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 10
It was just like Natsumi to notice something was amiss with Paul, the cafe owner.
Paul was getting progressively morose as each day passed. He clicked his tongue in irritation at her more often than before. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat whilst an unlit cigarette hung from his mouth and he often gazed expectantly at the entrance of the Honky Tonk each time the tiny bell rung. If Natsumi didn't know any better, she would have thought him worried for the Get Backers.
Gazing at Ban's precious coveted mug, she remembered their conversation a week ago when she noticed that Ban and Ginji haven't arrived at the Honky Tonk for their customary and free coffee.
"Ne, Master... where is Ban-san and Ginji-san? Why haven't they come for their morning coffee? The cafe is so quiet without them..."
Paul had jerked his head away from Natsumi's questioning look as though he was nervous. He began to speak in mumbled tones. "While you weren't here last night, they told me they had a retrieving mission away from Tokyo. Something about retrieving a painting for a rich client, I think."
"Really?" Natsumi said interestedly, putting the rag down. "Where?"
"In Hokkaido."
"Wow! That's good, right, Master? They will finally find the money to pay off their tab!"
Paul nodded. "Yes, Natsumi-chan, now go and serve that customer over there." He'd deadpanned with a note of finality in his voice, pointing to the black-clad customer in one of the booths. She moved over to him with an uncomfortable feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, and it wasn't from the fact that she had to go and take the order from Akabane, the feared Transporter.
Natsumi had wanted to ask Paul about why the Ms. Ladybug was still parked behind Honky Tonk if they were going to Hokkaido for a mission. She knew that Ban-san was quite devoted to his precious car, and wouldn't just leave it behind Paul's cafe if he and Ginji were going to Hokkaido. She could also not forget that most of their cases usually came from Hevn, but the buxomly woman hadn't been around lately. But she heard Paul's order, and proceeded to serve the dangerous man with the usual cheery smile on her face.
She missed the lively and rowdy presence of the Get Backers. When Hevn came to the Honky Tonk the third day they'd been missing with a job in tow, Natsumi knew something was definitely wrong.
"Hey, Get Backers! I have somethi-" Hevn paused and frowned mid-greeting. "Wait a minute, where are they?"
"Hokkaido," Paul stated.
"Hokkaido?" Hevn questioned, a look of disbelief on her face. "What are they doing there?"
So the mission the Get Backers had wasn't from Hevn-san, Natsumi thought.
"They're on a mission, of course. To retrieve a painting."
"Oh - I see," Hevn managed to choke out a reply, sitting down in one of the booths. She couldn't believe her ears! If this continued, she'd lose her job as a negotiator! "Yes, I see it... Natsumi-chan, one coffee done the usual way, please."
"Hai." Natsumi poured a cup of coffee and placed it in front of her.
"Thanks," Hevn murmured, sipping carefully on the coffee. "Natsumi-chan?" Hevn said questioningly as she saw the young girl sat in front of her.
"Hevn-san, I think there's something going on with Master. He is hiding things about Ban-san and Ginji-san," Natsumi whispered worriedly, twiddling her thumbs together.
"What do you mean, Natsumi-chan?"
"Master seems agitated when I ask him more about their mission. And their missions mostly come from you, right? Their car is also parked behind this cafe... if they really are in Hokkaido, they would take their car along with them, ne, Hevn-san?"
"They didn't take their car?" Hevn asked, pausing thoughtfully before taking another sip. "Must be a rich client, then."
"Hevn-san, don't you see anything odd about it?" Natsumi was going frantic trying to convince the negotiator. "They left all of a sudden, and Master is being so secretive about them! I didn't even get to say goodbye to them!"
"What's odd about it? They're only gone for three days, I assure you they'd be back by tomorrow but with no money in hand." Hevn assured the panicking girl, patting her wringing hands. Then the busty woman had sipped the last of her lukewarm coffee and had rushed off in a hurry, bidding goodbye to Natsumi and Paul.
I hope they're alright, Natsumi prayed silently.
"--The client is willing to pay both of you 2 million yen each." Hevn finished, looking at Shido and Kazuki for a nod of agreement.
"We'll take it." Shido said, then paused. "But how come Snake Bastard and Ginji aren't the ones taking this case?"
"They're in Hokkaido now doing a retrieving mission, so I was unable to contact them. Anyway, Natsumi-chan was getting worried for them since they haven't been back for 3 days, and just because they didn't take their car." Hevn shrugged, as though the information wasn't really vital to them. "As for me, I don't see what's so odd about it... The client must be a rich one! Well, maybe you'd bump into them in the course of the mission later on." She checked her watch, and got up with a wink. "See you, and good luck!"
Shido watched as Hevn retreated into the distance. "Kazuki, what do you think?"
Kazuki frowned as he recounted the negotiator's words. "It does seem very strange to me. After we complete our mission, let's stop by Honky Tonk to ask Natsumi-chan more about it. What we can do now is to complete our mission as fast as possible."
Shido nodded, and the both of them took off, the seeds of doubt already planted in their minds.
A week had passed, and Natsumi was growing more and more frantic thinking of Ban and Ginji's long disappearance. The swelling pit of dread and worry grew wider each time she thought of them. She missed their lively presence, and she knew that despite Paul's nagging about their ever-growing tab - he did, too.
Unbeknownst to her, the duo that she had worried over the whole week had already arrived in Shinjuku, accompanied by a long-haired blond male; just a distance away from the Honky Tonk.
"I still don't get how you do it," Ginji spoke shakily as he kneaded his eyes with his fingers.
"I fly, of course," Cadmus answered airily, and grinned mischievously at Ginji.
"Okay, okay, enough figuring out how we got here. Weren't you the one who suggested we go back here, Ginji? You should be happy we're finally out of the mansion grounds." Ban said, mirth evident in his features.
"Yes, I know that, but-" Ginji protested, but halted for a moment. "Hey, where did Cadmus-san go? He was just beside you, Ban-chan... I didn't see him move!"
"He's feeding, and he's right over there." Ban pointed out to Cadmus who was a few metres away from them, feeding from a middle-aged man who was unconscious and limp in his arms. The both of them moved over to Cadmus just before he had dropped the dead body to the ground with a dull thud.
"It's kind of scary-" Ginji muttered.
"Hey, Cadmus, would you like Ginji to electrocute him to ashes for you?" Ban added jokingly.
"Ban-chan!" Ginji admonished, frowning at his chuckling partner. Cadmus chuckled as well.
"I'm afraid I don't need electricity of any kind to dispose of dead bodies, cherub." A hint of amusement could be heard from his voice. "I simply think that I want to dispose of it-" he snapped his fingers, "-and the deed is done."
Ban and Ginji looked to the now missing form of the dead body. "Neat," Ginji was impressed.
The trio walked to the Honky Tonk, arguing amiably and Cadmus felt right at home basking in the cool night breeze and the company of the Get Backers.
"Is that even possible, Ban-chan? Turning a dead body to ashes with my electricity?" Ginji asked, fascinated.
"Of course it could be possible, but the thing is, you're too wimpy to try it!" Ban said, hiding a smirk as he knew that the statement would hit a nerve.
Ginji bristled. "Hey! I am not wimpy, Ban-chan! I might not have your 200 kg grip but I can still fry your ass any time I want!"
"Right you can, eel," Ban laughed, giving Ginji an affectionate noogie. Ginji yelped in surprise as Ban thoroughly messed up his hair.
"That hurts, Ban-chan..." Ginji pouted, rubbing his head. His voice lowered to a wicked whisper. "...At least I'm not the one whom Cadmus calls 'cherub'..."
"Shut up, Ginji!" Ban bonked him on the head for it.
"Now, now, cherub, there is no need to get angry over that..." Cadmus started in an attempt to placate the duo. "Ginji, don't make fun of Ban or I'll call you... baby."
Ginji gasped. "You wouldn't!"
"Yes, I would... baby." Ban barked out in laughter.
Ginji gave a short indignant scream at that. "Cadmus-san!!"
"Yeah, baby?" Cadmus answered innocently, a smile playing on his lips.
"Baby... ha ha!" Ban got out in between his bouts of laughter. "That's even worse than cherub!"
"Ban-chan..." Ginji's electricity crackled menacingly around him as his partner continued to laugh. Cadmus had to laugh at that.
Their loud and distinctive voices carried out into the Honky Tonk as they neared the cafe. Paul hardly believed his eyes as the familiar outlines of the Get Backers approached, and they stepped into the cafe wearing big grins on their faces.
They looked different; more polished. Gone were Ban's trademark four-tailed shirt and his purple glasses, and Ginji's green vest and khaki shorts which made him look like an oversized boy. In place were elegant silk shirts and form fitting pants, and the lack of Ban's usual glasses made his midnight blue eyes look more vivid.
"Hello, Master! Natsumi-chan! Long time no see!" Ginji cried out happily, hugging the teenage girl. "I've missed both of you so much!" Natsumi felt stunned as a fine-dressed Ginji lifted her in his excitement.
"Yoh, Paul." Ban acknowledged the cafe owner, walking more sedately and sat down on a stool at the bar, an unknown silk-clad blond man following behind him.
"This is Cadmus Baptiste, Paul," Ban gestured to Cadmus who was seated next to him. His eyebrows were arched as though underlying a meaning behind his words. "And Cadmus, this is Paul."
Paul nodded at the pale man who smiled enigmatically in return, and tried to hide the shock he felt as he registered the information. Cadmus Baptiste... wasn't that the vampire that had attacked Ban? What was Ban thinking, bringing in a vampire into his cafe just like that? And how come Ban had placed a hand on the vampire's, as though suggesting that they were more than familiar with each other?
"Ban, you have a lot to explain to me." Paul stated, pouring coffee into Ban's usual mug.
"I know."
The bell on the door chimed, announcing the presence of more customers. "Shido-nii! Kazu-chan!" Ginji exclaimed excitedly, startling both Ban and Paul and moving over to the pair who had just walked in. Natsumi, still partially stunned upon seeing the Get Backers, belatedly noticed the pale blond man beside Ban. Who was he?
Her questioning thoughts were interrupted by Ginji's loud giggles as he enveloped them both in his infamous bear hugs and Cadmus chuckled at his antics.
"Is he always throwing himself around like this?" Cadmus whispered, thoroughly amused.
"Sure is." Ban shrugged, sipping his coffee and watching the scene before him in interest.
"Where have you been, Ginji-san? Natsumi-chan was quite worried for you the whole week, if I'm right," Kazuki asked, smiling softly and sitting down in a booth beside Shido, Ginji seated across him. Shido eyed Ban and the strangely pale man beside him suspiciously.
"Who's that man beside Snake Bastard?" Shido interrupted right before Ginji could say anything to Kazuki.
Ginji froze up for a moment before speaking hesitatingly. "Oh, that is Cadmus-san, a-a client, yes, a client. He-We're living with him; Ban-chan and I," Ginji nodded to himself.
"A client, eh?" Shido asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Ban sensed something unpleasant was about to happen when he noticed Shido speaking to Ginji. He gestured to Cadmus to follow and moved over to the booth. "What seems to be the problem here, Monkey Tamer?" Ban said, looming over them, the pale blond man standing beside him. Shido's animal senses suddenly caught a strong whiff of fresh blood coming from the man. Shido ignored Ban's probing question and looked up, locking eyes with Cadmus.
"Why are you here, Mr. Client?" Shido asked in a gruff voice.
The man smiled enigmatically. "I'm sure Ginji told you my name, and that is Cadmus. Nice to meet you." He offered a hand, but it was ignored as Shido eyed the man critically, the scent of blood rolling off him in waves. The pale man continued, unaffected by Shido's iciness. "I'm here because I'm with the Get Backers, of course. I'm their new addition." Kazuki looked at Ginji's blushing face in obvious surprise, and Shido frowned upon hearing that.
Kazuki saw the conversation heading somewhere unpleasant, and instantly tried to cover up the awkward pause that Cadmus had brought up with his statement.
"So, Cadmus-sama, whatever the Get Backers had retrieved for you must have been very expensive for you to reward them with a place to stay, and for them to allow you to work with them," Kazuki offered amiably, giving a pleasant smile to the tall man before him.
"It certainly was," Cadmus agreed, absentmindedly picking at the collar of his red silk shirt then finally looking at Ban with a slight smile. "Cherub, I'm leaving it up to you and Ginji to explain everything to your friends here." Ban nodded and sat down beside Ginji.
'Cherub?' Shido thought, frowning. 'Snake Bastard actually let someone call him cherub? There is something very wrong here, and I am going to find out what it is.'
"Ok, so spill." Shido said, gesturing for Ginji to continue where he'd left before his interruption.
"Y-Yeah. So a week ago, Cadmus-san approached us for a job to retrieve something for him. He offered us 6 million yen for it. Ban-chan and I learned our lesson from last time we managed to get a deal like that, so we accepted it. After completing it, he talked to us about joining the Get Backers, and we both accepted and here we are now!" Ginji forced a laugh.
Ban nodded. "Oh, and he's a rich client that enjoyed our services a lot so he gave us a place to stay as well," He said, a secretive smile tugging on his lips.
"Yeah, we're living with him now in a mansion in Iri-"
"Hokkaido." Ban interrupted, glaring pointedly at Ginji.
"H-Hai," Ginji said nervously, avoiding his eyes and fidgeting.
"That's good, isn't it?" Natsumi said cheerily, serving all of them their coffee. "Now, you can pay off your tabs to Master!"
"Leave that to Cadmus, he'll settle it for us. He gives away money like it's water," Ban spoke, gesturing offhandedly to Cadmus, who was now talking to Paul, presumably about their tab.
"That explains the clothes," Kazuki mentioned thoughtfully.
"Is there something... you are not telling us, Ginji?" Shido asked, frowning at Ginji's nervousness.
"Stuff it, Monkey Tamer. Ginji will tell you at his own pace." Ban growled, standing up and half-dragging Ginji with him to. He stomped over to the bar where Cadmus and Paul were, and the vampire flashed a megawatt grin, carefully hiding his long fangs.
"What?" Ban asked, confusion etched on his face.
"Your tab is settled. Quite a sum you've piled up, haven't you?" Cadmus said, still grinning.
"Wow! Really? Thank you, Cadmus-san!" Ginji bounded over to Cadmus excitedly and gave him an innocent peck on the lips. Ban only looked at them with a haughty smirk, not doing anything to stop it. Shido felt his nerves grate unpleasantly upon seeing that.
"Well, we gotta go, Paul. See you again, and maybe when these brats are not here-" Ban pointed in the direction of Shido and Kazuki, "-I'll tell you everything you want to know."
The three silk-clad men left, leaving all of them in the cafe stunned.
Ban laughed. "Did you see their faces? Especially the Monkey Tamer's? He looked like he had been punched!"
"That wasn't nice, Ban-chan," Ginji murmured dubiously, though he smiled a little hearing Ban's infectious laugh.
"Who cares about being nice to those bastards. You and Cadmus are all I need." Ban said, trailing a finger down Ginji's arm. Ginji blushed, attempting to swat his hands away.
"I was thinking, Ban, Ginji," Cadmus said thoughtfully, "That we stay here for a couple of nights. What do you think?" He suggested. "And maybe even take on a retrieval mission, just the three of us. What do you say, to a new era of the Get Backers? Now that there's a new addition - me - you'd be virtually indestructible!"
"That's a very good idea, Cadmus," Ban agreed after a few moments. "Right, Ginji? And for once, we don't have to retrieve for money!"
"Yeah!" Ginji nodded enthusiastically. "Though we'd have to take our missions only at night."
"Mm, that aside, let's go book a hotel and crash for the day."