Title: Blood of the Snake

By: retroelectric

Warnings: Mature themes, Vampirism, Horror/Supernatural, Yaoi, Alternate Universe

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Get Backers. This is a Get Backers fan fiction, ideas purely fan-made speculations based off the relationship between the Get Backers duo and infused with several elements inspired – and not stolen off the Vampire Chronicles Universe by Anne Rice. It is also important to note that this does not contain ANY of her characters, thus this is strictly NOT a Vampire Chronicles/Get Backers crossover. In this way I do not breach any of Anne Rice's policies regarding fan fiction on her work.

Chapter 5

The room was still dark as Ban woke up, even though he knew it was already morning. He attempted to stretch his body, only to be met with resistance in the form of Ginji's arms still curled around him. Gently pulling them away, Ban groggily went to the bathroom door and opened it.

He knew he should have been used to the opulence of the place already, but he was quite impressed with the glittering black floor tiles and golden taps. Running fine-boned fingers across the smoothness of the marble sink, Ban took careful notice not to get entranced with the beauty of it all.

After the relaxing shower, Ban went over to the window intending to let some fresh air in. Gathering the heavy velvet drapes in one hand, he moved to open the window ,only to be met with an empty wall. It's only normal, Ban guessed, It is the residence of a vampire, after all.

Glancing over to Ginji who was still snoring softly, Ban smiled at the adorable picture he made with his face half-buried in a pillow, tousled blond hair and curled up against the sheets. Unconsciously letting his fingers run through the soft hair, Ban hadn't noticed Ginji had awoken until the other opened his eyes and smiled at him sleepily.

That smile of his seemed like the awakening of a new dawn. He could wake up to his smile for eternity; Ginji was Ban's proverbial sun. Ban couldn't sometimes believe how close they were, how quick they were to understand each other's emotions at any time. He hated how lost he felt if Ginji was not beside him, as if a part of himself had been stolen, and a gaping hole was left in his heart - rendering him weak. Ginji was his weakness. If he had had such a weakness in the past, he surely would have thought himself foolish to love. Everyone he loved always died, or got taken advantage of.

Before -- his life had been all darkness and no light to balance it out. But with the entrance of Ginji into his life, the light from him overwhelmed him, threatening to topple him over with its blinding ferocity. If not for all his years of discipline, he would have fallen ungracefully and flat on his face, but seeing as Ban was Ban, he never did, never would. He knew he wasn't gay as well, it was only attributed to the fact that he was attracted to Ginji; and it didn't matter that Ginji was a girl or a guy, it was just that powerful aura of his and the person himself, what he stood for that he was attracted to. He didn't quite care, as long as he had Ginji.

And after that kiss in Paul's home, he finally realised that those buried feelings of his were reciprocated in return. He realised something else as well; he didn't want to lose it -- he wanted it for eternity. But how to convey it into words? Ban wasn't the kind of person, couldn't be the kind of person who'd confess his feelings in a heartbeat, say -- I love you, please don't leave me ever, and then embrace his love tenderly...

A tender person, Ban was not.

Imagine, Ban mused, the immortal Get Backers. Quite the pair they would make. And quite the name they'd make for themselves in the retrieval business as well.

"Ban-chan..." Ginji murmured, sitting up and stretching. Ban concealed his grin carefully from his partner, and gruffly stated, "Ginji, go take a shower, then we're going out." The blond nodded and smiled (a beam of sunlight seemed to shine) to him again, and made to get up.

Once satisfied hearing the bathroom door click shut, Ban relapsed deep into thought again. It was tough to conceal his thoughts from such a powerful vampire; he sometimes slipped in his concentration to do so, but he had managed pretty well so far. Amongst all the other dark arts that his grandmother had taught him back in Germany, one of them was that he had to learn how to conceal his thoughts from any mind reader.

He remembered the formidable Master he had learned the dark art from. The first time he had met with the tall and muscular man, Ban had been impressed by the powerful and strong aura the man exuded, and he immediately knew he wanted to be like that man. Shaking hands firmly with him, the Master smiled indulgently at him and had said, "Ah, you'll be a promising student."

Blushing at the compliment, Ban never forgot those words and let them boil to the surface every single time he felt as if he couldn't do it. Being a fast learner, Ban had truly met the Master's expectations and had learned the art of concealment till it burned into his mind like a hot iron brand on his skin, and it became as natural to him as breathing was.

Reminiscing the massive library in the mansion of his grandmother, Ban remembered stumbling across a thick book written by one of the elders of the Talamasca. The Talamasca was an organisation of psychic detectives who observed the paranormal - witches like his descendants, vampires, werewolves and spirits. The book itself had been stolen by his grandfather, as his grandmother told; from the Talamascan vaults. It cost him his life, but he did succeed with acquiring the treasured book. Drinking in the information from the yellow aging papers, Ban remembered being fascinated with the lives and the supernatural gifts vampires had.

Imagine turning a human being's insides to liquid with a mere thought. Or flying without wings, and the amazing ability to regenerate hair to its usual length even though it had been clipped. Commanding the human mind to bend to his will... Ban's mouth watered at the thought of all that power. Power he could never imagine, and it was all before him at the present moment. There was the fount of Cadmus's blood right in front of him, and how he wanted it, ached for it until his insides burned with longing and yearning for such amplified power.

And if it were handed to him willingly on a silver platter? Would Cadmus ever agree to give him immortality, and all the preternatural gifts which came hand in hand with it? Ban knew he needed to find a way to worm himself in Cadmus's ancient heart, enough to grant him that wish. A promise of immortality, an offering of his powerful witch blood to Cadmus and in exchange, the returned invincible vampire blood of Cadmus to him, granting him immortality. And to have the power of the Evil Eye, and of Asclepius all to himself for all eternity, never to fade away with age and wither like petals from a rose, and most of all -- Ginji.

Ginji had finished with the shower, and had stepped into the bedroom wearing nothing but a fluffy white towel around his waist loosely. Drinking in the sight of him bending over a closet digging for clothing, Ban smirked and crossed the room to Ginji. If he couldn't gain such immortality now, he could at least sate another fixation that he had lusted over for so long - Ginji. He knew he wasn't being brutal. No, being brutal was to kill or hurt, and he was doing neither at the moment.

"Ginji..." Ban murmured, placing a gentle hand on Ginji's shoulder.

Looking up to meet Ban's hungry eyes, Ginji felt confused with the sudden change in Ban's demeanor. "Yes, Ban-chan?" Ginji inquired curiously.

"Kiss me," Ban demanded.

And Ginji did. Slamming Ban's leaner frame onto the wall, Ginji attacked Ban's mouth. Their kiss was rough, and they were demanding, unrelenting, attacking each other with lips and tongue and teeth with startling ferocity. An unspoken need could be felt from their harsh motions, and Ban clawed onto Ginji's shoulder, Ginji tearing Ban's jumper away from his lithe frame. Grinding their hips together, the fabric of Ginji's towel and Ban's pants their only barrier, they moaned into each other's mouths as they got drunk on the heady taste of each other's mouths. Calloused fingers caressed soft, pale skin needily, and their conjoined lips separated, both of them breathing raggedly onto each other's bruised lips. Ginji's electricity crackled between their bodies, jolting them to new heights and an added fervor to their actions.

Ban's palm held Ginji's neck firmly in place as he whispered the next words huskily into Ginji's ear. "I want you now."

Ginji mewled at the honest admission from Ban in that tone of voice - like he owned every single part of Ginji. He knew that it was true in a way, and that Ginji owned every part of Ban as well. Unzipping Ban's pants with trembling yet certain hands, Ginji took Ban's hot and hard organ into his mouth, and the following moan issuing from Ban was something indescribable, to him. The intoxicating taste that was so uniquely Ban seemed to completely overwhelm him, and he couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

A few moments later, the two lovers lay on the floor, panting from the aftermath of their sex, exhausted and happy. Ban lifted himself up on an elbow and trailed languorous kisses along the length of Ginji's neck.

"Mm... Ban-chan, stop that please," Ginji moaned.

Ban smirked upon seeing Ginji's spent organ stir at his ministrations, and deftly purred teasingly, "Or? What will you do to me, hm?"

"Or I'll have to do what I did to you before," Ginji explained, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. Ban chuckled at his reply, and Ginji's control snapped at hearing Ban's little laugh. Knocking Ban's teasing hands away from his body, Ginji lifted Ban up from the floor and placed him roughly onto the sheets of the still-unmade bed the two shared.

"Hey! Don't lift me like some kind of girl--" Ban snapped, only to be cut short with Ginji's warm mouth diving quickly over Ban's lips, successfully silencing him and rendering him compliant in his arms.

They never made it out of bed that day.