Disclaimer: I don't own Get Backers

Summary: A mysterious group of five people appears in town, looking for the Get Backers. What they want is for the Get Backers to help them retrieve a sacred scroll said to have been written by the Goddess Nu Kwa. But can they? Is the assignment too much?

Chapter Title: Mirrors that Don't Reflect

Author's Notes: for the reviewer who told me that Akabane is known as 'Jackal' and not 'Jekyll' - thanks! I only used the name the subtitles in the anime provided me with. It was either that, or some weird name starting with 'C'. I guess I can't really trust the captions.

ENJOY!

- Mirrors that Don't Reflect -

The flames licked his body, washing an unbearable heat over him, scorching his clothes and hair (A/N: poor hair!). Sweat trickled into his eyes and smoke suffocated him, numbing his senses. A boy's voice, one that was only just starting to break, cried out in desperation, calling his mother. Kazuki whipped his head around quickly to look.

"Go now!"

"I can't leave you, mother!" the boy's voice cried. "I won't!"

"Kazuki! GO!"

Kazuki watched in horror as his past replayed in front of his eyes. His mother's face was shadowed, as it had been on that night, and he could see his past self tugging at the sleeve of her kimono. Why was he seeing these things? What was going on? His legs felt weak and gave way, sending him onto his knees on the hard floor.

"This is to save the school," his mother snapped. "And to protect the family. You are our heir, Kazuki, you have to save yourself!"

"Mother!"

Another voice joined the scene, a very familiar, deep boy's voice.

"Kazuki! Kazuki where are you?"

"Jubei!" the younger Kazuki cried, turning around. "Jubei!"

"Kakei Jubei - take Kazuki and run!"

"Where can I go, mother?" Kazuki asked.

"Mugenjou."

His pale hands were pried loose from his mother's kimono and he was pulled away to safety by Jubei's past self. The Kakei heir had, as Kazuki found out later, ran to the scene as soon as he had seen the smoke and flames over the treetops. He dragged the younger Kazuki away - and the older one followed - just as the building collapsed.

"MOTHER!"

-

From somewhere within the labyrinth, Jubei could hear someone crying. Worse, it was the one voice he had never wanted to hear crying in the first place. His heart twisted painfully as he heard the anguish in the cries, the pain and the grief. What was going on? Stopping dead in his tracks, Jubei rested a hand on the labyrinth walls.

"Kazuki!" he shouted. "Kazuki! What's going on?"

The cries continued and Jubei kept calling his best friend's name. A firm hand, clawed in a death grip, took hold of his shoulder, causing him to wince. Ban pulled him away from the wall and dragged him down a pathway. Jubei continued to call Kazuki's name.

"Quieten down, needle boy," Ban hissed.

"What's going on here?" Jubei asked.

"There's some sort of Jagan on the walls," the other replied. "It's making the others see things that aren't there - memories, nightmares, dreams and the like. Spool boy's been affected and he's probably witnessing a nightmare now."

"Jagan?"

"You're lucky, needle boy, that you're blind. Apparently it only works on people who can see and who don't have Jagan like me."

"Thanks ever so," Jubei said dryly.

-

Meanwhile, Chika bit herself on the arm - hard - to shake herself out of her memories. Shaking from more than just the self-inflicted pain, she smashed the mirror-wall with a flick of her wrist. A snake-like chain whipped out and struck right through the wall, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. Only then did its hold over her mind completely collapse.

"So this is what the finished product is like," she murmured to herself.

"No . . . mother . . ."

"Kazuki oniichan!"

He was rendered spellbound by what the mirror was showing him, just as she had when it showed her the time she had met Kazuki and Jubei. His pupils had contracted until they were mere pinpricks, shaking with fear. Without a second thought, Chika flicked out another thin chain and destroyed the mirror in front of him.

"What?" Kazuki near-yelped, startled. "What happened?"

"Kazuki oniichan!" she said breathlessly, running over to his side. "This is the power of the Soul Mirror. We were both drawn into the visions it showed us moments that have burned themselves into our memories, forcing us to relive them."

"So what I saw was - my past?"

"Basically yes."

Kazuki got to his feet shakily. If this was Tenou's power, if this was what he could do, then Kazuki hated think . . . no; he TREMBLED to think . . . what his real person could do. Chika, seeing his expression, got to her feet too. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"We can beat him," she assured. "Definitely. Faced with the power of our team, there's no way Tenou can win. Even if his power makes him great, it doesn't make him immortal. He's human - and humans make mistakes."

-

As for Ginji, he had been pulled back into that memory of him arriving at Mugenjou as a little boy. This time, however, he saw himself through a third person's eyes. Yet, even so, he still remembered that feeling of fear he had. Not knowing what the place was and who was about to approach him - whether or not they were friends or foe.

"What's your name?" a kind voice asked.

"Ginji," his past self replied. "Amano Ginji."

That was all he remembered. After that, only bits and pieces came back to him. He saw the place he and the other abandoned children had called their
playground, Kazuki and Shido fighting against each other and his overwhelming urge to protect them all. He, once again, felt that desire to keep them all safe with his power, and this desire gave him the power he
needed to rise up to the top of the Lower City.

"I'll protect you all."

His heartfelt promise made so long ago. At that time, he didn't care whether or not what he promised was foolish, only that they believed him and he wasn't about to let them down. It was the beginning of a glorious era that was VOLTS. Under him, the Lower City became safe and he kept his
promise to protect them all.

"I'm Midou Ban from the Get Backers."

"The 's' in Get Backers means we'll never be alone."

"VOLTS needs you."

"Don't you understand what's going on? Ever since you all left, something bad has been going on! Don't you understand what Makubex wants to do . .

Electricity rippled through his body and sparks danced across his skin. A burning anger seethed through him, threatening to take him over. Ginji had rarely felt this angry, this frustrated, since he had met Ban. He didn't want to see these images any more, he didn't want to relive the past. He
wanted OUT, to be away from the past.

He wanted to run away.

"GINJI!"

The voice was heard dimly, but it was enough for Ginji to recognise. The anger seeped away little by little, leaving him exhausted. Anger took a lot out of him. He sunk to his knees, drained of his previous energy. He
felt so weak.

"Ban-chan . . ."

- End of Chapter Six -

A/N: another chapter done!

REVIEW!

Bittersweet Angel Chika