The Get Backers and their world don't belong to me.
Ever had one of those days? So do Riye Midou and Kaminari Amano. Of course, we don't have the invincible Get Backers to make it better. Enjoy!
One of THOSE Days
"Riye." Ban Midou stood in the doorway of his daughter's room, frowning. He had called her several times – she was already ten minutes late – but the warning he'd prepared died on his lips. "Something wrong, kid?"
Riye Midou sat on her bed with her legs dangling off the edge and her head dropped limberly to her knees. "Nothing you could fix." She sluggishly got to her feet, sighing.
"Trust me," he invited. He cocked a brow at her, grinning roguishly.
His self-assurance was baldly disregarded.
"Trust me." She grunted as she heaved a massive backpack to her slender shoulders. "If you could fix what's wrong with me, something like… is it sixty percent? Close enough. Sixty percent of the world's population would hail you as a god and worship your image for the rest of eternity."
"Ah."
She sighed again. "At least it's always just as awful for Kam-chan," she groused.
"Misery loves company."
"Yes." She met him at the doorway, wincing as she walked.
"That bad, huh?" For once, his characteristic sarcasm had been dropped.
"Yes."
He cupped a hand around the back of her head and pressed her forehead firmly to his lips. "You taken anything for it yet?"
Shaking her head wearily, she pushed her way past him. "All out of Midol. Kam-chan wiped me out last month."
"There's Tylenol in the kitchen."
"Not the same."
Ban opened his mouth to argue the point, but Riye cut him off. "I know it's basically the same drugs, Dad. It's still not the same." She smiled ruefully. "It's stupid. I probably just bought into the advertising scam."
Ban walked her to the door and watched as she carefully picked her way toward Kaminari Amano, who looked every bit as wretched as Riye did. He hid a smile, so as not to be thought unsympathetic. This was a torment he and Ginji had never had to face, but it wasn't exactly as if they hadn't had their share of misfortunes. Great friends suffer alongside you. Unless, of course, they are the cause of your suffering. And that had happened a time or two as well.
His cell rang; he looked for the caller. Ginji, surprise, surprise. He could have walked across the street, numbskull.
But Ban's amusement quickly faded, replaced by interest as Ginji spoke. Ban was usually the brains of their partnership, so it surprised him a little when Ginji had a decent idea. He liked this one.
Hanging up with Ginji, he pressed and held the #2 key on his cell. Natsumi was still at work, where she'd been all night. She'd been on-call in the ER when a train wreck sent several dozen people swarming into the nearest hospitals, and she hadn't been home in almost thirty-six hours. He usually wouldn't have bothered her, but she'd called an hour ago to say she'd be on her way home soon.
"Natsumi? Got a question for you."
When he'd finished with his wife, he called Rena and asked her the same question.
He picked up Ginji fifteen minutes later, and the invincible duo plunged forward with their plan.
When their daughters got home from school, there was a note on Kaminari's door informing them that their fathers were out on a case, that Himiko was off transporting something or other, and that Kaminari should be prepared to stay the night at the Midou's with Riye and Natsumi. It wasn't unusual; in fact, both girls kept a drawer full of their clothes and duplicate hygienic products at the other's house. Evidently nobody trusted the sixteen-year-olds to take care of themselves.
Frustrating, certainly, but when one's parents can generate electricity, manipulate poison, or crush steel in their bare hands, arguing would be a bad idea. Besides, it wasn't as if the girls really minded sleeping over all the time. The only dark spot appeared when all four parents were out, and they wound up stuck with the Fuyukis. Shido-san and Madoka-san were all right, but Riye had a peculiar aversion to their eldest son, Katsu. They never managed to get along more than a few minutes before somebody said something smart and started a fight.
Fortunately, Riye wouldn't have to deal with him today; Kaminari's mom had managed to get home from the ER and its train wreck victims. So Kaminari went inside her house only briefly to pick up a book she'd left behind and met an impatient, unhappy Riye at the gate.
"Screw homework. I'm curling up in bed, and I'm not moving for the next two days." Riye crossed her arms tightly over her stomach. Kaminari nodded in silent agreement.
Their moods brightened considerably when they got to Riye's door.
"What's this?" Kaminari knelt beside the big cardboard box. Ginji's scrawl had marked the box 'To Riye and Kaminari' and a folded sheet of notebook paper had been taped to the top of it.
Riye pried this off and read it aloud as Kaminari tore into the package.
"Well, I'm no god, but I hope this helps – "
"Riye-chan!" Kaminari squealed. "Look!"
Riye folded the note again and knelt beside her friend. The box contained a giant bottle of Midol, two heating pads, a couple of sappy chick flicks, and an 'out sick' note with the next day's date scribbled across the top.
Kaminari twisted the cap off the medicine and popped a couple of pills dry before handing the bottle to Riye, who eagerly followed her example. Kaminari took the note from Riye and finished reading it.
"There was only one pint of Rocky Road left, so you're going to have to share." They didn't get past 'Rocky Road.' Though Riye had the foresight to snatch up the box, both girls were scrambling for the kitchen, and left the note fluttering in the spring breeze.
'Feel better soon. Love you.' It was signed, 'The Invincible Get Backers.'