akimbo. He used a weird, scratchy high-pitched voice that was supposed to pass for female. Ginji thought he sounded like a cat in rut.
"Have you been here before?" Frau Farbissina wrinkled her uni-brow. "You two look familiar."
"We're models. Maybe you've seen us in a magazine or two?" came the snotty reply. Ban put his palms on the reception counter, leaned his head towards the woman and blazed his serpentine eyes at her. "You don't want this fine establishment dissed in tomorrow's society pages, do you now?"
As though spellbound, the Frau waved them through. With his nose high up in the air, Ban flipped his straight black hair dramatically and lead his partner to the upholstered interior doors of the hall.
"You used the Jagan on her?"
"Of course not, you dope," Ban grinned complacently as he pulled the doors open. "That… was all captivating, womanly charm."
As the Get Backers entered, they were practically blown back by the pounding techno music and the miles and miles of mirrors everywhere, making the club look like a sprawling orgy of ripe, sassy young bodies. The effect was exaggerated by the pinkish-orange ambient lighting that cast a flattering glow on everyone and everything.
Like a little kid, Ginji's eyes were drawn to the large, colourful, round Chinese lanterns that hung on the high ceilings. To him, they looked like giant gumballs.
Meanwhile, Ban was quite offended by the mirrors. Aside from making it difficult to spot anyone at once, he half-expected that jackass bar host Kagami Kyoji to materialize and offer him a welcome drink mixed with diamond dust.
As Ban and Ginji took to the floor, the teenage crowd – made up of an assortment of storybook characters, superheroes, furry animals, cosplay-crazy otakus and girls looking for an excuse to dress up like sluts – opened a path for them, mostly because they earned second glances due to their willowy height and striking looks.
So far, so good. Ban couldn't help but smile. Akabane in drag or not, he could still work it.
"I'll hang out here and watch the main entrance," he said as they reached the bar. "You go over to that area and scope out the side door."
Ginji peered over the bobble of heads towards a darker section of the club where more secluded booths and tables were located.
"Mm," he acknowledged.
Ban put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Remember what I told you."
"Got it, Ban-chan." Ginji smiled and started to walk to his designated spot in careful strides, slightly extending his arms to the side for balance.
---
It was a few minutes before eight and still no sign of Kojio. Ginji had been stationed for awhile at his dark little corner near the restrooms and he was beginning to feel the rumble in his tummy again.
Even though his head spun, at least the alcohol had made him forget his hunger. Now, all he could think about was Natsumi's sukiyaki, and how it – she – would be waiting for him when they got back from the job. Ginji sighed wistfully.
Suddenly, from out of the darkness, he felt something heavy and soft slide down his hair. Making a face, Ginji's hand went to the back of his head and found himself touching fur.
"Hello, Alice. Want to go down the rabbit hole with me?" a voice chuckled.
Ginji slowly turned to meet the muffled voice that came out of nowhere. To his horror, he was face-to-face with a huge, white, buck-toothed bunny.
"I can show you the real 'wonderland', Alice dear..."
"Wa-wa-waah!" Ginji jumped in fright, instinctively shooting short blasts of electricity around himself. He backed out carefully in the opposite direction.
"Oi! I didn't mean to scare you," the voice instantly changed tone from slimy to almost normal. "I just want to ta – "
The rabbit waved a big, hairy paw. Then he sniffed the acrid smell of burning polyester and noticed his non-flame retardant costume was smoking.
"Shit! Fuck! I'm on fire!" the white rabbit screamed and bolted for the men's room. Apparently, no one taught him to stop, drop and roll.
"Ban-chaaan!" Ginji cried, trying not to turn chibi. He had already broken one of Ban's rules. Now, he was about to break another as he bumbled along, looking for his partner. Not looking where he was going, he ran over a tiny girl in an even tinier sailor fuku.
"Ow!" The bleached-blonde screeched as she landed on her bottom.
Ginji snapped out of his panic as soon as he realized what he had done. He held out a hand to the fallen lass.
"I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?"
"Rubbing her shapely posterior (Ginji wasn't that oblivious, tipsy or not), the girl, who was dressed as 'Sailor Moon', accepted his assist. "I'm fine. Next time, watch where you're going." Sailor Moon glanced up at Ginji and stared at him for a few seconds. Her face lit up.
"Your voice… You're a boy, aren't you?" she animatedly exclaimed.
"Uh… well…"
"This is great! We don't see your kind often," the teen gleefully continued. "You're one of the few cross-dressers to get by that Nazi receptionist cow. No wonder, since you're the prettiest one yet!"
Sailor Moon caught her breath. "What's your name?"
"Er… Kaz … Kazuki," Ginji stammered.
"Nice to meet you, Kazuki-san. I'm Maya." She gripped his hand and pulled him away.
Ginji reluctantly went with his 'kidnapper'. Better her than that creepy white rabbit.
---
"…Tonight's 'Dolce Vita' Sweetheart winner will receive a 25,000 cash prize. Those young ladies who wish to join the contest, please register your names with the emcee…" the DJ announced.
Ban considered this for a millisecond. After all, he had to replace his whole freakin' windshield. Hmmm… 25,000? Ick! No! No! Not that desperate…
He sat at the bar with legs crossed, elbows propped on the counter, eyes fixed on the club's doors, waiting for Kojio to appear.
"Why, hey there, gorgeous," a slick male voice slathered on so smoothly, it nearly gave Ban goosebumps.
He smiled wickedly. Finally, he would get to test his feminine wiles on some unsuspecting windbag. And boy, was he going to make that guy fall hard. More so, if the guy looked just like he sounded…
Ban twirled a strand of his hair in his finger and batted his eyelashes. Turning, he sing-songed,
"Hell -o…oh…"
Instead of the Latin Lothario he had been expecting to make fall under his spell, Ban's wooer was a – banana.
A giant yellow one. Who was accompanied by Astroboy – in indecently microscopic black bike shorts, red boots, green belt, and nothing much else.
What the…
"What's a stunner like you hanging out at the bar alone? Can I buy you a drink?" the banana smoothie drawled.
"Ugh." Ban looked at the yellow cretin with contempt. Honestly, he wanted a drink badly, as in right now. But he had so lost interest in proving his womanhood to these mega-geeks.
"Sorry, but I don't go out with fruits. Soft ones, at that," he sniffed, turning his head away.
"Wah… So cold…" Astro-nerd shivered. Considering he was wearing practically nothing, Ban wasn't surprised.
"Shoo! Before I put a curse on you," Ban said icily.
The banana frowned. "Underneath this skin is a great guy. You'll regret not wanting to know more of me."
"Blech! Like I would actually peel that costume off you!" Ban turned his back and the two muttered colourful obscenities as they hot-footed it away.
"Somebody kill me now… This is such a friggin' freak show," he mumbled to himself.
Settling down, he returned to scanning for Kojio. But he was finding it hard not to be distracted by every pretty face and pert ass that came his way.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ban espied the cute girl with black pixie-cut hair who sat next to him and ordered a cocktail. She kind of reminded him of Himiko.
"A strawberry margarita, please."
Ban snorted. She didn't look like she'd even been weaned off strawberry milk.
He noticed she was wearing a gauzy lavender fairy costume with wings that sparkled in the club lights. What really drew his attention, though, were her little ruffled bloomers that peeked under her tutu.
Pixie girl turned her head coolly towards the Get Backer. "You look familiar. Are you someone famous?"
"Maybe," Ban flirted in his high-pitched croak. Despite his immense self-satisfaction, he tried to sound nonchalant. Another potential member of the Mido Ban-sama fan club hehe.
"Yes, you are. I know you from somewhere…" The girl concentrated hard on his face. Suddenly she had her Eureka moment.
"Oh my gosh!" She jumped in her seat. "You're 'Sadako' from 'Ringu'!" (2)
Ban raised an eyebrow. A very high one. "Excuse me?"
Pixie waved her confetti-filled magic wand at him, scattering glitter all over his dress. "You don't have to hide it. The hair. Those eyes… You're that actress…"
Those eyes? Sure, Ban had the Jagan, but to have it confused for fish eyes, that was just ridiculous.
"I'm not – "
"Don't worry. I won't tell the tabloids." She whipped out her mobile phone. "Can you really do that scary, jerky walk?"
"Listen…"
"Wait till my friends hear about this!" The teen eagerly dialed her phone.
"For the last time, I'M NOT SADAKO!" Ban shouted in his normal voice. Standing up, he 'accidentally' knocked over the strawberry margarita, spilling it all over the girl's dress. With a gasp, she jumped off her seat.
"Ack! This is never coming out," Pixie wailed, trying to brush off the stain from her skirt. Giving up, she glared demonically at Ban.
"I saw how you were looking at me, you lesbian pervert! I'm never watching any of your movies ever again!"
With that, the incensed fairy and her saucy little bloomers stormed off.
What the fuck was that all about? Ban wrinkled his nose in disgust.
---
On the other side of the club, Ginji was being held hostage by Sailor Moon and her Sailor senshi (3). Sitting frozen in the captain's chair as his 'crew' adulated over him around the table, he was bombarded with cheerful queries and plied with glasses of a fizzy, gold drink.
Remembering Ban's little ruse with the tequila, Ginji was wary about gulping down the beverage offered to him. But when he took a sip, he was pleasantly surprised that it tasted nice and sweet – like soda.
And because anything sweet was just about his most favorite thing in the world, he happily drank a glass. And another… And another.
"You can have the whole thing," the violet-haired scout gaily pushed the champagne bottle towards Ginji. He couldn't remember if she called herself 'Sailor Jupiter' or 'Sailor Mars'. Whatever. She was cute.
"It was compliments of the bar, but we don't drink the stuff."
"Thanks!" He hiccupped as he grabbed the half-empty bottle. Ginji decided these cartoon characters were cool. Sort of like having six Natsumi-chans around him.
"Kazuki-san?" Maya, the Sailor Moon asked. "Are you gay or do you just like dressing as a girl?"
"Kazu-chan?" Ginji blinked. Is Kazu-chan gay? How come I don't know the answer to that question?
"Oh, wait. You mean me?" he swayed slightly, his deep velvet brown eyes becoming glassy. "No. Nooo… Um, at least I don't think so."
The green-haired Sailor Neptune swooned. "So, do you have a girlfriend?" Does she, you know, approve of your cross-dressing?"
"No girlfriend, hic!" Ginji blushed as he poured himself another drink. Hehe. Girlfriend. Natsumi-chan. She approves. She put me in this dress. Raitei should've thanked her – a lot. Stupid Ban-chan!
The girls giggled wildly and whispered wildly among themselves. After a few seconds, their putative leader, Maya, spoke up for the gang.
"Kazuki-san, do you mind us asking if we can see you without – " More giggles. " - your wig? That is a wig, isn't it?"
"We'd love to see what you look like as a regular guy," the blue-haired sailor scout piped in.
"Yeah!" The others chorused excitedly.
Ginji looked at the hopeful girls and regarded their curious request. Maybe it was because he was already quite soused, or more likely, he was genuinely having fun with this group of friends, but Ginji obliged.
"Sure. What the heck. But quickly now."
The teenagers stood up and clamored around Ginji in a frenzy. Cordoning him off from view, they held their breaths as he bowed his head and removed the wig.
With his blond mop adorably disheveled, Ginji looked up at the six bedazzled faces with large, false-eyelashed eyes and a bashful smile.
"Hic! Hic! So?" he asked.
The sharp, ear-piercing squeals from their table elicited startled stares and gasps from the surrounding crowd.
"Shhh!" Ginji chuckled as he promptly put the hairpiece back on, albeit crookedly.
"You're such a handsome boy, Kazuki, " Sailor Venus raved.
"Kazuki? No, it's Ginji. Amano Ginji." He was delirious in the claustrophobic trap of wild-eyed girls as they cornered him inch by feverish inch..
"Hey. What are you girls do – ahhhhh…"
---
After his altercation with that 'Sadako'-loving fairy freak, Ban trudged over to the corner of the bar nearest the entrance.
Godammit! This job was bugging the hell out of him. In his dozen odd years off possessing both the Jagan and Snake Bite, never was he so compelled to use both at the same time and on so many annoying people. – until now.
And he hadn't even really started the mission yet.
Ban grabbed a glass of leftover vodka tonic someone had left and chugged it fast. Ruefully, he thought, that maybe, women were just born to give him a hard time.
But he wasn't one to lose hope on things like girls, money, or a fight. Who knew? Maybe he'd have more luck with the next girl he laid eyes upon.
Searching the club's entry area, he immediately found a prospect. Despite the teeming crowd, the girl, no, woman stood out. He noticed her straight, shiny brown hair and tall, elegant figure. Even from her partial profile, the exquisitely-sculpted oval face and graceful shoulders were clearly evident.
Now, that's what I'm talking about, Ban thought.
The beauty floated her way down into the club and towards the bar. Finally, she provided him with a full view.
Turning her face slightly to the left, the woman seductively tucked a loose strand of long hair behind her right ear. As if in slow motion, Ban watched as her hand dropped down past her cheek… then her neck…
... eventually revealing the two distinct gold glints in her hair.
Ban threw up a little in his mouth. Literally.
I admit, this chapter is just pure insanity. Tell me what you think, please? Thanks a mil. Hope to see you next chapter!
Next chapter: Ginji alcohol electricity dance floor disco inferno! Ban and Kazuki use their ample treasury of feminine charms on a not-so-impressed Kojio.
(1) Dogenzaka - Entertainment strip in Shibuya catering to a more mature audience. Famous for its "Love Hotel Hill", discos and clandestine fetish clubs.
(2) "Ringu" : The original – and far better - Japanese version of the Hollywood movie "The Ring".
(3) senshi : Literally - soldier, scout