DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Get Backers or any of the characters.

Now that I've stated the obvious, this is just the first part of the chapter I intended on posting. I'm sorry if it seems incomplete, it is. I just needed to put it up to say a couple of things. But first, the chappie!

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Kazuki shivered slightly at the cold, moving instinctively closer to Ban. He had been quiet throughout the flight to Sapporo, and quieter still as they had driven their rental car, a black Subaru Pleo, to Furano. They had taken an evening flight out of Tokyo, after almost a day of convincing Ginji and Tsumei to stay back. Finally, Ban had given up and taken Ginji aside, telling him he wanted some time alone with Kazuki. That had worked perfectly.

It was now an hour past dusk, as they arrived at the little inn. They planned on staying the night there and visiting the shrine on the outskirts the next morning. The inn suited Ban very well, being a small, unobtrusive place. It was built in a semi-Japanese style, with a wooden frame and sliding doors, with two levels.

Ban winced slightly at the hostess's chirpy greeting, being reminded a little of Natsumi, only the perkiness was kind of forced.

"So, would you and your girlfriend like a double room?"

Kazuki unleashed glare at the unprepared girl. "No," he replied in his deepest voice, "we'd like two rooms, please. Since some people don't want to share just yet."

Ban bit back a grin, caused both by the look on the hostess's face, and Kazuki's sudden display of cattiness.

"Ye-yes, of course. I'm sorry. We have two single rooms available on the first floor. Follow me, please."

The two men walked behind the petite woman, carrying a bag each, Ban's being surprisingly bigger than Kazuki's. She led them to two rooms at the end of a short hallway that faced each other.

"Would you like connecting rooms, sir," she said addressing Ban.

Ban glanced at Kazuki, who was staring dully into space. "Yes, please."

She unlocked the door on the right and slid it open. "This room and the next are connected by a common bathroom. Here are the keys."

Ban took the keys from her and walked into the room, followed slowly by the Fuuchouin heir. The latter found a futon tucked in a cupboard and unrolled it. He pulled his heavy coat off, revealing his usual off-shoulder top. With a soft sigh, he threw himself on the mattress, sprawling all over it.

Ban smiled slightly. "My, don't we look inviting," he teased.

Kazuki frowned at him. "I'm really tired, all right? Could you please ask them to send some dinner up to my room." He placed just the slightest emphasis on "my".

"Sure," Ban nodded, "And you wouldn't mind if I joined you, of course." He added as he left through the door to the bathroom.

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Dinner wasn't strained or uncomfortable. Just very silent. The two men sat cross-legged, facing each other, with their dinner spread out between them.

"Ban?"

"Hmm?"

"You think they'll say I received it?"

"Maybe."

Ban slurped down the last of his ramen.

"Ban?"

"Hmm?"

"You think she'll be ok?"

"Yes."

Kazuki popped the last bit of tomato from the chicken salad into his mouth.

"Ban?"

"Do I think Tsumei will tell us anything? Yes, I do. Now don't talk with your mouth full."

"I wasn't going to ask that," Kazuki protested weakly.

"Ok, ask away then."

"Umm, what time should we start tomorrow?"

"Whenever we're ready, I guess. I'm going to go shower now."

"Ban, don't go, please."

Ban sighed to himself. He's been so quiet all day… maybe he's ready to talk now. "I need one, you know."

"Yes, but you shouldn't shower right after you eat."

"Is that all?"

"No." Kazuki sounded more decisive now. "Ban, where are we?"

Ban smiled wryly. Here it comes… won't make it easy just yet, Fuuchouin. "Hokkaido. Furano, to be specific."

"Stop joking around. You know what I'm talking about."

Ban crawled over awkwardly to where Ito no Kazuki sat. He made himself comfortable next to him, carefully avoiding any contact. "Where do you want us to be?"

"I, honestly, I don't think I know."

"You happy where we are?"

"What? Furano? It's a bit cold and all, but it's all right."

Ban poked him gently in the leg. Kazuki cracked his first smile of the day. "No, I'm not. We're in the middle of a fight, remember?"

"If you say so, Kazuki. Apart from that, though?"

"Yeah, it hasn't really been long, you know."

"Time is a relative thing. You hear about the Twin Paradox?"

"The one where the twin who stays back ages more?"

Ban nodded. "So depends on how fast we're moving, not the actual time."

"Not that there is such a thing as "actual time", what with it being relative and all… but I guess your explanation makes sense. So, how fast are we moving?"

"Speed is a relative thing. You-"

"Ban! Stop using physics to avoid this talk."

"I see my ploy's not working. I'd say we're moving just fine."

"Then why did you turn me away?"

Bitterness… I hear too much of it from you lately. "I didn't turn you away. I wasn't… prepared."

"Prepared?" Ah, incredulity. This, I can deal with better. "What preparation did you need, really?"

Ban took Kazuki's hand in his in a deliberate, slow motion. "You were right about a few things. You're definitely not my first. And I do want it. I did then, too. I was caught a little off-guard, I guess."

"What am I supposed to do, Ban, come at you with a warning sign?"

Ban quickly stifled a laugh at the image of Kazuki approaching him with a neon "I want you" sign. "No, of course not. But really, it didn't feel in place then. You'd really want our first time to be because you were "pent up"? Because you thought a quickie would ease your tension?" Any thought of hilarity was gone from his mind.

"It came out wrong, you know. I just wanted some… closeness."

Immediately, Ban felt a little bad. I wish the situation were a little different, and we didn't have this hanging over our heads. Things are easier to deal with when you don't have to say so much.

Ban shifted, kneeling in front of Kazuki. He leaned in, brushing his lips across Kazuki's soft ones.

"Still feel like you need some closeness?" he whispered, keeping his lips in agonizingly light contact.

Kazuki pushed forward, crushing their lips together. Ban caught his face in his hands, cupping his slightly flushed cheeks in his palms. "You know, you were right about us. A little cold, but all right."

"Right, so you plan on talking all night?"

"No, I plan on taking things from all right to amazing." Ban kissed him again, hard, pulling away quickly and getting up.

"Ban?" Kazuki looked a little confused. Ban looked down at him, smiling a little.

Slight realization dawned in Kazuki's eyes, causing a blush to claim his cheeks. "Oh…" he whispered, moving his hands slowly up to Ban's hips.

Ban's smile grew wider as he moved his hands to cover Kazuki's, giving them a playful squeeze before pushing them off gently. "I still haven't showered yet. What were you thinking?"

He sauntered off to the bathroom, leaving a very surprised Kazuki behind.

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First off all, thatnks to vixen16, Angelic Priestess, kataru and Crimson for the reviews! Angelic preistess, I'd never be mad at you. I was just being grumpy 'cause Kazuki and Toshiki didn't kiss when it looked like they would in the series. Crimson, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a total review-whore, so I'll love it all!! Fanfiction was down for a while, right, so some of the reviews don't show up on the review page. I only see them when I list them chapterwise. Bummer.

Anyway, I wrote a fic "Reunion" a few days ago. It was written right after I'd read "Not Just a Thread Spool" by Kazuki's boytoy, so I was in a total mood to make Ban uke, which I did. It was a pretty pointless fic, really, just something to try before I wrote the actual BanKazu scene in "Pretences". I was expecting zero reviews, but I got one, from a Sydney.

"You are just a random author that written a Ban/Kazuki fic, this has nothing to do with your actual fic. What is your rationale of having them together? Lots of people like it, but I see no support at all for it. And they both have nice yaoi pairings built in (Ban/Ginji and Kazuki/Jubei). Where do you get this?"

Since I have nowhere else to reply to this, I'll do it here. First, you're right, I AM just a random author who's written a BanKazuki fic. No, it doesn't have much to do with "Pretences" because Ban will be seme in it, btw. Kazuki is definitely seme-material, but Ban doesn't make the best uke. My rationale of having them together is that they have fun chemistry in the series. So, you think they have nice yaoi piarings built in, fine, that's still just your opinion. The series doesn't actually give you anything definite. Yes, Ban and Ginji are vlose, as are Kazuki and Juubei. But honestly, nothing definite is revealed at any point. Same goes for Ban and Kazuki.

It's nice that I have a critic, really. The biggest reason I write BanKazuki fics is because I don't see the "yaoi pairings built in" that you do. I see Ban and Kazuki, and to me, they're two people who'd be great for each other. I'm sorry you didn't like "reunion", but like I said, it's not a real fic at all. Just a random scene so I could work on trying the two of them together. I understand BanGinji and KazukiJuubei are way more popular pairings, but I've tried to keep them as IC as I could. So, where do I get this? I don't know. Come to think of it, BanGinji isn't even built upon as much as BanHimiko. So where do you get BanGinji from?

Hmm, I've ranted enough. I just get on a roll when people question this pairing. Freedom of speech and what not. Honestly, I'd love to get more reviews from Sydney. I just wish he/she had left their e-mail so I could have my say instead of clogging up my chapter end. Part two of this chapter will be up shortly!

Kerian