DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Get Backers or any of the characters. (But I'm free to torment them in my fanfics. /insert evil laugh here/)

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Ban jerked every time the bells jingled, signaling the entry of a new person into the Honky Tonk. Ginji sighed. "Relax, Ban-chan... he promised to call if he needed us, remember?"

Ban turned away, avoiding his partner's eyes. "I know he can take care of himself. I'm not worried."

"If you say so, Ban-chan. Let's go find some work, okay?"

"I don't feel like it, Ginji. We have enough money anyways." And I don't want him calling, needing help, only to find us in the middle of some pointless mission.

"I'm getting bored of sitting around and watching you mope," Ginji pouted.

"All right then, do you want to go somewhere?"

"Yeah! Takashimaya Times Square!"

Ban tried to keep his annoyance in check. "And what exactly do you want to do there?"

"Ban-chan, we can do anything! We could watch a movie, or shop, or we could play some arcade games there!"

"The movie and games, yeah, but shop?"

Ginji blushed. "Yeah, I want some new clothes Ban-chan. Something nice to wear when we're off duty."

Ban refrained from making any comments. There were too many to pick from.

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"So, which one, Ban-chan, the green or the gray?" Ginji asked, holding up two dress shirts against himself.

"Hmm... can I see the blue one again?"

"Ban-chan! You said you definitely didn't like that one."

"Right... not the blue one. Buy the dark brown one."

"What dark brown- Ban-chan! I brought you here so you wouldn't fixate on Kazu-chan!"

"I'm not fixated on him. You picked a dark brown one ten minutes ago."

Ginji sighed. "No, Ban-chan, you said not to pick anything dark brown before we even got here."

"Right. Then what's one doing in your shirt pile?"

"That's black, Ban-chan."

"Oh, sorry Ginji, I thought it was dark brown." Like his hair, and those fathomless eyes...

Ginji looked around for a salesperson to help him decide. It was useless trying to get Ban to help. He'd got Ban to promise to a buy a shirt for himself as well, but Ban had just pulled out the first shirt he saw- a dark red half-sleeved shirt- and stuck with it. Ginji was having more trouble trying to decide.

Finally, he decided on the dark green dress shirt and a rust-colored turtleneck, and took them along with Ban's shirt to get them billed. Ban trailed along slowly. Suddenly, he jumped slightly and pulled his cell phone out.

"It's Kazuki!" Ban stared at the vibrating phone.

"Aren't you answering it, Ban-chan?"

"Right," Ban hit the 'receive' button, "Kazuki! Are you all right?"

"Ban!" Kazuki's voice was raspy and heavy with tension. "I'm so glad I got you." A hint of fear.

"What's going on?" Please let him be all right. Please...

"I- I'm all right. I need you here..." Kazuki's voice trailed off, choking slightly.

"I'll be right there. Where exactly are you?"

"In an alley somewhere right now... it's horrible. I'll be at Gen's soon. Please get there, Ban."

"All right," Ban said, as Kazuki hung up.

Ginji looked at him with worry shining through his eyes. "What's wrong, Ban-chan?"

"I don't know yet. We're going to Mugenjou, Ginji."

Ginji nodded as they made a run for the car, the clothes lying behind forgotten.

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Ginji got out shakily from the car after they parked outside Mugenjou.

"Ban-chan, you almost hit that old lady... and those puppies."

"I didn't, did I?"

"No, but did you have to drive that fast?" Ginji asked as they walked into the Infinite Castle. "And swerve like that around the corners?"

Ban broke into a run. "This isn't the time to whine about my driving, Ginji."

"Right, Ban-chan."

They sprinted all the way to the old pharmacist's place. Out of breath, Ban banged on the door. Kusuriya Gen opened the door. His eyes were red with bags under them.

"Come in, Kazuki is waiting for you."

Ban pushed past the old man and strode in. "Kazuki!" he called out.

Kazuki stepped out from behind the screens separating the beds from the living room. He looked pale and withdrawn. He stopped a couple of feet away from Ban and attempted a smile.

"Thank you for coming, Ban. I'm sorry for calling you like this."

Ban covered the distance between them in a long stride and gave Kazuki a warm kiss. "Stop thanking me and tell me what's wrong already."

"Someone's going around hurting people and Ren..." Kazuki swayed a little.

Ban pulled Kazuki into a close embrace, feeling him sag against his chest. "Is she hurt, Kazuki?"

Ban felt a shudder run through Kazuki. "She's still alive, if that's what you're asking, Ban. Just barely."

He pulled away from the comfort of Ban's arms and slipped his long, white hand into Ban's bigger, calloused one. "Come see her."

Ban recoiled slightly as he saw the young girl lying on the bed, covered in bandages. As he got closer, he noticed the bandages around her mouth and eyes. Oh God, the sick bastard cut her face up?

Kazuki leaned on Ban. Ban quickly slipped his arm around him, supporting him against his shoulder. "She's the fifth girl they've found like this, Ban... two of the others were already dead when they were found."

"And all their faces were slashed?"

Kazuki burrowed his head deeper into Ban's shoulder. "Their faces... her face... they weren't slashed, Ban."

Ban frowned. "Then why is she bandaged like that?"

"Whoever did this, he cut her up pretty bad, Ban. Two stab wounds in her chest, and cuts along her back and legs. Luckily, he didn't slit her throat."

"And her face?" Ban persisted. They way Kazuki evaded his question had struck a chord. Whatever was done to her face, seems like it's bothering him way more then everything else.

"Her eyelids and her mouth, Ban, they-"

"Kazu-chan! Ren looks really bad!"

"Yes, I know, Ginji. She's had multiple injuries, and she's lost a lot of blood."

"Why's her head all wrapped up, Kazu-chan?"

Kazuki closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The stab wounds and cuts, they differ on all the girls. The thing they all have in common, is..." Kazuki took another deep breath. "Their mouths and eyelids, they were sewn shut."

Ban and Ginji recoiled slightly in shock and revulsion. Ban was the first to recover.

"What a demented, twisted thing to do! We're going to nail the sadistic son of a bitch!"

Kazuki gritted his teeth and went on. "And on examining her, Gen said that the sewing was done before the injuries. He found nothing to indicate that she was unconscious while it happened."

The Get Backers' eyes widened as the words sunk in. "Oh God, Kazu-chan, he did this while she was awake?"

Kazuki nodded. Ban stroked his cheek softly as he felt Kazuki's knees weaken a little. "The stitches are very regular, which would be impossible to do to a person awake and fully aware. She would've struggled, making it difficult for him. But they just look like some old lady's neat sewing."

"You sure she wasn't poisoned or anything? Or something like Himiko's Submission Perfume?"

Kazuki shook his head. "Gen found nothing unusual in her blood. Her wrists had duct tape around them when she was found. It's impossible to sew a person's mouth like that. She didn't even bleed much from the sewing..."

Kazuki picked a little at Ban's sleeve. Ban and Ginji looked at Ren thoughtfully. She looks so small and vulnerable like that. Weird to see such a hyper kid so subdued.

Ban turned to Kazuki. He still felt like Kazuki was evading something. "What else, Kazuki? What're you not telling us?"

Kazuki looked up into Ban's eyes. His expressive brown eyes mirrored pain and confusion. Ban stretched up a little, planting a soft kiss on Kazuki's forehead. "It's all right, tell me."

"Ban, Ginji, the reason MakubeX asked me to come was, you see he wanted me to take a look at the string the killer was using."

I really don't like where this is going.

"It's mine."

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I got into a real mood to write, and this seemed like a good place to stop. I'm still tired from being sick before, and the damn's cold's been replaced with an even worse cough. The Gods of Health do not smile upon this lowly boy.

Thanks to siberian orchid and kataru for the reviews! siberian orchid, since I practically have a saga of a story planned (I want to finish by the first week of Feb next year when I leave), so even though it's going slowly and has taken ten chapters to get some semblance of a storyline, I plan on bringing up the Juubei/Kazuki history up. Still not sure if it would cause any trouble, though. lol I use 'cute' a lot in my fanboy mode too. ("All men are fanboys." -MegaTokyo)

Kataru, it's hard for me to picture Juubei/Kazuki or Toshiki/Kadsuki, so it's funny to think of them giving up on Kazuki, which means they wanted him in the first place. Time for a quick rant: All the pics (inc. fanart) I've found of them with Kazuki, it's always with Kazuki looking like a woman. It's SLASH for a reason, and if one of the guys is going to be drawn so female, then it's pointless. And I never got a very strong vibe for both the pairings, except for that one episode when Juubei and Kazuki first meet. So sorry, but I won't be writing them in a slashy sense.

Hmm... my notes at the end get longer with every chapter. How long before they're longer than the actual chapters? Gomen nasai... I'm talking pointlessly now. Next chapter will be up next week, when I'll have more time, therefore more writing!

Kerian