Bloody Crush!

By: Cold Rain

Rated: PG-13 for mild violence and yaoi

NOTE TO READERS: Hi, Readers! Chapter 5! I'm working with blinding speed! Lines between paragraphs mean scene/time transitions (including flashbacks which will be written in past tense). Translations for Japanese phrases will be at the end of the chapter. Oh, and I don't own Get Backers, any of the characters, etc.

DISCLAIMER: If you didn't read the Note to Readers here it is again: I don't own the Get Backers, any of the characters, etc. I just own the fanfic.

CHAPTER 5: Where's Ban-chan?

Ginji and Akabane sit next to each other in silence at the Honky Tonk Cafe. Two days... It's been two days. Two days with no response from Ban. They're still waiting for him or at least for news of him. Akabane spent half of the first day waiting for his wounds to heal. Who knew he was such a quick healer? No wonder he said he was OK when he was so wounded... It took so long to convince the doctor in the clinic that the scalpels in his body were normally there (which is true) and that he healed particularly quick because the wound looked worse than it was (which was a lie). The rest of the time, they've been waiting for Ban to come. Everyone is worried, believe it or not. Even Shidou and Paul are worried, though they won't say it out loud. Natsumi and Ginji are quiet and solemn. Kazuki stands up, he can't take this silence anymore. "Akabane-kun, Ginji-kun. If you had called... Juubei, Toshiki, and I would have come as reinforcements," Kazuki states, Juubei touches Kazuki's arm. Now isn't the time to point things like that out. Kazuki sits down in his booth and looks at the spot Ban probably would've sat in, had he been here right now. The door opens and a familiar figure walks in... but it isn't Ban.

"You!" Ginji glares, jumping out of his seat to see the figure face to face, electricity crackles the air around him, "What did you do to Ban-chan!?" Ginji couldn't recognize the face on him, but he could recognize the eyes. Green eyes, it's Sorin's eyes.

"Midou Ban? I didn't do anything to him, he defeated me. I left the fortress in disgrace after that," Sorin glares, he has short black hair and cold emerald green eyes, "What happened?" Akabane stands up and peers at Sorin.

"That's what we want to know. We withdrew two days ago and haven't seen him since," Akabane answers matter-of-factly.

"So you guys abandoned him?" Sorin questions.

"We left voice mail on his cell phone," Ginji frowns, they never wanted to abandon him.

"You mean he didn't answer and you guys still left!?" Sorin is obviously shocked by that, his wind starts to swirl around him, rattling dishes and knocking over glasses.

"Hey, don't bust up the shop!" Paul scolds, "Everyone here is worried about Ban but we have no idea where he is or if he's even alive! Everyone can search for him but unless we get some information we'll come up empty-handed!"

"I don't care! You abandoned him! All of you!" His winds grow fiercer.

"Why do you care so much, Sorin-kun?" Akabane asks, very much interested in the answer he'll get.

"I want to defeat him. To take away the shame of defeat that I feel," Sorin states, calming the wind around him to a pleasant breeze, the Café can be a little hot in the summer so the breeze was appreciated.

"Well then, do you have any helpful information? Anything is fine, I don't expect much."

"Well if you must know, the only slightly helpful hint I have is that he went in the direction of the fortress after he defeated me. Not very useful is it, Dr. Jackal?"

"That means we should've run into him somewhere along the way, right?" Ginji asks Akabane, hoping the answer isn't yes.

"Maybe... Then again, he could've gotten lost in the forest."

"Who got lost in the forest?" Ginji looks near the door to see- WHAP!

"Itai! Ban-chan, what was that for!?" A now chibi Ginji exclaims, rubbing his head. There's Ban standing right in front of Ginji, his right hand in a fist, his clothes torn, and his face covered in cuts in bruises.

"For leaving me like that! After I finally caught up with you, you shocked me, ran off, and left me there with a vague voice mail! Then, I got the goods, but when I got back to the fifth floor a psycho attacked me! I was only able to recover a portion of the goods, so I only got 25,000 yen!" Ban screams furiously, holding up the money, gasping from all the screaming he just did.

"I'll take that. That's just enough to pay your tab," Paul smiles, swiping the money from Ban.

"Aaargh! Now I'm broke again!" Ban cries out, feeling sorry for himself.

"Well, you're in no shape to fight me," Sorin frowns, Ban looks absolutely pitiful.

"And what are you doing here!?" Ban glares at Sorin.

"I came to challenge you, but you're obviously not up to it," Sorin smirks, "It would be too simple to best you in this condition."

"Uurgh..."

"It's good to have you back, Ban-chan!" Ginji smiles, "We all missed you so much!"

"Hmph, really?" Ban smirks, but he feels glad to be "home" no matter how annoying it is. Chibi Ginji hugs him. Ban looks at Akabane, who seems to be staring at him, "Hey, Akabane, where's that injury you told me about on the voice mail?"

"It healed."

"If it healed so quickly, why did you bother leaving!?"

"Ginji-kun was worried about it."

"Ginji!" Ban glares. WHAP!

"Itai! Gomen, Ban-chan! It looked nasty and there was blood oozing out and stuff!"

"Couldn't you have bandaged it!?"

"I did but blood started seeping out and I didn't want to have to touch it! Akabane blood is icky!" Ginji shivers, Akabane looked vaguely stung by the comment.

"Hey, be nice to Akabane. At least he left some voice mail so I didn't think anything really bad happened to you guys," Ban smiles, petting Ginji's blonde hair to keep Ginji's attention on him.

"Arigatou for dressing the wound, Ginji-kun," Akabane solemnly left the room, as Himiko watched him leave. Lady Poison felt sorry for him.

Chapter 5 is done! It's short, but not as short as Chapter 4. Himiko is plotting something, can you tell? Read and Review! No flames, but advice is appreciated.

Cold Rain: Himiko is plotting something for you!

Ban: Me?

Cold Rain: Not you, Ban-chan. Gomen.

Akabane: You mean me?

Cold Rain: Yep!