Apparently this story is about long chapters lol... nine pages... first one was ten... Oh yeah - and I fudged up my calculations in the previous chapter... Barnaby was actually turning 37 - not 36 in the flashback (has been corrected now)... this is what I get for writing until 3 in the morning...

Enjoy~

Setting: After series ends
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst
Rating: G/PG
Summary: A name engraved in stone can not be changed, but perhaps fate prefers to believe otherwise. If you were to glimpse of a future where you could see your fate, and know exactly how it would affect the people closest to you, would you alter it?

Engraved in Stone

It felt like hours as the phone rang on the other end, making him feel antsy as he drummed his fingers against his knee. He caught himself glancing to the door behind him, hidden by the corner of the half wall separating the kitchen from the living room. He was getting more anxious with each ring, making it seem like it was the ninetieth time instead of the forth before a woman's voice answered the line.

"Hello, Dr. Kim Rake's office?"

"Ah Susan, its Kotetsu – Kaburagi, Kotetsu," he answered. There was a surprised tone in the woman's voice as she spoke.

"Ah, Mr. Kaburagi! Is everything alright?"

"I – I'm not sure; is Kim there?" he asked, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"I'm sorry, but Dr. Kim is away on an observational trip; she won't be back for another three weeks," the secretary explained. "Do you need to speak with her urgently?"

"Ah, no – I was wondering if I could get her to fill out my prescription again. I think…I think the hallucinations are coming back…" he explained hesitantly, a hand reaching through dark auburn hair. There was a thoughtful hum on the other end before the woman spoke again.

"There is another doctor in office that might be able to do that for you – Dr. Kim has your files on hand, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"That'd be great – when's the earliest I can come?"

"Tomorrow is fine, if that's alright with you?"

"I'll drop by before lunch hour tomorrow then."

"Would you like me to inform Dr. Kim you called when she returns?"

"Please – I'll call later if I feel like I need to talk with her," he said. The woman wished him a good day, said goodbye and then hung up; Kotetsu felt a little bit relieved, staring at the phone in his hands before he placed it on the coffee table in front of him. This wasn't the first time it's happened – it occurred long before he met Barnaby. When Tomoe died, there were times when he thought she was still there, that he could still reach out and touch her, that he could still feel the heat of her skin, the warmth of her breath in his ear. Those had usually occurred when he was really drunk though, and the illusions eventually stopped when he sobered up a little. So when they started happening after Barnaby died while he was sober, he knew he couldn't brush it off like last time.

He had been reluctant to seek external professional help to sort out these delusions, but the last thing he wanted was to mentally breakdown to the brink of insanity every time he thought he saw the blond sitting in their living room, or standing in the kitchen preparing his favorite drink. Kotetsu folded his hands together, leaning his chin against them as he leaned forward on his knees. Honey-amber eyes glanced back to the door behind him, aching to walk in and confirm what he saw and yet terrified all the same. It could just be another diehard fan – there were plenty who've dressed up as him on this day. Kotetsu always thought it was border-lining obsessive behavior, but perhaps he was just tormented by the fact that some of them were extremely good – really good.

He looked back to the space in front of him, closing his eyes as he took in deep, shaky breaths to calm his mind down. There was no way the man currently lying in his bed was another impersonator; he had spent so much time with the blond, watching him, touching him – he knew practically every inch of his body. The soft, smooth plains of his skin, the subtle dip from his cheekbones to his jaw, the way fine blond brows would slope when he was truly relaxed. His hands tightened, dark brows furrowing in frustration as he tried to make heads or tails of this; he hadn't moved for a good ten minutes after seeing the face of the unconscious body. He only managed to snap out of the terrified daze when the man groaned, realizing that it was still pouring down rain in the start of a cold autumn, and that there was a person knocked out and possibly injured.

Kotetsu buried his face in his hands, the patter of the rain outside beating against the windows as the minutes ticked on. He tried to settled the fear in his stomach – it was just another illusion, just another projection he was putting out on to some unlucky fellow he just happened to find in the rain. Everything would be fine in the morning – he'd go to Kim's office, get the medicine and come back home and everything would be normal again. He let out a shuddering breath, taking one last peek at the bedroom door; good thing his work office had a fold away cot he could use for tonight.

-8-

There was a shimmer of sunlight peering through the crack in the curtains, a very distinct sound of birds chirping faintly in the distance could be heard as his eyes twitched for a moment, slowly blinking open as he welcomed the morning light. He groaned, reaching a hand to his head as he tried to remember what happened last, slowly sitting up in the bed. He felt his right shoulder twinge as he sat up, letting out a low hiss at the pain. It was slowly starting to come back to him now, as the past events pieced together bit by bit.

He and Kotetsu had gone out for their lunch break and with some time to spare they decided to enjoy the good day and take a little walk. Along the way, they just happen to run across a convenient store being robbed and sprang into action. The thief was not expecting any sort of Heroes to be around – first or second tier – but he seemed well prepared for anything, pulling out a grappling hook and making his escape on the roof. Kotetsu said he'd watch the ground, save up his 1-minute for when they really needed it so Barnaby activated his own powers and took off to the roof tops after the thief. He vaguely remembered catching up to the guy – at least until he slipped while trying to jump the ledges.

Barnaby groaned as he remembered losing his footing; he was never going to live that down if his partner ever found out he had a rare "klutz" moment. The twinge in his shoulder brought him back to the present at hand, reaching a hand to gently massage it; it was probably bruised from the fall, but other than that nothing seemed to be broken. It was odd though – he could remember most of the fall, but he didn't remember hitting the ground at all. The blond let out a curious hum as he tried to recall it, brows knitted together as the memory of falling evaded him. He sighed and gave up for now – it wasn't really all that important now. What was important though, was informing his partner he was fine and to find out what happened to the thief they were chasing.

Now he finally took notice of his environment, blinking as he didn't recognize the room at all; even without his glasses he could tell that this was definitely not his apartment. Was he at Kotetsu's? No, it didn't look like it either; he's been to the man's new place once not too long ago. He pulled the bed sheets aside, looking down at himself to realize that his clothes had also been changed. Kotetsu did say he was watching the ground, right? Surely the man would've found him first and not a complete stranger – unless he nearly fell on top of said stranger, which was horrifying in itself to think about. He shook the thought from his head, glancing to a side table, vaguely making out his glasses sitting folded neatly on the surface.

The world became much clearer once he put them on, taking a better glance around this mysterious room he somehow happen to wake up in. He really had no way to describe it except that it looked like something you'd see from one of those "good homes" magazines. Across the room were two shelves, both reaching to the tall ceiling, adorned with books, decorative bookends, figurines and what not; there was a built-in closet on the right side of the room, taking up a quarter of the wall, a single window donning the diagonal wall between. He noticed the door to his left, no doubt leading to the rest of the house and where he'd hopefully find his host.

"Hello?" he called out as he eased the door open. He couldn't help the slightly stunned reaction as he walked into the living room; definitely the kind of home you would expect to be featured in a magazine. It had a strange mix of modern, yet classy feel to it, the dominating colour white with a few dark coloured deco here and there. The center led down to a sunken area, separating half the house in an "L" formation, distinguishing the sitting area from everything else. A large white modular sofa took up most of the space, facing towards a large boxed shelf pinned back against the wall, housing a decent size flat-screen, more books and little statues gracing the empty spaces. There was a door in the far right corner, which most likely lead to another room; stairs stood in front of him leading up to a small upper loft above him.

Whoever's house this was, it was more than apparent they were fairly well-off and he was starting to feel a little anxious about the events that led up to him being here. Barnaby sighed, before noticing a shelf to his left carved out into the wall, eyeing the photo frames lining the surface; he leaned over to take a peek at the pictures, forest green eyes going wide at the faces behind the glass frames. He's only glanced at them a few times, but there was no mistaking the man dressed in a white tux, standing by a very pretty woman in a flowing white dress. There was a young girl dressed in a pink and black ice skating costume, another one where she was even younger being held up in the arms of the man from the wedding picture, one where she was standing alongside an older looking woman. Barnaby recognized all these as the pictures that Kotetsu graced his home with. There were a few though, that he's never seen before. One where the dark-haired man was standing with a young woman, who looked suspiciously a lot like his late wife, wearing a dark blue graduation cap and gown; one where he recognized the man as Kotetsu's older brother dressed in a white tux also standing with a woman wearing a white dress.

Though there was one photo that particularly caught his attention, reaching out a hesitant hand to pick it up and take a better look at it. Barnaby was fairly certain it was him and Kotetsu in this photo, smiling, arms around each other's shoulders as they posed for the picture being taken at the time. There was something – different; Barnaby couldn't quite place it. They were obviously somewhere tropical, judging by the background and the fact that Kotetsu looked a little darker than normal. Even Barnaby himself looked slightly tanner in the photo; something that was a miracle in itself, considering how easily his fair skin burns. There was a loud crash behind him, Barnaby glancing over his shoulder to the source surprised that Kotetsu was actually standing behind him. Something was wrong though. Barnaby put the photo frame back down slowly, turning to face his partner taking slow steps towards him as he spoke.

"Kotetsu…" he wasn't expecting the reaction he got – actually, he was completely blown away as the other took a hasty step back, holding his arms up in defense.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted. Barnaby froze on the spot, looking at the other confused; he was used to hearing Kotetsu yell from time to time, but that was usually in frustration or when he felt something was going against his code of justice. This kind of shout, this fear was different. He's never seen the man look so terrified before.

"…Kotetsu? What happened? Is everything alright?" Barnaby asked hesitantly, worrying about what could've happened to make the man like this. He was shaking, turning his gaze to the floor to avoid looking at the blond, hands curling into fists.

"Why can't you just leave me alone…" he muttered fearfully. "This isn't real…you're not here…you can't be…"

"Kotetsu – please calm down; did someone do this to you? Please tell me what happened," Barnaby started to move towards him again, cautiously. Kotetsu raised his head up, the blond surprised by the traces of hostility mingling with the fear as the dark-haired man took a step forward.

"STOP FUCKING WITH MY HEAD!" he lunged forward, but Barnaby wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do as his bare foot stepped on the shards of broken glass forgotten on the floor. Kotetsu hissed as he stumbled back, falling to the floor gripping at his leg at the stinging pain riding up from his foot. Barnaby rushed to his side in an instant, trying to help him up, but Kotetsu smacked his hand away, shaking his head as he muttered and cursed at him. It took the blond twenty minutes to calm the injured man down, trying to convince him that he wasn't an illusion. Once he was allowed to go near the other Barnaby helped him up, supporting the man as they made their way down the three steps, sitting him down on the sofa before looking for the first aid kit.

Kotetsu had a strangely passive expression on his face as he pointed out where the kit was, Barnaby coming back with it to tend to the bleeding wound on his foot. The blond was surprised when he noticed a tiny mole on the bottom of Kotetsu's foot – he didn't know the man had it. There was some small glass shards embedded in his skin, Barnaby fishing through the kit to find a pair of long tweezers to pull them out before he cleaned up the blood and dressed the injury. Kotetsu hissed and flinched at the pain, but overall remained still; Barnaby was uneasy with this. Usually the man would be whining like a child or blabbing out some lame jokes about the situation; it was strange to see him act – well, act like an adult for once.

Having gotten all the pieces out of his skin, Barnaby then applied the disinfectant, the man instinctively flinching away from the pain, before taking in a sharp breath and endured it. Barnaby looked up at him as he wrapped the gauze around the other's foot, really taking in a good look at his partner and startled by what he was seeing. The first thing he noticed right away was that Kotetsu's trademark "kittens" had been shaven off his face, but he still had some form of a beard growing in; his hair was shorter, stopping at the base of his neck instead of just a little past his shoulders. There were silver streaks running through his hair, but they were patterned in such a way that it looked more like highlights than aging. The lines under his eyes had become more noticeable, faint laugh lines forming around the corners of his mouth. All in all – the man looked much older than Barnaby remembered last.

He finished wrapping up the wound, sitting back on his heels as looked up at Kotetsu, seeing a blank expression on his face. Barnaby shifted a little, glancing to the side as he tried to figure out what had happened during his fall, and why his partner suddenly looked ten years older. Kotetsu didn't say anything as he simply stared at the young blond kneeling in front of him; if this wasn't a delusion, than what was this? A dream? Was he still sleeping? But – you can't feel pain in your dreams… can you? Barnaby suddenly stood up to his feet, remembering that there was still broken glass and spilled liquid all over the floor behind them.

"Should clean that up before either of us gets hurt," he excused. "Um… where do you keep the dustbin?"

"…closet under the stairs… top shelf where… where you always kept it…" Kotetsu answered shakily, raising a hand to point to the door hiding under the open stairwell. Barnaby only nodded, walking over to the closet to retrieve the dustbin to clean up the glass; he found a rag alongside with it, grabbing that to clean up the liquid spreading across the wooden floor. Somehow he wasn't all that surprised it was alcohol as he swept the glass up first, then used the rag to soak it up. No words passed between them as Barnaby discarded the glass into the trash, rinsing out the rag before leaving it on the edge of the sink to dry. He washed the dustbin first, shook the excess water off, dried it and went to put it back in the closet. Kotetsu hadn't looked up at him the entire time he was moving about.

Barnaby closed up the first aid kit, setting it aside under the coffee table before taking a cautious seat next to the man. The dark-haired man seemed lost in his thoughts. A pale hand reached out carefully to tap his shoulder.

"…Kotetsu…" He flinched, slapping the hand away on reflex. Kotetsu seemed just as startled by the reaction, lowering his hand as he murmured an apology. Barnaby withdrew his hand, the two falling into silence as each tried to figure out what was going on and possible ways to handle this – delicate situation. Barnaby jumped at the hand cupping his cheek, mint green eyes turning to face the other, seeing a mix of disbelief, fear and hurt in honey-brown eyes.

"…a-are you…are you really Barnaby?" he asked. It was odd hearing the old veteran use his real name.

"…Is there any reason to doubt otherwise?" the blond asked in a return. The hand on his face moved down to his shoulder, pinching him a vice grip.

"What…what was the gift you received on your forth birthday? Before your parents died?"

"…What does that have to do with this…?"

"Please – just answer the question!" the grip was painful, but the desperation in Kotetsu's voice was even more piercing.

"…I got a toy robot from my parents – it was pretty much the last thing I received from them before Maverick killed them."

"And that toy was more precious to you than any gold in the world…" the grip loosened, Kotetsu's hand sliding away from his shoulder. Barnaby only blinked, still not sure what the question was meant to prove before he was startled by the sudden tears slowly rolling down the older man's face. He reached a hand out, but Kotetsu jerked away, furiously wiping at his eyes as he cursed softly. "Shit… sorry, but this is just… overwhelming, I guess…"

"What happened to you? You look… different; did something happen while we were chasing that thief?" the blond asked. Amber-brown eyes blinked at him through the tears in confusion.

"Thief? Wait… what's the date today?"

"Um, it's – April 17th."

"What year?"

"1980… wait, what's going on here? Please don't tell me this is some kind of prank or something? Because this is going too far," Barnaby nagged in annoyance. There was a heavy silence as Kotetsu only gave him a strange look, turning over what he was told in his head. Barnaby shifted, not sure what the date had to do with this, but he had a feeling it would provide some answers once the other explained it properly. Kotetsu folded his hands, leaning forward on his knees.

"…thirteen years…" he whispered. Mint green eyes only blinked at him. "But – how… from that far back… What's the last thing you remember?" Kotetsu asked, straightening up as he turned to gaze at him.

"You and I went out for lunch today… well, I suppose now its yesterday; and we just happened to run into a thief along the way. He tried to escape on the roof so I followed him and you stayed on the ground just in case," the blond explained. Kotetsu hummed as he racked his brain for the event, making a small affirmative noise once he remembered.

"Ah, I remember that… but that doesn't explain why you're here; did anything else happen?"

"… I – slipped…" Barnaby confessed embarrassingly, turning his face away from the older man to hide the small blush on his face. "I lost my footing during one of the jumps and fell, but – everything between that and waking up here is a blank."

"…I don't remember you falling," Kotetsu finally explained after several minutes of silence. Now it was Barnaby's turn to blink at him in confusion. "No, seriously – you caught the guy without any problems and we went back to work; got chewed out by Lloyds for being late, but other than that…" They regarded each other with a strange silence, before glancing off to different corners of the spacious living room. They remembered different things – Barnaby's presence here hadn't changed anything for Kotetsu's past memories, despite this unlikely meeting. A thought struck the blond as he remembered what the other had muttered earlier.

"Before what you said… what – what's the date for you today?"

"…November 1st… N.C. 1993…" Kotetsu answered hesitantly. Mint green eyes only widened in surprise.

"But that's…"

"Thirteen years from your time," Kotetsu finished. Aside from the nature noises muted outside the windows, there was barely a sound between them. Barnaby slumped back against the sofa, staring up into the space in front of him as the thought sunk in; thirteen years – he had jumped thirteen years into the future and he had no idea how that occurred. Had the thief been a NEXT? No, then he would've used his powers to change the event if he had the ability to control time. Had someone else been there that caused this? Slender fingers ran through blond curls, trying to make sense of all this. Kotetsu wasn't fairing any better, a hand massaging his forehead, pinching the bridge of his nose. After a while, the man sighed, standing up slowly to his feet, mindful of the injury he received.

"I don't know how you came to be here, or how you'll go back, but – um, well – you're welcome to help yourself," he made a vague gesture around the room. Barnaby only hummed, nodding his head in thanks. Kotetsu rubbed the back of his neck, carefully hobbling over to the door across the room. "Um, just ask if – if you need anything… I'll be in here."

"Do you – do you mind if we talk a little longer?" Barnaby asked nervously. The dark-auburn haired man paused for a moment, but he didn't look at him.

"Sorry, but I have a lot of work I need to do; tight deadline," he excused. Barnaby only made a noise in acknowledgement, watching the broad back disappearing through the door, hearing it click shut. The blond simply sat there for a few minutes, glancing around the room again with a different perspective; this wasn't like the old man's style, but for some reason he blended right in perfectly. There was a low growl from his stomach as Barnaby realized that he most likely hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday – his yesterday at least. He stood up and wandered into the open kitchen, admiring the marble counters that he had missed when he was cleaning up the mess, before opening the fridge door. It was surprising to see actual substantial food contents on the shelves, instead of the typical leftovers he remembered seeing on the few occasions he visited his partner's home.

He settled with some greens, pulling out a few vegetables to toss together a simple salad, standing at the counter as he ate. He washed the utensils he used, placed them on the drying rack to dry and then wondered what to do now. He glanced over to the closed door his partner's older self had disappeared through, wondering what kind of "work" it was the man was doing. He couldn't really picture the veteran doing anything else but Hero work. He walked over to the large windows, gazing out to the front yard, plain but well kept, cut off from the road by a row of short, neatly trimmed hedges. He looked up at the clear blue sky, few clouds drifting aimlessly by as the sun rose higher.

He stood there and admired the view for a few moments, before walking back to the sofa, not really sure what to do with himself until Kotetsu emerged from the room again to decide their next course of action. Barnaby finally decided to see how much has changed in thirteen years, scouring the room for the remote to the TV and turned it on. He began flipping through the channels, searching for programs, news casts, things that could give him a hint of what's been happening in the world; he was surprised by an advertisement promoting the new single release from Karina Lyle, not her Hero name Blue Rose. Barely thirty minutes passed before the programs were interrupted by none other than HeroTV, and he couldn't help but smile at some form of familiarity in this future he was stuck in.

He was surprised to find that Rock Bison and Fire Emblem had retired, and found out the reason why Blue Rose was releasing albums under her real name. The singer was no longer a Hero it seemed, her replacement was another ice-type NEXT, but male instead. Kronos Foods' new Hero had a similar theme as far as the power of invulnerability was concerned, except the only difference was this guy could turn his skin into solid stone, giving a literal meaning to his tagged name "the Unmovable Wall". Fire Emblem had stepped down from being a Hero to sponsoring one, the girl representing his company also a fire-type NEXT. She didn't have quite the same flare her predecessor did, but she was certainly impressive in her own right. There was one new Hero that surprised Barnaby – Apollon Media was still in the Hero game, and they had gone back to a solo act; Barnaby had a suspicious theory about "Sandstorm" when he saw him use his powers. That theory was further cemented when he noticed how closely he and Origami Cyclone were working together in this chase.

There was a soft smile though, on handsome features as he watched the broadcast, seeing them successfully apprehend the criminals. It was calming to know that HeroTV wouldn't change much during the years. Barnaby spent another hour or so watching varies programs, still trying to get a feel for the times before he glanced up at the clock, noticing it was past one already. He wandered back into the kitchen to make a light lunch, this time finding some luncheon meats and making a simple sandwich, before realizing he hadn't seen Kotetsu since the man disappeared into the room. He thought about knocking, asking if he could get anything for the man, but decided against it. Kotetsu seemed very reluctant to talk to him, and Barnaby had to wonder what had happened between that could've caused this discomfort between them.

He got bored after the next hour, simply leaving the TV on to whatever channel he thought was remotely interesting, sitting back against the sofa as he planned his next move. The front doorbell rang, startling Barnaby a little as he glanced over to it. It rang again after a few seconds, forest green eyes looking to the door he decided led in to an office space; there were no signs of movement or that Kotetsu might have heard the bell. It rang a third time and Barnaby debated with himself whether he should answer it or not; on the forth ring he decided to take the chance, seeing that Kotetsu was not going to re-emerge anytime soon. He took in a deep breath, hoping it was a familiar face as he pulled the door open, coming face to face with a young woman standing on the pavement.

Her large green eyes stared at him in a shock, the white plastic bag she was carrying falling to the ground as it slipped from her hand. Barnaby only blinked at her, puzzled by her reaction and wondering who she was exactly – until he noticed a purple flower hairpin in her dishwater-blond hair. He blinked even more as he stared at this woman in surprise.

"…Dragon… Kid…?" She made a startled noise, before a glare came to her face, putting a hand against his chest. Barnaby didn't have time to react as he felt a sharp shock rack through his whole body, letting out a staggering scream at the pain before he blacked out.

-Chapter Two/End-