How long has it been? glances at the 'date last updated' Oh...

Sorry for that. I had a number of issues with this fic, but I think I've settled on an ending. So, I hope this chapter and the succeeding ones will be worth the wait.

Please, enjoy!

I'd like to reply to all the reviews Ive not replied to, but I'm not sure which ones I've replied to already. Also, I'm not really sure what to tell you other than thanks so much for reading this fic and reviewing and I hope that these next chapters make up for my hiatus. But, special mention to Skaey. Yeah, I understand.

So, I'll stop this babbling. On with the fic!

Chapter Eight: Love Story

It was after a certain incident in a certain hot spring that Ban began considering that he might in fact be in love with another man. He knew. Ginji didn't know, but he did. Though he initially denied knowing, he frickin' knew that the ethereal figure bathing by the falls was Kazuki...

...He just needed an excuse to get closer and sneak a peek.

He should have known that Juubei would be there. They were together so often it used to make Ban sick. No two men should be so close. Okay, he and Ginji were almost that close, but there was a line between "that close" and "almost that close". And, anyway, to every rule, there's an exception. He and Ginji were that exception.

He justified so many inexplicable emotions inside him with so much crap, just because he couldn't admit to himself that the reason Kazuki and Juubei's closeness bothered him so much was his long-ignored attraction for the longhaired brunet.

Kazuki had also admitted to knowing that he and Ginji were there, that little tease. He just wanted to see the looks on Ban's and Ginji's faces when they realized that, not only was he a man, he was a man who knew them.

But, Ban knew that the whole affair flattered the Itomaki immensely, and he couldn't understand why he didn't mind.

It took him a couple of weeks, a rainy day, and a car with a leaky interior to admit to himself that he wanted Ito no Kazuki more than he cared to admit.

The Getbackers were jobless and the hot summer that had just passed toasted the glue that stuck the windshield to the car. This created a number of leaks that didn't help the intrepid heroes much when the rains came. The day had started sullenly enough with gray skies and dark clouds, but it decided to take a turn for the worst when heavy rains began pouring. They had begged Paul to be less cruel to them and let them stay in the shop that afternoon of heavy rain, but the older man just peered at them through his dark glasses and calmly said that they could stay if they came up with the money to pay their tab.

Kazuki had come in at that moment.

"I was being an idiot letting you freeload all this time," Paul shot back at Ban who was close to dropping on his knees to be allowed to stay in the Honky Tonk that rainy afternoon. He glanced at Kazuki whom he had just served coffee. "Why can't you be a little more like him? He pays for what he drinks!" Well, Paul wasn't really being cruel; he was just being mean. He would actually let Ban and Ginji stay in the coffee shop 'one last time', he just enjoyed the panic in Ban's and Ginji's faces as they considered the idea of getting stuck in their tiny wet car. No, he wasn't heartless to let the scenario happen, he just wanted them to think about it so they would be encouraged to work.

Ban and Ginji gave Paul their best puppy-dog impressions. "But, we'll pay you back as soon as we get a job, I promise!" Ban pleaded. "Besides, the Thread Spool over there has money and we don't."

"Then, maybe, the Thread Spool over there would take you in because I certainly won't unless you pay your tab," Paul declared definitively.

Kazuki calmly set his cup of coffee down, though he was mildly surprised that he had been dragged into the conversation. "You're talking about me as if I weren't here," he pointed out, not really offended.

Not that the pretty brunet had time to be offended as a tare Ginji clung to his leg desperately. "Please, Kazuki? Will you take us in? Paul won't let us stay!" Ginji's eyes went all watery.

"Don't ask him for any favors, Ginji!" Ban told his partner. Not that he didn't like the idea of rooming in with the string master—to be honest, he was actually curious about where and how the other man lived—it was just that he didn't want the embarrassment of being rejected by another potential host. Also, Kazuki might turn out to be even more sadistic than Paul. Ban briefly imagined himself in Cinderella clothes cleaning up around Kazuki's house while Ginji danced around like a jester.

Kazuki plucked Ginji off his leg and smiled kindly at Ginji. "It's alright. I don't mind you staying for the night. I saw the leaks on your car as I came in, so you can stay while you have that fixed," he responded making Ban and Ginji celebrate 'the wonderful and eternally kind Kazuki'.

Paul raised a dubious eyebrow, "Are you sure about this?"

"I have room," Kazuki replied. "My apartment is quite spacious for just one person." Then he turned to the one with the Evil Eye with a mischievous eye. "And, it's not like they'll be paying me with cash."

Oh, all those images of Ban-derella danced in Ban's head again with renewed vigor.

But that was really what set things in motion. Nothing happened that first night, not even in the second night, nor the third. Kazuki was a gracious host and his apartment was immaculate. Apparently, the effeminate man was a little bit obsessive-compulsive about keeping his living place clean and in order so no Ban-derella was needed. Also, Kazuki was actually as kind as he had appeared as he let Ban and Ginji take his room while he slept in the sofa bed in the living area. This set-up gave Ban lots of chances to see Kazuki in so many ways he had never seen before.

A week into their little sleepover, Ban woke up in desperate need of a smoke and crept out of the room he shared with Ginji to sneak into the veranda. Kazuki didn't say anything about smoking being not allowed inside the house, and didn't even say anything when he lit up inside the first time. But, Kazuki had secretly coughed on the side and fastidiously removed the scent with carbon-based scent absorbers. After that, Ban always felt a bit guilty for smoking inside.

As he passed the couch, Ban caught sight of a dark head popped out from underneath pristine blankets. It was the first time he saw Kazuki asleep. Ban had to admit to himself that Kazuki was more beautiful than any woman he had ever encountered only to quickly deny to himself that he had admitted such a thing. He fast forgot about his cigarette as he stood there, admiring the lithe frame bathed in moonlight.

And then, Kazuki stirred.

Ban panicked at first, only to realize that the Itomaki was dreaming. The face earlier relaxed by sleep contorted to an odd expression that looked slightly pained that Ban found somewhat erotic. Kazuki moaned softly and mumbled incoherently, making Ban smile. That first time he heard it, the idea that this angel of death on the battlefield talked in his sleep made Ban snort in an attempt to hide his laughter. He stifled his chuckles and leaned in to listen. Maybe he would hear something that he could use against their host in case Kazuki became the evil stepmother in Ban's twisted little Cinderella nightmare.

"Juubei..."

Oh, it was not everyday that a man like Mido Ban could be taken aback by something. He blinked. The jealous tug in his chest (which wasn't actually jealousy, but just a peculiar case of indigestion caused by lack of cigarettes, yes, that's what it is...) became difficult to ignore. When the initial shock wore off, he decided that he should have known.

Now, in any other story, it should have ended there. Kazuki had Juubei and Ban would be damned before he ever admitted that he was gay and in love with the Thread Spool. But, the wielder of the Jagan stood there, glued on his spot. As Kazuki began to move about even more, the hand that so often gave the Snakebite seemed to take life of its own and reached out to gently shake the other's shoulder to wake him.

"...Ban?" Kazuki blinked blearily up at the man who had just woken him up. He managed a weak and sleepy smile. "Is there something you need?"

"You were dreaming," Ban replied matter-of-factly.

"Was it a nightmare?" Kazuki inquired, curiously. He tilted his head slightly to the side, an unconscious gesture that made him look even more like a girl.

Ban frowned. "You tell me, I wasn't the one dreaming it."

"I don't remember," was the simple reply. Ito no Kazuki brushed his hand daintily over his eyes, wiping away the last fuzziness of sleep. He gave Ban a smile that could melt icebergs. "And, besides, you're the one who knows about dreams."

Ban didn't reply to that, mesmerized for some reason he couldn't identify.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Kazuki rose from the couch to head to the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Ban. "Would you like some milk?"

Though still confused, the brunet Get Backer managed to find his voice to say in his usual noncommittal tone, "Yeah, sure."

When Ban forgot about his cigarettes to sit down and have steamed milk with Kazuki; he couldn't deny that there was something he had to admit to himself soon. They finished their milk in companionable silence. Once Kazuki had washed the mugs and they had said their good nights for the second time that night, Ban returned to bed. As he lay on the bed, awake, he came to a conclusion that led to the relationship that took a few more weeks to blossom.

Ban wanted Kazuki to call out his name in sleep.

"His name..." Ban replied, giving Juubei a sidelong glance so he didn't have to mention the name that always felt like a knife through him every time Kazuki said it. "...You keep calling it when I want you to call mine."

-

So there's our answer to that "Why?" cliffie from the last chapter. I hope you liked it. I'll try to update more often, but as I don't have access to Getbackers episodes or manga, it's getting pretty hard to write. Also, I realized recently, when I wrote for other anime that the dubbing of the version of Getbackers that I watch doesn't use honorifics nor nicknames, so if I got those wrong, sorry about that.