Three Day Storm

#2: An Unimpressive Lead

Part 1

X X X

Ban had left Shinjuku on reasonable terms. They didn't know why – Ban was a very private person and it hadn't been anyone's business but his. Ginji had handled the departure better than most of his allies expected – arguably, starting a new retrieval service with Shido had helped considerably. The weeks and months had melted together and then before anyone knew it, he'd been gone a year or two.

Now, to have Ban back... it gave the small group an air of tension. No-one there wanted to be treated as a train station, especially not by Ban. His return was like the odd piece in a jigsaw, where it didn't fit and made everything around it uncomfortable. It also meant something was very, very wrong with Ginji. Inexplicably, Ban had always known the electric eel better than everyone else.

The journey continued with disquiet, the four fighters strung out according to their usual ways. It started with Shido, took the lead in his usual headstrong fashion. Emishi was a step or two behind, whip slung comfortably over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Kazuki had decided to take stock of the situation and was starting with Ban. He walked next to the thief, holding silence until they passed out of the rain and into a damp stairwell where the smell of fresh mildew stung the nose.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Ban took advantage of the dry spell to light a cigarette - or at least try. The lighter wasn't co-operating and Kazuki couldn't help his smile as Ban became increasingly frustrated.

"Shido told me about the conversation the two of you had," the Threadmaster said quietly, as the flint finally struck and Ban got his cigarette. He felt those cold blue eyes focus on him and returned it with a serene stare of his own.

Ban took the time to put away his lighter and exhale a long breath of smoke before answering. "So?" he asked, with a narrow-eyed glance to Shido ahead of them.

"He said you were convinced that the storm is to do with Ginji."

"What's with the past tense? I still do." Ban looked away as they came to the bottom of the stairs and rounded a corner, sloshing into ankle-deep water.

"Of course," Kazuki said with a nod of his head. "I think so too."

"So what's your point?"

The young man was silent for a moment, glancing ahead to the backs of his two friends. "I think it's to do with the Lightning Emperor, Ban," he replied softly.

The air seemed to drop in temperature; something odd flickered through the thief's face.

Kazuki saw the reaction, but chose to gloss over it as he continued, "Ginji could cause a storm," he kept his voice low even though he knew Emishi and Shido would be listening. They had heard this theory already, so he wasn't concerned about them eavesdropping. It was the walls and their ears that he worried about. "But not one as big as this," Kazuki continued, "Three days takes a lot of strength. If it was just Ginji, his body would have worn out a long time before now."

"I suppose that's true," Ban said, although it sounded like he had already come to the same conclusion. Just as Kazuki wanted to ask what he was thinking, the thief added, "If the Emperor is who we're looking for, that changes things a bit."

As though the Fortress itself agreed with those very words, the stairwell flashed a muted blue from the lightning outside, and the walls surrounding them shuddered with a new roll of thunder.

As the thunder quietened Shido looked back over his shoulder, wearing a frown. "How? We're not looking for something drastically different."

"Sure we are," Ban said flippantly.

Kazuki could see the involuntary twitch in his friend and sighed to himself. Pride was a fickle thing at the best of times, and hopelessly volatile at the worst.

"Care to elaborate, snake?" Shido bit out, barely holding his temper in.

"Ginji and the Emperor… they're different, we know that. You've seen how they attract different enemies," Ban said. He had stopped walking, one hand slung loosely in a pocket as he spoke. The other held his cigarette. "Anyone would take on Ginji if they didn't know who he was, but there aren't many who would do the same and succeed against the Lightning Emperor of Limitless Fortress. If you can't figure it out," he added with a shrug, "Then I'll draw you a map later. We've got company."

Ban gestured ahead casually, past his allies. Everyone turned to look, including the seething Beastmaster.

The heir to the Kakei line stood at the top of the stairwell they were approaching. His tall, broad-shouldered form was easily recognisable even from a distance. Kazuki brightened considerably, stepping ahead of the group with an extra bounce in his step. "Juubei!"

"You're a bit late, so Makubex sent me to come greet you," Juubei told the group as they neared. He didn't look particularly different, though he wore the navy blue uniform of Makubex's Officers. He still wore the visor that hid his flawed eyes – these days, they could open, but he was still blind. Kazuki could tell from the way his friend smiled that Juubei knew he was closest.

Shido threw a poisonous look to Ban before saying, "We had to rescue a lost thief."

Ban huffed, but said nothing. Not for the first time, Emishi looked as though he was desperately hoping to avoid crossfire, or at least survive it in one piece.

Kazuki sighed quietly, tapping down the first few steps past Juubei. "If it is the Emperor we're looking for, we're going to need all the help we can get," he reminded the pair, "Especially from each other."

There was merit in the fact that they had lasted this long with only sniping between themselves, Kazuki admitted that. But they didn't have time for ego to get in the way, and this was not the place to settle an old score based on jealousy. If Shido and Ban didn't come to some kind of truce, everything was going to be much harder than it needed to be.

But, there was no point telling them that. They'd figure it out themselves. Kazuki left the pair to eye each other off warily as he turned and continued down the stairs. Juubei fell into step behind him.

Shido huffed in contempt of the situation but seemed to yield for the moment as he and Emishi followed Juubei.

Ban let them all go. He paused to examine the Fortress' stormy skyline, scuffed out his dying cigarette, and then trailed along behind.

X X X

Ban had a lot of opinions. Right then, his opinion was that Makubex didn't have much of an eye for interior decoration. The warehouse like room had not changed since the last time he set foot in it, with the occasional sheet draped like a curtain over some of the metal-plated walls. However, it was completely dry - or at least, had been, before the waterlogged group brought their dampness into the room with them.

A litter of computers sat on the floor near the centre, angled like a console. Their screens threw a weird green-blue glow across the room. There was no sign of Sakura, but Ban took his cue from an unconcerned Juubei that all was well. The five of them were the only sign of life and the only movement apart from their distended shadows.

Ban scanned the room lazily, hands resting loosely in his pockets. It was during this surveillance that the door across the room caught his notice; it was as tall as the one they had just stepped through. It began to open, a thin sliver of light falling across the floor. Ban narrowed his eyes.

Something was not right in the Limitless Fortress: an ambush - or a trap - would not surprise him.

It turned out to be neither, with none other than Makubex himself standing in the doorway. The door swung shut again as he stepped deeper into the room, retying his headscarf as he went. The smile to the group was friendly, but older. It occurred to Ban that whilst it was a job that appeared to suit the youth, to be King of Lower Town was a difficult weight to carry on both shoulders.

Kazuki and Shido moved forward to present their own greetings to Makubex whilst Ban hung back, near Juubei an Emishi. Both Juubei and Emishi were on familiar territory and had no need to present themselves. As for Ban… this was not really his world nor had it ever been, so he was content to let two of the Four Kings deal with their ally.

When their hellos were over, he wasted no time in stepping forwards. "Okay, Cyberkid." Ban had a freshly lit cigarette and allowed it to hang from one corner of his mouth as he moved towards Makubex, who was now flanked by Shido and Kazuki. "Show us this lead of yours."

The silver-haired youth eyed him reproachfully. "Welcome back, Ban," he said, then turned towards his console before Ban could think of a witty response. Makubex was unusually grim as he settled on the ground. He pulled a keyboard into his lap and deft fingers tapped out the commands. The screen of the central computer flickered as windows resized and shifted, until they presented the one surveillance clip he'd wanted. The others clustered behind him.

At surface value it was nothing that surpassed the ordinary: just one of Lower Town's many winding streets. Then Makubex hit the play and the street came to life. Two or three children ran across the street and disappeared back into the world which went past the edge of the screen. None of the citizens looked anxious or concerned and Ban realised there was not a drop of water in sight. Evidently, this recording was from before the storm.

The seconds ticked by; Ban felt Shido move restlessly beside him. It was only a momentary distraction, but by the time Ban looked back to the screen, his otherwise absent friend had appeared on it.

"Ginji –"

The young man was walking slowly along the street, obviously on his own. Entirely oblivious to the camera behind him, he turned away and into a side street, the building blocking him from sight.

Ban frowned, unimpressed. "This is your lead?"

Makubex twisted to look at him, the smile only a thin one. "I would not bring you so far as this, for so little. Watch, Ban."

X X X

To be continued.