Bffimagine: This is going to be a sad one for sure. So proceed if you have a cup of strong tea, lots of time and a huge box of tissue.

The Perfect Fairy Tale

Warnings:

Rape

BLOOD (Lots and lots of it)

Angst (Lots of that too)

Kleenex alert

Yawning widely, Ginji turned to his partner and smiled.

"Ban-chan," he whispered, shifting on the bed they shared, "Tell me a story before I go to sleep."

Sighing Ban replied, "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"I don't know… but nothing that I've heard before. Make one up, Ban-chan."

This was quite a difficult request; though Ban was the master at weaving stories, he'd already told Ginji a bedtime story for at least half a year, almost every single night. He had to make one up every time, and his river of ideas was beginning to run dry.

"A fairy tale?"

"Sure."

Inhaling a deep breath, Ban began his story.

"Once upon a time, there was a little prince. He was given everything he wanted, but he found he still wanted something. Something, it seemed, he could never get. No matter how much money his parents had, no matter how hard they tried, he couldn't get it."

"Do dragons eat anyone in this story?" Ginji interrupted.

"No Ginji, no dragons will eat anyone."

"Good."

Continuing with the story, Ban closed his eyes and thought hard. Once he got the story going, it would flow out until it reached the sea, the ending of the fairy tale.

"So the little prince decided he had to search for what he wanted by himself. One day he packed up everything he needed, but left his crown behind.

"As he walked the road, he didn't realize he'd left his crown. But soon, an evil sorcerer did.

"Or at least, the sorcerer thought he was just an ordinary boy.

" 'Boy!' he called. The prince stood defiantly.

" 'How dare you call me boy,' the prince yelled. The sorcerer laughed wickedly.

" 'Who are you to order me around?' the sorcerer cackled.

" 'I am the…' the prince stopped as he felt his head. There was no crown sitting atop his golden curls.

" 'Well? You are the what?' the sorcerer cackled even louder.

"It was then when the little prince realized what he was looking for.

" 'I am the mighty sorcerer hunter. Cower at the tip of my blade!' the prince shouted, drawing his golden sword.

"He had been looking for an opportunity to be something other than a spoiled prince.

"But then he realized the sorcerer had been holding a princess hostage. So he brought the blade to the sorcerer's throat.

" 'Release the princess,' he demanded, adding pressure to the blade.

"The sorcerer could see the courageous fire in the prince's eyes, so he released the princess. Ever grateful, the princess agreed to marry the prince.

"However, all was not well as of yet; the sorcerer drew his dagger as the prince's back was turned. He was about to kill the young prince when he felt an impulsive fear run through him. The sorcerer saw a red, translucent barrier protecting the prince and princess. It was heart shaped.

"And that's how love saved the prince and destroyed the evil sorcerer. They lived happily ever after, the end."

"I liked that story, Ban-chan."

"Good. Now go to sleep."

"You tell good stories."

"Alright Ginji. You should go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

It did seem necessary for Ban to keep watch in the hotel they were staying in; it was rickety with drafty wood fixtures, the windows were cracked and neither the bathroom door nor the front door could lock properly.

"You always keep watch, Ban-chan. When do you sleep?"

"I find time. Go to bed, Ginji."

"Let me keep watch. You go to sleep."

"Knowing you, you'll fall asleep about five seconds after I do."

"Aw, Ban-chan. Can't I stay up a little bit longer?"

"No Ginji. Just go to sleep."

"Sing me a song, Ban-chan.

"What?"

"Sing me a song. Then I'll fall asleep."

Ban shrugged. Anything to get Ginji to fall asleep.

He began to sing, softly at first but gradually gaining confidence. He kept the volume low but the strength to his voice increased as he sang.

"Meguru meguru toki no naka de

Boku-tachi wa ai o sagashiteiru

Tsuyoku tsuyoku naritai kara

Kyou mo takaisora miagiteiru

(In endlessly repeating time,

We were searching for love.

Because we wanted to become stronger,

We look up to the far away sky)

'Every Heart', BoA

Once he finished, sure enough, Ginji was beginning to drift off.

"You have a pretty voice Ban-chan," he half-yawned.

"Thanks," Ban responded awkwardly. Compliments rarely went his way.

Gently pulling the covers over Ginji, Ban tucked his partner warmly in the blankets. He noted a chill in the air from the broken windows and drafty woodwork and took his own blanket and wrapped Ginji with it.

"Oyasumi, good night Ginji."

Ban sat at the edge of the bed, half watching for intruders, half watching Ginji sleep.

Dawn graced the slumbering electric eel, and Ginji woke to the smell of breakfast.

"Morning, Ban-chan," Ginji chirped, stretching and yawning.

"Morning Ginji," Ban smiled back. He was cooking something Ginji couldn't quite decipher.

"Did you stay up the whole night Ban-chan?" Ginji asked worriedly as he took a seat at the dining table.

"Yeah, what of it?"

Ginji pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Eat up; HEVN's got a job for us."

"Okay Ban-chan."

Looking down, Ginji realized what was on his plate.

"Salmon teriyaki? Ban-chan, how did you pay for this?"

Ban smiled and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. Just eat your breakfast."

Ginji savored his food, grateful Ban was a good cook.

"Aren't you eating Ban-chan?"

"I could only afford enough for one person. I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up."

Perfectly timed, Ginji's stomach growled.

He cut off any further conversation and ate his food.

"Ohayou ne, Natsumi-chan! Ohayou ne Paul-san, HEVN-san!" Ginji was always the same when he walked into the Honky-Tonk café; cheerful and undoubtedly annoying.

Natsumi smiled and Paul nodded over his newspaper. HEVN eyed Ban suspiciously.

"There are new clients today," she announced, keeping her eyes on Ban, "And they want back a family heirloom. They're willing to pay forty-million yen."

"F-Forty?" Ginji gasped. For a second Ban was worried he'd pass out on the floor.

Just as HEVN finished describing the heirloom, the clients walked in.

There was a tall blonde man in a richly tailored suit, and a short but graceful woman with red hair and a silk green dress with diamond jewelry.

"Hello. Are you the Get Backers?" the woman grinned pleasantly.

"Yes. I'm Midou Ban and this is Amano Ginji," Ban nodded, shaking hands with the woman and man in turn.

"Good. We want our family tree tapestry back. It was stolen two weeks ago, and it's very important to our family, as it traces back to Adam and Eve themselves." The man had a crisp tone of voice, which matched his pristine hairstyle.

"Why would anyone want to steal your tapestry?" Ban asked politely.

"It's probably because it's a huge slab of fine platinum, engraved with gold and there are diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds which make quite large and elaborate designs on it…" the woman looked as if she were thinking hard. HEVN, Paul and Natsumi discreetly sweat-dropped in the background, but Ban and Ginji kept their composure.

"Do you have any idea where it is or who stole it?" Ban was acting quite stoic but nevertheless polite.

"Our family has had some people that despise us, mostly for business reasons." The woman handed Ban a huge book of names and addresses, complete with phone numbers.

"All those people?" Ginji asked incredulously as he and Ban flipped through the book.

"Yes. That book also has reasons why those people are feuding with us." The man was starting to tick Ginji off with his snob-like attitude. Ban elbowed him and gave him a warning look, noticing the electric charges coming off him.

"And about your pay…" the woman reached into her green silk purse.

"It's too much," Ban interrupted. HEVN almost fainted.

"No, we insist," the woman continued rummaging through her purse.

"We refuse to take so much money. We'll take half."

The woman studied Ban with admiring eyes.

'He's such a young boy. He and his partner are only… eighteen? But he's very smart, I can tell.' The woman sighed in defeat.

"Alright. Here's a cheque for twenty million yen."

"Thank you," Ban smiled. He and Ginji gave each other satisfied glances.

"No, thank you. Goodbye!" the woman grinned again and left, and the man gave a small wave and followed her out.

"Goodbye," Ginji called out after them.

As soon as the clients left all hell broke out.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" HEVN shrieked at Ban.

"It was too much money." Ban calmly walked over to Paul.

"Here," he said simply, handing Paul the cheque, "That should pay off our tab."

Paul was stunned. It utter shock he began to calculate the money.

"I owe you 19,950,000. Your tab was only fifty thousand."

Ban nodded.

"Ban-kun," Natsumi asked tentatively, "Are you alright?"

"Hai. Nani?"

"You're acting… strangely…" she trailed off, biting her lip.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! HE'S GONE NUTS! HE HASN'T GRABBED ME ONCE SINCE… I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHEN! HE DIDN'T TAKE A JOB FOR FORTY MILLION YEN! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH BAN!" HEVN was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Maybe he just has some sort of girlfriend," Paul suggested, turning back to his newspaper.

"No, there's no girl. Forty million is just too much. And… I…" Ban trailed off, an unreadable emotion clouding his eyes.

"Ban-chan?"

"I'm sorry Ginji. Let's just get this tapestry back." Ban sighed and held his head.

After an awkward silence, the Get Backers flipped through the book of enemies and rivals. Ban narrowed down the suspects to four people.

"Are you sure Ban-chan?"

"Positive. Look, this guy is mad at them because they didn't pay him enough for a certain job, or so he claims. Therefore he would want money, and that tapestry thing seems valuable. This guy is jealous because they know where they come from… they know their lineage, and he's basically an orphan that became a thug. And this guy is mad because he crafted the tapestry, but they fired him after he misspelled a name and hired another guy, refusing to pay him. So he'd be out to get it. And this guy… he just hates the family altogether. So he'd steal anything, and chances are he stole the tapestry." Ban calmly explained the predicament to Ginji.

"Okay. Who do we go after first?"

"This one." Ban pointed to the picture of a stout, square-shouldered man with greasy brown hair and a badly coloured suit.

The young duo quickly slammed the heavy metal door behind them. Panting, they faced each other.

"I see why he's known to have a bad temper," Ban gritted his teeth.

"Yeah," Ginji huffed.

They'd run for two hours non-stop, the big mansion having not only super heavy security but a labyrinth of doors and hallways. Ban had to outsmart the guards and crush locks with his grip. He was very smart, but he also pulled his weight when it came to athletics… after running two hours straight without collapsing is quite a feat.

"Uh… that didn't go so well," Ginji winced as Ban took care of his wounds.

"Sorry," Ban muttered, trying hard not to hurt Ginji.

"So it wasn't that guy. Who do we go after next?"

"The ugly one with white hair and those gnarly fingers that look like tree roots," Ban answered over a bandage he was holding in his mouth.

"Much better than last time," Ginji said cheerfully, "That old man was real nice."

Ban nodded.

"I don't know how he would have misspelled anything… he was so um… articu… articulate… ne, Ban-chan?"

"True. But he didn't take the tapestry."

Ginji's foot caught on a stray wire and Ban slid under him just in time to break his fall.

"Daijobu ka, Ban-chan?" Ginji inquired, scrambling up off of Ban.

"Hai," Ban cringed slightly and got up.

"Uggh, Ginji, why are you so heavy?"

"I am not! I only weigh sixty-two kilograms!"

Ginji suddenly picked Ban up.

"Nani? Put me down, baka!"

"Wow, Ban-chan, why are you so light?"

"Fifty-eight kilograms isn't light, you fool."

"Alright, last one," Ginji breathed a sigh of relief.

"This guy definitely has the tapestry. And I can tell where he's keeping it."

Ban and Ginji silently stole into the warehouse through the cracked windows.

"Whoa, this is heavy," Ginji whispered.

"We have to hurry up and get out of here."

"Need some help, Snake-Bastard?"

"Who the hell—Shido?" Ban turned his head. There Shido was standing, arms crossed, legs apart, sneering at him.

"BAN!"

"Ginji… what!" Ban quickly dropped the huge metal slab and tackled Ginji, holding the blonde's head down and shielding him with his own body.

The metallic swish of a sword being unsheathed resounded in Ginji's ears.

He heard blood spattering across the ground. He heard a blunt object come in harsh contact with flesh. He heard bones cracking above him. But he couldn't see anything since Ban was keeping his head ducked.

Impulsively, Ban tightened his hold on Ginji. He wouldn't let any harm unto the other boy.

"B-Ban-chan… Shido…" he murmured, his voice muffled by Ban's body.

"Damn it… the Monkey Trainer…" Ban got up and picked Ginji up as well. It was then Ginji saw their attacker.

It was the same man in the book, the exact person in the picture. A dirty blond tuft of hair on his head, and milk white skin almost as pale as Ban's. His eyes were a watery green almost transparent. And he was holding a gun aimed straight for Shido, who was sprawled wide-eyed on the ground. The red marks of a fist were imprinted on his cheek.

"Shido!" Ginji cried.

The man looked up and aimed the gun for Ginji's head.

"Shit! Ginji, keep quiet!" Ban dodged bullets as he ran, Ginji in his arms.

Bullets grazed across Ban's neck and shoulder, one got him in the stomach and one in the knee. He ground his teeth together and kept running. He grabbed Shido and slung him over his shoulder and dashed off.

"The tapestry!" Shido yelled.

Ignoring him, Ban kept running.

"You're injured," he stated, referring to the bruise now on Shido's cheek and the multiple shallow, small scratches from near misses of the sword.

"You're one to talk, Snake-Bastard." Ginji, who had his eyes closed the whole time, decided he wouldn't open them.

"It's nothing," Ban shrugged, still running. Another gunshot tore through the air.

This time it hit Ban in his calf muscle. He veered off to the left in pain, but banked to the right to straighten himself out.

"Asshole! He's still following!"

The roar of an engine came after.

"On a motorcycle," Shido added.

Ginji balled electricity in his hand, then released it over Ban's head. It hit the motorcycle and the rider was thrown off.

"Good shot, Ginji," Ban breathed.

Nodding, Ginji still kept his eyes shut. He didn't want to see the Ban's face after a failure.

Ban was able to get back to the hotel room he and Ginji had slept in the night before, and he let Shido down on his feet and put Ginji on the bed. He wet a rag and wiped Ginji's face. He threw Ginji another set of clothes.

"You can open your eyes now," Ban told him.

"No… if I do I'll see for sure we failed."

Ban actually laughed.

"Not exactly, Gin-kun." A heavy thud made Ginji open his eyes. He saw the tapestry right in his face. He couldn't see over it because it was so enormous, and he could only hear Ban talking and Shido shaking his head.

"I figured it had nickel in it," Ban smirked, "So I used that electric charge of yours as an electro-magnet. First I Jagan-ed the dude when I looked back, and he had no idea what was coming… you helped it along. You see, I got him to catch the electricity with an iron rod which not only electrocuted him but also made my electromagnet. Look at your feet."

Ginji looked at his feet and a large iron rod was stuck to the bottom of the tapestry.

"You make strong magnets Ginji," Ban smiled, and Ginji could tell he was proud of him.

"Heh. Pretty smart, Snake-Bastard."

"You should be thankful I saved your ass, Monkey Trainer."

'Ginji… when will you realize that I love you?' Ban thought as he turned away from Shido.

"Well, I'll see both of you later," Shido muttered. He turned on his heel and left.

"Uh… I'm going to sleep Ban-chan." Ginji lay down.

"Hn. Alright. But you'd better eat something."

Ban threw a package of dried fruit to Ginji.

"Mangoes? Ban-chan! Thank you!" Ginji wolfed down the sweet food as he heard the shower start.

Then he went to sleep.

Ban toweled out his hair and bandaged his wounds. He winced as he pulled each bandage taut, and grimaced as they instantly became crimson. Sighing, he checked over his injuries.

'These sword cuts are pretty deep… they cover almost my entire back and the backs of my legs… the whip lashes sting…' Ban dabbed with his towel at his bleeding cheek.

'And the bullets…'

Ban took a scalpel out of the first aid kit, chuckling bitterly as he thought of Akabane. He cut and 'X' over the bullet hole, barely flinching.

He dug out the little piece of metal and wrapped his knee. Then he moved on to the various other bullets. He dug the metal out of his calf in the same fashion, then his back, then his stomach. Soon he moved on to the other cuts as well, and not very long after he was almost completely covered in gauze. There were only very little bits of him that had avoided being cut, torn, shot or lashed.

Vision blurry from extreme blood-loss, Ban staggered to the bed. He tucked Ginji in and gently stroked his face.

"Sleep well," he whispered, then unsteadily walked over to the sofa and collapsed onto it. He began to feel instantly sick and feverish, so he put a hand to his forehead. His long, thin fingers instantly recoiled as he felt the burning skin.

Yet soon enough the blackness swallowed him.

"Ohayou, Ginji," Ban smiled brightly as Ginji yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Ohayou Ban-chan," Ginji greeted groggily. He got up and stretched again.

The snake in Ban had helped cure some of the sickness, but the Aesclepius couldn't heal the injuries. Ban kept them well-hidden and washed the blood from his hair every hour or so. He had some minor cuts to his scalp, but they just kept bleeding.

"Were you injured yesterday?" Ginji asked. Ban temporarily froze.

"Uhm… no. Just a scrape here or there…" he continued cooking breakfast. Finally he pushed a plate toward Ginji and sat down with a cup of tea.

"But the gun… the sword…"

"He was just trying to scare us. Those weren't real bullets; just some dummies. They were plastic."

"The sword?" Ginji persisted.

"It was a round-edged one, the kind you can get in a souvenir shop."

Ginji pursed his lips and looked down at his breakfast. Pancakes with strawberries and maple syrup.

"How did you afford this, Ban-chan?"

"You forget, we have 19, 950, 000 yen. I just bought the ingredients and put it together."

Ginji, remembering, glanced at the corner of the room. There was no tapestry.

"I gave it back to the clients."

Nodding, Ginji ate his food. He was hungry, having nothing to eat since the mangoes the night before.

Ban closed his eyes and leant back in his chair. He took a long sip of his tea.

"Aren't you going to eat anything, Ban-chan?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I want to save the money. Besides, I only bought enough for you."

'Ban-chan… don't you ever eat? Do you sleep?'

Ban took off his glasses and cleaned them on a paper towel. His eyes were tired-looking and his face was slightly flushed in opposition to its regular white paleness.

"Mou… daijoubu ka, Ban-chan?"

"Hai. Don't worry about me."

'Since all I ever worry about is you, Ginji.'

"Hey, Ban-chan?"

"Aa?"

"Do you know what my perfect fairy tale would be?"

'Mine would be just me and you, without a worry in the world…'

"No. What would it be?"

"I would get to spend all the time I wanted with my friends, Shido, Kazuki, Juubei…" Ginji had a dreamy look on his face.

"And?"

"HEVN-san, Paul-san, Natsumi-chan… and… we'd get to have fun all day and play."

"Is that it?" Ban could feel tears prick his eyelids.

'Am I not part of your fairy tale?'

"Yep," Ginji confirmed happily.

Ban's heart stopped beating. He felt as if Ginji just put it through a lawn mower.

"Ban-chan?"

"Ano… I just remembered… I'd better check on the car… might be towed," Ban's sentences were jumbled and his voice was cracking. He was choking on his words.

Running out, Ban left Ginji, mouth half opened, gaping at the door.

'Ban-chan?'

Sitting in an alley, back against a wall, Ban cried. The tears just kept flowing and sobs wracked his entire body.

"What's wrong?"

A stranger walked over to Ban and put his arm around the eighteen-year-old.

Ban shook him off.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know why a beautiful little boy like yourself would be so distraught," the stranger answered, his hands up in surrender. He was older than Ban but not too old, about twenty-one. He had short, jet-black hair that shot out in violent spikes and honey-gold skin. His eyes, however, were a deep magenta that flashed dangerously.

"What's wrong, Ginji?"

Shido had come to the Get-Backers' hotel room.

"Ban-chan just left. He looked so upset. I don't know where he is or if he'll com back safe."

"I wouldn't worry about it."

Shido smiled at his friend.

This stranger had found Ban at his weakest, most vulnerable moment… and raped him. The pain was as if he was being ripped in two, and blood ran down his legs.

Just before the stranger released himself within Ban, Ban was able to slip away from him and the stranger shot his load all over the wall.

"You little…" the stranger groped around for his clothing and quickly dressed, then loomed over Ban.

"You should've just let me have you," the stranger shook his head angrily, "But you wanted to keep you virginity, huh? Well, keep it, but you'll die a virgin."

His foot came in painful contact with already torn flesh. It shifted already broken ribs. And then the stranger took out a whip, a sword and a gun.

"You thought you got rid of me? I was going to give you a chance. I was going to let you live as my slave. Just because you were so beautiful. But I think I'll just kill you."

'Ginji… even though it hurts… it hurts… I'm sorry. I love you.'

The gun sounded, though it passed right through Ban's shoulder. The sword cut and re-cut every square inch of Ban's flesh. Blood flowed as freely as Ban's tears. And soon Ban's tears were blood.

Finally, the whip came to Ban the last time. Before he blanked out, Ban used the Jagan on the stranger. And just as unconsciousness took him, Ban realized he was the man who stole the tapestry.

In the dark alley, Ban bled. Each drop of blood represented a piece of Ban's shattered heart. Unrequited love—the wounds of the heart—hurt more than the wounds of the flesh.

Pain throbbed through his entire body, making him tremble. He pushed himself up with broken arms. He stood on broken legs. He bled with a broken heart.

Ban knew he had to let Ginji know. He had to… before he died.

"Shido… he's been gone for almost eight hours…" Ginji first glanced out the window at the rain and darkness, then at the clock.

"Don't worry Ginji. That Snake-Bastard would survive even if he was run over by a truck."

Ginji bit his bottom lip and shivered.

Shido wrapped his arm around him.

'This is wrong. Ban-chan should be back.'

Soon he felt Shido's lips on his own. He was lost in his worry for Ban and forgot they were kissing. But he found he enjoyed the sensation, and pressed in closer to Shido.

The door was flung open, but neither Ginji nor Shido took much notice, absorbed entirely in each other. But a single breath of disbelief made Ginji's eyes snap open and made him tear away from Shido.

"Ginji."

There Ban stood, blood pouring out of him, half-naked and badly wounded. He didn't have time to dress properly, and the rain had stung his wounds and given him a deadly fever.

"Ginji… you…"

Ban's heart was not only broken, shredded—He felt as if someone had just ripped it out of his chest and stomped on it.

"You…" Ban was choking on tears again.

"Ban-chan?"

"Don't. You just… you… Shido… you just…" Ban's tears shone on his face. He wasn't wearing his glasses—they were in his pants pocket—so the pain, hurt, and betrayal was clear and pure in his beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ban-chan."

"You're sorry?" Ban's sadness was also becoming anger, "You hurt me Ginji. You just hurt me shitless. First, your fairy tale. You just wanted Shido and Kazuki and Juubei. And… you know what my perfect fairy tale would be? Ginji? Do you? My perfect fairy tale… it would be… it would be you."

Ban was crying, his sobs coming with tears that slid over his already soaking wet skin.

"And why? I love you Ginji. But it's obvious you don't care about me. You don't. You just… you just…" Ban couldn't even finish his sentence. He felt the rain water dribbling over his bruises and broken bones.

"My… the Perfect Fairy Tale… it would be you. Just you and me, we'd be happy. We'd be the Get Backers together. With all the stuff I said about the 'S' in Get Backers. But you don't give a shit, do you? You don't care."

Ginji hung his head. He didn't realize Ban was so emotional… or so right. He wasn't living by the 'S' in Get Backers, even though he was listening intently to every word Ban said.

"Ban-chan… I…"

"You what, Ginji? You broke me, that's what you did. You didn't just break these bones in my body, you broke my heart. You broke it into more pieces than yen the lady wanted to pay us."

'Forty-million pieces, Ban-chan.'

"You never said you loved me."

"You never said you'd kiss Shido."

Shido stood up.

"Listen here, Snake-Bastard. If anyone is to blame for that, it was probably me."

"Then why did Ginji agree to it? You willingly went for it, Ginji. I can't believe I came back for this. I can't believe it. After I had to deal with that bastard from the warehouse, after I was raped. RAPED, Ginji, RAPED. After I was broken. After I was cut and shot and whipped. I came back to this." Ban was crying, his face flushed with emotion.

"You would've never gotten into that mess if you didn't run off in the first place!" Ginji defended himself by instinct. He was beginning to get angry, and the electricity was in the air.

"I would never have run off if I… if I didn't love someone like YOU, Ginji!"

"Someone like ME? Someone like ME has saved your ass!"

The electricity was strong now. Unknowingly to Ginji, he shot a super-charged volt at Ban, whose wet skin and clothing multiplied the voltage ten-fold. The electricity shot through his flesh, opening every wound again and making more blood flow.

"And someone like YOU broke my heart. I'm sorry I ever wasted your time." Ban ran out of the room, tears and blood trailing after him.

"It's been two days, Ginji-kun. Where could Ban-kun be?" HEVN prodded the blonde boy gently.

Ginji held his head in his hands.

"I have no idea."

Natsumi was taken aback at Ginji's it's-all-hopeless tone.

"Ginji-kun," she said shyly, "Was Ban-kun angry when he left?"

"No."

A puzzled look settled on the faces of HEVN, Natsumi and Paul.

"He… He was broken." Tears slid down Ginji's cheeks.

'Ban-chan was broken.'

"Well, he's gotta be around somewhere." HEVN crossed her arms and Natsumi patted Ginji on the back.

"He left the car. He just left." Ginji's voice was flatter than the Honky Tonk pancakes.

Paul bit his tongue behind his newspaper.

'Ban-chan always took care of me…'

(Flash-back)

"The 'S' in Get Backers means you'll never be alone." Ban sat back, taking a drag from his cigarette.

Ginji nodded.

"Ginji! Himiko used her puppet scent on me. Give me the highest volt of electricity you've got." Ban strained to loosen his grip on Ginji's neck.

"No, Ban-chan. I couldn't shock you."

"Hurry, Ginji! Before I break your neck!"

A flash of light illuminated the battle during the clash of Raitei and Akabane. The sword pierced through flesh, Raitei knew, but it wasn't his own.

There was Ban, Akabane's sword impaling his left shoulder, barely missing his heart. He'd caught Raitei's lightning punch with his right hand. He took the blow that would've killed Ginji.

"What are you doing, Ginji? You didn't even get my permission."

Ban collapsed to the ground at Raitei's feet.

"Tell me a story Ban-chan."

"A fairy tale?"

"Go to sleep, Ginji. I'll keep watch."

Ginji nodded.

Ban watched him sleep, and stayed up the entire night to make sure Ginji would be safe.

Ginji couldn't see anything except Ban's body, which was shielding his own. He heard blood spatter to the ground…

"I'm going to sleep, Ban-chan."

"Alright, but eat something first." Ban threw Ginji a package of dried fruit.

Though Ban never practiced what he preached. He hadn't eaten anything for over three weeks, making sure Ginji would be well-fed.

(End Flashback)

'Ban-chan always thought about me first.'

More tears flowed down Ginji's face. He sniffled and wiped his eyes.

'He got hurt protecting me.'

Sobs began to wrack Ginji's frame, and he set his head on the table.

'He didn't eat anything for a long time to make sure I'd get enough to eat.'

Natsumi rubbed Ginji's back.

'Always, Ban-chan always kept watch to protect me during the night. He stayed up the whole night and took care of me the next day.'

Ginji put his arm under his head to catch all the tears that flowed.

'Ban-chan told me fairy tales.'

At this last thought Ginji began to cry inconsolably, the tears flowing like Japan's torrential rains. The sadness made him have convulsions of sobs, the icy fingers of guilt wrapping their way into his mind and grasping his heart with vice-like grip.

But when a mental picture of Ban, smiling his careless smile, crossed Ginji's mind, he crying became all the worse.

Ginji left the Honky Tonk after drying his tears with a handkerchief HEVN gave him.

'Ban-chan stopped touching girls because he loved me.'

Looking up at the stars, he distinguished something he never saw before.

Written in shining balls of gas, there were the words printed in Ban's neat writing:

'Get Backers'.

And beside the words there was Ban's artwork; perfect pictures of himself and Ginji.

Rivers of tears made their beds on Ginji's cheeks.

'I love you, Ban-chan.'

He ran off to seek his broken partner.

Wandering for two days on broken legs, feeling his way through darkness with broken arms, being led by a broken heart. Finally, on the night of the third day, Ban looked toward the stars.

He smiled a small, sad smile at the formation he saw.

In the stars were the shining words:

'Get Backers'.

And there were the pictures of Ginji and himself smiling, with no care in the world.

'Aishiteru Ginji.' The tears began to flow anew.

There, gazing at the stars, was where Ban's broken legs gave way. He tried to catch himself on broken arms, but his arms, too, gave way. The last thing to give, though, was the first thing to break—his heart.

Collapsing to the cold asphalt chilled by night winds, Ban had a last fleeting thought cross his mind:

'Ginji.'

Running as fast as his legs would carry him, Ginji whipped past every street, every corner he could find. He was running out of hope when he finally saw a slender body lying in an abandoned park completely forsaken by people.

"Ban-chan!"

He rushed to Ban's side, gently caressing the smooth skin on Ban's cheek.

"A-Aishiteru Ginji."

"Ban?"

Ban's eyes had opened just a little bit. His bloodstained lips moved very slightly as he talked.

"Ginji, you broke my heart. He broke my legs, my arms, my ribs. I am broken, with no where to go. Ginji, will you give me wings to fly?" Ban lifted a bloody arm to cup Ginji's cheek.

"Yes Ban-chan, if that's what you want."

"It's not all I want."

"What do you want, Ban-chan?"

"You. You and my fairy tale. My perfect fairy tale."

Ginji nodded.

"I love you, Ban-chan."

The same, sad smile crossed Ban's lips. He fell limp in Ginji's arms, and his hand fell away from Ginji's face.

"BAN-CHAN!"

Taking Ban into his arms, Ginji cradled his head and hugged him tightly. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, he picked the other boy up.

And then he ran, ran as fast as he could to the nearest hospital.

"Ban-chan, tell me a story." Ginji knelt at Ban's bed. Bandages had been wrapped all over him and tubes for blood had been put in his arms.

Smiling slightly, Ban took a deep breath.

"A fairy tale?"

"Yes."

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved another boy very much. But the other boy, at first, didn't love him back.

"So the boy tried hard to let the other boy know he loved him. All the hints went unheeded.

"Then one day the boy got hurt very badly protecting the other boy, and he almost died. The other boy realized how much the other boy loved him and realized he loved him back.

"And they lived happily ever after. The end."

"Hey! That was too short!"

"You never specified how LONG it had to be."

"I liked it. Ban-chan, sing me another song."

Ban took another deep breath.

He sang softly, but Ginji heard every word, every note.

"Deatta ano koro wa

Subete ga bukiyou de

Toomawari shita yo ne

Kizutsuke atta yo ne

Deatta ano koro wa

Subete ga bukiyou de

Toomawari shita yo ne

Tadoritsuitan da ne

(Back then, when we met,

It was all awkward.

We went a long way, didn't we?

We got hurt, didn't we?

Back then, when we met,

It was all awkward.

We went a long way, didn't we?

We got there in the end.)

'Dearest', Hamasaki Ayumi

"Aishiteru, Ban-chan," Ginji whispered, drifting off to sleep while kneeling at Ban's bedside. Ban hoisted him up onto the bed and covered him with the blankets.

"Aishiteru Ginji."

The hurts, the pain, the agony. All of them were mended. The broken bones and wounds were healed.

Yet the broken heart had been healed long ago, with the first time 'I Love You' passed through the other boy's lips.

OWARITA DESU

bffimagine: This could almost be a song fic, ne?

Ban: At least I didn't die.

Ginji: (hugs Ban) I'm glad you didn't die, Ban-chan!

Ban: (muttering) You'd better be…

Bffimagine: Aw, they're so sweet. Anyhow, REVIEW!

FYI: Daijoubu ka? Are you alright?

Aishiteru I love you.

Oyasumi Good night

Ohayou/Ohayou gozaimasu Good morning

Hai/Aa Yes

Nani What

Ano Um/Er/Uh

Owari/Owarita desu The end