DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Get Backers or any of the characters. (Except Rihatsu, Michiko and Hato in this chapter.)

Midou Ban did not like the cold, which was precisely what woke him up the next morning. Needles of chill stuck into his exposed body, banishing any thoughts of sleep. He looked down at Kazuki sleeping with his head on his chest, an arm and a leg draped over him. They provided the sole relief from the cold, as Kazuki had pulled the blanket all to himself.

Ban growled slightly in annoyance, pulling the covers off both their bodies. Kazuki snuggled closer, pulling himself half on top of Ban. Ban sighed softly, nature calling louder every passing second. He gently pushed Kazuki off his chest and walked shivering to the bathroom. After relieving himself and brushing his teeth, he turned the shower on. He stepped in as the water turned hot, combating the numbing cold threatening to invade his body.

Ban yelped in surprise as a cold body slid in behind him, wrapping icy arms around his warm waist. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Sorry, Kazuki, thought it was too early."

Kazuki rested his chin on Ban's shoulder, softly running his fingers along his stomach from behind. Ban let himself lean against the strong chest behind him, enjoying the sensations running down his spine.

"You didn't have to leave me uncovered. I got cold, you know."

"Hey, you had your pants on all night, and yet, you stole the blanket off a naked man."

"I did no such thing. Last I remember, we were entangled together."

"Oi, Itomaki, you snuggled up to me and hogged the blanket. I woke up frozen."

"Oh… I'm sorry, Ban."

"You can take your hands away from my waist. I'm too sleepy to get worked up like last night, in case you want to keep up the teasing."

Kazuki's hand traveled up to his chest, softly running up and down between his pecs.

"Mmm, no, Ban, I just like touching you."

Ban laughed softly. "Come on, we have work to do."

The two men stepped out reluctantly, and dressed. After a quick breakfast, they got into the rental car and started driving to the temple. They drove out around ten kilometers out on the highway before turning off into a smaller, slicker road. Ban's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he avoided the slippery patches.

Kazuki gave him directions in a soft voice, so as not to break his focus. They reached a tiny path leading off the road in an hour.

"Here, stop now. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."

"How much further?"

"Not much, Ban, maybe five minutes by walk."

Ban parked the car under a bare tree and shut off the engine. He made sure the doors were locked before walking into the little street.

"The car will be safe, right?"

Kazuki nodded silently in confirmation. They walked silently the rest of the way, keeping close to each other. Soon, the sight of a temple, which Ban thought would look beautiful in springtime, greeted them. It was relatively large and looked quite old. It looked like it had three entrances- the main one led on top of a few steps, a smaller more hidden one to the side of the main shrine, and a third one through the corridor along the koi pond. Ban wondered how many more there were.

Kazuki walked right up to the main entrance and tugged at the bell hung next to the door. The chimes rang crisply in the cold winter air. Ban shivered slightly. In a minute or two, the door was slowly slid open by a young woman. She looked to be around twenty, with long brown hair tied back by a silk ribbon and large dark green eyes. She smiled at Kazuki in recognition and bowed slightly in greeting.

"Good morning, Michiko-san."

"Are you through the last batch so fast, Fuuchouin-san?"

Kazuki frowned. "No, I came to see your grandfather."

Michiko's eyes flicked questioningly in Ban's direction. "You know the rules, you are responsible for anyone you bring in here."

Kazuki nodded. "He is very trustworthy. Now please, it is important I see him."

Michiko turned around, leading them gracefully to the back of the shrine. Ban looked around, taking in everything. The air in the main shrine was steeped with the smell of incense and looked very clean, indicating it was used very regularly. They exited through the back, and walked along the koi pond. The pond was now frozen over, and Ban wondered if there had ever been any fish in there at all.

They stopped in front of a small door, where Michiko knocked. She slid the door open after an almost imperceptible grunt came through. The two men followed the woman into the room, where a man of about seventy sat reading an ancient scroll. He looked up from his work and nodded in greeting.

Kazuki bowed deeply and sat down in front of the man. Ban followed suit. "How are you, Rihatsu-sensei?"

"Oh, just fine, Kazuki. Has been a while since you came here, hasn't it?"

"Yes, two years. Oh, this is Midou Ban."

"Nice to meet you Midou-san."

"Nice to meet you too," Ban seemed a little ill at ease. This was obviously not a very comfortable setting for him. Moreover, the old man reminded him of his grandmother.

"So, Kazuki, what is this about?"

"I needed to ask you about the last batch of string you sent me."

Rihatsu nodded. "You found it a bit different? Michiko spun that batch. My fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be, you know."

"Oh no, it was just perfect I assure you. Michiko-san is very talented," his eyes flicked to the young woman and back to her grandfather, "but I'm afraid the delivery was made to the wrong person."

The old man turned to the puzzled woman. "Who delivered it?"

"Hato-kun. He said he delivered it personally to Fuuchouin-san, at his apartment."

"Could I speak to him, please?"

Michiko nodded and left the room. Rihatsu turned to the two men. "What is going on, really?"

Kazuki gritted his teeth slightly. "People are being killed, Rihatsu-sensei. My string is being used."

"Oh, I see. But none of it was stolen? Did you even place the order, Kazuki?"

Kazuki shook his head. "I wonder how the code leaked out. I'm always very careful about it."

The old man nodded. His eyes rested on Ban for the briefest second. "Maybe it's someone you trust."

"I am a professional, Rihatsu-sensei. I keep this to myself. The code is not known even to the Kakeis."

"Of course, just making sure."

Just then, the door opened again, and Michiko entered with a boy in his late teens in tow. The old man looked sharply at the scared-looking youth. "Is this is man who you delivered to, Hato?"

Hato studied Kazuki for a few moments, and nodded. "I only had the photograph and address to go by, but this was him, sensei."

"Where exactly did you deliver?" Kazuki asked the boy.

Hato recited his address perfectly. Kazuki sighed softly in resignation. "Fuuchouin-san," Michiko's soft voice sounded sympathetic, "we only asked Hato because he has a flawless memory and is extremely loyal. He wouldn't lie to us, you know."

Kazuki smiled sadly at the striking woman. "I understand. I suppose we have what we wanted, Ban. We will leave now."

"Fuuchouin-san, please stay for lunch. It has been so long since I- we saw you. Right, grandfather?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, please stay. Your friend is welcome too, of course."

Kazuki looked at Ban, who nodded to him. "Yes, we'll stay."

Ban was more than a little annoyed. He had been mostly ignored since their arrival. Lunch was not very different. Kazuki and Michiko had struck up a good conversation, with the old man joining in often. Ban and Hato sat eating, the teen looking more than a little uncomfortable. Fine, if you're going to ignore me, I might as well talk to the boy.

"So, Hato," he started off, "what exactly do you do?"

The boy blushed slightly at being addressed by Ban, a tad intimidated. "I'm training under Rihatsu-sensei to be a priest. I'll be taught to spin the string on my eighteenth birthday."

Ban nodded, not knowing what exactly to say. Hato's eyes kept flicking to Kazuki, slight doubt clouding them. "Hato," Ban started off in a low voice, "you're not very sure, are you?"

The boy started a little. "What?"

"About Kazuki. Something's bothering you, right?"

Hato bit his lip slightly and nodded. "His hair… it seems different from that night. The light then was quite dim, you see. But it looked pretty much like him, and the address was right, so I handed the string over."

Ban narrowed his eyes. "Just the hair, then?"

"Yes, looked almost the same, really. Length, and all… just the bangs in the front, they were slightly different. I noticed it then, but I thought he'd just changed them."

"How were they different? Shorter, longer?"

"No… they just seemed to be cut differently. He looked the same otherwise. Same height, and everything."

"Oh, I see."

"Are you going to tell Rihatsu-sensei?"

Ban shook his head. "No. Just Itomaki."

"Itomaki?"

"Kazuki."

The boy grinned. "Not many people can get away with calling him that, Midou-san."

Ban grinned back. "I don't hear him complaining." Surprise, surprise! The boy's not so bad after all…

Ban smiled to himself all the way back to the car. Kazuki looked disappointed at the news he'd heard, but seemed more light-hearted after meeting Michiko and her grandfather. Ban unlocked his door and slid into the driver's seat, opening the passenger side door from the inside.

Kazuki sat down in his seat a little huffily. "So, you and Hato seemed to have a good time."

Ban grinned at him. "Yeah, he's cool."

"So, it's confirmed now, I guess. I took the string."

"No, it's not."

"Huh?" Kazuki turned to Ban, looking puzzled. "Stop toying with me, all right?"

"Oi, Yarnball, I'm not toying with you. Hato told me something in confidence, so don't let it get back to the old man, all right?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"The kid noticed your hair was different that night. Your hair's been the same for a long time; believe me, I've noticed. I'm sure it was someone impersonating you."

Kazuki's eyes grew big. "There was someone in my apartment without me knowing?"

Ban clicked his tongue impatiently. "Yes, but this clears you, see?"

"I suppose it does, yes." Kazuki brightened.

Ban leaned over and kissed his forehead. "So, back to Mugenjou?"

Kazuki gave him a smile tinged with shyness. "I know our work's important, but I was hoping we could stay another night. This place soothes me."

Ban stroked his hair softly. "Sure, Kazuki. Just play fair."

First off, thanks to everyone who reviewed 'Koi'. Crimson, thanks for both your reviews. Well, actually in 'Koi' I was going on all the literal meanings of the word. You're right though, there is room for improvement (since I tend to get a little impatient in descriptions and rush them a bit). What's it like to be in a yaoi relationship, you ask? Just about the same as with a girl, for me, except my boyfriend makes most of the first moves. And yes, Ban will be seme. Yes, yes, they'll do it. In some detail too.Not that Kazuki can't be top, just that no way Ban can pull off a good uke. Angelic Priestess, Crimson, I'm really flattered you want to be friends, so yes. You didn't even need to ask really. And yes, I'll review. It's as much fun to review as it is getting them.

Thanks to halve-moon, Saku-san, hutnhi, hemiko109andBOBfor the reviews. Kaesaku, fourth one you say? I'd have expected more... not that I know even one, really. I'm thinking of starting an LJ, so I won't have to write such long notes at the end of my fics. Being as lazy as I am, I probably won't update it as much as I should, but I think I'll make one anyways. I'll put the link up next chapter.

Ryuuen Kurai, 'Breaking the Habit', dude! I'm dying here! Sorry, don't mean to rush you... just, it's like my fav fic so far, okay?

Kerian