GetBackers Fan Fiction ❯ Water and Electricity ❯ Five ( Chapter 5 )

Ginji couldn't do anything as Sensou dragged him to the bridge. He could see the panic in Ban's eyes. Ginji knew that panic was for him, not for Ban himself. Then he was sent flying over the rail, towards the water.

Beside the waterfall was the power station. From there, wires were leading electricity to the hotel and the other buildings in the area. On those wires Ginji got stuck. He felt the electricity flow inside his body. Mending his wounds, recharging his energy, even destroying the effect of the drug. This prickling feeling, deadly for others, was what brought a seriously wounded Ginji back to life.

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Chikara let go of Ban and he fell to the ground. No. This couldn't be true. Death was one thing, but Ginji… He must prevent it somehow. Only, right now he couldn't imagine how. The drug still held him in its grip, and until he could move again there was absolutely nothing he could do. And when he was able to move, it may already be too late.

Chikara left. Ban lay on the ground feeling more helpless than he had ever done before. He could accept his death, but Ginji should not have to be the cause… In his mind he saw Ginji as he had seen him the first time they had met outside Mugenjou. He remembered how Ginji, with his smile and those big eyes, had made him feel warm inside right from the beginning. Ban didn't know what he would do if he lost Ginji; couldn't stand thinking about it. Now Ginji was going to lose him. Even though Ban usually didn't dare to admit it, he knew Ginji would miss him as much as he would Ginji. The only thing worse than losing each other, must be to be the cause of the other one's death. They needed each other, loved each other. It was as simple as that.

He heard the sound of an engine. A familiar sound. Chikara was back with a car. Obviously they didn't want to carry him to that house on the cape, and the car Chikara brought was his own Ladybug. They probably were going to dump it somewhere, and didn't want it standing on the parking lot in case the police was looking into this afterwards.

Ban thought of Paul. He knew where they were staying and when they were expected back. It would probably take some time before he started to worry, though, even if they didn't come back at the expected time. But then, he may call the police. Kitayama, of course, couldn't know how long it would take before someone, if anyone, would miss him and Ginji, so he probably wanted to dump the car as quickly as possible, just to be on the safe side.

Sensou and Chikara threw him into the car and got seated themselves. Kitayama seated himself in the driver's seat, turned on the ignition again and drove off. Chikara sat beside Ban, took a grip of Ban's hair and bent his head backwards. With a knife he threatened to cut his throat. That wasn't much of a threat, Ban thought, since they had said they wanted him alive for at least a couple of days. Chikara continued by cutting shallow, but stinging cuts in his flesh. That guy must have been damaged in more than his vocal cord, in their last fight, Ban thought between the pain. His mind must be really sick to enjoy something like this. Ban had actually suffered a lot more pain than this before, but he knew this was only a taste of what was coming.

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Ginji heard the engine start and carefully lifted his head over the rim of the bridge, under which he had been hiding for a while. He saw the car drive away along the road. When it had disappeared, he climbed up to the road.

Ban had just saved him from drowning, found a way out from the cave, and helped him do the climbing. This time it was his turn to rescue his best friend. Ginji had no idea of where they had taken Ban. 'The house on the cape?' But it had sounded like it was in this area anyway. He started to run along the road in the same direction as the car had disappeared. After twenty minutes of running, the road divided in two. Another choice of paths. Ginji smiled grimly. This wasn't a difficult choice. One road led in to the country, the other one continued in the same direction as the shore. If the house was on a cape it must be that latter road.

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The car had reached the house. Since the drug still effected Ban, Chikara dragged him out of the car, not caring where or what his bodyparts hit. The house looked strange. It lay very close to the sea level and didn't have any windows. Ban was brought inside and he could see there was only one big room, with just one stationary screen to help divide the room to one bigger and one smaller part. He couldn't see the smaller part, but in the bigger room there were hooks in the ceiling and shelves with ropes, whips, chains, tongs and the likes along the walls. There was also a table and some chairs, but no other furniture. Chikara and Kitayama tied ropes around his wrists and hang him up at some hooks to the left, at the side opposite the door.

"We'll leave you here with Chikara and Mizuno Ikimono." Kitayama said. "Have a nice day, Midou. But I guess they'll enjoy this more then you."

Laughing, he and Sensou disappeared. Ban could hear a motor boat starting and driving off. He wondered who this Mizuno guy was. It probably didn't matter; things were as bad as he could think of right now. His arms were aching, but he didn't care. Ginji. I'm so sorry. Don't come. You'll regret it the rest of your life if you do. But knowing his partner, he knew he would come, and then…

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Ginji ran along the road. There was not a building of any sort to be seen. Not a car or another vehicle. Not a person out for a walk. And no enemies attacking him. At least that was something to be grateful about. How far had they taken Ban? What did they do to him? Ginji could feel he was still alive, and that was something else he was even more grateful about. Ban-chan. I'm coming. I'll get you out of there. I promise. He didn't know how many Batsu members there would be, but he knew he wouldn't let them kill Ban. Ginji felt a prickling sensation when the electricity inside him started to build up by his anger.

They were hurting him! Ginji knew Ban was in agony. It was a stronger feeling than he ever had had before. Usually he wasn't able to feel Ban's pain like this, but maybe that was because he usually was involved in some other fight while Ban fought his enemies. This time Ginji was fully focused on Ban and to get to him, and that might be the difference. He tried to calm himself down. Surely he would soon reach the house, and then he just had to fight them all. It didn't matter how many they were; he was going to defeat them. He had too.

The road bent, and through the trees on his right he could see the sea and a small house, standing very close to the shore. Ginji left the road and walked through the forest instead. He couldn't let himself be surprised by those villains. Sneaking closer to the house, he could see the Ladybug standing in front of it. Good. That meant there was no mistake, it was the right house. He looked around. No one was to be seen, and the house had no windows, so no one could be watching him from the house. He ran as fast as he could from the protecting wood to the wall of the house. Still no sign that anyone had discovered him. From the inside he could hear sounds of whiplashes. He took a deep breath, prepared to enter the house.

The sound from the whiplashes stopped. Instead he heard footsteps. Ginji hurriedly rushed around the corner to the other side of the house. Luckily there was no windows here either. From the other side he could hear footsteps walking away. Ginji waited until he couldn't hear them anymore. He had no idea who it was who went away, or why, but it meant there was one less enemy to worry about for a little while, if he hurried. He peeked around the corner, no one in sight. Then he rushed to the door and opened it; it wasn't locked, and went inside.

Ban was there, alone as far as Ginji could see. He was hanging by his wrists from the ceiling and he was bleeding heavily. His clothes were in rags and there were marks from whiplashes, burns and cuts all over his body. Ginji rushed to his friend.

"Ban-chan!"

He hurried to untie the ropes, carefully laying Ban down on the floor. Ban still couldn't move, but maybe the effect of the drug was beginning to fade, because it looked like he could almost move his lips, trying to say something. It was a very small move, though, and nothing was heard, but he looked into Ginji's eyes, urging him to get away. Ginji interpreted his look as a plea to hurry.

"I'll carry you, Ban-chan."

Ginji bent over Ban to get a grip around his partner to lift him. Ban's blood got all over his clothes, but he didn't mind. The important thing was to get Ban out of the house. He had managed to drag him to a sitting position, leaning against a corner, when he heard a noise behind him. Ginji quickly turned around. From behind the screen, a spot of the room Ginji hadn't been able to see when he entered - and furthermore forgot all about at the sight of Ban - a man stepped forward. It was the hall-porter. At the same time the footsteps were returning and Chikara came back through the door. He smirked at Ginji and tried to walk over to where Ban was lying. Ginji placed himself in his way.

So, this was how it was going to be, Ginji thought. Himself against Chikara and the hall-porter. Ginji was surprised to see him here. The hall-porter didn't give the impression of a fighter, and if he was that Mizuno whatever, he must be a dangerous guy, at least if you could judge from what Kitayama had said. Right now, he didn't have that slimy look, though. He was looking at him with cold eyes, showing no feelings at all in them.

Chikara attacked him. Ginji barely dodged the attack, and made a counter attack. It missed, instead Chikara hit Ginji over his jaw and Ginji flew over the room and hit the wall. Chikara was quickly over him, but Ginji managed to roll away from him and managed to kick Chikara in his stomach. He got an elbow in his neck and fell over; Chikara was over him again. Ginji's fist shot up hitting Chikara's nose. The fight was waving back and forth all over the room. Man, this guy was fast, and strong. The hall-porter still hadn't done anything. He had seated himself on a chair, watching the fight with cold interest.

How long had they been fighting? Chikara almost looked like he hadn't been in a fight at all, while Ginji breathed heavily, his blood now mixed with Ban's on his clothes. Chikara easily avoided even his flashes. How was he supposed to beat this guy? He thought of what Chikara had done to Ban and felt his anger rise once again. When Chikara attacked again Ginji fell, Chikara threw him in a wheel-like movement down on the floor behind the screen out of sight from Ban, but at the same time as he hit the ground, Ginji saw an opening and his left fist hit Chikara in his head.

"For Ban-chan!" He cried out and Chikara lay still.

Ginji couldn't believe it. Was the man faking? No, it didn't seem that way. Ginji was exhausted. He slowly rose and staggered out to where he and Ban could see each other again. Ban could obviously move a little now. He made fruitless efforts to move his arms and to say something. Ginji took a step towards him. His path was barred by the hall-porter.

The man was looking unaffected at Ban. "Do not struggle so much. You will not be able to move before I have defeated your partner, and then I will give you some more of that drug Chikara was away to get." He turned his attention to Ginji.

"So, you defeated Chikara, did you? I must tell you, I had not expected that of you. You seem so naïve and weak. There is more to you than meets the eye; I will give you that. But now…" the hall-porter smiled grimly. "You will meet me. Say goodbye to your friend."

Before Ginji's eyes the man began to transform. He grow taller and broader, his clothes changed and his skin color became greenish. His hair disappeared and his eyes became even colder, like a fish's eyes. He now looked like the water creature Kitayama had named him, Mizuno Ikimono.

"What you saw before was only an image I wanted you to see. This is the true me."

Mizuno raised his hands and… Ginji was hit by two jets of water, which nailed him to the wall. He tried to escape the jets, but they followed him wherever he went. Ginji could hardly breathe but he managed to get to one of the chairs and hold it up for protection. That would give him a few seconds of breathing space. Mizuno stopped the jets for a while and he lowered the chair some. He noticed that the sea had raised over the house's ground level and he was now standing to his knees in water. A good thing Ban was sitting up and not lying on the floor. Mizuno saw his glance and laughed a cool laugh.

"Mine is the power over water and all the sea. It was I who kept watch over you two, when you were swimming in the bay. The day we hid the box in the cave, I could see that your partner felt my presence, but since I can move in the sea without making any waves, he did not understand where I was. I have called for the water to help me hinder you in your childish attempts to rescue him. I also like the sight of blood and pain. That is why I volunteered to help Chikara working with Midou Ban. Maybe you would like to hear what I did to him?"

The jets started again but immediately transformed into swords, and while attacking Ginji he started to tell him how he and Chikara had tortured Ban.

Ginji didn't want to hear. It wasn't something you would like to listen to. He tried to focus on defending himself, but Mizuno's voice was penetrating and he couldn't help but hear. The fight was hard. Ginji didn't get a chance to attack, he barely could avoid the most fatal attacks from Mizuno, and he was already exhausted from the fight with Chikara. This is not going to work, he'll defeat me and then he starts over with Ban-chan. Ginji felt the rage inside him. Torturing Ban! He wouldn't let them do that any more! The electric power was stirring in his body and his electric currents met Mizuno's water swords. Mizuno laughed and continued talking. Ginji increased the power.

"You'll never do that to Ban-chan again!"

This time he could see Mizuno react to the electricity. But he still didn't look worried; he only made another cold, unnerving laugh, mocking Ginji. Ginji lost control of himself.

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Ban sat in the corner, leaning against the wall, still not able to move anything more than a couple of centimeters. The electricity was led by the water to him. He had felt the shock when it reached him. The scene that now started in front of his eyes was the one Kitayama had shown him. He recognized it well. It wasn't likely he would forget something like that. He knew this was it. The next electric shock that reached him was much bigger; Ban almost lost his consciousness. He gasped. Ginji… He saw his partner loosing himself, provoked by Mizuno's talk. Ginji was disappearing and instead there was Raitei, raging. Goodbye, Ginji. Remember you made me happy. Don't hate yourself, I know you did this for me. Raitei's enormous power flew towards Mizuno who screamed, but the current didn't stop. For Ban everything went black. It was the end.

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