It's stupid, Ginji told himself, to be this worried. Ban-chan would be upset with him; berate him; probably smack him for thinking something like a bullet could bring down the "invincible" Midou Ban-sama.

Ginji would give anything for his partner to be conscious enough to do so. He sat crammed at the head of the bed, back pressed against the wall--the motel being too cheap to afford a headboard--knees tucked under him. Out of the way as much as possible as Kazuki and Juubei went to work.

Ginji's eyes trailed to the tatters of the once-white shirt tossed forgotten on the floor. Soaking, smeared with mud...and covered in dried blood. He shuddered, looked quickly away. Ban-chan's going to be fine, he's had worse than this. Ginji's hand crept forward to rest, palm up, against one pale cheek.

"Ginji-san?"

He pulled back as if burned, then looked up guiltily to meet Kazuki's gaze. The thread master shook his head slightly, the soft jingle of bells filling the air momentarily with music. "I just want you to refill the water."

"Oh...of course." Scooting off the bed, he grabbed the bowl, heading towards the bathroom, trying to ignore the reddish tint of the water. "Going to be fine," he murmured under his breath, a mantra of faith as strong as any Buddhist prayer.

Quickly emptying the bowl of its unsightly contents, he turned on the water, allowing it to run a minute until it was as hot as possible. While he waited, his eyes traversed the tiny room, coming to rest on his own wavy reflection staring back at him through the cracked, dirty glass.

Mirrors were uncommon in Mugenjyo, an unbroken piece of glass larger than one's palm a rare commodity. And yet he could clearly recall what he had looked like then, could still remember his surprise and momentary confusion the first time he had glimpsed Raitei. It had been so strange to see himself with golden hair and blazing eyes gazing cooly back.

And then there was the first time, on the outside, when he had caught sight of his own smile, freed at last from the horrors and duties of being Emperor. For a moment the expression had made his own face foreign all over again, until he remembered it: not a foreigner, more like an old friend he had not seen for ages, a friend with whom he was quickly reacquainted. The smile quickly became the norm, the cold ruler forgotten.

Now though, there was something new staring back, something he'd never seen before. It took a moment to place it: fear.

The tinkling of glass, followed by worried calls from the other room, barely registered. All he knew was that that look had to be eradicated. There was nothing to fear, he wasn't going to lose his partner, wasn't going to hold one more dead friend in his arms, wasn't going to be left alone again, with nothing but the thunder for company.

Glancing at his hand, he saw a little red welling from one knuckle; otherwise his gloves had protected him from the glass shards. The scratch wasn't bad enough even to tint the water as he dipped it under the stream… and found it scalding. Finally registering the steam rising from the faucet, he quickly filled the bowl, just as Shido poked his head in.

"Ginji, you--"

"Er…sorry, sorry." He pushed past the beast master back into the main room. "I tripped." There was a pause as the other three worked out just how one shatters a mirror over a sink by tripping. Ginji shrugged. Let them speculate.

"Here, Kazu-chan," he said, handing the bowl over. "How's he doing?"

Juubei answered. "We've got the bleeding stopped and the wound sewn up. His pulse is slow, but steady."

"So he's going to be okay?"

The quiet, deep enough to distinctly hear the clicking of the cheap bedside clock, was broken by Shido's low growl, "This is the snake bastard we're talking about, how else is he gonna be?"

Ginji grinned, a large, heartfelt one that he did't need the mirror to see. "Look, Ban-chan, even Shido agrees 'bout how resilient you are!" He poked his partner gently, trying to ignore how Ban lay, head lolling limply, like a rag doll among the sheets.

As he climbed back to his previous position at the head of the bed, he saw Shido roll his eyes, but he caught the poorly hidden smile as well. It reassured Ginji immensely as he settled himself in a more comfortable position. Everything was going to be fine.

Even so, he couldn't help sneaking his hand down to rest once more against Ban's cheek, feeling the slight, reassuring stir of air tickle his fingers with each breath his partner continued to draw.

It was like swimming up through murky waters, the only guide a pale light far above. His eyelids felt as if someone had placed lead weights atop them, his whole body resisting, even outright refusing, the command to wake up. This wasn't normal...

Which meant this wasn't a natural sleep. Ugh. Ban hated the all too familiar feeling of willing his reluctant body out of unconsciousness. It was a damn nuisance; he was used to waking easily, fully aware and alert at the slightest provocation. Right now he felt as if an entire yakuza hit squad accompanied by a marching band could descend upon him, and all he'd be able to manage would be to flop about in a manner reminiscent of a beached whale.

Ban used the time it took his body to concede that it was indeed time to get up, to gather his thoughts and piece together what had happened. Last he remembered, he was driving home the point that a hospital was out of the question. So he could rule that out as a possible current location...or else his partner and the damn monkey trainer were going to be in serious trouble.

Deciding it was high time he found out where he had wound up, he forced his eyes to open. They struggled, but finally obeyed his will...after a fashion. Blearily he made out a water-stained ceiling and gaudy, badly peeling wallpaper. A motel, and a cheap one at that, if he had to guess. Well, there was no way they could afford anything better. Hell, even this would put a strain on their meager funds.

Ban sat up…or at least that had been his intent. He had made it only an inch or two before receiving a rude reminder. Oh yes, there was a hole in his side. Well, fuck.

Hissing slightly, he braced himself to try again, when a most unpleasant form loomed over him. "Ugh...monkey trainer."

"Finally awake?"

"And wishing I wasn't, if it's you I gotta be greeted by." Even so, Ban felt himself relax slightly with the confirmation that he was among friends...or at least no longer among foes…unless they had all been captured.

Shido snorted. "Be glad you're awake at all. I'd tell you to thank them…" Shido nodded toward the room's other bed, "…but I know you better than to hope for anything as civil as gratitude."

Ban stretched his neck to see the "them" to whom Shido referred. Dozing on the other bed was another of his partner's associates, his long brown locks freed from their bindings and draped across the pillows. Great, just what he needed. Another Ginji follower, still loyal to his former liege.

For that matter, where was said former sovereign, current partner?

"Ginji-" He started to push himself up again, more carefully this time.

Shido glared. "You shouldn't move."

"It's none of your business, monkey trainer," Ban snapped back.

The other shrugged. "Not you I'm worried about, snake bastard. Just don't want you to disturb him."

Momentarily confused, Ban turned his head to follow Shido's line of sight, and found himself suddenly fighting down a smile.

Ginji was pressed up against the wall in as tight a ball as he could manage, and even then his legs mostly hung off the side of the bed; one arm was outstretched towards Ban's head, fingers nearly touching his face. He was fast asleep, not surprising considering his earlier prolific expenditure of electricity. But even in deep slumber, his brow was slightly creased, worry clear in his pinched expression.

"Idiot," Ban whispered.

"Look who's talking."

Ban ignored the monkey trainer, instead shoving the covers back and swinging his legs off the side of the bed. The room wavered a bit, edges fuzzy in that old-movie, vaseline-on-the-lens kind of way. He ignored that as well. The hand that shoved him back down was not so easily dismissed.

"Wanna tell me where the hell you think you're going?"

"No." Ban strained against the hold, infuriated by how even that effort tasked his strength, his stomach painfully protesting the attempt. "Want to let go?"

"No," Shido parroted. Ban glared, but was forced to subside, panting to catch his breath. The damn monkey trainer stepped back, flopping onto his chair with a satisfied smirk, taking Ban's momentary surrender as a sign of all-out victory.

This in no way improved Ban's mood. Continuing to glare, he weighed his small set of options as the door opened and Juubei walked in, several Lawson's bags dangling from his hands.

More lackeys. Just what Ban needed. He was hardly surprised; it was rare to see thread-boy far from his needles.

Shido turned to the newcomer. "Any trouble? You were gone awhile. Kazuki returned from his scouting a long time ago."

Below the shades, Juubei's lips turned down in a frown. "The man running the motel assured me there was a convenience store just down the street. However, it proved most difficult to find."

Ban smirked. "In other words, you got lost."

"Our patient's condition has improved, I see."

Shido sighed. "Yes. I'm as disappointed as you." Before Ban had a chance to more than growl with indignation, Shido had arisen, relieving the other man of the groceries. "I suggested Kazuki get some sleep while he could," he added in response to Juubei's blind nod towards the bed.

"I'm awake now." Kazuki's soft voice drifted from the far side of the room. As he stretched, his eyes traveled from the clock to Juubei, who was in the process of removing his jacket, clearly just returned. He frowned. "Did you get lost again?"

"You should really get him a leash. It'd be much more efficien--" Ban's words were cut off sharply as Shido checked another of his attempts to rise, using one hand to shove him flat..

Ban glared. Ginji groaned. Everyone froze.

Sitting up enough to spin about, Ban's blue eyes met Ginji's brown ones just as the latter fluttered open and blinked, then blinked again.

"Ban-chan!!" Ginji managed to halt his lunge just in time, reducing the pounce to a gentle hug. "Ban-chan, you're okay! I mean, I knew you would be, I wasn't worried, you always get mad when I worry, so of course I wouldn't, but you probably shouldn't be sitting up like that should you? And did you thank Kazuki and Juubei? Are you hungry?"

Throughout the mad babbling he arranged Ban into a half-sitting position, propped against the pillows, which he finished fluffing as he spoke. He ended by tucking the ragged quilt tightly beneath his partner's chin. The room's other occupants looked on, bemused.

"Ginji!" Brushing the fussing hands aside, Ban pushed himself up for the umpteenth time. "I'm fine. I don't need coddling."

"But...Ban-chan..." Liquid brown eyes went huge, chin quivering ever so slightly. It was enough to make Ban hesitate. Almost.

"I'm fine," he ground out one more time, as much for his own sake as anyone else's, since the throbbing in his side really didn't seem to know when to quit. "What I need is to get out of here."

"But--"

"What we need…" he conceded; Ginji was his partner after all. "…is to do our job. There's something we need to get back."

OMG I finished this part!! You may all die of SHOCK now. I know I'm certainly about to keel over It only took what, eight months?! I'm bad, I know, gomen ne? But I WILL finish this fic, I swear. May it take a thousand years, we will be free--err, done with this fic.

And as always, thanks to my lovely, wonderful betas, X-parrot and Stitcher2Ficcer. I wuv you both! And also, thanks to all those who have continued to ask for this story, encouragement does help...as well as the guilt of not finishing it for you guys who have stuck with it...if there IS anyone anymore, anyone with the patience to put up with my long delays is amazing! Sigh, I will finish it! I will!!...Just not sure when. :-P