I Need You to Love Me

For once in a very, very long time, the Derby House was nearly silent. The only noise were a few hushed voices, and a violin playing from the other side of the closed door that the teams were watching, as if some magical event would happen through it. There was so much pain and sorrow in the song that a few tears were shed, but there was also anger, and strength, and happiness. So many emotions, that the improvisation alone became a masterpiece to the ears of its listeners.

Ban and Ginji sat quietly on the edge of the bed as Rachael played; a few tears dropping down the side of her face, and a smile across her lips. “Wow, Ban, she really is good.” Ginji smiled, having forgotten the power of her playing.

“Yeah, she is.” He nodded, keeping his focus on her as she started to dance. Her entire body went into her song, every fiber of her being. Her fear, her hope, her love for Ban, everything she felt came out when she played.

At the end of the song, both men applauded, and she gave a little bow, jumping at the roaring applause that echoed outside the door.

“ENCORE!” someone shouted, accompanied with a dog’s bark of agreement. “OPEN THE DOOR! WE WANT TO SEE YOU PLAY!” another added, and as more and more shouted orders from her new fans sounded, she blushed deeper and deeper, sinking into the corner.

Suddenly the sound of a gunshot interrupted the happy moments of the Derby House, and Ban and Ginji were instantly on guard. “Don’t move, Rachael. Just stay there, you’ll be okay.” Ban nodded as shouts and screams rang out.

Shino and her dog came bursting into the room and broke out the window before jumping out and running at their highest speeds, Meg and Kotori came in after, helping Jinx to follow them as well. “Police raid, get out now!” Jinx ordered as she was thrown out the window and handed her crutches. “Why would the police be here?” Ban scoffed.

“Because, this place is illegal, twit! Now move!” Meg spat after Kotori grabbed Ginji and Rachael’s hands and tugged them to the window. “Get out, run west. Go to the Limitless Fortress, through the big black and red painted door. Make a left, run left until you come to the black and red banner, and turn right. Follow the banners! The banners are misleading, think before you turn do you understand?” Meg ordered. “Got it,” Ban nodded. “Good, go!” She nodded and jumped out the window, running east.

“Ban, why are we in the Limitless Fortress again?” Ginji whined as they ran for the big red door that had a big black slash painted across it. “To keep Rachael safe. She’s supposed to stay with this Derby gang, remember? Besides, if she isn’t safe there, we’ll just have Emishi keep an eye on her for a while. She’ll be safe with him.” He explained, turning left and walking for a mile before they reached the red sheet that was pinned to the right wall, marked with a slash painted in black.

“That must be the banner!” Ginji beamed, and turned right. Ban grabbed him by the ear and pulled him left. “That’s why you’re always lost, you moron! You don’t follow directions! She said turn left!” he scolded before letting go and putting his arm around Rachael.

“Hey! There’s the next banner! So do we turn right… or left?” Ginji pondered.

“Right.” Ban and Rachael answered together.

“How do you know?”

“Because, the banner is on the left side. Meg told us that the banners are misleading, and to think before we turn. The first banner was on the right side, and we turned left.” Rachael explained, letting Ban lead her by the hand to the next banner, almost three miles away.

“Ban, I’m really tired.” Rachael breathed after hours, and hours of walking. They had just climbed three floors of stairs, only to walk ten feet, climb one more, walk down the rest of the block, and go down four floors.

“I know, but we can’t rest here. It isn’t safe. We have to keep going.” He sighed, feeling bad for making her walk so much. “I know, I’m sorry.” She smiled, and leaned her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk.

“So where do we go for that one? It’s just hanging there in the middle of the room!” Ginji ranted when they got to their next banner. “I don’t know, Ginji.” Ban frowned, now supporting most of Rachael’s weight, since she was injured before the trip, and weaker than she would normally be. He genuinely felt bad for making her walk so much, for so long.

“Congratulations! You’ve reached the final marker!” a male voice announced, sounding much like a game show host. Before Ban could react, several people rolled up on the standard derby skates, and surrounded them.

The game show host dressed black and red Tripp pants, and a red shirt with the same black slash painted across it as the banners had, began skating in a circle around them while smirking. “The question is… what is your prize?” he grinned, coming to a stop in front of Rachael, who was shaking.

“Oh, don’t be scared! Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?” he asked before laughing like a madman.

Suddenly a crowd of footsteps was heard running down the hall towards them, accompanied by the sound of more roller skates. “Jinx what the god damn happened to you?!” he gasped, dropping his act and running to the woman who stood panting and resting on her crutches. “Police… raid.” She breathed, letting him take the place of her crutches and hold her while Kotori ran over to Rachael, Ban, and Ginji.

“You made it! I was so worried that you wouldn’t get here because the Limitless Fortress is such a dangerous place!”

“We made it all right!” Ginji beamed.

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry about us.” Ban nodded, but his attention was, as usual, focused on Rachael, who was making no effort to stand anymore. If he let go, she would simply fall to the ground and stay there.

“New teammates?” the Host questioned blankly. “Not really, she’s in some trouble with her ex, so I brought her to the Derby House to be safe. But, the cops took us down. She’s a friend of mine from work.” Jinx explained. “How much trouble?” he demanded.

Jinx just frowned and pointed to Rachael. “HE beat her like that? Damn,” he frowned before getting right to business.

“How many escaped, who needs picked up, and who’s hiding out where?”

“Everyone here, obviously. There was a group heading to the East Estate, and I don’t know how far they got. I’m not in charge of that.” She sighed.

“Got word from Reapers, they’re all at the East Estate.” One of the other derby girls announced.

“Full EE count: nineteen.” Another announced.

“River Run: three!” a second shouted.

“Police Station: eleven!” Daichi nodded, “No wait, twelve.”

“So we’re missing… seven. Thanks guys.” The Host sighed before turning to Rachael, Ban, and Ginji. “You three, I have beds set up over here, come on. I’ll bring a kit in for her, too. Do you guys know first aid and all that?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Ban nodded before lifting Rachael into his arms and carrying her after the Host.

“Sorry for the treatment I gave you guys earlier. We have to protect our Derby hideaways. They really don’t approve of this sport. That’s why I’m not giving you my name; you’ll have to forgive me for that. Our team though, my fellows, and myself are known as Limited Fortitude. It’s a play on where we live… obviously.”

“It’s okay, you had every right to be that way.” Rachael nodded weakly as Ban cradled her gently on the bed that was given to her. To their surprise, when the Host said “beds” he meant full beds, with mattresses, and frames, and clean blankets and pillows, and sheets. “This room is going to be packed with everyone who’s hiding out here, but there is room enough for you to have your own beds.” He frowned, noticing that Ban and Rachael really didn’t fit in the bed together.

“Thanks, but I stay with her when she sleeps.” Ban nodded. “Okay… well here.” The Host shrugged, and pushed a second bed against theirs, giving them enough room to lay comfortably, “Now, you aren’t so stuck together.” He nodded happily, receiving polite thanks from both of them, though they didn’t separate from each other in the slightest as Rachael slowly drifted to sleep in Ban’s arms.

“So, brother, close friend, or new boyfriend?” he asked Ginji.

“What? Oh, uhm, they’re together.” He answered awkwardly, noticing that Ban was also falling asleep, leaving him alone with all of the crazy derby people.

“Cool. If she’s a friend of Jinx, let’s hope he takes good care of her. Otherwise, she’ll kill him.” He laughed lightly, kicking back on the empty bed beside the one Ginji had claimed.

“I don’t know… Ban’s pretty strong.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, remember that. And Jinx, is one hardcore woman, with some very hardcore friends.”

Ginji nodded and watched his friends sleep. Rachael was holding onto Ban for dear life, as she often did while sleeping, and he was carefully guarding her from anything that may cause her harm.