"You've been knowing each other for so long yet you've never once went to see her sing"
"I've seen her sing nearly every day"
"It's completely different Bunny. She writes those songs herself!"
Since he had this conversation with Kotetsu, Barnaby has to admit he had been curious. There never has been anything between him and Karina, he considered them to be colleagues, nothing more. For a long time he had considered her too be too young and shallow to be interesting to talk with, she was a 16 years old girl when they met after all.
Now she was in college, he realized, he had no idea it's been so long since they met, time really does fly fast. He had to ask Kotetsu for what she was studying, musicology he said, not really knowing what it meant Barnaby could bet, but it's that simple fact that decided him to go listen to her sing.
She was studying musicology, she had to share a bit of his passion for classical music given the amount she was asked to listen to and study in this field.
That's why that evening he was sitting in the back of the room, he didn't really want to be noticed by her, she probably wouldn't react very well given their past relationship.
The bar was classy, he was surprised, he was even more surprised by the fact they didn't throw Kotetsu out when he came. And, now he thought about it, he was surprised he didn't come with Kotetsu tonight. Though nothing of this really did matter when she started to play.
Her music was light, nothing like the agressive songs she had to sing for her sponsors and she could definitely play the piano. It wasn't perfect, far from it, she lacked the practice of a professionnal player but it was nice enough, no mistakes, just slight hesitations in her playing that only a trained ear could notice.
He could close his eyes and bask in the music, just enjoying the sound of her playing without the need to cringe. She was pretty good for her age and considering the fact she went to school and had her job as a hero to worry about. She could become even better, she could have became even better if she had better teachers, she probably never went to the conservatoire or anything like that, that was quite a shame.
It almost made him regret he hadn't played seriously since he started to become a hero, just for Kotetsu sometimes when he asked again and again for him to play something on his piano. They weren't great pieces either.
He sighed, waiting for her to start singing, he knew her voice, he should have known her voice but was surprised to hear it in such a closed space. With completely different songs it sounded completely different.
She sang for one hour, she didn't only sound different, she also looked different and he stayed mesmerized for one hour.
As soon as she exited the stage he went out of the pub, hoping she wouldn't notice him if he ran away fast enough. He took back everything he thought before, the girl might be a little interesting after all.
From there on his attitude toward her changed, they started talking a bit more, mostly him asking her about her studies one day, asking if she liked it, offering to lend CDs of classical music if she needed them. She was obviously a bit reluctant at first, wondering what he was thinking, after all she wasn't used to such kindness on his part but slowly she took him up on his offers, sometimes even asking for recommendations about music she didn't need for school, iniating conversations during training.
During all this time he kept on going to listen to her at the bar, now sometimes joined by Kotetsu, he had arranged that everyday she played she'd receive flowers. She didn't know it was him, and most of the time, except when he was with Kotetsu, she didn't even know he was there either.
One day though, after one of her concert, he had gone home and was surprised to hear the door ringing, thinking it was Kotetsu, only Kotetsu would ring at his door at this hours of the night, he opened the door, ready to scold his partner "Kotetsu, do you .. Karina? What are you doing there?"
She strode inside, not even bothering to ask, Kotetsu really had a bad influence on the other heroes.
"The flowers? It's you right?"
He sighed, he should have seen it coming, he shouldn't have told Kotetsu either "Yes it is. So?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to confirm"
For a moment, they just stood there in silence, observing each other, he took a deep breath and asked "Do you, want to sing with me? I mean, I'd play and you'd sing?"
"You can play?"
"Yes"
"And you have a piano?"
"Yes."
"Where it is then?"
And, when he showed her the way she immediately went in that direction, leaving him standing in front of his door dumbfounded.
"So Barnaby, are you coming?"
And he followed.