OMG I actually updated! Gomen all for those who've actually read this story and have been waiting...err...more than half a year? A lot has happened...like me being in Japan for this spring semester so um...not had much time to write...but hopefully I'll be updating this thing more regularly from now on. For any of those of you who are actually sticking with it...thank you!

Chapter 3

They were getting closer, making enough noise to be audible a good distance away. Unfortunately, even with this knowledge Ban was having a hard time convincing his body of the urgency to get up and get away. And the rain persisted in pouring from the sky in sheets, drenching him thoroughly.

At least the lightening appeared to have stopped for now. How long that good fortune would hold was uncertain, especially if he didn't get out of this mess soon and slap some sense into his partner.

God dammit, the job had seemed reasonable enough. Well, okay, so most things seemed reasonable with that high a payoff. And the guy had seemed a bit… shady; but then, so did half of their clients. And sure Ban hadn't been too pleased that they had approached him when Ginji wasn't around.

When they had named the figure they were willing to pay, however, a lot of things could be overlooked. It wasn't as if they expected him to carry out the job without Ginji, or so they had said. Ban had known his partner would be upset if they missed out on such a lucrative job simply because Ginji had chosen that day to be out gallivanting with friends… in the ladybug.

Ban still was not entirely sure how that had happened. He had gone from flatly turning down any invitation to join them, to covertly encouraging Ginji to go with them, to giving up his car for the day.

Come to think of it, he could blame this entire rotten day on the moment that stupid monkey trainer and the joker boy had walked into the Honky Tonk and invited Ginji to join them. It had just gone down hill from there. An hour after they had left, with his precious Subaru, the three men had walked in. Ban had just returned from the library and was curled in a booth ready to get some reading in. .

He had been tempted to turn them away immediately, but the 10,000 yen they had offered as incentive to simply talk over the job was too good to pass up. Ten minutes of conversation, and Ban had known they were slime through and through, but slime often possessed large sums of cash. He and Ginji had been far down on their luck as of late, to the point Paul was threatening to refuse them admittance into the café.

When they had told him that further explanation would be received only if he immediately accompanied them to their employer's mansion, several hours outside of Tokyo, Ban hesitated only a second, then phoned Ginji.

Not wanting to lose the job, he and Ginji had agreed that Ban would go with them and Ginji would catch up as soon as possible. After all, Ban hadn't even agreed to take the job, just to hear these people out. If nothing else, the 10,000 yen would be enough to feed them for a bit.

As luck would have it, upon seeing what they actually wanted him to "retrieve" he'd had no choice but to flatly refuse. For one thing, it was not the kind of job the GetBackers did. For another, his Grandmother had warned Ban that if he ever came across anything like the pendant this Nannamae guy presented to him, he was either to bring it to her or to destroy it. It was not something to be played with.

Of course, his would-be employers had not taken too well to his refusal or his attempt to snatch it. Between the heavy artillery and the sheer number of guards, Ban had decided to use his jagan. In retrospect it might not have been the wisest of choices, but at the time, he had been so thrown off by just seeing the damn thing…

Nannamae had been prepared: three guards concealed, eyes shielded. He had only barely made it out, and without the pendant. Instead he had a gaping hole in his side.

Branches snapped and leaves rustled as the searchers crashed through the underbrush. They were very close now, shouts echoing through the woods. Breath coming in ragged gasps, with the aide of a nearby tree trunk Ban was able to lever himself to his knees as four of them burst into the clearing. Adrenaline was an amazing thing.

"There he is!"

The roving flashlight beam, momentarily blinding, and two pairs of heavy footfalls were the only indications of their arrival. Even if he could concentrate enough to use it, in the gloom, with no guarantee they would all meet his eyes, the Jagan would be a waste of time and energy. With that conclusion in mind, Ban concentrated, willing his body to cooperate long enough to gain the upper hand in this situation while his pursuers were unsuspecting.

"Come along quietly now," one of them hissed. As the speaker reached out a hand with the intent to haul him to his feet, Ban surged up, planting his fist in the man's gut. Even as his first victim collapsed to his knees, breath coming out in a gush, Ban was spinning to face the second.

Another flash of lightning provided the necessary brightness to catch the glint of metal as the man brought his gun up to bare. Closing the distance between them before his enemy had a chance to aim, much less fire, Ban caught the extended arm. With a twist, the wrist snapped. Catching the gun with one hand as it fell from the other's slack grip, Ban dealt a quick jab with his other to the man's solar plexus, sending him sprawling to join his companion on the ground.

Ban had never cared much for firearms, or weapons of any kind, for that matter. His fists had always been more than enough. But when necessity dictated, personal preferences be damned.

Pressing his back against the nearest tree, Ban clutched the weapon, aiming it into the clearing. From the earlier sounds, he knew there had to be more of them. Squinting into the darkness, he thought he could make out at least two, possibly more.

One arm pressed to his side, Ban attempted to catch his breath. His lungs burned, as bad as inhaling Himiko's flame perfume, and the edges of his vision were going gray again as he fought to stay upright.

"Fuck, just shoot him where he stands," came a groaned command from off to the left. One of the two he had just dispatched, recovered enough to speak.

"You all heard, the boss wants him alive," came the immediate response from a disembodied voice somewhere in front and to the right. The same speaker continued, addressing Ban. "You know this isn't going to work. We easily have you surrounded, and in that condition..."

"Ch." Ban shifted against the tree, steadying himself. Sweat ran down his face, mingling with the still falling rain. "Why don't you come and get me then?"

And come they did. The slight snap of a twig gave him enough warning to spin as one jumped out from behind. He managed to get a shot off, was rewarded by a curse of pain, and then someone else slammed him from behind.

The hard impact with the ground rushed the air from his lungs, and his vision became a pinprick of light as he fought for both breath and consciousness. As the spots partially cleared from his eyes, he was aware of being held suspended between two of them, the grips on either arm tight enough to bruise. A third crouched before him, features twisted into a smug grin. "See now, you could have just come easily. Far less painful."

Seeing no other available option, Ban spat at him. If nothing else, it wiped the grin off the son of a bitch's face. He paid for even that brief satisfaction though.

Slowly the man reached up, hand brushing away the spit. "You really are a thoroughly unpleasant bastard." Ban saw it coming, but had no away to avoid the punch as the man pulled back, then drove his fist directly into Ban's wound.

Fresh agony blossomed from his side. His vision went momentarily red, then faded quickly to black, and unconsciousness claimed him.

To Be Continued...