Title: In A Moment of Weakness

By: EsTeLweNadia

Summary: First GetBackers fic. Post Episode 25. In the end, the strength, the prowess, the barbed remarks and the arrogance were just facades. Deep inside, the Invincible Midou Ban-sama was crumbling. And no one seemed to notice.

Rating: T, for the language used.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst

Disclaimer: None of the GetBackers' awesome characters belong to me. Just using them for fun and entertainment. Which is sad, really.

Author's Note: I am officially in love with Midou Ban! And there are so many hurt/comfort moments in the series I'm just tempted to write something about it. I hope it turns out alright. ^^

As always, comments and constructive criticism are immensely appreciated.

Hope you'll enjoy the ride!

Midou Ban knew that his body had finally reached its limits.

He knew it when he could smell the stench of his own blood before he could feel it sliding thickly from the wound in his right shoulder, hot pain traced its source. He knew, when he could feel the white-hot agony flaring from his cracked ribs. He knew, when he could feel the ache in his knuckles, the bruises that painted his torso in startling purplish blue hues that spoke of internal injuries.

Yet, he had managed to starve off his weakness, until everything was over. Until Makubex had flung himself to Sakura-neechan while everyone watched on with happy smiles on their faces. Especially on Ginji's.

Ban couldn't help but think that it was worth it. To see Ginji wearing a genuine smile once again. It had been a long time.

Afterall, Ginji and the former Volts Kings, were so close, they were like a family.

And Ban, he realized bitterly, had no place amongst them. He didn't belong here. They didn't even like him, only tolerated him because he was Ginji's partner.

What the hell was new. He refused to admit that it actually hurt. But he always, always shoved the pain away by donning on maniacal smirks and even harsher words. They had never even guessed. And that was fine with him; he didn't need any unnecessary cuddling and attention. He never did.

He was the Invincible Midou Ban-sama. He didn't need anything or anyone else maybe except for Amano Ginji, and that was enough.

Like a snake he was, he slithered quietly away from the little reunion. He wasn't needed there. Not anymore. He had done his part, now it was time to leave.

'Leave' was an understatement. He stumbled his way along the deserted streets of the Mugenjou, with a hand braced on the rough walls to keep himself on his feet and another clutched at his wounded shoulder to staunch the flow of the crimson liquid; as if by holding the shoulder he was able to keep the pain contained and bearable. Fat hope. The pain was alive, eating away at his utmost concentration to put one foot in front of another as he staggered towards the exit of the Limitless Fortress.

Damn Fudou, and damn Akabane too. With the abuse it had taken, Ban was surprised that the appendage was still attached to his body. Well, he was one stubborn son of a bitch. No fucking way he was going down that fast. Sorry to disappoint, sirs, but this is Midou Ban-sama you're talking about!

"Well, what do we have here?"

Shit. Sonuva… Ban whirled around at the slow drawl, and wasn't surprised at all to see himself surrounded by eager punks eager to have their butts kicked by The Fighting Genius. So be it. Maybe they didn't even know what they were up against, and somehow that made the upcoming fight more interesting.

"If it isn't the Snake Bastard," the leader continued, smirking. "In such a piteous condition. Aren't we lucky?"

Or maybe not. Oh well, the fight was still going to be interesting. If they thought that injured Midou Ban was helpless, vulnerable Midou Ban, Ban was more than willing to prove them wrong.

Ban drew himself to his full height; bleeding shoulder and broken ribs be damned. He eased himself into a fighting stance, feeling a familiar rush of anticipation filling his veins. Pain faded away, his senses heightened and sharpened and a thin, cold smirk made itself known on his face. Something glinted in his feral blue gaze, dangerous enough that the leader actually took a step back, suddenly afraid and unsure.

That's right. Be very afraid, people, be VERY afraid. Because Midou Ban wasn't here to play.

Pulling his lips in a ferocious snarl, he charged.

Ginji jerked with a slight gasp; heart thundering in his chest and echoing in his ears. Something was wrong.

"What is wrong, Ginji-kun?" Ever perceptive, Kazu-chan was always the first to notice his unease.

That was strange. Usually Ban-chan was the first to ask him. Having Kazu-chan asking him that, then that meant…

"Ban-chan!" He suddenly remembered, immediately raking the room for his missing companion. "Ban-chan's not here!"

"I saw the Snake Bastard sneaking out," Shido answered, shrugging in apparent unconcerned gesture. "Probably to smoke. Don't worry."

No, Ginji thought, horrified. Ban-chan won't be sneaking out to have a smoke. He will smoke wherever he is, and he won't go anywhere without letting me know. Something is horribly wrong!

"I'm going to find Ban-chan!" He shouted, running for the door and out into the streets before any of his friends could blink.

Ban-chan was hurt. Badly, to be sneaking away like that. It sickened Ginji to the stomach to realize that Ban-chan had faked a Jagan on him when he intercepted the battle between Raitei and Akabane-san. Ginji recalled the Bloody Sword piercing though Ban-chan's shoulder, and how Ban-chan had fallen face-first to the ground. The terrifying second when he thought that Ban-chan was dead, killed because of him, then the overwhelming grief as he knelt to weep, and the immense relief when he realized that Ban-chan was still alive.

Goodness, he was so stupid. He should have realized it sooner that Ban-chan didn't use his Jagan on him, that it wasn't a dream, but he didn't, and now Ban-chan was paying for it.

"Ban-chan!" He screamed, sneakers slamming against the weathered pavement as worried eyes scanned the surroundings for a certain crazily spiky-haired man. "Ban-chan! Where are you, Ban-chan? Answer me! Ban-chan!"

He had no idea where he was heading to; he just followed the pounding of his feet on the ground and his heart to lead him to wherever Ban-chan might be. Enough times his instincts had proven to be accurate; no reason to not trust them now.

As he rounded a corner to enter yet another alley, the sight that greeted him froze him in mid-step.

A surprising number of men were strewn all over the place; bloodied and limp and unconscious. Amidst the wreckage, stood the very person he was looking for; Midou Ban.

"Ban-chan!" He called desperately.

The dark head rose sluggishly at his voice. Ginji seek out the strangely cloudy blue eyes and a wan smile graced the older man's features.

"Ginji," somehow the soft voice reached his ears. "About damn time."

Ban-chan suddenly pitched forward. Ginji closed the distance in a speed worthy of the Raitei's and caught Ban-chan before he hit the ground.

"Ban-chan!" Ginji shook the limp figure in his arms. "Ban-chan!"

"Hush, Ginji," Ban-chan whispered, coughing wetly, splattering blood much to Ginji's alarm. "You're too noisy. Where are the others?"

Ginji held back a sob. "They are on their way, Ban-chan."

"Go with them, Ginji," Ban rasped, hand weakly grasping at his green vest. "You needn't worry about me. I'll be fine. They need you, so go on. Be with them. Now, Ginji."

Ginji shook his head empathically. "I won't leave you, Ban-chan."

"You're happier with them, Ginji," Ban mumbled, "They are your friends. They're from the Mugenjou, like you, so they know you better. I am not… one of them, and I am not from the Infinite Castle, so…" He trailed off to stifle a cough, shuddering in Ginji's arms. "You are better off with them. They… they don't even like me. No one does, so that's why… that's why…"

Ban-chan was burning up. He was having a fever. "Ban-chan, that's not true! They like you, too, only that they show you the way they know how – by pretending that they don't like you – but trust me, Ban-chan, they like you too!"

"That's bullshit, and you know it," Through his pain, Ban managed a bloody smirk. He coughed, then, spilling more blood over his lips and his white shirt. His eyes fluttered close. "Sucks to be alone, Ginji. To be hunted and hated all my cursed life…"

The hand that had been clutching Ginji's shirt fell away, and Ban-chan's body went limp.

"Ban-chan! Ban-chan! BAN-CHAN!"

"Ginji-kun," someone called his name very softly.

Ginji snapped his head up, and found his friends staring at them, shocked. They must have heard what Ban-chan had said, and couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Help me," Ginji pleaded, his voice breaking. Their guilt could wait. "Ban-chan is… Ban-chan is…"

Surprisingly Shido was the one who stepped forward and hauled the unconscious Jagan User up; pulling an arm around his shoulders and a finger hooked at the belt loop of his jeans to support the dead weight. Ginji had gotten to his feet and was already covering the other side of Ban-chan, mindful of the injured shoulder.

"Let's hurry to the pharmacy," Hevn urged, her beautiful face pale and distraught with worry.

Silently, the entire entourage headed off to Grandpa Gen's clinic once again.

"How is Ban-chan, Ojiisan?"

Ginji rested a palm atop Ban's unruly hair. It was soft and warm. He looked up at the old man as he finished with his ministrations on Ban-chan.

"He lost a lot of blood, Ginji-kun," the old man said softly. "And he has some internal injuries. Thankfully none of them are life-threatening. They are healing up nicely as we speak, but for now, he must rest and limit his movements. Especially his shoulder and his ribs. And his fever seems to be subsiding, too."

Tears gathered in Ginji's eyes. "Ban-chan."

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ginji-kun, he'll be alright. He's one strong bastard. And you know it." Emiishi.

"Maybe…" Ginji whispered, recalling Ban-chan's words. "Maybe he isn't as strong as he leads us to believe, Emiishi-kun."

Silence.

Ginji looked at his friends, scrutinizing each and every one of them. "Is it true that you hate Ban-chan? Shido-kun? Emiishi-kun? Kazu-chan? Juubei-kun? Sazuka-neechan? Himiko-chan? Makubex-chan? Akabane-san? Hevn-san? Do you really hate Ban-chan?"

A longer silence before the Beastmaster broke it with a light sigh.

"I don't hate him, but I am not fond of him either. He is arrogant, cold and ruthless son of a bitch, but we all know he has a good heart. It is his mouth and his attitude that we can't stand."

Murmurs of agreement rumbled in the room.

Kazu-chan smiled, then. "But other than that, he is a likeable fellow. We don't hate him, Ginji-kun."

"He is a baka," Himiko-chan whispered, glancing at the slumbering GetBacker with something akin to affection in her amethyst eyes. "As if I could hate him, even though Yamato-kun was…"

She turned away, shuddering slightly. Sakura-neechan reached out and pulled the younger girl to her in a comforting embrace.

Ginji lit up; his entire face glowing with happiness. "Yokatta, I'm so happy to know that none of you hate Ban-chan. Now, if only he knows…" Ginji's hand strayed to his partner's hair again, settling on the messy crown, smoothing out the errant bangs.

"He knows, Ginji-kun," Akabane-san said, his voice a whispery hiss. "He was delirious with fever; he might not know what he is talking about."

Ginji managed a pained smile. "Yeah, guess you're right, Akabane-san."

Ban chose that moment to groan as he forced his way to wakefulness. He pried open heavy eyelids, and a blond, spiky head loomed in view. Ban blinked owlishly, trying to focus despite the vicious pounding in his skull.

"Ginji?" Ban struggled to sit up, wincing when his ribs protested in time with his shoulder. Helping hands helped him the rest of the way, before he smacked them away irritably.

"Ban-chan!" Ginji squealed happily, immediately enveloping him in a bear hug. "Ban-chan, Ban-chan, Ban-chan, you're awake! You're okay! Yokatta!"

Ban's hand rose to rest on the blond spikes for the briefest seconds, before he attempted to weakly push the happy Lightning Emperor away. "Ow, Ginji, get off me, dumbass! Don't glomp! Let me go!"

Ginji eventually let go, beaming brightly, and for awhile, the former Volts Kings just looked on, fascinated by the glow of happiness on Raitei's face. And the only one who seemed to be able to bring out such a genuine, joyful smile on Ginji's face so effortlessly, was Midou Ban.

"Besides, it's hard not to like someone who can make the Emperor smile like that," Kazuki observed softly, earning a confused look from the Serpent Bearer and snorts from everyone else.

Ginji just grinned knowingly, only to spring into action again when Ban started to move.

"Hey, hey, hey, Ban-chan, you're not supposed to move yet!"

"Ahou!" Ban growled, swinging his legs down the bed anyway. "I've rested enough. We have to get moving; to deliver that thing to the client. If not we'll be late and we won't be getting any payment."

"But Ban-chan!" came the indignant protest.

"Either help me or get out of the way, Ginji," Ban said wearily, grinding his aching temple with the heel of his palm. He hurt all over, but it wasn't as bad as before.

"Of course I'll help you, Ban-chan!" Ginji leaned forward to slide under Ban's uninjured shoulder and gently pulled him up to his feet.

As they half-limped their way towards the door, Ban made eye contact with Grandpa Gen, and softened his usually stern gaze. "Thank you, Old Man."

Grandpa Gen widened his eyes in surprise, but by then the GetBackers had already left the room.

And the others followed.

-The End-

I'm so sorry! I don't know how to end the story, and how to come up with the appropriate title for this. Please forgive me!

All in all, I hope you've enjoyed it nonetheless! ^^

Thank you so much for reading!