Disclaimer: I own GetBackers. It's sitting on my manga shelf upstairs, would you care to read it?

Restless Dreams

The good thing, Ban thought, about being a retrieval agent is the variation. Each of the jobs are unique, no two ever the same, and one never got bored while doing them. In fact, Ban had had more excitement in his life than most people had even dreamed of. It was a damn good thing too, because for all the money it didn't pay he was damn tempted to quit right now.

Waist-deep in muck with an unconscious blond partner slung over his shoulder, oh yes, most definitely tempted to leave the business. Had he mentioned that it was raining? That he'd needed a haircut for a month and was shirtless and cold? That his beloved sunglasses were smashed somewhere over the wall he was hiding behind? He should have.

Ban squirmed a bit, trying to wriggle his way out of the mud pit. When Ginji had been smashed into unconsciousness, Ban had quickly snatched up his partner and heaved the both of them over the boundary wall. He'd landed twenty feet down in a small mud puddle that soon became a large mud puddle under their combined weight. Ban was stuck, and searchlights were scouring the ground around himHis wet hair was plastered against his forehead, while dirt and water squelched grossly in his pants and shoes. It was cold and sticky. Tonight was not going well.

Running out of options and time, Ban reluctantly set Ginji carefully in the mud next to him and tried to hoist himself up. His hands sank quickly into the sludge. "Fuck," he sworeHe tried kicking his legs, quickly realizing it was futile. Three feet of compact pressure were not going to give.

Ginji slept on.

Ban was beginning to panic. The searchlights were getting gradually closer. He hadn't used his Evil Eye just yet, but it wouldn't be of any help if he couldn't pull himself out of the damn mud in the one minute it would buy. And then there was the idiot, who was still bleeding freely from his head. The Invincible Ban-sama was not scared of course, he was just incredibly uncomfortable with the current situation.

In the wet, quiet, dreary darkness around him, a bolt of lighting suddenly tore through the sky. Ban's eyes flickered with renewed hope then darted towards his unmoving partner. With some effort he wrapped his arms around Ginji's torso and propped him up halfway in the mud. He sunk a little but otherwise stayed sitting. Ban grimaced and muttered, "Two birds with one stone," and stretched his arms to prop Ginji's left arm into the air, locking his partner's elbow loosely. Ban braced himself.

The bolt came hard and fast, and Ban snapped back into the mud. He screamed as the electricity shot through him, amplified by the rain covering him. Though the pain, he vaguely thought he heard his spine pop from the impact of being bent backward into mud. Volts and pain seared through his body as he lay in the aftershock, hyperventilating uncontrollably.

"Ban-chan?" came a small voice. Ban had only enough lucidity to blink in acknowledgement. He couldn't breathe and felt completely ripped apart. He sensed strong but shaky arms find their way around him. He was dimly aware that they tingled with static, but couldn't bring himself to care. Pain was all there was right now. Well, except Ginji. And the mud. And the pain. Myriad of colours, he thought. And Ginji. Ginji! Ban's eyes shot open and he looked at his partner. He was saying something, but Ban's ears rang too loudly for him to hear it. He felt something run through his hair, probably fingers, and squinted his eyes shut, trying to gain some clarity.

"...sorbed most of the shock," said the blonde blob in front of him.
"Nnnngh?" said Ban confusedly. He blinked and tried to focus.

"I asked if you were okay, Ban-chan? I absorbed most of the shock but you still got toasted," said Ginji.

Ban winced and replied, "No shit."

Ginji ignored him. "You all right? You aren't burned or anything, but-"

"Ginji?" the brunette interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Pull me out of the damn mud." Ginji smiled weakly, he had yet to recover fully from the blow, but he would do what he could. He grabbed at Ban's waist and began to heave him out of the squelching muck with care, making sure to back out himself before pulling. Ginji had hauled him out to his knees when he noticed the probing searchlights closing in. A rush of adrenaline rising in his throat, he quickly dragged the brunette out from the mud and towed him a foot away, desperately trying to escape the lights from above.

Ban felt a flash of light wash over his face just before he fell into darkness.

"Shit."

-tbc

Author's notes: Just in time for Halloween, though I doubt I'll get this done before then. Expect much longer-length chapters than this; I have a nasty tendency to make my prologues super-short. 500 points if you get the reference and thus where I am going with this story.

Beta points to Marumae!

a/n '04: Edited for your bettered reading pleasure.