(So I'm ignoring the fact that only Antonio knew Kotetsu had a wife in this fic, just so more of the heroes that we know and love could be in it.)
Kotetsu Kaburagi became a NEXT X years ago. He became a hero five years ago. Four years ago he became a father, and now, he feared he would become a widower.
His beautiful wife of six years had fallen ill. She had been to many doctors, but none of them had any idea of what the mysterious illness was. It had begun a week ago. She began having odd pains in different places.
At first, she had blown it off as natural, but shortly she began having dizzy and fainting spells. After much urging by Kotetsu, she had gone to see their doctor. He prescribed her some pain medication, but that was all he could do.
The pain and dizzy spells persisted for the next few days, until it became so unbearable that she could not function in every day life. Kotetsu's mom had to move in to take care of their daughter, Keade. Kotetsu wanted to be able to take care of his ailing wife, but he couldn't seem to get away from being a hero, and the doctors had reassured them that it was probably nothing too serious.
She was put on bed rest in their home for a few days, but within a month, she was no longer able to feed herself, to use the bathroom by herself, and she could barely speak she was so weak. At this time, Kotetsu began taking days off work.
Other hero's would call but he would reassure them that everything was fine. He told Antonio and Keith and Nathan time and time again that everything was fine, that his wife was getting better, as if repeating the mantra to enough people enough times would make it true. They knew that everything wasn't fine, but they didn't want to press the other hero.
Two months later, the medication could no longer stop the pain. Kotetsu would sit by his wife's side as she cried silent tears of pain so bad it couldn't even be described. Kotetsu would smooth her brown hair out of her face as he ran a cold rag over her flawless skin. He would tell her repeatedly, "You'll be fine," and "you're looking so much better."
Three months, she was taken by seizures and omitted in to a hospital for the terminally ill. Kotetsu never left her side. He quite showing up for work. He ripped the wrist band off and threw it at the wall. He knew that that couldn't break it, but he didn't want to save anyone else's life, when he couldn't even save his wife. He saw her slowly decaying before him.
By the fifth month she had slipped into a comma. She was slowly and painfully fading away. Her skin became pale, her hair lost it's luster, her eyes clouded over. Every time Kotetsu looked at the visage of his love, he could feel his heart breaking over and over.
Antonio came to visit one day. "People need you Wild Tiger," he had said. "She needs me!" Kotetsu had said, yelling at the other hero to get out.
It had been three months since he had seen his daughter. He didn't want her to see her mother fading away.
Some times, Kotetsu would hallucinate. Sometimes he believed he could still hear his wife talking. She was always saying the one thing she said the day she first met him; "I know you'll always save me, Wild Tiger."
She had said it with a playful smile, and now all he could see was her warn cracked lips whispering the words.
"I want to save you." He would say breaking down.
"I want to." He would whine desperately.
"I just need to know what to do."
"Always stay with me," was the reply he had made up to tell himself.
"I will, I will." He would whisper back "you'll always be my only love."
The sixth month came around. Her organs were failing and the only thing that was keeping her alive was the numerous machines surrounding her. One to keep her heart pumping, one to keep air going into her lungs, one to feed her, one to allow her to go to the bathroom, one pumping insulin.
It was too much for the other heroes, it was too much for the doctors. At the end of the first month of this, they approached the broken man.
"Kotetsu," Nathan said gently, "she's not alive anymore. You have to let her go."
Kotetsu had cursed at him, and had told him that "she will get better. She will laugh again!"
They left him in silence, holding the limp hand of his wife's empty shell. "I love you." He'd repeat over and over until the words had become more of a prayer.
Another month had past, and Kotetsu's mom had had enough. She brought Keade to see her mom for what would be the last time. Keade walked into the sterile hospital room and looked around.
"Where is mommy?" She asked confused. "You said mommy would be here."
Kotetsu looked on with wary astonishment. "She's right there, honey, on the bed." Kotetsu's mom said pointing to the worn woman laying on the bright white bed sheets.
Kaede shook her head. "That's not mommy." She said positively.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Kotetsu stuttered trying to be strong for his daughter, but unable to hold back the few tears.
"It looks like mommy." Kaede continued, "but mommy's not there anymore. She's happy now," she finished with a bright smile.
Shortly after, they left.
A week later, Kotetsu allowed the doctors to pull the plug. With tears streaming down his face, he said his farewells to his wife. He placed a last kiss on her dry, broken lips. One by one, the heroes came to the viewing. She looked more lively than she had for months. Kotetsu quietly took their condolences and thanked each one as they left.
His mom took Kaede to live with her seeing how broken he was, and that he was clearly in no state to take care of a child.
Kotetsu drank himself to sleep the night after the funeral. He saw visions of her from their wedding night. She was so beautiful, so vibrant, and just lovely. He spoke the words he had told her that night; "I will forever more be your hero."
He woke up with a start, looking to the side of the bed where she used to sleep. He couldn't do it anymore. He just couldn't do it. He moved down stairs to the couch and that's where he would sleep. All the pictures of her had been turned face down. He couldn't stand to look at her, but not be able to touch her, to talk to her, to hear her laugh, but mostly, he couldn't stand to think about how many people he had saved, but he couldn't save his own wife.
He buried his head in the fabric of the couch and kept it there for as long as his lungs would allow. If only he could have held onto her, if only he could just be with her now.
Sitting up, he slipped on his shoes, left his home, and hailed a cab. He told the driver to take him to the park. He didn't want anyone to know where he was going. He made his way to the cemetery where he found his wife's grave. So new, so fresh, and so depressingly full of life. He threw his body of the pile of dirt and pushed his face into the earth. After crying until the tears seemed to be gone, he turned his head to the side to breath and managed to fall asleep.
The next night, he found himself doing the same. Every night for the next three weeks, no matter the cold, not matter the weather, he would lay on his wife's grave and sleep with the knowledge that he could at least be near her.
In the mornings he would wake up only to remember that he could no longer be with his wife. He would cry on her grave, letting his tears wash over the dirt that was becoming compacted. Kotetsu would weep by her grave and softly whisper "I still love you my wife. You were too young."
After hours, but before anyone could catch him, he would make his way back to his home. He would speak with his mother every night around 9. She would ask him how he was coping and he would always reply, "I'm doing better."
A month after his wife's death, Kotetsu went back to work. His fellow heroes asked him how he was, if he was handling his wife's death. He would tell them, "it's in the past now. I'd rather just concentrate on saving people."
They wouldn't push because they didn't want him to fall over the edge that he was balanced on, but the concern was always obvious in their faces and in their actions. They would follow him more closely on missions and make sure that he made it home safely despite his continual reassurance.
One night, a huge storm hit. Thunder clashed loudly moments after lightening struck the ground. Kotetsu grabbed an umbrella and made his nightly trip to his wife's grave.
"Even the heavens are crying for you honey." He said placing the umbrella over the tomb stone and laying on his back.
"Why did you have to be taken so early?" He said tears mixing with the rain.
Antonio went to Kotetsu's house to see how he was doing. It had been about two months since Kotetsu's wife had died and he knew not everything was fine. He thought he should bring the man a drink on such a stormy and dreary night. When he arrived at the house, he found that it was empty. The door hadn't been locked, and after no answer, he had let himself in. Beer bottles were strewn lazily all across the floor. Everything else was in perfect condition except for the pictures that had been placed face down.
"Kotetsu?" Antonio had called a few times. After searching the house and not finding the other man, he made a call to Keith and Nathan.
Antonio checked all the bars they frequented, Nathan checked the gym, and Keith flew above the city looking for the broken man. Eventually, Antonio got the idea to check Kotetsu's wives grave.
He found him, face down in the mud and drenched to the bone, passed out with a bottle of alcohol in hand.
"Kotetsu!" Antonio called not getting a response.
He ran over to the fallen man and lifted him off the ground with ease. With a quick call to the other two men, he carried Kotetsu back to his place and lay him on the couch.
Antonio stripped the other man's wet clothing off and wrapped him in a blanket to warm him up. The temperature outside could not have been more than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, if that high.
Kotetsu was shivering, but did not appear to be hypothermic and Antonio thought it would be best to keep him out of a hospital.
The next morning when Kotetsu woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he was on his couch and not on his wife's grave where he normally woke up. The second thing he noticed was Antonio was asleep in his chair without even a blanket to keep him warm.
Kotetsu went to sit up, and possibly leave his home, but Antonio heard him and caught him first.
"Kotetsu, what were you doing last night?" Antonio asked without missing a beat.
"I-I…" Kotetsu stumbled, but he couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse as to why he was out last night. "I wanted to be with my wife."
"She's dead." Antonio said sympathetically.
"You couldn't understand." Kotetsu replied slightly angry.
"I know, but you can't be with her anymore. You have to move on."
"I can't. I'll always love her." Kotetsu said holding on the wedding ring that seemed like a part of his skin now.
"You can keep loving her." Antonio said standing to face Kotetsu. "But you can't keep hurting yourself."
"Why not?" Kotetsu tried to keep from yelling. "What do I have to live for?"
"You have your daughter…and you have us." Antonio said, and after a pause continued, "and we love you."
Kotetsu sighed defeated. He did have Kaede, and when there were other people depending on him, he couldn't just give up on life…she would never forgive him if he did.
Kotetsu took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. "O-okay." he said a little shakily.
For the next few weeks Antonio, Nathan, and Keith took turns watching out for Kotetsu, making sure he stayed in his home at night and didn't engage in anything that would be a threat to his health. After several months, Kotetsu seemed to back to himself, although he was never quite as good a hero, and he never took off his wedding ring.