written 16-Jan-2004
archived 24-Sept-2004
Title: In the Shadow of Mugenjou
Fandom: GetBackers
Genre: random insanity
Author: datenshiblue, a.k.a. bonne
Spoilers: Ginji's past?
Pairings: more implied than anything
Warnings: None?
Notes: An audition piece for an RP I didn't get into. ;)
In the Shadow Mugenjou
"Don't park here, Ban-chan!"
"Why not?"
"It's too far from the Honky Tonk."
"So?"
"So when we get hungry, we'll have to move or walk a long way, and moving's not a good idea cause you said you were almost out of gas..."
"Oh for... I thought you were going to say this is a tow zone."
"I never said it was a tow zone, Ban-chan."
"I know that, idiot, I said I thought your were going to say that. So you have to walk a little. Exercise will do you good."
"But Ban-chan..."
"Shut up Ginji, it's the only place. Why all these damn cars are crowding up Shinjuku today of all days... it's the only place, and it's not illegal and we *aren't* moving. So shut up and take a nap."
"But Ban-chan..."
"SHUT UP!"
~ * ~
Ginji closed his mouth, looking at his partner with the argument still rife on his features, but Ban had turned away from him and pillowed his head on his arm, closing his eyes stubbornly.
Turning back to the window, Ginji squinted up at the sky, his eyes sliding away from the structure that jutted up into it, dominating the landscape from any angle. He didn't consciously try to calculate how long it would take the sun to shift its position in the sky, he just... decided it had better be a short nap.
But he was exhausted, they both were. They had been up for a couple of days finishing a retrieval case. They were supposed to meet Hevn that evening to get the payment from the client, and until then they had money for neither gas nor food. So a nap was in order.
It should have been okay. Ban was not as indifferent to his partner's unspoken concern as he seemed but he, too, had determined it would be a short nap, and they'd be away from the car by the time the huge building's shadow fell across it.
Not that he would give any credence to Ginji's superstitions, especially when the young man wouldn't even articulate them.
But they were more tired than they realized, and when sleep took them, it decided not to give them back as easily as all that.
~ * ~
It was dark.
That didn't bother Ginji just by itself. It was the feeling inside the dark, the muffled quiet of it, the featurelessness of it. The familiarity of it.
That, and the fact that he wasn't alone.
Stubbornly, he refused to look at the one who waited there. Not that looking at him would help. He had never been able to see him clearly, never once.
"You can pretend I'm not here all you want, but you know it won't do any good."
/What are you doing here?/
"Waiting."
/Don't. Go away. There's no reason for you to wait, I don't need you any more./
"That's what you think."
/I don't need you any more! Go away!/
"You'd rather be alone, is that it? *Here*?"
So it was true. He didn't want to believe it, but he could feel it, and however much he didn't want it to be so, he wasn't going to lie to himself. That wasn't in his nature.
/I shouldn't be here./
"No? But I always knew you would come back."
/I'm not going back! I mean... I didn't intend to come back... what am I doing here? ...where is Ban-chan...?/
"You don't need him. You need me."
/I DO NOT NEED YOU!/
"You will."
/NO I WON'T!/
"The more you yell, the more you need me. Don't worry. I'm here. I won't abandon you, like you tried to abandon me. You abandoned a lot of people, didn't you?"
/I had to./
"No you didn't. They were my friends as well. My people. I protected them. You left them."
/No... you don't have any friends./
"They depended on me. You left them."
/...yes, I did./
After a moment, Ginji turned his head towards the other and tried to look at him, but he had no better luck than ever before. A silhouette - a shadowy figure, which, as he tried to gaze at it, began to crackle with stray sparks.
/I'm not awake. We were going to take a nap. I'm dreaming./
"Yes, you are."
/I don't want to dream about you. I stopped dreaming about you. Why did you come back?/
"Because you need me."
/No, I don't./
"You will."
/When?/
"Soon."
~ * ~
"Ginji... GINJI!"
Ban's hand on his shoulder was gripping hard enough to hurt, a little, and he was shaking Ginji very hard.
With a gasp, Ginji woke up, eyes wide and blinking.
"Ban-chan, that hurts!" he said, pulling his arm away, or trying to. The grip was released and Ginji rubbed his shoulder.
"You were about to fry the Ladybug's electrical system, fool. What the hell has gotten into you?!"
Ginji stared up at Ban, seeking those eyes that people sometimes wanted to look away from, needing to see them to find himself again.
"I... had a nightmare..."
"Well, duh! Tell me something I don't know... what was it about?"
It was a formality and they both knew it. The shadow of the huge building fell directly over the car, shading them from the sun.
Ginji didn't answer. He took a deep breath and then another. He stopped absently rubbing his shoulder and looked at his expectant partner.
"I'm hungry, Ban-chan. Is it time to meet Hevn yet?"
Ban studied Amano Ginji for a long moment.
"No, it's not time yet. But we can go to the Honky Tonk and wait. Since we're getting paid, we can make Paul give us some lunch in advance."
Ginji brightened, the nightmare, apparently, forgotten.
"Yes! Let's do that!"
"Ginji..."
"Yes, Ban-chan?"
Mido Ban studied his partner for a long moment and then reached for the ignition.
"I'll move the car, closer to the Honky Tonk."
"You don't have to, I'm not too tired to walk."
"Shut up."
"Ban-chan..." Ginji's tone made Ban look over at his partner quickly.
"What, Ginji?"
"You don't have to move it. We might run out of gas in a tow zone. Anyway... that shadow falls everywhere, sooner or later."
Ban looked at Ginji for a long, silent moment.
"Yes, yes it does."
~ owari ~