Author's Note: So there is no confusion, I thought I should mention that I am doing names in the Japanese style of Last Name First and First Name Last. I am doing this because I watched the entire series in Japanese with Subtitles and have just gotten too use to the names being used like that in this particular series. So it is just easier for me to do the same thing in the fanfic. Now you know;-) Oh, and I do NOT own Get Backers, or anything associated with it, save for the new characters that I have supplied for this fanfic.
"That's mine!" Ginji whined as Ban took the last slice of pizza that sat before them. He tried to reach over and grab it, but Ban kept him at bay with one hand while stuffing the slice into his mouth with the other. When he had finished swallowing it down, he merely laughed at the down-hearted look on Ginji's face.
"Oh, stop being such a baby," he snorted. "Order some more if your that hungry."
"You can't," Paul interrupted from his place at the bar. He was reading the newspaper, like always, and didn't not even bother to look up at Ban or Ginji. "You owe too much. You'll need to pay your tab before I let you have anymore food. Right Natsumi?"
"Right!" said the waitress happily. Ban and Ginji both took up shouts of protest at this as the door to the restaurant opened and a young woman with short black hair entered. The pair continued to argue with Paul over the tab, ignoring the newcomer totally.
"Welcome to the Honkey Tonk!" Natsumi bowed in greeting. "How may I help you?"
The woman nodded her head in return. Her bright green eyes took in the scene around her before she spoke.
"I'm looking for the Get Backers?" she inquired. "But am I to assume that they aren't in at the moment?"
"We're here!" Ban and Ginji shouted in unison as soon as they heard their names mentioned. Ban quickly pushed Ginji back and took a more serious pose, pulling down his sunglasses just enough to look at the woman before him.
"I'm Mido Ban and this is Amano Ginji of the Get Backers. How can we be of assistance."
The woman raised her eyebrow in suspicion. She looked at Natsumi who nodded affirmatively and then brought her attention back to the pair of retrievers.
"My name is Toru Kanake, and I would like to hire you for a retrieval job. If that's alright with you?"
"Of course!" blurted Ginji, while Ban retorted "How much does it pay?"
"Three million yen," she replied. Ban nodded and pointed toward their usual booth.
"In that case, please, have a seat Miss Kanake and tell us what you need retrieved." He let Ginji enter the booth first and then sat next to him as they faced the woman. Natsumi placed some tea on the table for Kanake before going back to her usual chores.
Kanake pulled out an envelope and handed it to Ban. He opened it up and let fall a series of photographs. Each photo was of a young girl in her late teens. She had long black hair and bright blue eyes. Some of the photos seemed to have been taken from a distance, while others were close-up portrait shots. Natsumi
"Her name is Jando Yusagi. She's my niece," Kanake explained.
"Was she kidnapped?" Ginji asked as he picked up the photos to examine. He found himself hoping the answer was no. She looked like she was the same age as Natsumi and the thought of similarity between the two girls was enough to bother him severely. Especially since he consider Natsumi a close friend and couldn't even begin to imagine what he or Ban would do if anything bad ever happened to her.
"No," Kanake shook her head. Ginji sighed in relief while Ban continued to regard the woman. She lowered her head a little as she leafed through the photos on the table. "It's worse then that. She's going insane."
"What?" Ginji looked up, startled.
"I want you to retrieve her sanity," Kanake stated bluntly.
"I don't think so," Ban muttered as he pushed the photos back. Kanake and Ginji both looked up in surprise.
"Ban!" Ginji whispered in his friends ear. "You can't be serious!"
"I am serious!" he sneered. "We aren't taking the job."
"Why not?" Kanake asked. "Please! You must take this job!"
"Why must we take it? You haven't even spoken to the girl, much less had anything real to do with her in what? Years? So why do you care now if she is going insane?" Ban glared at Kanake and watched as she shied away from him in guilty submission.
"I don't think I understand," Ginji broke in.
"These shots are all portrait or long shots," said Ban, eyeing Kanake cautiously. "They're the type that suggest that Miss Kanake here hasn't had any real contact with her niece in years."
"He's right," Kanake muttered as she wiped away a tear. "I haven't seen her in person in years. But it isn't my fault! I wanted to see her, but I wasn't allowed! Please, let me at least explain. Then if you still don't want the job, I'll leave."
"Please Ban-chan?" Ginji begged.
"Alright," Ban conceded. "Start at the beginning. and it had better be good."
"Very well." Kanake picked up a portrait of Yusagi in her high school uniform. "Yusagi's mother was my sister you see. Her name was Toru Kasumi. She married Jando Gieko when she was only twenty. She thought the world of him then. Little did she realize what a monster he would turn out to be."
"He hit her?" Ginji asked.
"No, not as such," Kanake replied. "But he was controlling and a few years later she discovered that he had some serious connections to an underground syndicate. By then though, she was pregnant and knew she couldn't leave him or he would kill her. So she stayed and Yusagi was born. Kasumi died when Yusagi was a child so Gieko was left to raise her alone. After that happened I was never allowed near the mansion or near Yusagi again. So I have been stuck watching from a distance."
"So what does this all have to do with retrieving her sanity?" Ban asked.
"Six months ago Gieko died under rather mysterious circumstances. Normally I would have been thrilled as I would be able to see my niece again, but even dead he continues to control the lives of those around him. If I go anywhere near her she will lose all her inheritance and thrown out on the street. You understand that I could never do that to my niece. So I took to watching her from a distance. Everything was fine at first. Until the voices started that is. I noticed that four months ago she started hearing voices in her head that no one else can hear. Two months ago she started seeing things as well." Kanake paused for a moment to compose herself.
"When Gieko died, and I first discovered the clause about my not being allowed to see her, I decided to track down a copy of his will and examine the rest of it. In it, he specifically states that Yusagi is only to receive her inheritance if I stay away and if she is of sound mind enough to take over his company by the time she reaches eighteen years of age. Which she will do in three months time."
"Except that she isn't of sound mind anymore," Ban finished for her. "I think I see where this is going. You suspect foul play in this, don't you?"
"Yes," Kanake replied, bowing her head once again. "I cannot bare to see my dear niece hurting in anyway. Please, I know it is asking a lot, but please give her her sanity back. I will even pay you four million yen. All I ask is that you do not let her know what is going on and that you don't mention to anyone that I was the one that hired you. If someone is tricking her, then I don't want them to realize that anyone is on to them or they may do something drastic. And I couldn't bare it if they did."
"Please Ban, we should take this one. Can't you see how sad and worried she is?" Ginji whispered.
"Four million yen, eh?" Ban remarked. "Alright, it's a deal. You've just hired the Get Backers. Now tell us where to find Miss Yusagi and we'll get to work."
"Yay Ban-chan!" Ginji shouted.
"Here is the address." Kanake grabbed a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to Ban. He read the address and stood up.
"Come on Ginji," he said. "The sooner we get this job done, the sooner we can eat again."
"Coming Ban-chan." The two left as the woman remained seated, sipping her drink. Only a few moments had passed when the door opened again.
"Hevn!" Natsumi exclaimed in excitement as a tall buxom blonde entered the restaurant.
"Hello Natsumi," the blonde returned. "Are the boys here?"
"No. You just missed them. They've gone out on a job. Why?"
"Oh damn!" she stomped her foot in frustration. "I had a job for them and it was a good one too. Oh well, it can't be helped can it?"
"I suppose not," replied Natsumi.
"You can call one of the others," Paul suggested from behind his newspaper.
"Looks like I'm going to have to. It's probably more up their alley anyway, now that I think about it. More of a protection job then a retrieval." Hevn took out her phone and started dialing.
"If that's the case, why were you wanting them in the first place?" Paul asked, intrigued.
"It was specifically requested, that if they were available, I get them actually," she turned from Paul as she heard someone pick up the phone on the other end. "Hello, Madoka? It's Hevn. Is Shido around? Thanks!" There was a long pause as Paul went back to his reading.
"Shido? It's Hevn. I have a job for you and Kazuki if you're interested. A girl. She needs some protection. Her name is Jando Yusagi." Paul put his paper down slightly to look from Hevn to Kanake, who remained still, save for the occasional calm sip of tea. He listened as Hevn gave the rest of the information concerning the job to Shido and thanked him. When she got off the phone she turned toward Paul and Natsumi.
"Well, let the guys know they missed out on a big one," she remarked as she left. "Thanks you guys!"
"No problem," Paul called after her.
"You're welcome," Natsumi returned.
Kanake waited a few moments before digging into her purse and pulling out a small white envelope and her wallet. She walked up to Paul and smiled as he put his paper down.
"Excuse me," she started. "But when I came in, I couldn't help over hearing that Mister Ban and Mister Ginji owe you money for their tab? Could you please tell me how much it is?"
"I don't see why not," shrugged Paul. "It's currently at three hundred fifty thousand, eight hundred and sixty yen."
"I see. Well then, this should cover it and then some." Kanake pulled out four hundred thousand yen and handed it to Paul. "For their tab. And this," she slid the envelop across the bar. "Should cover their fee. Please see that they get it."
"Are you sure you want to pay before the job is done?" he asked.
"I don't see why not. They do have a one hundred percent success rate, don't they?" Kanake asked innocently.
"Yes, they do," returned Paul. Kanake smiled even more.
"Then there should be no problem. Thank you for your time." With that Kanake left. Paul pulled the envelope closer to him and noted the small drawing of a single yellow rose on the upper right-hand corner, before putting it in a drawer for Ban and Ginji. he shook his head in amazement.
"Looks like things are about to get interesting," he remarked to Natsumi.
"You can say that again," the young girl smiled.
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Hieko Aiyana walked for several blocks. When she was positive that no one had followed her from the Honkey Tonk, she dipped lightly into an alley and pulled off the short, black wig she wore. Pulling out her own phone she quickly dialed a familiar number.
"Master Sakuwai? It's me," she spoke into the device. "There seems to be a slight complication. Someone else has hired some protectors for the girl. No ma'am. Nothing I can't handle. Yes, I will. Thank you. Good bye." Aiyana put the phone away and began the long walk home. This was going to take some serious thought on her part.