A/N: Another chapter in the bag! Thanks for the sweet reviews :) And...ahem. Sorry for the lateness. A Psychology degree is a terrible thing. But I thought to myself, "Hey, I've just posted a new fic. I should really update the old one...".
Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish I owned them!
He was aware of nothing other than an unidentifiable buzzing in his ears, and a bright light beyond his closed eyelids that made his head throb in time with his heart. Dimly noting another person's warmth at his side, he could only conclude that Ginji was playing with his damned electricity again; making bulbs light up or some such nonsense. Ban frowned, his head beginning to ache so fiercely that he wondered whether there had been alcohol involved in his prostrate condition.
"Ginji, give it a fucking rest, man..."
His voice sounded oddly muffled and distorted, and an oddly familiar flicker of panic began to filter through his numb state. Gradually, it began to dawn on Ban that he wasn't curled up in Miss Ladybug, or some cheap motel, there was asphalt under his twitching fingers, and scorching heat on his face and in his nose and Ginji where the hell is Ginji --
"--kun! Ban-kun! Get up! Please!"
Ban immediately tore open his eyes, hit with a sensory overload as he became aware of smoke and flame and Hevn's frantic screams intermingled with the equally piercing shrieks of sirens in the distance. The hysterical blonde woman held him by his charred shirt, her wide eyes wild in her white face. The streak of bright red blood under her nose added to the picture of instability, and yet the brunette couldn't help but notice that her body was arched over him, shielding him from the worst of the heat. Overcome with untimely affection, he lurched into a sitting position, wincing at the friction of the gravel beneath his torn elbows, and placed a trembling hand over Hevn's equally unsteady one.
"Are you OK? What the hell happened?"
Shuddering with relief at his newly conscious state, his mediator released her grip on his arm and moved it to her own ankle, leaving several crescent shaped indents in the brunette's skin behind. Taking a quivering breath, she wiped the blood dripping from her nose with an impatient hand.
"An explosion. I don't know what caused it, but it came from that way." Hevn gestured vaguely to an area south east of them that had been obliterated by the still rising flame, her eyes taking on a faraway blankness that Ban associated with shock. Swallowing hard, she forcibly turned her attention back to him.
"A...and what the hell were you thinking, knocking me off my feet like that? Clumsy oaf, my injured ankle is coming out of your pay!"
Her waspish statement did nothing to conceal her trembling fear, or the gratitude in her eyes. However, a sense of normality was the driving force behind her words, and Ban could only oblige.
"Don't nag me, you money-grubbing witch! Didn't your boobs break your fall?!"
Some of the light returned to the blonde woman's eyes, and she swatted him around his still-ringing ears. "Shut up! Now get me out of here before we both burn!"
That's right. I need to check on Ginji.
Ignoring a growing sense of foreboding in the back of his mind, he hoisted Hevn onto his back even as his strained limbs protested against the extra weight. Making sure her legs were clasped firmly around his waist, he threw a (somewhat strained) roguish grin over his shoulder.
"Hold on tight, big boobs!"
Page Break.
"Kazuki! KAZUKI!"
Toshiki shook his head irritably, ridding his blond hair of dust and ash as he heaved yet another slab of crumbling stone off of the towering pile blocking the road. His beautiful leader was trapped somewhere within the rubble and flame and nothing, not even the intense heat scorching the flesh on the palms of his hands, would cease his struggle.
"KAZUKI!"
However, his blind companion was proving more of a hindrance than a help. Juubei's panic was becoming somewhat infectious, and the blond found that the thudding of his heart against his ribcage was distracting. He turned to his fellow guard and gripped him by his trembling shoulders.
"You are useless to him like this, Kakei! Calm down and help me!"
The brunette blinked sightless blue eyes at him, and seemed to realise the truth behind Toshiki's fury. Taking a shuddering breath, Juubei nodded, his grip on his rising panic tenuous at best. The blonde nodded encouragingly, conveniently forgetting that his companion was unable to see his action, and turned back to the rubble blocking him from his enigmatic saviour. As the two men worked, he couldn't help but send a silent prayer to whatever gods were listening.
Please, please let him be alright!
"Uryuu..."
The almost tangible sense of despair in the other man's tone made Toshiki's heart freeze. He spun around to see his fellow guard drop to his knees, holding a piece of crumpled metal that glittered gold. Leaning closer, he felt bile rise in his throat as he recognised the crushed item.
Kazuki's bell...
Before his raging thoughts could solidify into a single coherent message, he had released an animalistic howl that tore at his vocal chords and seemed to cut through the filthy, choking air. The cheerful shine of the little bell seemed to mock his anguish as it rested snugly in Juubei's shivering hand. Fury mingled with the despair coiled deep in his chest, as everything he worked, lived for seemed to be blown apart like the ashes choking the air in around him.
For nothing...it was all for--
Juubei's sudden iron grip on his arm jolted Toshiki out of his morbid thoughts. He glanced at his partner and saw an almost unbearable hope on his pale features.
"Uryuu...there!"
Toshiki spun around, his heart leaping in his chest as an exhilaratingly familiar sound somehow managed to overwhelm both the roaring flames and his blind companion's voice.
The cheerful tinkling of a bell that was somehow still clinging to a few strands of Kazuki's charred hair.
"K...Kazuki!" he yelped, never noticing the break in his voice as he and Juubei stumbled the few steps that lead to the dusty figure of their leader.
The Fuuchoin master broke into a radiant smile as he beheld the relief on the faces of his usually unshakeable companions. He grimaced slightly as their enthusiastic hugs slammed into his sore body, the blisters from his close proximity to the vicious flames making themselves known quite efficiently. It didn't matter, though. There were more important things on his mind, more prominently the two heavy bodies curled around him, trembling with the need for reassurance.
"I'm here," he whispered, and that was more than enough.
Page Break.
The very first thing Paul noticed upon jerking awake was the fact that he was alone. Not necessarily a shocking proposition for some, but Wan Paul prided himself on his strong work ethic. To be waking up alone in an almost pitch-black café on a Wednesday afternoon was surely bad for business.
"U...ugh..."
A nauseating headache began to pound in his temples as he attempted to piece together what the hell was going on. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, and his ears to the roaring pressure within them, he discovered that things had certainly gone awry during his supposed nap.
Surely the roof didn't use to be in the middle of the café?
His eyes widened to almost comical proportions as the truth slammed into his consciousness.
A flash of eye-smarting white...a sound so loud he almost didn't register it...scarlet heat, Natsumi and Rena's screams...
His heart clenched with terror for the two young waitresses. His ears straining for any sound, Paul struggled to his feet with an unintended groan. He raised a trembling hand to check for any head injuries, and froze. Beyond the blockade that used to be his ceiling, Paul could hear an almost undetectable sobbing.
"Natsumi? Rena-chan! Can you hear me?"
The cries paused. Paul leaned forward, his cheek pressed to splintered wood and plaster, desperate for any signs of life from the two young girls. Then, an unmistakeable voice, thin and wavering with panic and choking dust, rose from the part of the room he couldn't reach.
"Master?"
"Natsumi! Are you hurt?"
He could hear her attempts to calm down in the deep breath she drew. Coughing slightly from the dust, she spoke with an effort.
"I'm f...fine, but Rena-chan...!"
A second voice, tight with pain, came through the rubble.
"I'm alright, Master. My arm...my arm is injured, that's all..."
Paul closed his eyes with a brief sigh of relief. It could have been far, far worse. However, after all that the girl had suffered under Lucifer, additional suffering seemed vastly unfair. Squaring his shoulders, the red-haired man took hold of the jagged plaster ahead of him. The light from the broken windows behind him flickered in front of his eyes, and he was grateful that the smoke from the raging fire outside seemed to be blowing in a different direction. That was some luck, at least.
"Don't worry, girls. I'll get you out, its alright..."
Keeping his voice low and calm was difficult, as the exertion from tugging at a fallen beam was causing him to tremble. It was at times like these when he really missed his former partner...
"Shit!" His momentary inattention to the task at hand meant that he hadn't noticed a dislodged beam sliding out of its previous position. A shower of dust and rubble struck him as he covered his head, screwing his eyes shut.
"Master!"
"Are you alright, Master?!"
Spitting out what felt like an avalanche of dust, Paul checked himself over. No injuries, but it seemed that the falling beam had created an even more impossible situation.
"I'm fine...but..."
He took a deep breath as he felt the girls' expectant silence. Failure was not an option.
"...I'll just have to try harder!"
However, as the next movement sent an even bigger shower of debris over himself and the waitresses, it became clear that his was a futile effort. Paul sank slowly to his knees as the girls' encouraging chirps fell silent.
Just as his mood was at its lowest ebb, a filthy, but dearly recognisable hand poked through a gap in the fallen plaster. Natsumi's voice was strong as she squeezed his hand with dust-covered fingers.
"Don't worry about us, Master! Can you get out? You could find some help..."
The rising heat and the close proximity of the ever-growing flames would mean that help would be near-impossible to find. Natsumi, despite her sweet and occasionally naïve nature, was no fool. Paul looked at the broken windows to his right, and made a decision. Placing his back against the pile of rubble, he gripped Natsumi's hand tightly.
"No, I'm completely trapped."
Page Break.
As they neared the indistinct figure of the Honky Tonk, Hevn began to realise the impact of the earlier explosion. It appeared that the gas station between their previous location and the café had caught alight somehow, the fire reaching the petrol tanks and causing them to blow sky high. Luckily, she had dragged Ban-kun far enough not to have burned to a crisp in the initial surge of flame, but how had the Honky Tonk faired...?
Ban-kun's shoulders tensed noticeably under her gripping fingernails as he beheld the caved-in roof of his favourite haunt. The front windows were completely smashed. Great chunks of the brickwork lay strewn about, as if a giant hand had gouged them from the building. Hevn let out an unintended gasp, and unconsciously leaned closer to her brunette mount. His drooping spikes tickled her cheek as she dropped her head onto his shoulder. She was close enough that, even over the sound of the flames, the screaming, and the sirens, she heard his near-silent whisper.
"Ginji..."
Her heart clenched painfully as she thought of their friends, but, for once, she had to keep it together for the lone Getbacker.
"He'll be fine," she whispered. "He'll keep them safe."
Ban-kun stood silent for a moment, then appeared to come back to himself. He lowered her to the ground with surprisingly gentle hands.
"Can you walk?"
Ignoring the throbbing pain in her swollen foot, Hevn nodded. He seemed satisfied with her answer, and dived into the stricken café to save their friends. She bit back a scream of shock and struggled to a half-standing position, desperate to help in any way she could.
Come on, girl...they may be idiots, but they're MY idiots!
Unfortunately, all the good intentions in the world couldn't fix a broken ankle, and the agony of standing made stars explode in her vision as she slumped back towards the heated asphalt. Suppressing an undignified yelp of pain, Hevn could only sit back and worry.
Suddenly, her heart leaped as an unsteady shape wavered through the choking smoke. Wan Paul looked horrific; he was covered in dust and ash, bright red blood adding a shocking twist to his pale face.
"Paul! Paul, I'm here!"
He squinted, wracking coughs tearing through his weakened body. She waved madly, feeling a little stupid as he stumbled towards her and collapsed at her side. Gripping his shoulder tight enough to bruise, she shook him gently.
"Paul, speak to me! Are you alright?!"
He looked up, glasses askew, and gave her a weak smile that stretched his split lip painfully. "F...fine, but..."
He was interrupted by a muffled crash coming from the direction of the gutted Honky Tonk. Hevn whipped around just as Ban barrelled out of the café at a full sprint, the dazed forms of the two young waitresses tucked protectively in each of his arms.
"Move!" He called in a rasping yell, and Hevn found herself being dragged unceremoniously out of range of the ominously groaning building by a miraculously mobile Paul. She soon realised their intention, as the Honky Tonk seemed to fold in on itself as if in slow motion, an immense sound and a cloud of dust chasing the collapse. Ducking into Paul's shielding embrace, she closed her eyes.
When she was able to breathe again, she looked up. Natsumi and Rena had been laid gently on the filthy concrete, both unconscious and streaked with ash. Paul sat panting harshly by her side. And Ban...
Ban stood looking towards the devastated café, his hair turned white with dust and a terrible expression twisting his features.
Oh, God, no...
The Jagan user fell to his knees and slammed both fists into the ground, and Hevn's world screeched to a metaphorical halt.
Gin-chan...!
A/N: I can see why you'd be angry. I didn't update for ages, the writing is probably awful, I left it on a cliffhanger and...
And...
I DESTROYED THE HONKY TONK. I know, it hurt me too.
Those who are still with this, I hope you enjoyed!