Chapter II: Love and the Like

"Hey, Itomaki!" said a nervous Ban. He tried to shake him a little to see if it would rouse him back to consciousness. When it didn't, he carried him and laid him on the sofa. He went hurriedly to their room upstairs and tried to find any spare clothes and dry towel. He was still rummaging the cabinet when Ginji stirred and looked at him.

"What's happening Ban?" said Ginji blearily. "Why are you swimming in our cabinet?"

"I'm not swimming Ginji," said Ban, a little bit irritated. He realized he did look as though he was swimming when he was shoving aside the filthy clothes using movements like those of the butterfly stroke.

"I need any loose clothing for Itomaki, as well as a dry towel."

These words of Ban completely awakened Ginji. He rose from the bed and tried to help Ban to find clothes.

"Kadsuki-chan is here?" asked Ginji incredulously. "You did take my advice seriously Ban-chan, but why not wait until the sun's up? It's just past 2 a.m. in the morning…"

"I didn't call him Ginji," said Ban while finding a dry towel. "He suddenly came, I don't know. I was surprised myself. One minute he was just inside my head, the next minute he was all over me."

Ginji handed him the shirt he found inside the inner drawer of the cabinet before smiling at his best friend. He closed the cabinet and followed Ban who was running down the stairs the moment he got the clothes from Ginji. He called out to Ban from the stairs.

"Ban-chan," said Ginji while looking at his best friend wipe Kadsuki's forehead. "This is what I call fate. I would be stupid if I let this opportunity pass." He wasn't expecting it, but he saw Ban crack a small smile on his face.

"Stop being so Emishi-like, Ginji!" said Ban though he was still smiling. "Come and help me here. I don't know how to get him out off his wet clothes."

"If I know, you're just embarrassed to unclothe him," teased Ginji.

"Whatever," muttered Ban under his breathe.

Ginji hurriedly descended the stairs and sat beside Ban. He offered Ban dry clothes to change in too since he was soaked by Kadsuki. Ban took it and looked at Ginji as he took the towel from him and started wiping Kadsuki's slim body. He couldn't believe it was Ginji who said those things. After changing clothes, he placed his palm on his partner's forehead while placing his other hand on his own.

"Do you have a fever or any sickness Ginji?…Hmm… Maybe something bad happened to Emishi and unluckily, you're channeling his spirit at the moment."

Ginji had to laugh at this comment of Ban while continuing his job on Kadsuki. He was already changing the clothes of Kadsuki when he looked again at his partner. Ban was already serious. He was very serious. This time his hand was on the forehead of Kadsuki and Ginji could see Ban's eyebrows meet in the center as he felt the other man's temperature.

"What is it Ban-chan?" asked Ginji in a worried tone.

"Oh God… oh great… damn, he has a fever… he's so hot. I think he's going 40 with this temperature…"

"What should we do Ban-chan?" Ginji asked while placing on the plastic the wet clothes of Kadsuki.

"Is there any drugstore open already?" asked Ban in reply though he knew what the answer would be.

"I think there isn't any yet Ban-chan, but," said Ginji while thinking. "I remember one!"

"Where?"

"It's quite far though, I was with Himiko-chan when we went there. That drugstore's open 24 hours. But if I try going now on foot, it'll take me ages."

"…"

"Ban?"

"…"

"I'll go get a blanket."

"Bring also water and another dry towel," said Ban with a very worried look on his face. He felt guilty. Maybe if I didn't think of him too much he wouldn't be here…

He was blaming himself for what was happening to Kadsuki. As he tried to think more clearly, the words of Kadsuki came back to him. He wanted to talk to me… I wonder what he wanted to tell me at this time in the morning…

He was still theorizing things on his brain when Kadsuki stirred. His breathing suddenly became heavy and his face looked like he was in pain. Ban felt his forehead again and as he did, he withdrew his hand right away.

Shit… he's burning! … he has a cold sweat already… now what…

"Ginji! Hurry! I need the blanket!" shouted Ban. There was no reply. Oh really now…

He couldn't go get the blanket himself and leave Itomaki alone. He knew he had no right to do this but Itomaki needed it at the moment. He made up his mind. He sat beside Kadsuki on the sofa and hugged him the second time that day. He could feel him shivering beneath him. He tightened his embrace to give more warmth- never mind the burning heat emanating from Kadsuki- just hoping to stop his shivering.

Ginji arrived and when he saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but smile to himself as he descended the stairs. He quietly put down the basin of water on the floor and the dry towel on the chair where Ban sat before he decided to cuddle Kadsuki.

"I brought what you ask me Ban-chan," said Ginji. "I'm sorry it took quite long."

"Thanks Ginji," said Ban while ruffling his best friend's hair. He soaked the towel in the basin of water and squeezed it to remove excess water. He gently wiped Kadsuki's face and hands before he placed the damp towel on Kadsuki's forehead.

"So Ban-chan," started Ginji when he and Ban saw that Kadsuki's face was finally relaxed and he wasn't shivering anymore.

"Hn?"

"Why is Kadsuki-chan here?"

"I told you I don't know," said an almost irritated Ban.

"You think Jubei-san knows?"

"Hell, as if I care," answered Ban grumpily.

"You're mean Ban-chan," said a taken aback Ginji. "He should know, you know."

"We'll just wait for Kadsuki to wake up and hear what he has got to say," said Ban. "Why would he come here at this time in the morning when God knows it's raining heavily outside and his temperature's as hot as hell?"

"You think… he's not doing well with Jubei-san?" asked Ginji curiously.

"I don't really know Ginji," answered Ban curtly. "I don't even know if there really is something between them."

"Let's say there is," said Ginji though he knew perfectly well he was crushing Ban's heart.

"Then what?"

"Then, he came here because they had a fight, and he tries to seek your advise and--"

"Now you're making me his adviser."

"—and he wants to hear what you've got to say," finished Ginji as though Ban didn't interrupt him.

Ban considered what Ginji said and he was starting to be awed with his partner's recent train of thought.

Well, there must be something deeper than that though… He came here to consult me? Definitely not. More likely, he came here to confess to me… What a thought Ban-sama… What a thought…

"You alright Ban-chan?" asked Ginji when he saw Ban was grinning alone.

"Uh, yeah," said Ban. "Just thought of something more interesting than what you just said."

"Really?" asked Ginji. "Enlighten me then Ban-chan."

"Huh? What's with the enlighten me-thing? Are you sure you are not sick? You really are something today."

"Come on," said Ginji happily. "Tell me."

"I don't like."

"Pleaaassse?"

"Stop acting like a kid," said Ban meanly. "Fine, fine I'll tell you. Stay put, Kadsuki might wake up."

Ban took a deep breathe and sighed. He looked at Ginji who had turn again into his SD form. Ban carried him and brought him on his lap. He laid his chin on the chibi Ginji's head and made another sigh.

"I'm sighing a lot these days," said Ban while fixing his glasses. "You see, what if… you suck Ban-sama, you suck! What if he came to confess to me?"

As soon as Ban mentioned the last sentence, sparks came running out from Ginji's body, causing Ban to be mildly electrocuted.

"Oops, sorry Ban-chan," apologized a still SD Ginji. "You sure thought a lot about it, eh? You are a man."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked a bewildered Ban.

"Nothing," said Ginji with a chuckle. You just have the right nerve to think that way.

Ban started telling Ginji his theory on Kadsuki's confession when they saw the unconscious man stir. This made Ban stop abruptly. They looked at Kadsuki who just tilted his head slightly to the right so that his left cheek faced the two men. The damp towel on his forehead fell to his side and Ban got the impulse to take it and place it back on his forehead. Without hesitation, he did so and managed to place it back on Kadsuki's forehead without waking him up, thus, crushing Ginji in the process.

"…acckkk… Ban-chan," said a muffled Ginji. "You're crushing me… can't breathe… need air…"

"Sorry partner," said Ban apologetically while placing him back on the chair. "Where was I before he stirred?"

"Well, you were saying something about his coming here for a confession."

"Oh yeah, that," said Ban while pushing his glasses up. "Well, it's just a hope. I'm not really expecting it. I mean, come on Ginji, you know how I like him so much."

Ginji smirked at his partner and moved his head sideward, showing he disagreed.

"What again?"

"You don't like him Ban-chan," said Ginji, almost pitifully. "You love him already. The way you're behaving? That's not just 'liking' anymore, that's love."

Ban felt his cheeks burn when Ginji gave another shot at one of his rare day-to-day analyses. Well, it was true. He wasn't prepared to accept the truth yet: the truth that he loves Itomaki.

"Isn't liking and loving the same?"

"Well, almost," answered Ginji. His partner was really nothing in stuff about love. "It's just that the latter is more complicated than the former. When you like someone, it has limits. It has boundaries. You're not actually attached to the person, or something like that. There's just something that's interesting in that person, but it's just until there. Ok, let's say, you like me, you like Hevn-san, you like Himiko, you like the gang. You simply enjoy their company and you regard the person or those persons in a positive way.

"But, well, Ban-chan, when you say that you love someone, there's already a strong affection towards that person. It's not just that, you see that person in a positive way. There's something deeper. It can be compared to liking, but it's just stronger. And usually, you are willing to take risks, special risks and sacrifices for that particular person because to you, he's special. You're willing to traverse ---"

"--- heaven and hell just to be with that person," cut off Ban, his eyes on Kadsuki. Ginji sighed at the sight of his partner. Ban had his palm on the right cheek of Kadsuki and he was looking at the unconscious man as though he were an angel. Something flickered in Ban's eyes that Ginji rarely see.

"I think I don't need to go further with my explanation Ban-chan," muttered Ginji, almost to himself. You don't know love. You've mastered love.

"Ei, Ban-chan… Ban-chan," whispered Ginji while tugging his sleeve. This seemed to rouse back Ban to reality.

"Oh, sorry, got carried away," apologized Ban while looking at Ginji and taking his eyes off Kadsuki for the first time in thirty minutes.

"I'm right, am I not, Ban-chan?" asked Ginji while resting his chin on his folded knees. "You do love Kadsuki-chan."

"Yeah, you're right," replied Ban. "I love him so much I'm willing to sacrifice myself for him. If he really belongs to Needle boy already, I'll accept that. I just don't want to see him hurting like this."

"Ban-chan…"

"I can wait," continued Ban while removing the stray hair on Kadsuki's face. "I can wait forever for him if that what makes him happy."

"Ban-chan? I think I'm going back to bed," said Ginji while feeling Kadsuki's temperature. He had a contented smile on his lips, something Ban wasn't able to see.

"He seems to have cooled off already. His fever isn't as high as minutes ago. You can continue watching over him. I'm really tired."

He wasn't really tired. He just wanted to give his partner and his newly found love some time alone… together… now that he has the chance.

"Yeah… sure," said Ban absentmindedly to his partner while looking at the wall clock. It was already 3:30 in the morning. The rain finally stopped and he could hear the birds chirping just outside the living room window. He turned his gaze back to Kadsuki and saw that he was breathing normally already. In fact, it was so normal that he felt his heart jump in its place.

"Are you awake, Itomaki?" asked Ban quietly while leaning on his chair. There was no response. Until Kadsuki tilted his head back to the left, thus, facing the ceiling.

"Yeah, I am," Kadsuki replied. His hand was on his forehead. Ban noticed something trickle at the corner of Kadsuki's eye.

"You…" Ban hesitated but curiosity got the better of him. "…heard everything, didn't you?"

"I did."

To be continued…

Author's notes: Well, there you go, chappy 2. So, what do you think? I still can't believe I actually made Ginji lecture Ban about love here. Anyway, pls. review! … until the last chapter folks!