Ascent into Light

Disclaimer: I don’t own the GetBackers, (manga or anime) I just like to imagine them in my own little world (which is totally of my imagining). No profits are made from this story, just gratuitous pleasure.

Summary: Ban’s life is like a yo-yo, his moods swinging like a pendulum and Shido is doing his best to ride out the storms. However he has a little surprise in store for Ban that just might shock the moody retriever. (Pt 8 of The Tangled Web)

Rating: NC-17

Warning Codes: Angst, anal, language, m/m, WAFF, WIP, yaoi

Pairings: SxB

Author’s note: This is part 8 of the Tangled Web series.

Although each story can stand alone, they will make more sense if they are read as a series.

Feedback is appreciated. Your feedback is your gift to me. My gift to you is the story.

~*~
My thanks to HumanInfiltrator, Llonella and XxXheartofyaoiXxX for the reviews. I hope you like this next installment.

And for Llonella, if you can hold on until the end of the Tangled Web, I will have a little something special just for you.
~*~

Ascent into Light

As Ban slowly rose from the depths of another few hours of dreamless sleep he felt the weight of an arm across his chest. His eyes opened and sleepily focused on the sleeping form next to him, Shido’s face looking relaxed and satisfied.

Shido. Sometimes, on first awakening, Ban was still confused that it was Shido he was with now and not Gingi. Gingi had left him, gone to Kazuki’s bed. He said it wasn’t forever, but in his heart somewhere, Ban knew Gingi would never come back. At least not like the way they were before. Before Shido had taken him by storm.

Shido. No matter what, Ban would never give Shido up. They had become so intertwined with each other it would be impossible to separate them. He gave Shido liberties that he would never have dreamed of giving anyone. He belonged so completely to Shido and bent completely to Shido’s will, much to his own amazement. Never had he thought that he, Ban Mido, would go willingly into the arms of another man, and as the submissive partner no less. He’d always thought of himself as the dominate one, and this turn of events was just a little disconcerting, but it was something he allowed himself to become, albeit not without some misgivings. But still he allowed it.

Ban shifted and Shido’s arm tightened, pulling him closer, his dark eyes opening to look into the dazzling blue eyes of the jagan master.

“Hey, Ban, am I going to wake up someday and have you ask me if I had a nice dream with that smug, irritating smirk on your pretty face?” Shido asked, a pensive look on his handsome face..

“No, lover. This is all as real as real can get. You got me and all of my baggage, you’re stuck with me,” Ban replied, smiling at his lover tiredly.

“Well, I can’t imaging anyone else that I’d rather have here in my arms,” said Shido, kissing Ban on the forehead. “You’re all I could ever want, baby.”

Ban smiled and kissed Shido, then sighed, his eyes going dim.

“What’s wrong, baby?” asked Shido. “You look sad.”

“Yeah, well, I miss seeing Gingi. I mean, I know why he left, but it still hurts, you know,” Ban confessed.

“Hey, he said it wasn’t forever,” Shido protested.

“I know what he said, but I know that he’s not going to come back. He’s with Kazuki now and I think they’re going to find out they really like being together,” Ban told him. “He’s left me to you. Huh. Funny, I never thought Gingi would be the one to leave me. Well, they’ll be happy together. String boy is probably better for him anyway. I’m too dark and moody.”

“Baby, you’re not too dark and moody for me, and I’m glad to have you all to myself. I’ve wanted you for my own since the very beginning and this is like a dream come true for me,” Shido confessed to him.

“Well, you just better treat me real good, monkey tamer, because I never intended to be anyone’s wife,” Ban retorted, some of his former spark showing in his eyes.

“Hmm. If you’re my wife, maybe I should take you on a little honeymoon trip,” said Shido, thoughtfully. “What do you say, Juliet? Can I take you somewhere nice for the weekend?”

“What have you got in mind, perv?” asked Ban, his curiosity piqued.

“Oh, maybe a little trip to a nice hotel, a secluded one with a hot spring and private bungalows, where we could relax together, just the two of us?” asked Shido, running a hand thorough Ban’s soft dark hair, rolling the smaller man on top of himself.

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Do we need to tell anyone else what we’re doing, or can it be private, just between us?” asked Ban.

“Not if you don’t want to, baby. We’ll do what ever it is you want to do. All you need to do is tell me,” Shido replied, running his hands down to Ban’s hips, pulling Ban’s growing erection against his already full arousal.

“You’re hard already,” said Ban, kissing him lightly. “How do you want me?”

“What ever you want, baby. I’m good with what ever you want to do,” Shido smiled, tangling his hands in Ban’s hair and pulling his face down for a long and passionate kiss.

After breaking from the kiss, Ban sat up and reached for the lube on the bedside table, applying it liberally to Shido’s waiting erection, then raised up to guide Shido’s hardness to his waiting, willing entrance. His eyes closed as he felt Shido entering his body, pushing past the tight muscle ring, sliding in smoothly and easily, and a sigh escaped from Ban’s lips. Then he started to roll his hips gently. God, how he let Shido dominate his every move, without Shido even being dominating. Shido didn’t even ask, Ban just did it.

Shido put his hands around Ban’s slim waist, then sat up, holding Ban in his lap, so he could move him faster, their mouths seeking each other’s. Finally Shido rolled Ban to his back and began to move purposefully in his lover’s body, making the hard, demanding love that Ban seemed to need, to crave, stopping twice just on the verge of orgasm before finally bringing Ban to climax. Ban was crying out and writhing under him, more then ready in his need as Shido seemed unerring in his ability to hit Ban’s sweet spot. As soon as Ban came, all of his muscles clamped down on Shido, and the beast master let go all of his restraint and filled his lover with his seed once more.

Then he collapsed to lay panting on his beautiful lover, who showed all signs of drifting off to sleep again.

Shido sighed and rolled off of Ban as he slid into what almost amounted to unconsciousness. It was like Ban just couldn’t sleep without dreaming, and the only way to not dream was to be to exhausted, therefore he wouldn’t sleep without being exhausted by strenuous sex first, otherwise he dreamed. And because he dreamed, he didn’t want to sleep. It was such a vicious circle that seemed to cycle every few hours, never enough time passing between Ban’s bouts of waking and sleeping to let him be fully rested.

So, Shido exhausted him with excess when ever he asked for it, letting the younger man sleep for a few hours before waking up and going through it all over again.

It was very tiring, and it was a good thing Shido had a lot of stamina. No one else could have probably kept up with Ban these days. Hopefully, soon, they would be able to banish the shadow that constantly chased Ban through his dreams, trying to drag him kicking and screaming into the Hell from which it was spawned. But that would happen over Shido’s dead body.

Gingi had started the process of pushing back the monster with his sunny, cheerful personality. Now Shido had taken up the torch and he was determined to banish it once and for all, even if it killed them both. He was going to make Ban Mido back into that proud, arrogant, defiant bastard that he once was. Then he would be the equal of the beast master, and they would live together as more then just lovers. They would be friends.

But, first, he needed to rebuild his fragile Juliet, and that would take some delicate maneuvering. Ban was always standing on the ledge, looking so far down, sometimes it seemed as if he might fall. Other times, it looked like he was thinking about jumping. Shido needed to pull him away from the edge. It had been such a shock to think that Ban had been on the verge of dying that day Shido found him on the roof. He shuddered to think of the disaster that a few minutes delay would have caused. He continually thanked whatever gods there were that he had reached the jagan master in time. He shuddered to think what his life would be like without Ban Mido in it.

Kissing his sleeping lover’s damp hair, Shido got up, took a quick shower, ate a little and dressed to go out, but still Ban slept. He hesitated to leave Ban alone, and so called Gingi at Kazuki’s to ask if he could stay with Ban while he was out. Gingi agreed happily and was there in less then half an hour.

*~*

“Ban-chan?” Gingi asked, eagerly.

“He’s sleeping,” said Shido, shaking his head. “He sleeps a lot, lately, but only after I’ve exhausted him with sex. He can’t seem to sleep without dreaming, so he won’t go to sleep until he’s exhausted, then he only sleeps for a few hours, so he’s never rested enough to feel able to cope with things.”

“That can’t be good for him,” said Gingi, sadly. “Does the shadow chase him that much?”

“Yeah,” Shido sighed. “Look, I’m going to go make some arrangements to take him away for the weekend. Please, don’t tell him I told you. I told him it would be just for the two of us, something private. He really seemed happy about it.”

“Sure. You can count on me, Shido,” Gingi promised. “I just want what’s best for Ban-chan.”

“Oh, by the way, Gingi,” Shido said as an after thought. “Ban knows that you’ll be staying with Kazuki, that you won’t be coming back.”

“What?” exclaimed Gingi. “Even Kazu-chan and I haven’t discussed that.”

“So, it’s true,” Shido smiled. “That’s okay. He accepts it and knows that it’s for the best. He wants you to be happy, too. He knows you and Kazuki are good together.”

“Ban-chan knows me better then I know me,” Gingi complained. “Go, it’s getting late and he’s gonna wake up wanting you.”

Ban did wake up a while later and came wandering out yawning and rubbing his eyes, looking for Shido. He was pleasantly surprised to find Gingi sitting on the couch watching TV as if the last few weeks had never happened. Ban flopped down tiredly beside him and took his hand.

“Ban-chan, how’re you feeling? Shido says you’ve been sleeping a lot lately,” said Gingi, concern written plainly on his face.

“I’m good. Just running from the shadows. They try, but I’m too fast. They can’t catch me,” Ban joked, squeezing Gingi’s hand. “So, are you my babysitter?”

“Shido worries about you, Ban-chan,” said Gingi. “He really loves you, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess I love the monkey tamer a whole lot, too. Hell, I almost killed myself for him.” Ban laughed softly and shook his head. “Me and the monkey tamer. Who would have thought? What a pair.”

The two fell silent and watched the TV until Shido came home about a half hour later, bearing food.

“Hey, baby, glad you’re up. Are you hungry?” Shido asked. “I brought Chinese.”

“Yeah, I am hungry,” answered Ban, going into the kitchen to see what Shido had brought.

“Smells really good. It’s all for me, right?” Ban asked teasingly.

“No, you have to share, snake bastard,” Shido laughed. “Gingi, there’s enough for you, too.”

“Thanks, but no. I need to get home to Kazu-chan,” said Gingi, hugging and kissing Ban-chan as he prepared to leave.

“It was good to see you, Gingi. You and Kazuki need to come see us sometime soon,” said Ban.

“We will,” Gingi promised as he closed the door behind him.

“I told him that you knew he wasn’t coming back,” Shido told Ban, who had grabbed several of the cartons and carried them out to the coffee table. “He said you knew him better then he knew himself, that he and Kazuki hadn’t even made that decision yet.”

“Yeah, well, it’s best for him. I really wasn’t what was best for Gingi, in the long run,” Ban admitted, “but I really do still love him.”

Then they quit talking to eat and watch TV in a companionable silence. It felt really nice, as if he and Shido really were a couple now and not just sex partners. After they finished eating, Ban leaned tiredly into Shido and the beast master wrapped an arm around his lover, holding him near, and they spent a comfortable evening relaxing and watching TV. It was the longest that Ban has stayed awake for quite some time. At the end of the program, he sat up.

“Get you something to drink?” he asked Shido, as he took the empty cartons to the kitchen.

“Sure, baby, a coke if we have any,” Shido answered, pleased to see Ban moving around and looking so alert.

“So, did you make the arrangements?” asked Ban, pouring the drink. “I assume that’s why you went out.”

“Yes, there’s a nice inn with a hot spring about 80 km from here. We can go by rail,” Shido answered, taking the proffered drink. “I booked us for Friday and Saturday night. How’s that sound to you, Juliet?”

Shido sat down the glass, then stepped up behind Ban, put his arms around the slender waist and kissed his lover on the mark on the back of his neck. Ban’s only answer was to arch back against him with a small moan. Shido’s arms tightened as he continued his assault on his defenseless lover’s senses. When it sounded like Ban was almost ready to come without any other help, Shido stopped.

“Should I take you into bed, my sweet Juliet?” he whispered softly into Ban’s ear.

“Oh, yes, take me,” Ban moaned, as Shido caught him up in his arms.

“I love you, my sweet Juliet,” murmured Shido.

“I love you, too, Shido,” whispered Ban.

Shido gently deposited his delicate flower on the bed and made soft, gentle love to him, with lots of kisses and loving touches and whispered words of endearments. When Ban finally came with a deep sigh, he had a contented smile on his face.

“I haven’t seen that smile in a very long time, Juliet. You look so pretty when you smile like that, baby,” said Shido, kissing him gently.

“You know, Gingi was right,” said Ban.

“About what, baby?” asked Shido.

“You are the only the one who could ever call me Juliet and baby in the same sentence and live,” Ban smiled sleepily.

“Does it bother you? I’ll stop if it does,” said Shido.

“Hmm. No, that’s okay. I don’t mind, coming from you,” said Ban. “Guess I really do like you, huh?”

“Like me?” asked Shido.

“Love you,” answered Ban, softly.

“Love you, too, Juliet,” laughed Shido.

Ban yawned and stretched, then cuddled up close to Shido, nuzzling at his neck in a drowsy sort of way.

“I think I’m sleepy, now, lover,” said Ban, his eyes sliding closed.

“Sweet dreams, princess, I’ll be here to protect you from the shadows,” Shido whispered to the sleeping Ban, pulling him close.

*~*

It was late the next morning when Shido awoke, Ban still cuddled close. He had slept through the entire night with a single nightmare. He blinked sleepy eyes at Shido and smiled, nuzzling at Shido’s neck. Shido kissed him on the forehead.

“Sleep well, Ban?” Shido asked.

“Yeah, I really did. I feel great today. Shido, let’s go out somewhere, even if it’s just to the Honky Tonk for coffee, okay?” asked Ban.

“Sure, baby, whatever you want,” Shido answered. “Shower first?”

“Yeah, I stink,” said Ban, sniffing himself.

“I don’t know, I find it kind of sexy,” said Shido, grabbing for him.

“That’s because you’re an animal, perv,” retorted Ban, slipping out of Shido’s grasp.

“Well, how bout if I join you, then, if I’m such a perv?” leered Shido.

“You would anyway, so why ask?” asked Ban, archly, disappearing into the bathroom.

Shido laughed. This was like the old Ban he remembered and loved so much. If he could just hold on to him now.

After a very arousing and playful shower, Ban and Shido headed for the Honky Tonk. Ban looked so bright eyed and alert, it was hard to imagine that just several hours earlier he had been fleeing from the shadow that haunted his sleep. He was actually trading banter with Shido.

When they got to the Honky Tonk, Ban was happy to see that Gingi was there with Kazuki. They sat relaxing over coffee in one of the back booths, seated across from each other, talking softly. Gingi looked up at the sound of the bell and broke into a large grin at the sight of Ban and Shido. He came bounding out of the booth as if shot from a cannon.

“Ban-chan!!” he exclaimed, grabbing Ban in a tight hug.

“Gingi, I just saw you yesterday,” Ban-chan laughed, peeling him off.

“I know, but you’re here now and you look so good,” gushed Gingi. “Come, sit with us, have a drink with us, please? Please?”

“Of course,” said Shido, walking up behind Ban, sliding his arm over his chest.

Gingi bounced back to the booth and flopped down next the Kazuki, taking his hand happily. Shido escorted Ban over and waited until he slid over to sit down, then he once more put an arm around Ban, holding him close.

“Ban,” said Kazuki, softly. “It’s good to see you again. You’re looking a lot more rested today.”

“Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better today, too. Shido’s been great,” said Ban.

“I hope you’re not too upset about Gingi coming to live with me,” said Kazuki, somewhat hesitantly.

“No, of course not. What I’m going through isn’t a healthy environment for him,” said Ban. “I’d have ended up doing him a great deal of harm, if he’d stayed with me. He’s happy with you. And I’m glad that he’s happy. I never wanted to hurt him. I love him too much. This is much better for all of us. Shido is much better suited to deal with my angst. He copes with my darkness and moodiness better then I do, right, lover?”

“Hey, I just go with the flow, baby,” smiled Shido. “But seriously, Kazuki, it is much better, this way, so don’t worry. It’s all good.”

The four sat and chatted about trivial and inconsequential things for a couple of hours, letting Natsumi fill their cups periodically and ordering food to snack on. All in all, it was as if they were one happy family. Finally Shido could see that Ban was starting to tire.

“Baby, do you want to go? You look like you’re getting a little worn out,” Shido asked, concern in his voice. “You don’t want to over do it.”

“Yeah, I guess I am, Shido,” Ban answered. “Gingi, Kazuki, it was great. I really enjoyed it.”

Ban slid out and took Shido proffered hand, and, as they turned to leave, Ban slid under Shido’s arm, snuggling close.

“Tired, Juliet?” Shido asked softly.

“Yeah, but in a good way, lover,” Ban replied.

“He still lets Shido call him Juliet?” Kazuki whispered to Gingi, amazed, to which Gingi just nodded, amazed as well.

*~*

Ban felt peaceful and calm as he got ready for bed that night. He snuggled into Shido’s arms and drifted off to sleep almost at once. Shido lay awake for a long time, holding his complex little lover close, stroking his dark hair softly, while Ban slept peacefully in his arms.

Only once did he seem to become restless, but when Shido tightened his grip and kissed him gently, he slipped back into his deep sleep again with a sigh.

Towards dawn, Shido finally fell into a light doze, but he never once let go of Ban, and the shadows were kept at bay for another night as Ban started to get stronger.

Shido awoke to find a very much awake and playful Ban sitting astride his hips, staring down at him intently.

“Did you have a nice dream, monkey tamer?” Ban asked with his irritating, smug look on his pretty face.

Shido made some kind of unintelligible reply, then grabbed the jagan master around the waist and pulled him down onto the bed.

“Snake bastard, if that was all a dream, you’d better not ever wake me up from it,” he threatened, then he laughed and kissed his lover. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling so much better today, baby. You know, you went to sleep without giving me any love last night.”

“Oh, poor monkey tamer,” cooed Ban, his hand sliding down Shido’s chest to fondle his hardness. “Do you need me to take care of this little problem for you?”

“You’re the one who caused it, snake bastard,” Shido retorted, “so, yeah, your ass can take care of it, right now.”

Ban surrendered his mouth and body to Shido, sighing his pleasure as the beast master took great pains to make sure his lover was well satisfied before reaching his own orgasm.

“Ah, Juliet, I love you so much, baby, you can’t begin to imagine what you mean to me,” Shido said to his sated lover.

“No more then I love you. I never thought I could ever love anyone this much. It’s almost scary,” confessed Ban.

“Hey, we need to get stuff together for our little honeymoon trip, Juliet. I promised my sweet little bride, after all,” teased Shido.

“Ah, yeah, you know, I said that ‘wife’ thing in a moment of weakness, don’t you? You really don’t have to think about me like that,” Ban retorted.

“But I like to think about you like that. I think your kind of cute that way, Juliet,” Shido teased more.

“Yeah, well, if you think you’re gonna get any for your ‘honeymoon’ night, you’ll forget that whole ‘wife’ comment,” said Ban, adamantly.

“But, baby…” Shido began.

“NO! I let you call me baby, and I let you call me Juliet, but I am not a wife!” he said, his blue eyes snapping.

“Well, then,” Shido sighed deeply, “I guess you’ll just have to be my mistress. And here I was going to make you legitimate and everything.”

“Huh, I bet! Are you saying you were going to marry me?” Ban asked.

“If that’s what it takes for me to make sure I keep you with me, then yes, I’ll marry you,” Shido declared.

Ban stared at him, stunned, shocked by the sudden turn of events, unable to for any kind of reply.
“What, baby?” asked Shido. “No answer for me? Should I take that as a ‘yes’?”

“Don’t fuck with me, Shido,” said Ban, finally finding his voice.

“I have never been more serious in my life, Ban Mido,” replied Shido. “Would you marry me?”

“I … I …I …” Ban seemed to be having trouble getting a coherent thought out.

“Shhh… don’t answer me yet, baby,” said Shido, giving him a kiss. “Tell me after this weekend is over. Come on, let’s get stuff together.”

Shido took the still stunned Ban’s hand and pulled him out of bed, and helped him dress and choose clothes for the weekend

~*~

It was all a blur for Ban, the train trip, the hotel, the hot springs, Shido’s attentiveness, his tender lovemaking, it all ran together, like a water color in the rain. Ban could never remember one single detail, all he knew was that he slept every night and the shadow stayed far away.

The bright and shining light in his life that was Shido Fuyuki seemed to be intimidating to the shadow, so it tended to lurk just beyond his conscious area, and soon it seemed that it had gone for good, given up and gone after easier pray, perhaps. Whatever it was, Ban felt freer then he had in years, even more so then when he walked out of the Infinite Fortress with Gingi.

It was Sunday afternoon and they were having a nice lunch before they had to board the train to return home. Ban was still lost in his bemused cloud of wonderment and wasn’t really paying close attention to what Shido had just said to him.

“…Juliet!” that caught his attention.

“Yes? What, Shido?” asked Ban.

“Ban, I asked you a question, but I guess you didn’t hear me,” said Shido.

“I’m sorry, I was kind of lost in thought,” Ban apologized.

“You’ve been in la-la land all weekend, baby,” Shido laughed at him.

“Whatever,” Ban dismissed it. “What did you want to ask me?”

“Do you recall what we were talking about before we left?” Shido asked, looking at him intently.

“Yes,” Ban answered, guardedly.

“Well, I’m asking you again,” said Shido, taking a small box out of his pocket and opening it to display a plain, gold band. “Ban Mido, will you marry me?”

Ban paused for about three heartbeats, then reached out his hand.

“I take that as a yes?” asked Shido.

“Yes,” answered Ban.

Shido took his hand and slipped the band on the ring finger of his left hand, then lifted the hand to his lips and kissed the finger tips gently.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I love you, Ban Mido.”

“No Juliet?” asked Ban.

“I love my beautiful Juliet, too,” replied Shido.

“I love you, too, Shido,” said Ban quietly, holding Shido’s palm to his cheek.

“So, we’ve had the honeymoon, I’ve given you the ring, how about a little party at the Honky Tonk for our friends when we get home?” asked Shido.

“You just want to show off the fact that you got me, don’t you monkey tamer?” challenged Ban, his blue eyes snapping.

“You got it, snake bastard. You’ve been a hard one to tame, and I’m proud of the fact that I finally did it,” retorted Shido.

“I’ll never be tame, monkey tamer,” said Ban with fire glowing in his eyes.

“I know, and that’s what I love best about you, that untamed, unbroken spirit, that adorable snake bastard that’s all mine, now,” Shido gloated.

“You’re impossible,” sniffed Ban,

“Yeah, but you love me anyway. Let’s go home, Juliet,” said the beast master, holding out his hand to his most beloved snake.

*~*

Thanks for reading, hope your visit was a good one.

The last part of The Tangled Web will be Aftermath. The shadow is revealed.