Best Fans Forever

by Sora G. Silverwind

A fanboy unknowingly befriends his favorite Hero.

Best Fans Forever
by Sora G. Silverwind

Summary: A fanboy unknowingly befriends his favorite Hero.

Rating: PG for the most part, though there's some unpleasant imagery towards the end (though nothing that actually happens).

Author's notes: Inspired by character interactions and events from a panfandom roleplay game I'm in on Dreamwidth (Luceti, for those curious), where I've played Pao-Lin against Hubert. I probably could've gone with something closer to Hubert's canonical older self, but, well...we don't get to see enough of Cutebert in the game, so that's partially why I've decided to write him here. :|b He's slightly older than when he appeared in canon, but his dorkitude levels remain as high as ever!

Disclaimer: Don't own Tiger & Bunny or Tales of Graces...though there sure is a crapload of my Pao-Lin headcanony facts floating around. Don't mind them, they're mostly harmless! Though they might perplex you temporarily.

T-&-G-T-&-G-T-&-G

Given Aston Lhant's close business ties with Albert Maverick, it was inevitable that the members of the Lhant household would be closely acquainted with HeroTV. But Aston viewed it merely as a profitable business venture, nothing more, and neither his wife Kerri nor his oldest son Asbel held more than a passing interest in it.

Hubert, however, had loved the show for as long as he could remember. It was as much a part of his life as his own family. He couldn't pin down the exact moment when he watched his first episode of HeroTV — it was like he'd always known about it. The spectacle of costumed crimefighters with superhuman powers catching dangerous criminals or saving civilians from disasters was the only thing to ever really distract him from his other love, reading. Aston sometimes side-eyed Hubert's clear infatuation with the show, but since Hubert didn't act up like Asbel did and he was dutiful about his schoolwork, the man let it slide, relenting to have Kerri buy Hubert merchandise from HeroTV for birthdays and Christmases.

At first Hubert admired all of the Heroes more or less equally. They each had their good points, after all; how could he really choose between them? He could barely choose a superpower for himself whenever he imagined being a Hero. It'd be nice to be able to fly, but super-speed was pretty cool too, and so was being able to fire energy shots from your hands, and...gosh, why couldn't he just have all the superpowers? Maybe he should just have the power to copy whatever power he wanted, whenever he wanted to. That would be really useful. But that power was probably too cool to ever exist, and if it did exist Hubert didn't feel like he deserved to have it. Even outside of the fact that he wasn't a NEXT, Hubert just didn't have what it took to be a Hero. He wasn't brave or strong like all Heroes were. Then again, the Heroes were all grown-ups, weren't they? That was probably it. Kids could be brave and strong, like Asbel was (when he wasn't being a jerk), but they probably couldn't be Heroes.

Then Hubert saw Dragon Kid on HeroTV for the first time.

Unlike his general introduction to the show, this moment he remembered quite vividly, so breathless had it left him when it happened. There hadn't been any retirements announced at the end of the last season, so when he tuned into the first episode of the new season he hadn't been expecting to see anyone new. When Wild Tiger's Hundred Power ran out in the middle of confronting a group of armed thugs, Hubert clutched a pillow to his chest and waited to see which of Wild Tiger's fellow Heroes would step in to save him from his predicament. Maybe it would be Rock Bison, with his impenetrable skin? Or maybe it would be that new Hero from last season, Fire Emblem, who could melt bullets with his flames.

Instead, a little green-haired girl in a Chinese-inspired costume charged into the fray with a battle cry, whirling a staff sparkling with bright blue-white lightning.

"Whoah!" cried the announcer. "Now who could this pint-sized powerhouse be?"

Yes, who could this girl be, bouncing fearlessly from thug to thug to deliver justice onto them? Whether it was with a sharp kick to the stomach or a zap from her electrified staff, every single one of the bad guys fell before her. When the last one was down, she turned to the camera and struck a victory pose, her lips set in a fierce frown at odds with her gentle face.

"Will you look at that? A truly spectacular save, folks! This is quite the shocking debut from Odysseus Communication's new Hero — the Lightning Kung-Fu Master, Dragon Kid!"

Hubert couldn't believe it. This girl was a Hero, a fantastic one...yet she couldn't be much older than Hubert himself!

That night at the dinner table, Hubert asked his father how much he knew about the new Hero. The answer? Not much.

Unacceptable.

Hubert took his investigation online, camping out at his usual haunts like the official HeroTV forums and finding new ones to lurk in, devouring every piece of trivia and speculation he could find about Dragon Kid. He'd already been in the habit of never missing an episode of HeroTV if he could help it, but he was even more religious about it now because he was determined not to miss a possible post-show interview with her that might reveal something interesting. Hoping to see her in person, he kept track of any public appearances she was making, but to his dismay they all seemed to happen while he was in school or otherwise occupied, or they were being held at places he couldn't easily get to on his own. He bought whatever Dragon Kid merchandise he could afford with his allowance, and made notes about the things he didn't get so he could ask for them for his birthday or Christmas. In short, Hubert had fallen victim to Dragon Kid fever.

Sternbild had too, it seemed, considering the amount of coverage and discussion the girl was getting. Primarily there was controversy over her extremely young age: at 11 years old (two years younger than Hubert, a fact he continued to be stunned by), she was the youngest Hero to ever be on HeroTV so far, and there were ethical concerns over exposing a mere child to the trials and tribulations of being a Hero. It could not be denied, however, that she was a formidable addition to the roster. Not only did she have her powers of lightning generation, but she'd also trained regularly in kung fu since the age of 5, and had been a natural at it to boot. Hubert couldn't imagine ever doing something like that so young. He wondered if she still had to go to school while training, or if training was the only thing she did all day. Whatever the case, it was clear that Dragon Kid was more than capable of holding her own against the adult Heroes, swiftly taking the third place ranking with her debut episode and holding fast to it in subsequent appearances. By the time December rolled around, she'd risen to second place, and there was speculation from HeroTV commentators that she might become the Queen of Heroes for the season.

She'd totally deserve it, Hubert thought as he trudged to the public library one wintry day, finally getting the courage to attend one of the book club meetings there. They were actually featuring a manga series for once, which on its own wouldn't necessarily have convinced Hubert to go. But the fact that it was a series that Dragon Kid said she'd liked in an interview helped Hubert temporarily get over his shyness and head out to join the discussion. He'd read the necessary volumes at least three times already, writing up his opinions in his trusty reading journal (which he'd brought with him!), so he was sure he was prepared for any topic the club would bring up.

There was, however, one thing he wasn't prepared for.

"Aww, they canceled it?"

Hubert turned. Behind him was a girl in sweatpants, sneakers, and a yellow winter jacket pouting at the notice announcing the unexplained cancellation of the book club meeting.

"Yeah...I guess so," he said with a meek shrug.

She sighed and crossed her arms, cocking her head in thought. "Well, that sucks. What am I supposed to do now? Natasha already left and she's not going to be back for at least another hour."

"You could read something?" Hubert suggested, then mentally smacked himself for making the most obvious comment in the world.

The girl, thankfully, didn't seem to notice his faux pas, or at least didn't bother to comment on it. "Does this place have any good manga? I haven't been here before."

"Mm-hmm. They're good with keeping up with the popular series."

"Cool, where's it all at?"

"It's...well..." He gestured. "Um, it might be easier to just show you...?"

She grinned at him. "Sure! Lead the way!"

Having been to this library on a regular basis, Hubert knew instantly where to find the manga section. "Everything's all here," he said. "Though they put the new arrivals closer to the door, with all the other new books."

"Ooh, okay." She scanned the shelves, taking each title in. "Huh, I haven't heard of some of these before." She pulled out a well-worn volume to look at. "Is this any good...?"

"Ah, that's Troll Calibur!" Normally a soft-spoken sort, Hubert had to struggle to keep his voice down for this. "Th-that's one of my favorite series! It's...it's really good. The story and characters are really interesting, and I love the art. And...um...the fight scenes are great, too."

"What, really? I'll definitely check this out, then!" She proceeded to snatch the remaining volumes of Troll Calibur off the shelf. "Anything else you think I should read?"

The girl ended up picking up two other series upon Hubert's recommendations, hauling about fifteen volumes of manga over to a lounge area. Hubert found himself following her, though he didn't know why since she clearly looked like she was settling in for an hour of reading manga. He supposed that he was just overly glad to meet another manga fan — in real life, that is, since he had a couple of fellow manga geeks as online acquaintances.

Well, said a snide little voice inside his head, if you want to make friends with her, stalking her isn't a good way to do it.

"Are you really going to read all of those right now?" he asked her anyway.

A laugh as she flopped down on the couch. "No way! I'm a slow reader. Plus I like taking the time to look at the art." She looked at him curiously. "What're you gonna do? I mean, you were here for the book club thing, right?"

"Yeah, I was." Hubert fidgeted and glanced down at his feet. He could probably just stay at the library and check out one of the new books, since he didn't feel like going home just yet and the girl clearly wasn't looking for company —

"Well, if you're not doing anything else, you can stay with me!" She patted the empty space next to her.

He gaped at her. "Is...is that really okay? I mean, you brought all that manga with you..."

"It's fine! I can just check 'em out and read 'em at home, right?" Her smile turned a little wistful. "Besides...I came to the book club because I wanted to make friends. I just moved here, and, um...well, I just haven't gotten the chance to talk to a lot of people, so..."

"Then I'll definitely be your friend!" Hubert blurted out. A beat. "I mean, if you want!" She wouldn't have asked if she didn't want to, duh, he scolded himself.

She giggled and stuck out a hand to shake. "I'm Pao-Lin."

Hubert paused before taking her hand in his. "I'm Hubert." Ow...did she really have to shake that hard? He sat down next to her, mindful not to invade her personal space.

"So what did you think of Naruto Note?" Pao-Lin asked.

He clasped his hands together in his lap and stared at them. "Um...to be honest, it's kind of weird," he admitted. "Maybe too weird for me. I'd heard of it before, but it didn't interest me then." He shrank a little into the couch and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I only read it because Dragon Kid said she liked it..."

Pao-Lin blinked. "You like Dragon Kid?"

He hesitated before nodding. "Do you?"

"...sure. She's pretty cool."

Oh, this was great — another Dragon Kid fan! Hubert could barely contain his excitement. "Isn't she? I know some people are worried that she can't take care of herself because she's the youngest Hero on the show so far, but she totally can! She's already at second place even though she's so new, and I think she'll be Queen of Heroes this season! And even if she doesn't become Queen of Heroes, well, don't you think that it's amazing that she's a Hero even though she's around the same age as we are while all the other Heroes are adults? People should admire her for that alone!" He suddenly blanched and clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing that his voice had gotten successively louder with every word he'd spoken. Great. He probably looked like a total loser to Pao-Lin now, babbling on and on like that at the merest provocation. He half-expected her to give him a disgusted look and walk out on him.

But Pao-Lin only gazed at him thoughtfully. "I think it would make her happy to hear that," she murmured. "Have you written her a fan letter? You should."

Hubert had been considering that for a while already, except... "But I don't even know what I'd say."

"Pfft, that's easy! Just tell her all the stuff you told me."

He glanced sidelong at Pao-Lin, fidgeting. "It...doesn't sound stupid to you?"

"Not at all! Those are all really nice things to say."

Hubert still wasn't sure. He didn't want to take up Dragon Kid's time with something stupid, after all. If he was going to write to her, he wanted to make sure it was something good. "Well, I'll think about it."

Pao-Lin suddenly frowned, holding a hand to her wrist as something buzzed softly.

"What is it?" Hubert asked, worried.

"...I...I think I have to go." With a sigh, she got up from her seat, gazing forlornly at the stacks of manga she'd picked out. Then she turned on Hubert with a bright smile. "Oh, but we should totally talk again soon! Do you have e-mail or IM or something?"

A little thrown by the abrupt changes in her mood, Hubert took out his reading journal, scribbled his screenname and e-mail on one of the back pages, then tore it out neatly and handed it to Pao-Lin.

She took it and read it over. "Okay, thanks. I'm not really sure how often I can talk, but I'll try my best!" She simpered and scratched the back of her neck. "Sorry that I have to leave you like this when we've just met..."

Hubert waved her off. "It's okay, I can wait." He was deathly curious, but he also didn't think it was his place to pry. "I, um, hope everything's okay with you."

"Yeah, it's fine! See you later!" She gave him one last wave before running off.

Truthfully, Hubert didn't expect Pao-Lin to get back to him at all. But later that night he was IMed by "kungpaolin", who apologized again for having to run out on him so suddenly. Their conversation was cut short because Hubert had to go to bed, but in the following weeks the two talked as often as they could, discussing manga, HeroTV, and life in general. He learned that Pao-Lin came to Sternbild from Hong Kong as part of some special work abroad program that Odysseus Communication was apparently hosting. Alas, she did not know Dragon Kid personally — in fact, she said she never even saw the young Hero around company headquarters. Hubert was undeniably disappointed, but he was still excited that he had this kind of connection to his favorite Hero. Not that he talked to Pao-Lin for that fact alone, of course, especially since he hadn't known about it when he first met her. He liked her because she was a very friendly girl who shared a lot of interests with him. Given his sorely limited social circle (consisting mostly of his family and a few acquaintances from either school or online), Hubert was more than glad for her company. Even if she did kind of intimidate him with how boyish and outspoken she was. She reminded him of Asbel sometimes, really.

Due to her busy schedule at Odysseus Communication (to say nothing of his own bashfulness in actually asking her when he could meet her again), Hubert didn't get to talk with Pao-Lin in person again until a month later, when she invited him to have lunch with her over the weekend at one of her favorite Chinese restaurants. The only thing keeping him from completely freaking out over being asked out by a girl was the fact that she mentioned her caretaker Natasha was going to be there as well, so obviously it wasn't going to be a date or anything like that. Still, Hubert's nerves were frayed into nonexistence in the days leading up to the lunch.

His case of the jitters was not helped when he stepped into the restaurant, saw Pao-Lin sitting at a table in a track jacket and jeans...and realized he was entirely overdressed in slacks, a dress shirt, and tie. Why had he let his mother talk him into wearing this, again? At least the woman next to Pao-Lin — presumably Natasha — was wearing a nice blouse and a pearl necklace.

"It's nice to meet you, Hubert," Natasha greeted him when he came over. "I'm glad to know Pao-Lin's making friends her age. Given her job, she hasn't gotten a lot of chances for that yet."

Hubert took the empty seat across from Pao-Lin. "Um, it's n-nothing, really. I'm happy to help her out."

Pao-Lin giggled. "Do you know what you're getting?"

"Pao-Lin, he just got here, he hasn't even seen the menu yet," Natasha chided her with a smile. "Don't rush him. Have you ever had Chinese before, Hubert?"

"Only a few times."

"You should try the pork meatbuns," suggested Pao-Lin. "That's what I'm getting!"

"Ah — you like meatbuns, too?"

"Yep!" A double-take. "What do you mean, 'too'?"

Hubert blushed a little. "Well, did you see that one magazine article that just came out about the Heroes? Dragon Kid said her favorite food was meatbuns."

Pao-Lin and Natasha exchanged an indecipherable look.

"...yeah," Pao-Lin said slowly. "She did say that, didn't she?" She grinned. "Well, they're delicious. You can't blame her!"

Hubert flipped open one of the menus, and found himself greeted by a sea of unfamiliar dish names with no accompanying pictures. How was he supposed to decide on something? Defeated, he returned the menu to its place. "Um...I guess I'll just have the meatbuns, too. I've never had them before."

"We could get the sampler for those," Natasha said. "That way you can try all the different kinds."

Pao-Lin clapped her hands. "Yay! I want some crab rangoon, too, and hot and sour soup. And roast duck! And we should get the house fried rice." She looked at Hubert. "Unless you'd rather have noodles?"

He shook his head. "I'll try whatever you decide to order."

Natasha hummed. "Well, now. You're an adventurous one, aren't you?"

Hubert sank into his seat a little. "No, th-that's not..." He just didn't want to impose on Pao-Lin and Natasha too much. They were the ones paying for lunch, after all.

The waitress came then to take their orders and pass out drinks. Pao-Lin and Hubert relaxed into conversation about the volume of Dragobleachpiece that had just recently been released stateside. When their food arrived, however, Hubert had to once again get past the hedge of thorns known as his nerves to ask about something that had just occurred to him.

"H-hey, Pao-Lin..." he started.

"Hmm?"

"Um...do you know how to make meatbuns?"

She gave an apologetic shrug. "No, I don't really know how to cook anything. Unless it's just, like, a frozen dinner or stuff."

Oh. Well. There went that idea. "I see."

"Why're you asking?"

Hubert poked at his pile of fried rice, feeling embarrassed that he asked about it and even more embarrassed that he thought of the idea in the first place. "I just...I kind of wanted to try m-making meatbuns. For Dragon Kid."

Pao-Lin stared at him in the middle of lifting her soup spoon to her mouth. "Really? You actually want to make food for her?" She sounded completely flabbergasted.

Hubert's shoulders slumped at her tone. "I guess it's kind of a dumb idea, right..."

"No, that's not dumb at all!" She frowned as she gave him a playful shove. "Stop being so hard on yourself all the time!"

"Ack!" Hubert nearly fell off his chair. "P-Pao-Lin, that hurt..."

Natasha got to her feet, a corner of her mouth twitching. "You'll have to excuse me. I believe I just received an important phone call that I need to answer." She strode towards the entrance of the restaurant, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.

Pao-Lin huffed as Natasha left. "Phone call, yeah, right..." She turned her attention back to Hubert. "Listen, I think that's a great idea! I'd help you make them, but, well, you know how busy I am." She grinned. "I can taste-test them for you if you want me to, though!"

A beat.

"You just want to eat more meatbuns," Hubert accused her, rubbing the spot on his arm where she shoved him. But there was a tiny smile on his face.

Pao-Lin just smirked at him. "Yeah, maybe. But it'll still help you, right?"

He couldn't help it — he laughed. "Yeah, it will. I'll let you know when I make some, so you can try them."

This unfortunately took longer than he was hoping, what with school suddenly dumping a million projects on his head and his first attempt at the recipe turning out...not well. But with a little help and encouragement from Kerri, Hubert managed to produce something edible, even tasty. Once he successfully created another batch of meatbuns on his own, he arranged to meet with Pao-Lin at a nearby park so she could pass judgment on his rendition of her favorite dish.

Hubert cradled the tupperware container in his lap as he fidgeted on the bench, nearly sick with anticipation. He really, really hoped Pao-Lin liked them. He might ultimately be making these for Dragon Kid, but he also didn't want one of his few friends laughing at him because he was a terrible cook. It wasn't as though Pao-Lin would stop being friends with him over some failed food, Hubert was pretty sure she was too nice for that, but she already had a lot of reasons to laugh at him and he didn't want to add to that list. He tried his best not to look too eager for her arrival, keeping his gaze focused on the cobblestone ground instead of glancing up every other second to see if Pao-Lin was here yet.

This had the unfortunate side effect of getting Hubert abducted.

As preoccupied as he was with trying to keep his cool, the boy didn't take any notice of the van parking nearby and the nondescript men making their way over to him until they'd already clapped the chloroform rag over his mouth and nose to knock him out. When Hubert woke up, he was lying on his side on a gritty concrete floor, his arms and legs bound with thick rope and duct tape over his mouth. He wriggled around as he tried to get himself either free or upright; he failed on both counts.

"Hey, Lukas," came a voice from somewhere nearby. "The kid's awake."

"Really? Damn, was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with him. This is a stupid job as it is, so the less headaches the better." A dark-haired man with a lit cigarette in his mouth knelt in front of Hubert, looking someplace between irritated and bored. "All right, kid, listen up because I'm only saying this once. We got you here so your family can pay us the big bucks. If they don't..." He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Hubert's head.

"Mmmph!" Hubert flinched away from the weapon, eyes wide and heart thumping in his chest.

"Just kidding! That would be too easy. If we killed you, we definitely wouldn't be getting any money." Lukas holstered the gun and brandished a knife. "So instead, for every hour that passes without any word about when we're gonna get our money, we cut off a finger — and we make sure that everyone sees it." He gestured at a nearby laptop. "And once we run out of fingers, we start on your toes. And after that..." He blew out a cloud of smoke. "Eh, we'll probably take your eyes and ears. I haven't really decided yet. Hopefully things won't take that long, though. I wanna see that new episode of Ghost Watchers Vivid airing tonight." He snorted a bit at his own joke as he walked off.

Hubert could feel himself breaking out into a cold sweat. The scariest thing about that litany of abuses wasn't just how gruesome it was — it was the nonchalant, businesslike tone that Lukas recited it in. Like he wasn't at all bothered by the idea of maiming a kid. On the other hand, he at least didn't seem eager to do it or anything like that. That gave Hubert some hope of possibly reasoning with the man...if he ever got this tape off his mouth. Which wasn't looking likely. Maybe he could throw a tantrum and catch Lukas' attention...? But maybe it'd be better to just conserve his energy or something. Plus, what if that tantrum just made Lukas mad or something and it made him want to hurt Hubert more? No, it'd be better to behave for now.

He took the time instead to study his surroundings, hoping to find some measure of salvation in them. He appeared to be in some sort of warehouse, with bright fluorescent lights and exposed ceiling beams. Storage containers, machinery, and general industrial junk was everywhere. As for his captors, aside from Lukas, there was one other man and two women. All of them were armed and looked like they'd kill someone if they so much as looked at them wrong. Not very good odds for Hubert if he ever managed the miracle of escaping from being tied up. Though at least the various bric-a-brac all over the place would provide for either good hiding spots or maybe even a weapon of his own...

"You'd think they would've acted faster on this," one of the women said from her place leaning against a wall. "We sent out that ransom notice half an hour ago. Are they seriously just going to abandon one of the heirs to the Lhant empire?"

"No need to get antsy, Yelena, they're probably just going over their options," Lukas said. "People like to fudge around with time limits in situations like these. Especially the rich ones, because they know they can just pay the ransom if things don't work out. Anyway, there's rumor that Aston's already tapped Asbel as his successor."

The woman frowned. "Really? Then why didn't we just kidnap him? They'd definitely want him back in that case."

"Logistics. Asbel's watched a lot closer than Hubert is, and anyway someone already tried taking Asbel hostage. The kid was apparently such a brat that the kidnappers were practically ready to pay Lhant to take him back." Lukas laughed. "Not that I wouldn't have been able to shut the kid up if we were told to take him, but why do things the hard way if you don't have to? Though I wonder if the Lhants do care about this one here. You know how ruthless those big business families can be about kids they can't make use of."

Ouch. Lukas' words stung in more ways than Hubert cared to count. His throat burned with shame.

"You think they might be siccing the Heroes on us?" asked Yelena. "And that's why they're taking so long?"

Lukas flipped his cigarette onto the ground and snuffed it out with his foot. "It's a possibility, considering that Lhant and Maverick are business partners. Connections go a long way in this world, after all."

Hubert perked up at this. Being saved...by the Heroes? Talk about clouds and silver linings! True, this would be a terrible way of meeting them, but it'd be one heck of a consolation prize for being kidnapped. Maybe he could even see Dragon Kid in person...or she might even be the one to rescue him!

Lukas and Yelena's conversation soon segued into chatter about local sports. But that was fine by Hubert because now he had something a lot more pleasant occupying his mind than imminent maiming. Still, he tried not to get too excited. Even if Dragon Kid showed up (which wasn't a guarantee, since not every Hero was in every episode of the season), he still might not be able to see her, never mind be saved by her. And considering how long a response was in coming, he might not be saved by anyone at all. At least not before he lost a body part.

Hubert shook his head. No, he shouldn't think like that — Heroes wouldn't give up so easily! Even if he was a coward in every other regard, he could at least try to keep his spirits up.

But the seconds and minutes passed by like hours, and Hubert was beginning to believe he might be a lost cause. Maybe it was true that rich families like his could just pay off the ransom at the very last minute...but how much money had Lukas even asked for in the first place? The Lhants were wealthy, but they weren't even in the top twenty of rich families in Sternbild. And what if they didn't really care about Hubert, like Lukas said? What if they didn't bother to pay up for him? Which was ridiculous, of course: there was more than enough evidence that Kerri and Aston loved their sons. But somehow none of that no longer mattered to Hubert when he was on the verge of getting a part of him cut off. Surely he couldn't be blamed for panicking just a little, right?

He also couldn't be blamed for screaming like a girl (albeit a bit mutedly, considering the tape over his mouth) when one of the walls of the warehouse suddenly exploded.

KA-BLAAAM!

"Oiiiii!" The gruff voice of Wild Tiger echoed through the warehouse as he stomped through the hole he just punched in the wall and pointed a stern finger at Lukas and his cohorts. "What do you think you're doing, kidnapping an innocent kid like that?"

"Yelena, Meifa, smoke that bastard!" Lukas growled, whipping out his gun. "Nolan, get the kid out of here!"

Hubert gave a muffled cry again as gunfire rang out and Nolan hauled him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, proceeding to make a getaway. Hubert couldn't see where he was being taken, but at least he got a nice view of Wild Tiger employing his NEXT power to great effect, easily pulling over a giant sheet of metal as a shield against the storm of bullets.

"Ah, ah, ah! Now where do you think you're going, hmm?"

Fire Emblem! Hubert couldn't see him, but he didn't need to see the Hero to recognize his distinctive voice.

"You'll hand that poor child over," Fire Emblem continued, "or else things are going to heat up for you!"

"I don't think so!" Nolan slid Hubert off and positioned the boy in front of him, one arm around Hubert's neck and the other holding a gun to Hubert's head. "You really want to barbecue this kid? Be my guest — "

THWACK!

Nolan stumbled forward with a groan. Before he could recover, Dragon Kid followed up with another hit from her staff, this one charged with electricity. ZZZZT!

Fire Emblem pouted, putting his hands on his hips. "You really must stop doing that, Dragon Kid. I had this completely under control!"

Dragon Kid smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Mr. Emblem. I had to take this one." She turned to Hubert. "Are you okay?"

Initially stunned by the appearance of his favorite Hero, Hubert was quickly jolted back to his senses when she ripped the duct tape off his face. "Aaaah!" he yelped, tears springing to his eyes at the pain.

"Haha, sorry about that. It's better to get that kinda thing over with all at once." She looked him up and down. "Let's go hide someplace so we can untie you, okay?"

Hubert glanced at his bound legs. "But...I don't even think I can walk like this..."

"That's okay! I bet I can carry you."

"Wh-wha — hey, no!" Hubert protested, scrambling to get away from her as best he could. He didn't mind being rescued by Dragon Kid, but something like that was too much for him. "I'm fine! I'll just...um...hop over!" That was marginally more dignified than being carried to safety like some imperiled princess.

Fortunately, he didn't have to hop for too long, as there was an ideal nook hidden nearby in the shadow of a stack of metal shipping containers. With Dragon Kid's help, he sat down to rest while she set to work undoing the ropes. Not that he needed it, considering he'd been lying down for nearly all of the time since getting abducted, but it was more comfortable for the both of them this way.

"Are you okay?" Dragon Kid asked again. "Did they hurt you or anything?"

"I'm fine," Hubert insisted. Why did her voice sound so familiar up close like this...? "They didn't do anything to me besides tie me up." He made a dismayed noise. "Though they threatened to cut off my fingers..."

"I know. I heard." Her voice was oddly dark for a moment, but it brightened soon enough when she finished with the ropes and tossed them aside. She smiled up at him. "But I'm glad nothing happened."

And then she threw her arms around him and hugged him close.

Hubert squeaked, blushing furiously. Dragon Kid was hugging him. She was hugging him. Why was she hugging him. Wait, no, never mind, the why didn't matter: he was being hugged by a Hero! Being kidnapped would've been worth it just to see her, but something like this was beyond what he could've imagined. Idly, he wondered whether he was allowed to hug her back or not. Would that be too "friendly"...?

Dragon Kid pulled away before he could make a decision on that matter. "All right, come on. Let's get you out of this stupid place."

As she got up, though, one of the discs on her wig got caught on the beams of a broken wooden skid sticking out of a nearby container. Before she realized what had happened, she turned to leave — and the wig was pulled completely off.

Hubert's mouth dropped open when he realized just why Dragon Kid sounded so familiar.

"Pao-Lin?"

Thusly revealed, Pao-Lin could only smile sheepishly at him. "Ahaha...hi, Hubert."

"You...you're..." Suddenly it all seemed so obvious: coming from China to work at Odysseus Communication, being a martial artist, and even her love of meatbuns and food in general. It might even explain her sudden departure the first time he met her — she'd probably been called into action. Hubert felt like an idiot for not having figured it out sooner. He was Dragon Kid's biggest fan, or at least one who paid attention to every single piece of information he could find about her. How could he have missed something that was right in front of him this whole time? She didn't even wear a mask like the other Heroes did! Then again, the idea of ever running into Dragon Kid's civilian identity, never mind becoming friends with her, was so preposterously wish-fulfilling that it hardly merited previous consideration.

Pao-Lin shushed him gently, placing a finger to her lips. "Don't say anything, okay? It'll be our little secret." She untangled her wig from the skid and shoved it back on, huffing as she straightened it out and tucked strands of her real hair (partially dyed green to match) into it. "Man, I hate this stupid thing. It's heavy and makes my head itch."

The rest of the day was a blur of happenings for Hubert. When Dragon Kid led him back out into the open, the other Heroes had already finished apprehending Lukas and his gang, with the HeroTV crew dutifully catching everything on camera. Dragon Kid was accosted by Mario for a post-episode interview, and Hubert was reunited with his family, who all fussed over him even once he was safely back home. Kerri and Asbel in particular refused to leave Hubert's side: Kerri because she was worried about any emotional trauma resulting from the incident, and Asbel because he wanted to know what it was like getting kidnapped and saved by the Heroes (in addition to playing the overprotective older brother for once). To be honest, Hubert kind of wanted to be left alone to process things, but he was too tired to argue with his mother or brother. And it was nice to get a reminder that he was loved.

It was later than usual when Hubert logged onto his computer for his usual nighttime internet surfing. Blank as his mind was from the whirlwind events of earlier, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he got pinged with an IM.

kungpaolin: HEY! r u okay?
kungpaolin: sorry i couldnt talk to u more after everything there was a lot i had to do
kungpaolin: plus itd be bad if ppl got suspicious cuz i talked to u too much or somethin

Hubert blinked. Pao-Lin still wanted to talk to him after everything that happened? He'd actually been considering avoiding her for a while, worried that the recent revelations would make things too awkward between them. But he wasn't one to deny a Hero...especially not one who also happened to be his friend, as astonishing as that fact was.

XcoolcaliburX: I'm fine, don't worry
kungpaolin: sry bout not tellin u about...u kno
kungpaolin: cuz its in my contract not to lol
XcoolcaliburX: It's okay, I understand
XcoolcaliburX: Heroes have to protect their identities, after all
kungpaolin: otherwise i wouldve ttly told u!
XcoolcaliburX: Well, I guess there's nothing that can be done about it now...
XcoolcaliburX: Unless there's someone out there who's going to erase my memories of knowing who you are or something
kungpaolin: hahaha no nothin like that
kungpaolin: just don't say anything n u'll be fine
kungpaolin: i trust u! ^_^

He frowned. It was weird to think he'd unknowingly garnered that much trust from a Hero.

XcoolcaliburX: How did you become a Hero anyway?
kungpaolin: someone from oc heard about my powers n came to hongkong to recruit me
XcoolcaliburX: And you just went along with them?
XcoolcaliburX: What did your parents think?
kungpaolin: lol they hated it at first
kungpaolin: but i reaaaallllllyy wanted to go
kungpaolin: n neway i didnt kno wat else i wanted to do so
XcoolcaliburX: But what about school?
kungpaolin: um
kungpaolin: things were kinda bad for me there...
kungpaolin: so my parents were gonna homeschool me
kungpaolin: i was hoping taht i could get out of school by being a hero
kungpaolin: but now i just have to take lessons w/ natasha ugh
XcoolcaliburX: Why were things bad for you at school?
kungpaolin: i kept on gettin into fights and stuff cuz the kids knew i was a next
kungpaolin: well i mean sometimes they ignored me but other times they picked on me
kungpaolin: and the teachers woudlnt do nething about it
kungpaolin: i even had a teacher pick on me too, he was such a jerk

Wow...Hubert knew that NEXTs still had it bad both in Sternbild and elsewhere, but it was something else entirely to hear it from someone he knew personally.

XcoolcaliburX: I'm really sorry to hear that...
XcoolcaliburX: It doesn't make sense for them to pick on you if they knew you had those powers though
XcoolcaliburX: I mean, I'D be scared of them!

The next message from Pao-Lin took a little longer in coming.

kungpaolin: r u scared of me now? :(
XcoolcaliburX: NO!
XcoolcaliburX: That's not what I meant!
XcoolcaliburX: I just meant that if I knew someone who had powers like you, I'd be extra sure to be nice to them...
XcoolcaliburX: Because they could definitely really hurt me with their powers if they wanted to
XcoolcaliburX: But I try to be nice to EVERYONE, because that's what you're supposed to do
XcoolcaliburX: It doesn't matter whether they're a NEXT or not
XcoolcaliburX: Besides, why should I ever be scared of a Hero? They help people!
kungpaolin: ppl sometimes r scared of heroes still, they dont want to be saved by us and stuff just cuz were diferent
kungpaolin: but hopefully w/ herotv more ppl will see that nexts arent bad ppl
kungpaolin: or well that nexts arent ALWAYS bad ppl lol
kungpaolin: since we've had to deal w/ some criminal nexts n all
XcoolcaliburX: So is that why you're a Hero?
XcoolcaliburX: Because you want to show the world that NEXTs aren't monsters or something?
kungpaolin: kinda yeah
kungpaolin: and i mean, wat else am i gonna do w/ these powers? lol
kungpaolin: they're like out of a manga or a comic book. i should use them for good!
kungpaolin: "with great power comes great responsibility"
XcoolcaliburX: Yep
XcoolcaliburX: I think you made a good choice, since you're such a great Hero and all
XcoolcaliburX: But you probably know that already
XcoolcaliburX: Since, um, I keep talking about you... ~_~

Being friends with Dragon Kid was undoubtedly the coolest thing ever, but first he'd have to get over the mortification of knowing that he'd been gushing about her right to her face. Hubert couldn't believe that she put up with how often he brought up the topic of her alter ego. Well, he supposed he'd be happy if someone talked about how awesome he was, but surely it would get tiring after a while...

kungpaolin: hehehehehehe!
kungpaolin: it makes me really happy tho
kungpaolin: if i can inspire ppl thats great
kungpaolin: especially if theyre friends like u! ^_^

It was Hubert's turn to linger on a pause before sending his next IM.

XcoolcaliburX: I wish I could be as brave as you...
XcoolcaliburX: You seem like you're never scared of anything
kungpaolin: well of COURSE i get scared
kungpaolin: but i cant let it get in the way
XcoolcaliburX: But how do you do that? How do you not let it get in the way?
kungpaolin: um...meditation mostly, cuz my sifu taught me some stuff about that
kungpaolin: but also i just think of the ppl i can help, n then things dont seem so bad
kungpaolin: like today
kungpaolin: when i heard that youd been kidnapped
kungpaolin: i didnt even think about being scared, i just knew i had to help u
kungpaolin: actually i was mostly just scared that u were hurt or somethin
kungpaolin: but i wasnt scared for me

"I wasn't scared for me", huh? Hubert couldn't really imagine ever feeling like that, though he understood it on an intellectual level. It made a lot of sense for Heroes to be more worried about other people than themselves. But for someone like him, well, he'd just have to ask Pao-Lin about her meditation techniques later. He could probably learn those, right?

XcoolcaliburX: I'm sorry for making you worry
XcoolcaliburX: Actually I was kind of worried what you were going to think when you got to our meeting place and realized I wasn't there
kungpaolin: dont apologize. im a hero so of course i worry about that stuff
kungpaolin: oh that!
kungpaolin: haha yeah i was soooo late b/c i overslept on a nap
kungpaolin: i was on my way to meet u but just as i arrived ms. agnes called and said you'd been kidnapped
kungpaolin: at least i found ur meatbuns on the ground!
kungpaolin: i ate them on the way to herotv HQ, they were really good :9
kungpaolin: great job!
XcoolcaliburX: Wait, you ate them even after they were on the ground?
kungpaolin: not actually on the ground lol
kungpaolin: they were still in the container n everything
XcoolcaliburX: But still! That's probably not safe, right?
kungpaolin: its fine! they were just a little cold
kungpaolin: ...okay so some of them DID fall out i guess
XcoolcaliburX: PAO-LIN!
kungpaolin: but they didn't look dirty so i thought it'd be ok
kungpaolin: i was rly hungry! :(
kungpaolin: i didnt eat nething b4 that cuz i thought id be eating ur meatbuns, n then when ms. agnes called, well...
kungpaolin: i cant fight crime on an empty stomach!
XcoolcaliburX: I guess you have a point...
XcoolcaliburX: But next time I'm making them fresh for you, okay?
kungpaolin: okie!
XcoolcaliburX: And...I won't let myself get kidnapped a second time ~_~
XcoolcaliburX: Because otherwise that means you're just going to eat cold, dirty meatbuns again
XcoolcaliburX: And I won't stand for that! :O

Because if he couldn't be a Hero...he could at least feed one. Sort of.

kungpaolin: lol
XcoolcaliburX: I'm glad you liked them though
kungpaolin: yup yup, they were good
kungpaolin: neway i gotta go, i still have to be up early tmrw
kungpaolin: thanx for being such an awesome friend ^_^
kungpaolin: im really glad i met you
XcoolcaliburX: Um, I think I should be saying that to you, right?
XcoolcaliburX: You're the one who saved me today, after all...
XcoolcaliburX: Plus you're a Hero
XcoolcaliburX: And I'm just...nobody
kungpaolin: ure not nobody, shut up about that!
kungpaolin: just cuz ure not a hero doesn't mean ure not special somehow
kungpaolin: ure like the nicest guy i kno
kungpaolin: and super smart too!
kungpaolin: itd be awesome if we could work together on herotv
kungpaolin: u could tell me what to do and id do it
XcoolcaliburX: Wait, really?
kungpaolin: i kno ure kind of a scaredy cat so u could just stay at HQ and give me orders n not have to actually fight anyone
kungpaolin: yeah!
XcoolcaliburX: But I could learn to be brave like you though...right?
XcoolcaliburX: Someday?
kungpaolin: you could come up with the plans to take down the criminals
kungpaolin: and id follow them
kungpaolin: rite now we have to listen to whatever ms agnes says tho
kungpaolin: dont feel bad, everyone has their strengths n weaknesses
kungpaolin: n like i said, its all about thinkin about who you can help n stuff
kungpaolin: as long as you focus on that youll be fine!
kungpaolin: idk how we could actually do this tho...
kungpaolin: but maybe it'll happen one day
kungpaolin: either way we'll come up with your hero name later ok?
XcoolcaliburX: A Hero name? Really?
kungpaolin: well duh if ure gonna be workin w/ me at herotv you need a hero name...
XcoolcaliburX: But if I was just going to stay at HQ to give you orders, would I really need one? After all, Ms. Agnes doesn't have one, does she?
kungpaolin: hmmmm good point, lol
kungpaolin: i say u should have one neway tho
kungpaolin: but i reaaaally gotta sleep! even tho i dont want to cuz its so much fun talking w/ u :(
XcoolcaliburX: Of course I always like talking with you too, but sleep is important
XcoolcaliburX: And I should get going too
XcoolcaliburX: So, good night :)
kungpaolin: goodnite~

Hubert...couldn't really sleep well after that conversation. But he felt like he just dreamed the best dream of his life anyway, so the insomnia and resulting sleep deprivation was worth it.

T-&-G-T-&-G-T-&-G

Review if you will, flame if you must.

-Sora G. Silverwind
together forever, no matter how long, from now until the end of time