I Need You to Love Me

Paul kept business going as usual for about four hours after Ban left, but ended up closing up early so he could keep Rachael company since she hadn’t left her room since the Yakuza stopped by. As soon as things were locked up, he went and knocked on her door, but got no answer. “Rachael, it’s me, Paul! Can you open the door?” he asked.

On the other side of the door, Rachael was seated in a corner, hugging her knees. She had been crying for hours, and her eyes were so red and puffy her sight was blurry. She had dozed off a few times, but ended up having nightmares about her own time with the Yakuza, what could be happening to Jinx, and most terrifying of all, Ban being killed by the Yakuza while trying to rescue Jinx. Someone was knocking at the door, but she was afraid to answer; it could be the Yakuza.

“Rachael, it’s me, Paul! Can you open the door?” the voice of the café owner called to her through the door. She hesitated, but slowly crawled to the door and opened it.

“Oh, Rachael,” he sighed as he took in her appearance. “They were right,” she whispered tearfully. “Right about what?” he asked, putting his arms around her and giving her a quick hug before closing the door to her room and sitting in the one chair, while she sat on the bed. “I’m crazy,” she answered in the same tone.

“Now why would you say that?”

“Every time I close my eyes, I see them. Every time it’s quiet, I can hear them, laughing at me, making comments about me, telling me what they were going to do to me! I can hear my own voice screaming in my head, I can hear myself arguing with me. I argue with myself in the mirror, just to put a face to the voice! I’m going crazy Paul!”

“No, you’re not going crazy. You’ve been through a very traumatic experience, and now the people who put you through that trauma, are trying to come back into your life. If you weren’t at least a little paranoid right now, then I would worry that you’re crazy.” He smiled.

She just stayed silent and looked down at the floor.

“He’ll be okay, Rachael. You haven’t seen everything he can do. Don’t worry about him, Ban will be back with Jinx in no time.” he smiled reassuringly.

Little did he know, Ban and Jinx were currently side by side, restrained by several Yakuza goons, and facing several more loaded guns, ready to fire, but Ban could only hear what was happening, as he was blindfolded to keep from using his Jagan. “Come on you bastards! Why don’t you fight like men? Oh yeah, because you aren’t men! YOU’RE COWARDS! What, we can’t have a little fun?” Jinx taunted, refusing to give up. Ban rolled his eyes from behind his blindfold.

He had gotten there while Jinx was being beaten for her refusal to cooperate. They hadn’t gotten as far with her as they had with Rachael, since Jinx knew how to fight properly, and had broken three noses, two arms, and one of the men was probably never going to have children. Unfortunately, he had gotten caught during his rescue, and now was blindfolded since they knew what he could do, and Jinx was still refusing to give in.

“You’re right, we should have a little fun.” One of the men smirked, and nodded to the men who were holding her. They smirked and threw her to the ground at his feet, and he kicked her onto her back. “Should we have him watch?” someone suggested. “Nah, let him listen; it’ll probably be worse that way anyway.” The first snickered and straddled Jinx, since she was too dazed from hitting her head to really fight at the moment.

As soon as he started to undo her pants though, she was back to her punch and insult throwing self, and Ban was cringing and struggling to break free of the ones holding him. He promised Rachael not to let anything happen to Jinx, but if things progressed any further, he would be breaking that promise. “Hold her arms down!” the man yelled. “Yes sir.” A goon nodded and pinned Jinx’s arms to the ground above her head, leaving her struggling and now helpless as she was a lot weaker than when Ban had showed up a few hours ago.

Suddenly the unmistakable sound of a gun firing echoed through her screaming swears, and everything went silent. Ban froze, unable to think straight. “GET THE HELL OFF HER!” a feminine, but still male voice screamed. The men restraining Ban let their grip loosen, giving him the chance to break away and tear off his blindfold.

The man who had been holding Jinx’s arms was lying on the ground, bleeding from the side of his head. Jinx was in shock, as were the other Yakuza in the room. “I said, get the hell off my friend!” Jun growled, now aiming the handgun he held, at the man who was still straddling her. “And what if I don’t?” he smirked, grinding his hips hard against Jinx’s, just to prove he was in control. “Jun, don’t!” Jinx gasped, but it was too late; the man on top of her had already been shot in the chest.

Within seconds it was an all out battle. Jinx had picked up a pry-bar and was using that as her weapon of choice, Ban was using whatever he felt like at the moment, and Jun was fighting to the best of his inexperienced ability.

“You little faggot! What’s the matter, were you jealous of her?” one of the goons smirked, he was one of the last few left standing after Jinx and Ban started fighting. Jun’s eyes darkened as he looked at the man who was easily twice his size. “One, only friends can call me that, and get away with it. Two, I have a boyfriend; and he’s twice the man any of you scared little boys will ever be! Bitch!” he spat, and punched him in the nose before scratching at his eyes, and finally pulling out a full handful of hair.

“Jun I told you to wait in the damn car!” Ban yelled as he assisted him. “You were blindfolded and held at gunpoint, while Jinx was going to get… I-I can’t even say it! You should be thanking me! Damn it!” he yelled, his voice getting higher pitched as he got more upset. “LET’S GO!” Jinx bellowed as she knocked out another Yakuza member. “I moved your car, it’s this way!” Jun announced and took off running in the direction he came in.

“Your gay ass is in so much trouble!” Jinx growled when they finally made it into the car, and were driving back to the Honky Tonk, “I told you not to follow me, no matter what. He told you to stay in the car, and wait for him to bring me back! What did you do? Followed me into the alley, went to the Honky Tonk and got Ban, and then chased him into the Yakuza house, to start a fight with the whole fucking gang!”

“You’ve always been there for me! I couldn’t just sit and wait for something to happen to you!” Jun yelled tearfully.

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” Ban pointed out.

Jun said nothing; he just looked out his window and cried silently.

“Jun… I’m sorry.” Jinx sighed and leaned into the passenger seat from the back of the car to hug him. “You should be, I just wanted to help you. You’ve always been there to help me.” He whimpered.

Meanwhile Rachael was up in her room with Kazuki and Emishi, while Paul did some research on his computer, and Ginji, Shido, and Eito were downstairs arguing over whether or not they should go after Jun, Ban, and Jinx. “Rachael, please don’t cry anymore. When you’re sad it makes me sad, and then we’ll all be sad, and that’s not good. You know laughter is always the best medicine.” Emishi sighed. “I c-can’t help it… what if something, happens, t-to him?” she hiccuped from her place in Kazuki’s arms. “It won’t. I’ve seen him fight; he can take care of himself.” Kazuki smiled. “Yeah, just you watch Rachael. They’ll be back, and Ban will be in here kicking us out any second.” Emishi grinned. She whimpered and laid her head on Kazuki’s shoulder, watching the door for Ban.

“You want me to take you home?” Ban asked Jinx and Jun as they got farther into the city. “No,” Jinx laughed, “they’re having a huge party tonight, to kick off the championships. Just drop me off at a hotel somewhere.”

“Jun?”

“I, uhm… Jinx can I stay with you?”

“Of course.”

“Drop me wherever you drop her off.”

Ban nodded but didn’t stop at any hotels. Instead he drove straight to the Honky Tonk. “I’ll take you to the hotel in a few; I need to check on her first.” He explained as he got out of the car. “No problem, we can just have Eito drive us. That’s his car there.” Jinx smiled as Jun helped her out of the car and to the door.

“If they’re not back in two minutes, Ginji, I’m going after them myself.” Eito announced as they walked through the back door, since the front was still locked from the café being closed. “Hey, Eito.” Jinx grinned, letting Jun take most of her weight since she was so beat up. “Jinx! Jesus shit…” he breathed, hesitating to touch her, since he didn’t know what all had been done to her. “I’m okay. They weren’t really that smart, so it wasn’t that difficult to fight them off. I mean, they didn’t think to hold my arms down until a few hours after Ban got there.” She smirked as Ban jogged up the stairs to Rachael.

“So they didn’t,”

“No. Like I said, they weren’t that smart. Actually, I don’t think they knew what to do with a girl who can throw a punch.”

“And Jun, you’re beat up too!”

“That’s because he can’t take orders… and pulled a gun on the Yakuza.” She smirked. “You what?” Shido laughed in disbelief. “He shot two of them, which is good, because those two I couldn’t fight off; that was when they thought to hold my arms down. Ban and me would probably both be dead if he hadn’t.” she explained. Eito gave a sort of whimper and hugged them both, overwhelmed with relief that his two close friends were all right.

Ban didn’t even knock before opening the door to Rachael’s room, which startled all three people inside, and left him tied up by one of Kazuki’s strings before anyone had a chance to see that it was him instead of the Yakuza. “Ban!” Rachael gasped happily. “I’m sorry Ban, I thought you were one of the Yakuza.” Kazuki smiled awkwardly as he untied him. Ban didn’t say anything as he embraced the emotional girl who was now sobbing into his shoulder. “We’ll leave you two alone then. What’d I tell ya? He’s back!” Emishi beamed and followed Kazuki out of the room.

“I w-was, so scared… y-you… wouldn’t come… back!” she breathed between sobs. “I know, but I did. I told you I would, Rachael.” He muttered, burying his face in her light brown hair and inhaling her scent. Never before was Cinnamon such a comforting scent to him. “I know,” she whimpered, and gripped his shirt so tightly it pinched the skin on his chest.

He had to support a lot of her weight, otherwise she would fall, and before long he was holding her up completely. She stopped crying, and just rested against him, finally able to relax for the first time since he left. “Rachael, have you slept at all since I left?” he asked, somehow already knowing the answer. “A little… I kept having nightmares.” She muttered, tightening her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. “Well come on let’s get you to bed, and let you rest.” He nodded and guided her to the bed.

“Will you stay with me?” she asked almost desperately. “Of course, Rachael.” He laughed, as if he would want to sleep anywhere else.

As soon as he lay down, he was holding her again, and pulling her as close to himself as he could get her. “Did they hurt her?” she asked blankly.

“She’s a little beat up, but they didn’t hurt her like that no.”

“I told you, they’re horrible people.”

“I know, Rachael, I know. Get some sleep okay?”

“No… I don’t want to. Every time I fall asleep I end up back there again, in that room. Only in my dreams you aren’t there to save me. I keep waiting for you to come for me, but you never do, and then h-he…”

Ban sighed heavily and took off his glasses. “Rachael, look at me.” He demanded, knowing she wouldn’t sleep while those images were in her mind. As soon as she looked up he held her eye contact, before leaning in and kissing her lightly.

He kept his arms around her protectively throughout the kiss, keeping her safe from anything, and anyone that would want to hurt her. There was no noise coming from downstairs, there were no Yakuza out looking for Rachael, and Jinx was never taken, there was only them. She was completely relaxed, without a single fear, or doubt, or hint of pain. This was unlike any of Ban’s kisses before; this one really did remove all negative feelings from her.

After what must have been hours pulled back slightly as she slowly started giving in to her body’s desperate need for sleep. She reached to pull him back and he started to laugh a little, “Just a minute, Rachael.” He muttered as she finally fell asleep.

Ban smiled at her as the effect of his Jagan wore off. He knew there was really no other way to get her to sleep peacefully, so he used his power to create an illusion to relax her enough to put her to sleep. Of course to her, it felt like much more than sixty seconds, but now she was finally asleep, without nightmares. “Goodnight, Rachael.” He sighed, and kissed her head before falling asleep himself.