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Just one minute.
The buildings around him were collapsing at an alarming rate, and there were still so many people running around screaming that had yet to get to safety. Rubble and glass were falling everywhere, and people were stampeding over each other to get away.
“Please run towards Rock Bison and Blue Rose, they are the assembly point!” Barnaby could barely hear himself yell over the din of the destruction of South West Bronze, his face plate up so as to give some sort of comfort to the people. A hero’s face or even a smile can be a great source of comfort, y’know? Kotetsu’s voice echoed uselessly in his head. Barnaby didn’t think now was an appropriate time to smile.
Working on autopilot, Barnaby assisted in evacuation as Wild Tiger and Sky High attempted to rescue anyone they could in the trickier areas. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sky High rescuing people from upper floors, either breaking through windows to get to them, or trying to catch them and lower them to the ground in the riskiest game of catch he knew. Wild Tiger was running around the rubble trying to free anyone who was trapped, and get them paired with another running civilian who could help them limp to safety or carry them altogether.
“Please, evacuate efficiently in a safe manner-” Barnaby yelled through his hoarse vocal cords before the sound of metal groaning blanketed over every other noise, and vaguely Barnaby could hear the screams of terror increase in pitch. An even larger shadow engulfed the location, and Barnaby looked up in fear as he saw the adjacent water tower begin to collapse, slowly making its way towards the already collapsing building. In a brief moment of insecurity, Barnaby glanced at Wild Tiger who had his face plate raised and made eye contact with him; Wild Tiger nodded his head just a touch, and then it was go time.
Barnaby activated his powers simultaneously with Wild Tiger, both flipping the face plate down again and made his way over to him to help clear the civilians faster because they just weren’t moving fast enough, just a little too slow-
“Oi. Calm down, we got this,” Wild Tiger said roughly in the roar of chaos, and had it not been for his Hundred Power, Barnaby wouldn’t have heard him.
“I know,” Barnaby said tightly in reply, trying to use some of the confidence and bravado he sometimes called upon when he was scared. He knew Kotetsu knew, there was no point hiding it. It was more for himself. Up above, Sky High was attempting to blow away the larger pieces of rubble that would really cause some damage if they landed, whereas Fire Emblem and Dragon Kid made their way down and replaced Blue Rose and Rock Bison. Origami Cyclone bounced between ushering people along and guiding them to the evacuation point.
One minute.
“Geez, this is taking too long!” Blue Rose shouted over the screams of people, and she proceeded to use her ice to make a slide smooth enough to get people from the higher ground out of there. Rock Bison carried as many injured people as he could in his arms and on his shoulders before using the slide along with all the other civilians who looked a little more relieved there was a faster route.
Sixty seconds.
Barnaby hurried along, using his speed to now throw these people onto the slides, apologising in his head for those who landed a little harshly, but there was just no time.
“Bunny!” Wild Tiger shouted, and Barnaby raced towards the sound of the voice before he could even use his eyes to see where he was going. Seeing Wild Tiger further in on the ground floor of the collapsed building, there, on the rubble, was a little girl. For a heart stopping moment, Barnaby thought she looked eerily like Kaede, but then the moment had passed, and Barnaby saw it was just another girl, a civilian but trapped partially under the rubble.
In situations such as this, it was a difficult decision to make, but in order to triage the ones who would survive and the ones who needed to escape, Barnaby would have given her a look over and said to the next of kin I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do. Before Barnaby could even open his mouth, he lifted his face plate to tell Wild Tiger, but Wild Tiger beat him to it and raised his own face plate and said-
“She’s breathing. Help me get her out, I think she’s the last one,” Wild Tiger pleaded breathlessly, and Barnaby could never say no.
“Hold that end and I’ll lift this one. On the count of three,” Barnaby said clinically, running to the other end of the ceiling rubble (one? Two? Maybe every ceiling had landed on this girl, what are we doing) that had dropped on the girl’s legs and pelvis, including her lower left arm.
“One,” Grunted Wild Tiger.
“Two,” Barnaby grit out between his teeth.
“Three!” the two shouted in unison as Barnaby lifted the rubble with an underhand grip, and Wild Tiger went under it to lift it above his head.
“Grab her and get out Bunny!” Wild Tiger shouted as he struggled to hold the rubble above his head. Barnaby darted forward and made his way out, knocking Wild Tiger over as well so that last bit of rubble wouldn’t drop back onto him. Barnaby began to leap away, his feet poised to jump those long distances he was so used to doing, but he looked behind and saw Wild Tiger stop moving.
“Kotetsu?” Barnaby barely had the breath to say, holding the little girl in a princess hold in his arms, before Wild Tiger shoved him forward with all his might, screaming “Go!”
Just one minute.
Barnaby moved forward and propelled himself out of the building from the force of the shove, and from the immediate reaction to follow the instruction, dropping the girl off to Fire Emblem before he turned around to see what the hell Wild Tiger was doing. Frozen, Barnaby could feel his heart drop to his stomach as he looked at Wild Tiger and saw his left foot was stuck behind him, a metal pole from the ceiling support sticking through his leg.
By the time Barnaby knew what was happening, he looked up at Kotetsu’s dirt smeared face, made eye contact with his wide eyes, and saw his blue glowing eyes return to amber just a second too late before-
The whole building collapsed around him, its structural integrity no longer able to hold its form, and Kotetsu disappeared from his sight. The anguished scream that left Barnaby’s lips was a sound that no one from that day would ever forget as the world watched him fall to his knees.
----
3 hours earlier
“Hmm? Something on your mind, good looking?” Nathan asked as he hung over the side of Kotetsu’s leg lift machine. Surprised, Kotetsu looked up mid lift at Nathan, and seemed to sag in his seat as he noticed who it was.
“Ah. Fire Emblem. It’s you,” Kotetsu mumbled, and Nathan stomped a foot onto Kotetsu’s shin in retaliation.
“That is absolutely no way to greet a lady you know?” Nathan grunted out threateningly over Kotetsu’s pleas to stop and get off, get off!
“Agh, sorry, sorry I know I know. It’s not you it’s just,” Kotetsu rambled, rubbing his shin as they both turned their head to look at whoever just entered the gym. The sliding doors made themselves known as they shushed open and let Barnaby into the gym. “Ugh,” Nathan heard Kotetsu say under his breath at the same time Barnaby’s eyes lit with a fury Nathan hadn’t seen before, before the blonde man harrumphed and flipped his hair the other way, heading to the opposite side of the gym towards the treadmills.
“Oh?” Nathan crowed. “Had a fight with Handsome did we?”
“Ahhh. Uh. Something like that,” Kotetsu mumbled as he rubbed a hand down his face and through his thick hair.
“Hmm? Do tell, is there anything that I can help with?” Nathan asked and Kotetsu set his feet down on the ground, seemingly accepting the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to get a workout done today.
“Bunny’s mad at me because he says I don’t tell him enough,” Kotetsu began, and Nathan raised a finely shaped eyebrow.
“A lover’s quarrel?” Nathan asked. Kotetsu blushed fiercely and shushed him with one finger. Nathan didn’t know why he bothered, everybody knew the two had ‘secretly’ started going out three months ago. The two were going out on dates for Christ’s sake, and they were both well known celebrities at this point.
“I keep telling him I’m fine, but he just won’t take it as an answer!” Kotetsu attempted to say quietly.
“Because you’re clearly not fine!” Barnaby’s voice cut in from behind, and Kotetsu screamed as he nearly jumped a metre in the air, losing balance and falling onto Nathan, who promptly pushed him back onto his feet. They turned to look at Barnaby who was standing with his arms crossed and looking furious. “We’re partners now in every sense of the word-”
“Hey, I thought you didn’t want everyone to know-”
“And we’re supposed to be there for one another and trust one another, but you can’t trust me to tell me what’s wrong!” Barnaby exploded, and Nathan sidled himself slowly away from the scene to try not to get involved.
“That’s because I keep telling you there is nothing wrong!” Kotetsu argued back, just vaguely aware he could hear the gym doors slide open again somewhere to his right.
“If nothing is wrong then why do you keep drinking yourself into a stupor every night?” Barnaby yelled back, and the gym became deathly silent. Kotetsu glanced around, and saw Antonio, Karina, Pao-Lin and Nathan standing a distance away, looking alarmed and worried. Feeling his face burn with shame, Kotetsu turned to Barnaby.
“We’ll talk about this at home,” Kotetsu spat out, and Barnaby went to follow him when he turned away.
“No, we’ll talk about it here,” Barnaby began petulantly, and Kotetsu whirled around, furious, as he leaned forward into Barnaby’s face.
“Home.” Kotetsu spun around and stormed out of the gym after that, leaving the other heroes wide eyed and concerned as Barnaby stood there with his fists clenched.
“Oi, Barnaby… is everything alright?” Karina called out tentatively. Chest heaving, Barnaby waited until the urge to scream had passed.
“Everything’s just fine,” he lied, standing for another moment longer before storming off to take his motorcycle to Kotetsu’s apartment.
Riding the fastest he had ever gone to get to Kotetsu’s apartment in the Bronze Stage, Barnaby barely walked in through the front door and dropped his keys in the bowl before Kotetsu was standing before him, a few metres away.
“You wanna talk? Let’s talk,” he seethed, and Barnaby shut the door behind him.
“I do, actually, want to talk. I want you to talk to me and tell me what’s wrong. Why can’t you just let me in, old man?” Barnaby said in frustration.
“You want me to let you in? Hm? You want me to tell you what’s wrong? Fine! I’m a useless old man with barely one minute of powers to spare, fighting off a problem with alcohol every night and the fact that I can barely see my daughter nowadays, and-”
“Don’t you dare tell me you’re useless old man, don’t you even start. What happened to helping people and saving them where you can?” Barnaby began to argue back. Blindsided, he didn’t know where this was coming from. How long was Kotetsu harbouring this anger? Didn’t he get over this a while ago when they defeated Virgil?
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but five minutes is not a long time, and realistically, one minute is pretty much nothing,” Kotetsu seethed.
“I don’t understand, you were doing fine so far, your powers haven’t decreased since the one minute have they?” Barnaby asked, confused.
“So what if they haven’t? It’s only a matter of time, isn’t it? What happens then if my powers go down even more, hm? At the moment, it’s just one minute, I can barely fight anybody, let alone save anyone-”
“Who cares if it’s one minute or one second!? You’re a hero old man, you always have been! Saving people is just what you do, and if you don’t want to do that anymore,” Barnaby stopped himself, choking on his words with unshed tears in those brilliant emerald eyes. He took in a deep breath before he continued. “If you don’t want to save people or protect your loved ones anymore, then I don’t know who you are,” he said coldly, driving a point home like a stake to Kotetsu’s heart. Barnaby whirled around after that, grabbing his jacket and yanking the front door to Kotetsu’s apartment door open with enough force to make the doorframe shudder. Just as he was mustering enough strength to slam the door shut, their call bracelets went off, and Agnes’s sharp voice filled the room, warning them of the building collapse in South West Bronze district.
Both of them were out the door before she could finish debriefing them.
----
Now
The sterile surroundings did nothing to ease Barnaby’s nerves.
The steady beep of the heart monitor was background noise to Kotetsu’s figure, swathed in bandages and tubes, laying prone and vulnerable in a bed that looked too big for him. Barnaby sat beside him in the uncomfortable hospital chair that was standard in these rooms, unwilling to move.
Collapsed and punctured lung, they told him. Multiple rib fractures. Skull fractures. The suit took the brunt of it, but not all of the trauma. The metal in his leg snapped through the bone clean in half, but it may take months to recover. Rehabilitation, recuperation, convalescence, healing, nearly didn't make it, all words that eventually blurred together in the maelstrom of chaos that was Barnaby’s head.
Antonio entered the room quietly, but Barnaby paid him no mind, still watching Kotetsu for any sign of waking up, holding his hand firmly around the cannula in his vein.
“I heard he was out of ICU,” Antonio said quietly. Barnaby nodded his head.
“Yes.” He didn’t add anything more to that, still focusing on Kotetsu.
“Has he… woken up yet?”
“No.” His thumb brushed up and down Kotetsu’s hand.
“Barnaby, have you even gone back home yet after-”
“No,” Barnaby said a little sharply, trying not to crush Kotetsu’s hand in his. He could hear Antonio sigh from the doorway.
“I’ll call Kaede and let the rest of his family know then,” Antonio volunteered, and guilt made itself known in Barnaby’s throat. Swallowing hard, he nodded, and tried his hardest to keep the tears at bay.
“… Please,” Barnaby whispered, and Antonio nodded before leaving and shutting the door. Dimly, he could hear Keith in the hallway walk up to Antonio with Ivan by his side, heard Ivan’s concerned murmur and Keith’s worried questions. In his own self pity-party, he had forgotten about Kaede, Kotetsu’s own daughter, and how terrified she must be feeling right now, probably on the first train to Sternbild to see him.
Despite that, despite how guilty he felt, thinking he should have been the one to call Kaede to let her know he’s stable, but critical, he’ll be alright, he’s Wild Tiger after all-
Barnaby didn’t think he would be able to bring himself to get out of his seat and let go of his hand for Kaede even if she showed up that very second.
Feeling the dam break, Barnaby began to sob into his hands, wrapped tightly around Kotetsu’s own.
“Kotetsu,” he wept, “please come back to me.” There, alone, with only the sound of the heart monitor to respond to him, Barnaby cried and prayed to anyone who would listen.
Hours passed, and Barnaby remained seated with his head bowed, his hands still reverently stroking the calloused skin of Kotetsu's hand. The door to the room swung open, and Barnaby heard a young girl's voice call out 'daddy?' Ah, Barnaby thought. Kaede's here then. Still, despite his head telling him to be sensible, go and greet her, let her take your place, Barnaby couldn't bring himself to move. He stayed there, seated, head still bowed, and Kaede quietly made her way to his side.
"Barnaby-san?" Kaede whispered, and Barnaby nodded without looking at her.
"Mmhmm." A moment passed in silence, before Kaede began to hiccup.
"I don't want him to go," she said with a sob, and Barnaby let go of Kotetsu with one hand, brought it around Kaede as he brought her into his side. He felt Kaede's small, clammy hands latch onto his and Kotetsu's hand, holding tightly until her little fingers turned white.
"Mmhmm," Barnaby hummed in agreement, unable to say anything else as his voice cracked at the end and the two cried together and leaned into one another, all too familiar with this pain they had shared before.
----
On a barely subconscious level, Kotetsu felt warm. Like the sun was warming his skin, and the wind that drifted gently blew a spring breeze across his face. Even though he felt this warmth, he couldn’t be sure that it was real for some reason, as though he was lucidly dreaming, but it felt real.
On a barely conscious level, Kotetsu had never felt this good in his life. He felt great, and relaxed. Dimly, he was aware that he wasn’t really breathing, like he didn’t need to (which was odd, what’s going on with that?), but the air, if he could smell it, he thought would have smelt pure. Clean. Unpolluted.
“Kotetsu,” a gentle, melodic voice called out softly. He tried to fight it at first, but when he heard it, he felt confused. He tried to move his body, but it didn’t seem right, like he wasn’t fully there. But that voice…
It took him a long, reluctant time, but when Kotetsu blearily recognised the voice and slowly blinked his eyes open, he felt his lips sluggishly ask –
“Tomoe?”
He looked up into the face of his beautiful, dead wife, who smiled down at him.
“You aren’t supposed to be here yet, my love,” she said softly, a touch exasperatedly, as Kotetsu tried to squeeze his eyes shut and open them again. He abruptly sat up, hand to his head as he tried to turn to his beautiful wife (but how? Why?). He glanced at his surroundings, and took another proper look as he noticed they were in the field of flowers, a bit of a ways away from Oriental Town where they had gotten married and had their photoshoot. He was lying in the flowers, his beautiful wife beside him and it finally clicked.
“…Am I dead?” Kotetsu asked breathlessly, despite not needing to breathe here. Tomoe’s smile turned sad, her eyes downcast as she shook her head gently. He took this time to take in her appearance, still dressed in the white kimono they buried her in, the right side of it crossed over her left instead-
Kotetsu found it hard to breathe all of a sudden.
“I miss you,” Kotetsu choked out, and he saw his wife smile sadly.
“I know,” her voice said softly, this time with an echo, and Kotetsu knew, this time he knew he was losing her.
“Tomoe, no,” he begged, standing to his feet as she too stood, but she appeared to somehow be moving further and further away from him without actually moving any of her limbs. “Wait, Tomoe-”
“You need to go back, Kotetsu,” she said sternly, and Kotetsu stopped reaching for her, stopped running from his spot despite not appearing to move any closer to her. The bright blue skies were fading and the flowers seemed to look like they were further and further away as he stood.
But it’s so lonely without you. I don’t know what I’m doing, I need your help, Kotetsu thought helplessly to himself in his head. The wind suddenly picked up, no longer a calm spring breeze but a great, powerful gust that threatened to knock him down. Keeping both arms up to shield his face, Kotetsu tried not to lose sight of Tomoe.
“What’s happening?” Kotetsu asked, fear lacing his words as he tried to keep his eyes open. The scenery was fading away quickly, giving way to black darkness where he couldn’t see the end or beginning of it on either side.
“It’s time for you to go back my love,” she said distantly, her voice echoing. “Look after Kaede for me. And for your own sake, let Bunny in, will you?” she said exasperatedly. Bunny! He thought suddenly, like a shock to his system.
“Tomoe, wait!” he tried to say, overcome by the gusts of wind almost like a tornado around him as he tried to reach one hand out towards her when he heard-
“Kotetsu,” a voice said desperately, laced with tears and emotion. Kotetsu struggled to open his eyes over the wind, looking for any sign of the owner of that voice. He turned away from where he last saw Tomoe, and began searching around in the endless abyss. Bunny?
“Bunny?” Kotetsu called out, barely audible above the howl of the wind. “Bunny!”
“Kotetsu, please wake up. I beg you,” Barnaby cried again, from somewhere, his voice echoing but its source unknown.
“Argh, shit, Bunny I’m right here!” Kotetsu tried to call out, searching around as the gusts threatened to topple him.
“I need you,” the voice whimpered as it cried, the words coming out thickly through tears. “We’re partners aren’t we?” Frustrated, Kotetsu began running to get away from the damned hurricane that decided to centre itself around him.
“We are, Bunny, we’re the best partners that ever were! I’m here!” he yelled through the storm.
“Please come back to me,” Barnaby’s voice begged, and Kotetsu felt rage build up in himself as he built up enough strength to sprint far away from the goddamn winds.
“Bunny!” he roared, screaming into the darkness that surrounded him, looking for his partner. He needs me. I need to get back. I’m sorry Tomoe. I need to get back, I need to go back to Bunny-
“Kotetsu-san,” Barnaby’s voice called out clearly, cutting through the black to Kotetsu. Kotetsu, finally free of the wind storm that chased him, whirled around to face his partner. Barnaby stood there leisurely, a calm, collected smile on his face as he called out to him.
“Agh! Bunny!” Kotetsu said in relief, running towards him. The longer he looked at him however, and the closer Kotetsu got, the more an uneasy feeling ached in the pits of his chest. “I… found you.” Something didn’t feel… right.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Kotetsu-san. Shall we go?” he asked calmly, half turning away with his hand outstretched to Kotetsu. Kotetsu’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t hear any traces of the tears in Bunny’s voice he heard earlier when it was calling for him, so calm and collected was this Barnaby. After a moment of hesitating, Kotetsu reached his hand out tentatively.
“Ou. Let’s go, Barnaby,” Kotetsu said warmly, allowing his hand to be clasped. The fingers wrapped around his hand tightened, and they felt so cold. Barnaby smiled back, eyes crinkling in the corner, as he said ‘yes’, and turned away to guide Kotetsu down the darkness.
Ah, Kotetsu hummed internally. Just as I thought.
-Whack.-
‘Barnaby’ looked back towards him, shocked and wide eyed when Kotetsu snatched his hand out of Barnaby’s tight grip loud enough for it to echo in the black empty space.
“What the? Kotetsu-san, what are you doing?” the blonde asked. Kotetsu smiled tightly, pain in his eyes and etched into the wrinkles on his face.
“Nice try. You were real close today too,” Kotetsu said wryly, and ‘Barnaby’ glared at him fiercely.
This is the second time you’ve evaded me, Kaburagi-san, a deep, hollow voice echoed angrily throughout the space, though this time it did not come from the fake Barnaby’s lips. Kotetsu laughed, strongly and loudly as he remembered the time Barnaby blasted him with the gun to destroy H-01; how close to death he had been that time, how he had been here already once before.
“You aren’t trying hard enough,” Kotetsu snarled back with a smirk, one confident hand on his hip. “I don’t think I’ve ever called Bunny Barnaby,” he said smugly, watching as the fake Barnaby’s lips twisted in a hateful, ugly sneer, and finally, all features of ‘Barnaby’ melted away, fading into some ‘being’ that was shrouded in darkness, somehow darker than the pitch dark they were standing in. ‘It’ was shrouded in what appeared to be a black, hooded robe, and its deathly scythe slowly appeared before Kotetsu’s eyes as ‘It’ held it. “Besides,” Kotetsu added, eying the white bone scythe warily, “he dropped the –san ages ago.” ‘It’ stared at him impassively and without any eyes to focus on, Kotetsu found his eyes wandering around it. A tense silence settled around the two, when finally ‘It’ spoke once more.
You will die one day, Kaburagi-san, the voice echoed ominously, and Kotetsu shrugged, turning to start walking the other way.
“I know,” he said lowly. He pressed his hat firmly onto his head, tilting it over his eyes as he walked away from Death once more. “I’ve still got a few things I need to do first though.”
I will see you again, Kaburagi-san .
“Till then!” Kotetsu called out jauntily, waving his hand out in a lazy goodbye. Gripping his cap a little tighter on his head, Kotetsu continued walking with his lips set in a grim line of determination.
I'm coming Bunny.
----
Waking up in the hospital bed was much more painful than waking up to Tomoe.
He could hear and feel his breath misting against the mask that was held in place on his face, the area around his lips and his unshaven moustache feeling uncomfortably damp. Opening his eyes felt like someone had glued them shut, and it took a few blinks before he could break the seal and let light filter through. Blearily, he took note of a white ceiling and blinding lights, just as the irritating beeping that was in the back of his mind had finally registered as a heart monitor machine. It beeped a little more irregularly now, and he heard movement beside his bed. Every part of his body ached, his leg in particular throbbing painfully, and his chest hurt with every breath he tried to take.
Moving his head, Kotetsu looked over the nose of his breathing apparatus to see Barnaby sitting there, looking well dressed and as proper as ever, giving him a stern look from his seat.
“… Yo,” he managed to squeeze out weakly. Barnaby’s eyes narrowed, and he sighed lengthily through his nose.
“So you’ve finally decided to join us, old man,” Barnaby said coldly. Kotetsu winced at his words and tried to placate the obviously angry blonde.
“Come on, Bunny, it’s only been…” Kotetsu blinked a few times. “Say… Bunny… how long has it been?”
“Three days.” Kotetsu winced. Yep. Definitely mad. He struggled to sit up and Barnaby stood up hurriedly, pressing the call button for the nurse and trying to coax him to stay down.
“That’s way too long,” Kotetsu slurred as Barnaby tried to keep him down. “Three days… wow.”
“Stop it, you stupid old man,” Barnaby began to choke out, the tears coming to his eyes unbidden. He pressed a gentle hand to Kotetsu’s shoulder, and he motioned sitting up. Barnaby angrily swiped at his eyes before pressing the controls on Kotetsu’s bed that would bring him up to a sitting position. “I’m still mad at you,” he grumbled out wetly, and Kotetsu closed his eyes with a pained smile.
“I know.” Barnaby clenched his fists in his lap, trying his hardest not to cry, and Kotetsu moved his head to look at him. Barnaby had a few scrapes and bruises as well, a white patch on his otherwise perfect face, his hands bandaged too. The hospital lights cast a sort of starched, white appearance on Barnaby’s skin, but he was still so beautiful to Kotetsu. Kotetsu smiled at him in what he hoped was reassuring (but looked like a grimace), and beckoned to the blonde with a faint movement of his hand. “Hey,” he called softly, and Barnaby sniffled. “I love you Bunny,” he said hoarsely, and Barnaby broke, bent over in half and sobbing into the shoulder of Kotetsu’s hospital gown.
“Stop doing this to me old man,” Barnaby cried into his shoulder, gripping his arm and hand in an almost painful grip. Kotetsu grimaced but nuzzled his nose into Barnaby’s blonde locks, relieved to be smelling his all too familiar luxury shampoo smell.
“I’m sorry my Bunny,” Kotetsu murmured, before nursing staff had entered the room with the doctors, and they spent another ten minutes attempting to remove Barnaby gently with diplomacy to check over Kotetsu and his condition.
----
A few days had passed, and the oxygen mask could finally come off when they deemed Kotetsu’s lungs safe enough to breathe on their own. Barnaby was reading a book, sitting in the chair beside the bed in his usual spot, and Kotetsu was sitting up in his propped up bed.
“I nearly went with him, this time,” he said wistfully, facing the window that led to the hallway. Barnaby tilted his head to the side in question.
“Him?” he asked quietly, setting his book down with a bookmark tucked between its pages.
“Death-san,” Kotetsu said with a chuckle, wincing as he did so and facing the foot of the bed again as Barnaby stiffened in his seat. A tense awkward silence began to develop, and Kotetsu closed his eyes as he leaned back into his pillows. More minutes passed, and just when Kotetsu was going to open his eyes just to make sure Barnaby hadn’t left the room, Barnaby spoke up.
“And why didn’t you?” he asked quietly, words trembling a little. Kotetsu turned to face him, to observe the mature adult that he had watched Barnaby become. Amber eyes softened as they watched Barnaby struggle to maintain his composure, the finite trembling in his shoulders, the clenched fists in his laps and the tense way he sat up with his back unflinchingly straight.
“I heard a little bunny needed saving over here,” Kotetsu said jokingly, bringing his hand up to Barnaby’s warm, soft cheek as he cupped it gently. Barnaby’s breath caught in his throat, as he slowly brought up both hands to grip Kotetsu’s hand firmly. Kotetsu became briefly distracted by those soft, pink lips being bitten in worry, so he closed his eyes but let Barnaby hold his hand there, stroking the skin under one brilliant green eye, bumping against the lens of his glasses every so often. “I couldn’t just leave my cute little bunny and beautiful daughter behind.”
They stayed like that for a few minutes as Barnaby shakily inhaled and turned Kotetsu’s palm towards his lips, gently, just holding him there, feeling the warmth of his hand, alive and breathing as his tears fell.
Because I think I could hear you, Kotetsu didn't say out loud. Even though Tomoe was right in front of me, I turned away to find you.
Antonio and Ivan found them that way a few hours before dinner, Barnaby sitting in a seat beside Kotetsu with his head cradled in his arms on the bed, Kotetsu’s hand firmly ensconced in Barnaby’s tight grip, the tell tale puffy red eyes prevalent on both occupants of the private hospital room. Barnaby was sound asleep, his shoulders rising and falling slowly with each breath, and Kotetsu raised a single finger to his lips with a small smile on his face. Antonio and Ivan nodded, and left the room, agreeing to come back at a later time.
----
Almost a week had passed when Barnaby lost his patience and regarded Kotetsu with a stern glare from his plastic hospital chair. Kotetsu blew out a breath, knowing this conversation was bound to happen sooner or later.
“… Yes, Bunny?” he asked almost tentatively.
“Are you going to tell me now what happened with you before,” Barnaby hesitated, as he drew in a quick breath. Kotetsu quickly reached for Barnaby’s hand and gripped it tightly, to say wordlessly I’m here, and you didn’t lose me, I’m right here. “… before?” Barnaby said instead, clearing his throat and Kotetsu hummed knowingly.
And for your own sake, let Bunny in, will you? Tomoe’s voice echoed in his mind, and Kotetsu coughed. Eventually, Kotetsu’s face scrunched tightly and he let out an explosive sigh.
“I got scared,” he said eventually, and Barnaby frowned.
“Scared?” he asked, almost parrot like, and Kotetsu had to refrain from laughing and making fun of Barnaby lest he get another broken leg from his beautiful blonde partner.
“…Yeah. Scared that I wouldn’t be good enough for you,” he admitted quietly, and Barnaby’s eyes were so wide and confused, Kotetsu couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Where- what? I don’t understand, where did this even come from?” Barnaby asked incredulously, and Kotetsu felt his ugly inner demons rear up in his chest.
“From a lot of things, alright?” Kotetsu said harshly, immediately regretting it afterwards. “Sorry. Just. A few things here and there,” he mumbled afterwards. Barnaby laced his fingers with Kotetsu and brought his tan hand up to his mouth. Kotetsu looked up at the touch, and into Barnaby’s mesmerising green eyes, that captivated him with the strength of its intensity.
“Kotetsu,” Barnaby said lowly. “Tell me what’s been bothering you.” Kotetsu closed his eyes and laid back against his pillows. He would rather have his teeth pulled out than have this conversation right now, but Barnaby deserved to know.
“Do you remember when we faced against that armed terrorist group? The one with the super skinny tall guy and the short fat one that explodes?” Kotetsu asked, and Barnaby made a sound of affirmation.
“Yes, the Jasinski brothers. What about them?” Kotetsu’s other fist clenched at the memory. They were dating for about a month at the time.
“You got hurt, that time, remember?” Kotetsu grit through his teeth, and Barnaby made a more confused sounding affirmation.
“I, yes, but it wasn’t so bad. I recovered in two weeks,” Barnaby said, not quite understanding where the conversation was going. The heroes had faced against the Jasinski brothers, who had the NEXT powers of explosion and super strength on their side when they tried to bomb the Pavillion Plaza in Silver Stage. During that time, Barnaby had arrested one of the brothers, holding tight to one hand when the villain decided to look straight into his eyes and detonate himself, creating a huge crater and catching Barnaby in the blast radius at point blank range. He took a week and most of a second to get better, but he recuperated back to full health.
“I should’ve been able to protect you that time,” Kotetsu said angrily, slamming a fist into the bedding. Barnaby winced as the hand holding his tightened harshly too. Kotetsu’s strength as a human alone wasn’t something to sneeze at.
“Kotetsu-”
“I saw it happening,” Kotetsu interrupted. “I saw him, standing a 100 metres away, I saw it. He looked at you while you weren’t paying attention, holding his arm, and then he looked straight at me, and he smiled. He fucking smiled at me, Bunny, and I knew exactly what he was gonna do, but I still,” he paused, holding his breath. “I still couldn’t make it to you on time,” Kotetsu anguished, covering his eyes with his hand. “My Hundred Power ran out and by the time I tried to make it to you, it was too late.”
Barnaby bit his lip and became frustrated at himself for not noticing this sooner. After that incident when Barnaby fully healed, Kotetsu was becoming distant, spending more time with his alcohol at home alone than with Barnaby. He would cancel on plans with weak excuses and come to work the next morning smelling of sake and beer.
“Kotetsu, you can’t think, it wasn’t,” Barnaby stumbled over his words. “That wasn’t your fault at all. We're heroes, we’re bound to get hurt sometimes-”
“Bunny, what use is my power, if I can’t even protect the ones I love,” Kotetsu said lowly, eyes still covered under his fringe. Stricken, Barnaby was at a loss for words.
“Kotetsu… you know by now that we can’t save everybody… you should know this better than anyone,” Barnaby tried to reason, brushing Kotetsu’s hair back.
“I don’t want to save everybody, I just,” Kotetsu argued suddenly, his bright amber eyes sparked with irritation as they showed themselves to Barnaby again. “I just want to be able to save you, and Kaede, and my friends and family. Is that so much to ask?”
“Why? Because we fuck now?” Barnaby asked bluntly, and Kotetsu glared at him, the blonde withering a little under the glare.
“Don’t be crass Bunny,” he scolded, and Barnaby mumbled out a quick ‘sorry’. The arguing between them as a couple as opposed to friends was new territory to navigate now, and sometimes they stumbled their way through. “I know this, I’m sorry Bunny. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. But I know that we can’t save everybody I just wish,” he paused, draping a forearm against his eyes. “I just wish I could be back to normal again, just to feel a little less useless. Sometimes drinking made me think about it less, and every time I looked at you, I would just get reminded of how I failed, so.”
Tense silence filled the space, and Kotetsu breathed quietly under the weight of his confession to Barnaby.
“Sorry, partner,” Kotetsu said softly. “I didn’t want to trouble you with an old man’s melancholy.” Barnaby clenched his fists and nodded his head, clearing his throat when he realised Kotetsu couldn’t see him from behind his arm.
“… Thank you for telling me, Kotetsu,” Barnaby said tonelessly, before standing from his seat. Kotetsu peeked out one eye from behind his forearm to look at him inquisitively, a sadness lingering behind his golden eye.
“Where you going?” he asked softly. Barnaby’s face softened in turn as he ran his fingers down Kotetsu’s limp arm.
“I… need some time to think. Plus, you’ll be discharged soon, so someone has to clean up your home so that it’s ready for human habitat, don’t you think?” Barnaby teased weakly, and Kotetsu smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Right. Okay. See you soon Bunny?” he said hopefully, and Barnaby bent down to kiss his brow.
“Yes, old man. See you soon.”
The drive to Kotetsu’s house was a quiet one, without the old man himself there to sing terribly along with Blue Rose’s songs on the radio, or tap out an infuriating beat with his never still hands or feet. Barnaby attempted to control his breathing the whole way there, up until he parked his car outside the apartment and gripped his steering wheel in anger. All along, he didn’t stop to think what was wrong with Kotetsu, and selfishly held in his contempt and anger at his partner and pressed him to open up without trying to look at him properly in return. Without reading the signs in his body, ignoring the haunted look that came to his eyes every time he looked at Barnaby, or the hunched way his shoulders would tense every time Mario would announce Wild Tiger’s blunder on Hero TV.
Barnaby exhaled loudly through his nose and shook his head to clear his thoughts as he used his spare key to enter Kotetsu’s apartment. The air smelled musty with a trace of alcohol and from the sunlight streaming through the front door, he could see the dust particles flying around. Barnaby wrinkled his nose and set to work.
He cleared all the random bottles and cans from the floor, throwing them into designated trash bags and then setting them aside. He began to pick up the randomly strewn articles of clothing as well, deciding that all of them could go in the laundry. While collecting them, he also noticed an increased amount of magazines and newspapers laid about. While Kotetsu was no doubt an avid reader, he didn’t usually leave so many laying around. Even stranger was their unkempt state, wrinkled and crushed in some way as though Kotetsu had scrunched them and tossed them aside, despite the fact that Barnaby knew he liked keeping his books in nice order.
Picking up one article that hung off the edge of the couch, Barnaby picked it up from its open spread, and glanced over the words. Fingers tightening on the magazine, Barnaby slowly lowered himself onto the arm of the couch, perching himself there as he read over the article with an anger slowly rising in him.
Wild Tiger makes another mistake again the article title read. It had a large sized thumbnail of Wild Tiger in his suit mid stumble as it described his short-comings during one rescue mission where he had tripped and knocked several barrels of warehouse materials into the surrounding waters. But the article failed to mention that Wild Tiger tripped because the stupid hostage he was holding was ungrateful and kicked him in the gap between his chest and stomach armour. Closing that magazine, Barnaby looked over to the coffee table, where several more were strewn about, open on articles about Wild Tiger.
Wild Tiger f***s up again
Wild Tiger gets no points this season
Wild Tiger misses the mark and arrests wrong villain
The worst superhero? Wild Tiger 1 minute unable to keep up
Grabbing each magazine violently, Barnaby gathered all of them and threw them into a trash bag with as much force he could muster. He stormed up to the loft where Kotetsu’s bed was, and began clearing out all sorts of tabloids and gossip magazines from there too, shoving them out of sight before they made him lose his mind and break everything in the room. He was halfway on the bed cleaning up a stray newspaper when the inner page drifted out, and Barnaby caught a brief glimpse of it before it fluttered onto the bed, partially tucked under the pillow.
Hesitant, Barnaby paused before he reached over and picked it up, glancing at the headline and feeling his heart drop. He had a feeling he was looking at the very catalyst of the spiral Kotetsu fell into alone, all those months ago when Barnaby was still incapacitated and recuperating in the hospital.
Wild Tiger unable to save his own partner!
The article was a poor, dramatic recount of the arrest of the Jasinski brothers, more focused on dragging Wild Tiger’s name through the mud than in anything else. Barnaby knew this would happen, knew that sometimes, the gossip mongers and news agencies thrived on making heroes look bad, lived more for juicy gossip than actually go into detail of the hard work and effort they put in to save as many lives as they could.
But seeing it everywhere, littered on nearly every surface in his lover’s apartment, Barnaby couldn’t help the rage that bubbled within him in that moment. The article he held in his hand looked worn and used, with some of the words rubbed out by probably tears and sweat, the paper fibres giving way to constant touch. In a fit of anger, Barnaby tore the newspaper article to shreds, relishing in its destruction as he tore it with every bit of wrath he had within him.
Finally, when there was nothing left to shed, Barnaby rubbed at his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and resolved to get back to work, determination glinting in his hard, green eyes.
----
The next day, a gentle knock sounded on the door, and Kotetsu looked towards it as he diverted his gaze away from the soap opera playing on the hospital TVs. He was sitting up in his bed, cushions plumped and positioned for prime comfort with his right leg relaxed in front of him and his left leg raised in a sling hanging from the ceiling.
“It’s open,” he called out. His eyes lit up when he saw Barnaby, but frowned when Barnaby didn’t come forward into the room to give him the usual peck on his forehead. “Bunny?”
“Good morning, Kotetsu,” he greeted politely with a smile on his face.
“Yeah, mornin’,” Kotetsu greeted warily back.
“I have with me someone that I think you would like to meet today,” Barnaby said cryptically, and Kotetsu raised a brow.
“Ohkay, but if it’s Agnes, please don’t let her in yet, I…” he trailed off upon seeing someone wheel into the room on a wheelchair, at a much lower height than he anticipated the visitor to be. It was a young girl, who at first glance looked eerily like Kaede, but wasn’t. She looked to be the same age, still in elementary school, and she appeared to struggle with her wheelchair at first, but the bright, sunny smile she gave said otherwise.
“Good morning, Wild Tiger-san!” the little girl said cheerfully. Kotetsu immediately grinned back, infected by her happiness and her bright disposition.
“Why, good morning young lady! To what honour do I owe this visit?” Kotetsu said magnanimously, and Barnaby rolled his eyes fondly as the little girl giggled behind her right hand. Her left, noticeably, acted a little awkwardly and was a little slow, as though it wasn’t functioning quite right.
“Barnaby-san said that you were feeling better now, and that I was allowed to speak to you,” she said happily, and Kotetsu nodded his head, bringing out his courageous and loud boisterous voice that he used whenever he spoke with kids to entertain them.
“And what was that you wished to speak with me about?” he asked exaggeratedly with a wide grin. She was probably a fan of his, staying in the hospital within short distance of their rooms so she wanted an autograph from the great Hero Duo team. Barnaby probably knew he’d be chuffed to see her.
“Thank you, for saving me from the Orion collapse!” she said loudly, bowing her small body from her chest upwards, and Kotetsu’s breath caught in his throat. That’s when he looked at her, really looked at her, and saw. Both her legs were in casts, but they didn’t look like they could move at all, propped to one side. She was bound to a small wheelchair, half the size of a normal one in comparison and even then, she looked even tinier in it. Her left arm too, had a small cast but it looked to be a soft one. Her left arm seemed to rest awkwardly, and move a touch slower than the rest of her body. She had a neck brace on under her long, chestnut hair.
Unwillingly, he felt tears well up in his eyes.
The little girl raised her face, and smiled a toothy grin at him, missing one of her teeth in the top row.
“Barnaby-san told me that you were the one that found me and saved me from the building collapse,” she continued, and Kotetsu tried to backpedal.
“Ah, really, he was the one in the end to bring you to safety,” Kotetsu tried to cut in clumsily.
“But Tiger-san!” she cut in cutely, cheeks huffed. “You were the one who found me right!”
“Uh! Ahhh,” Kotetsu stalled, looking to Barnaby for support, but Barnaby was staring at him intently. “… Yeah,” Kotetsu eventually caved. “I was.” The young girl stared at him for a while longer before twiddling her fingers, her left that were sticking out of the cast noticeably stiffer and clumsier than the right.
“The doctors told me I may never walk again,” she said quietly, but her voice pierced the silence of the room, and Kotetsu sort of wished it didn’t. “My left arm feels funny, and it doesn’t work the way it used to, but I guess it’s lucky I’m right handed, right Tiger-san?” she said cheerfully, and Kotetsu swallowed past the thick lump in his throat.
“Yeah. Lucky,” he said thickly. He could feel his nails piercing into the callouses of his palms painfully in little half moon crescents as he fought the urge to scream.
“But! My mummy and daddy tell me everyday how thankful they are that I’m okay, and that I haven’t left them to go live with grandpa and grandma up in heaven.” The thought of Tomoe briefly flashes in his mind, of white kimonos and fields of flowers. “So, thank you Tiger-san, for saving me! I know I must have looked pretty bad, but thank you for not giving up on me!” she cheered, smiling her toothy smile, and Kotetsu wanted to scream.
“… anything to protect the citizens of Sternbild,” he found himself saying instead, his fists shaking by his side where they lay. “I’m glad you’re alright, young lady. Really.” She beamed at him once more, and Kotetsu forced himself to smile for her.
“One day, I want to be a hero just like you and Barnaby-san and save people too!” she said as she wheeled forward. Kotetsu watched as she wheeled toward him and handed him a rolled up piece of paper. “For you! Please get better soon!” Smiling, she began to wheel herself out of the room, declining Barnaby’s offer to help her back to her room. After the girl wheeled herself out, a silence settled over the two. Barnaby waited patiently as he watched Kotetsu slowly unfurl the piece of paper and stare at it for ages. Barnaby had the opportunity to be shown it before, when the little girl first spoke with him and happily showed him her drawing.
“You know, I think I know just the person to give this drawing to. Shall we visit an old man?” Barnaby recalled saying at the time.
“…Na, Bunny…” Kotetsu called out quietly. Barnaby hummed in response.
“Yes, Kotetsu?”
“What was her name?” he asked softly, fingering the drawing gently. It was a drawing of a tiger and a bunny rabbit, holding hands with a little girl in the middle who was sitting in what looked to be a small black chair with a large wheel on each side. The grass was tall and unevenly spread, and the clouds were disproportionate and almost the same size as the tiger’s head, but Kotetsu knew in his mind already where this was going to hang in his apartment.
Barnaby smiled as he slowly made his way over, and pressed a warm hand onto Kotetsu’s shoulder.
“Nozomi, is her name,” Barnaby told him. “I’m told her father is from Oriental Town, and that her name in your language means -”
“Hope,” Kotetsu murmured reverently, and Barnaby smiled fondly at Kotetsu. The sound of drops of water hitting paper reached Barnaby’s ears, and he hummed as he combed his fingers through Kotetsu’s wild mane, watching the tears drip down onto the drawing.
“Mmhm. Hope,” Barnaby said factually, allowing Kotetsu to grieve for the little girl who might never run again, but rejoice because her parents could still hold her in their arms once more. After a while, Barnaby gently removed the paper from Kotetsu’s hands when they started to crumple the drawing, and he crouched down to look up at Kotetsu’s face. Still crying, he had tears freely run from his beautiful, golden eyes as snot began to run and Barnaby let out a huff through his nose in fondness. “Don’t ever tell me you’re useless ever again, do you hear me?” Barnaby said quietly, but firmly, and Kotetsu closed his eyes tightly and nodded, wiping his tears away with a sleeve.
Barnaby grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and wiped at his partner’s snotty face lovingly, sitting on the side of his bed.
“Whether you’re down to one minute, or one second, you are the one who sets your own limit. Do you remember you told me this?” Barnaby said softly, wrapping an arm around Kotetsu until he could press his dark hair into his own shoulders. Kotetsu nodded silently. “No matter what happens, old man, you’ll always be my hero, and Kaede’s hero, okay?” Barnaby whispered into Kotetsu’s ear, and Kotetsu choked back a sob at the words.
“And Nozomi’s,” Kotetsu added. Barnaby smiled as he nuzzled into Kotetsu’s hair, holding him close as the two shared an embrace, as well as two men could over a hospital bed while one was attached with wires and tubes.
“And Nozomi’s. You can’t save everybody, but every now and then, you can save some people.”
----
Jolting awake, Kotetsu blearily looked around, and saw Barnaby reading a newspaper while idly stroking their joined hands with his thumb. Relaxing, Kotetsu sighed as he erased the traces of his dream from his waking mind. He rubbed at his eyes to get rid of the image of the Fake Barnaby that tried to lure him towards death, and then he remembered abruptly.
“Hey, Barnaby,” Kotetsu said weakly, the name tasting strange in his mouth. Barnaby stiffened in his chair, eyes wide and concerned and lips pursed in a pout.
“What on earth? Why would you call me that?” Barnaby said, miffed, and then appearing to be confused at his reaction because wasn’t he trying to get Kotetsu to use that name all along?
Kotetsu laughed and laughed, coughing and hacking up more blood clots from the pain and Barnaby’s eyes widened as he panicked and got the waste bowl out to catch the blood.
“Oi, oi! Old man, what the hell are you doing, please rest!” he said urgently, trying to placate Kotetsu into a state of calm stillness again so as to not aggravate his injuries and the multiple tubes running from him.
“Ahh… Just wanted to check something,” Kotetsu said weakly after the laughter died down, closing his eyes to rest once more and get his breathing back under control. “Don’t worry about it, Bunny,” Kotetsu murmured, and Barnaby sighed in confused frustration as he wrung out the clean cloth beside his bed and began to dab at the sweat on his face carefully, wiping away the remnants of blood.
“Really old man, you’ve been causing us all so much trouble,” Barnaby muttered under his breath, brushing Kotetsu’s fringe back and wiping at the sweat there. Kotetsu hummed, eyes still closed as he brought one hand to grip Barnaby’s wrist and stop him from wiping away the sweat. Pausing, Barnaby looked at Kotetsu in puzzlement.
He's the one, I think, Tomoe, Kotetsu thought to himself fondly.
“Old man?”
“Say, Bunny, do you want to get married?” Kotetsu slurred under his breath, and Barnaby freaked as his face erupted into a brilliant shade of crimson. A snore escaped Kotetsu’s mouth next, obviously fallen asleep despite his monumental announcement a moment prior. Barnaby felt all his embarrassment and rage filter together into one big eruption as he stood abruptly from his chair.
“Think before you speak, old man!”
SMACK!
“Barnaby-san! Please don’t hit the patients! Barnaby-san!”
----
Kotetsu was able to go home after three weeks of recovery in the hospital, and by then, he was itching for a shower in his own bathroom and a sleep in his own bed, preferably one big enough to keep both him and a certain Bunny under the blankets. Kotetsu was going crazy after the first week, but no matter how he begged, or what dirty promises he made to a blushing Barnaby, the doctors and Barnaby would not budge.
Finally, he hopped out of Barnaby’s gaudy (“Hey! It’s stylish old man, you’re just old-fashioned”) red sports car with his crutches, and breathed in the fresh air as he gazed at his front apartment steps with fondness.
“You shouldn’t rush it, old man,” Barnaby called out worriedly, and Kotetsu waved a hand lazily as if to say ‘I’ll be fine’, before stumbling a little due to taking a hand off one of his crutches. “Geez!” Barnaby huffed before running over to Kotetsu’s side.
“I’m fine, I’m fine! Geez Bunny, I’m not going to collapse,” Kotetsu laughed, but Barnaby just pouted as he helped him up the steps to the apartment.
“Someone has to take care of you,” Barnaby muttered under his breath as he got out his spare key to open the door for Kotetsu.
“That’s why I’ve got you, haven’t I?” Kotetsu chuckled before the door swung open to the unlit apartment. More out of nostalgia than anything, Kotetsu grinned and called out to the dark apartment. “I’m home-”
“Welcome home!” “Surprise!” came several shouts and cheers at the same time. The lights flicked on and Kotetsu found himself covered in streamers and smelling faintly of confetti popper smoke. Blinking in surprise, he found himself staring at the faces of his fellow heroes and his family, Kaede standing at the front with a wide smile on her face.
“Oi, oi, didn’t I tell you all to say surprise?” Antonio shouted from somewhere.
“Sorry! I said welcome home out of habit, my apologies again!” Keith apologised from his spot next to the couch.
“I knew I told you all to agree on one before Barnaby-san texted us he was coming home,” Ivan muttered under his breath as Pao-Lin laughed and hip bumped him.
“What, the, what is all this, guys?” Kotetsu said breathlessly, on the verge of a laugh as Barnaby shut the front door behind himself with a smile.
“It’s a welcome home party! For the very special hero, Wild Tiger, what else?” Kaede stated obviously, in her you should know this dad tone of voice. Delighted to see his daughter, Kotetsu moved forward with tunnel vision until he felt something papery brush his forehead.
“Kae- uh? Huh?” Kotetsu paused, standing straight and actually looking at his home. Upon first glance, the apartment just looked well-lit and filled with people, but on second look, there were papers hanging from the ceiling. They were at varying lengths, tied to be at eye level or higher, several of them magazine clippings or news paper articles cut out to size. “What…?”
“Take a close look, old man,” Karina said haughtily, so he did.
Wild Tiger saves the day again!
Will he make a return as a King of Heroes again? The inside scoop on Wild Tiger
Wild Tiger, oldest hero veteran imparts wisdom and knowledge with NEXT!Gossip
Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks Jr save nearly a 100 men from warehouse fire!
The coolest superhero, Wild Tiger?!
Skimming all the titles, Kotetsu slowly moved his way forward, entranced, as he read all the bold text he could see, moving forward on his crutches one step at a time. The crowd in his house barely made a sound, slowly parting the way for him.
And there, at the very centre of the room, was a newspaper article with a picture of Nozomi on the front, sat in her wheelchair with her parents on either side of her, all three of them sporting large smiles.
Wild Tiger saved the lives of the Yamada family and gave them back ‘Hope’
Kotetsu stared at it in wonder, raising a hand to touch it reverently.
In a brave move that almost cost the dear hero his life, Wild Tiger saves the day again by giving us back a little bit of ‘Hope’.
Nozomi Yamada, daughter of Hiro Yamada and Jenny Skye, was rescued from the wreckage known as the South West Bronze Orion Building collapse. The structural integrity of the 24 floor building was brought under scrutiny after it appeared to collapse suddenly when one of the underground carpark pillars gave way to water damage. Nozomi, which means Hope in Japanese, was trapped under ceiling rubble and found by Wild Tiger without a moment to spare. With his partner Barnaby Brooks Jr. and his own heroic efforts, Nozomi was saved and taken to the Sternbild City Metropolitan Hospital where she was in intensive surgery for almost 12 hours. The girl may not be able to walk again or regain full ability in her left arm, but that doesn’t stop her from smiling!
“I’m truly so grateful for the heroes we have today, in particular Wild Tiger,” Mr. Yamada said in a statement to Daily Sternbild News. “Without my little girl, I don’t know what my wife or I would have done. We owe our lives to him for saving her life, and being the hero he is today.”
“I got to thank Tiger-san personally,” Nozomi reported back happily. “He saved my life even though he was in so much danger, and never gave up on me! For that, he’s my greatest hero!”
Tears began to mist Kotetsu’s eyes, as the rest of the article went on to describe how the Justice Bureau were now investigating the building plans, and the people responsible for the collapse of the building. A gentle touch to his hand brought him out of his reverie, and he turned to stare into the brilliant green eyes of his lover.
“You with us now, Kotetsu?” Barnaby teased in a gentle voice, and Kotetsu’s lips pulled into a tear strained smile.
“Yeah,” Kotetsu choked out, holding Barnaby’s face with both his hands, cupping his cheeks lovingly. He pressed their foreheads together and couldn’t bring himself to stop smiling if he tried, tears flowing from his eyes freely. “Yeah, I’m here now,” he murmured, holding Bunny close as Bunny linked his fingers behind Kotetsu’s back in an embrace, mindful of the balance on his crutches.
Kotetsu looked down as he was jostled by Kaede burying her head into his side, wrapping her arms around his middle just a touch too tight.
“You’ll always be my hero, dad,” Kaede said through her tears, and Kotetsu brought his arm around to wrap it around his lover and his daughter. “But you’re also just my lonely, stupid, clumsy old dad too, so just let us in next time, okay?” An image of Tomoe flashed through his mind, and Kotetsu tightened his hold on both the people in his arms.
“I’m sorry, I won’t,” Kotetsu murmured, holding Barnaby and Kaede close. “I’m an idiot. I won’t do it again,” he said firmly, looking up at the article of Nozomi with a glint of determination in his eye.
“I so love happy endings,” Nathan had gushed, dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief.
A touching moment had passed before Muramasa had cleared his throat and chimed in.
“So. When were you going to tell us about you and ‘Bunny’, hm?”
Kotetsu’s eyes snapped open and he immediately held Barnaby and Kaede at length.
“What?!”
“Since when?!”
“This has not been a secret, are you serious?”
“Excuse me?!”
“Who wants a drink?” Kotetsu tried to ask over the shouting and abrupt chaos that his household had just become. He laughed and attempted to placate the cheers and shouts that came his way, jostled this way and that by congratulatory slaps and pats on the back, attempting not to tear down any of the other papers hanging up from his ceiling.
One magazine cut out in particular was swept to the side, flung out of the way by Nathan’s careless hand, as a one page special with Wild Tiger’s suit on it fluttered by its fragile string with the quote:
Our NEXT powers exist to protect the ones we love
And underneath it, scrawled in the fine handwriting of a blonde haired, green eyed hero.
Whether it’s one minute or one second!