AN: I don't know what Tetsuko's husband's name would be, so I just went with Tomo.


Tetsuko didn't breeze through Justice Tower's security like she used to, but she's fine with that. She now walked about the place toting a 'Visitor' ID card, and without her domino mask, she was just plain old Tetsuko T. Kaburagi.

Her only stop was, naturally, the gym. She'd sauntered in, whistling lightly under her breath, and waited until the rest of the Heroes noticed her. A cacophony of squeals ensued, as Karina, Pao Lin and Nathan smothered her with hugs and kisses. Ivan shyly stood back, but a wide smile could be seen through the curtain of his bangs as Tetsuko patted him in the head. Antonio fistbumped and high-fived her, while Keith gallantly bowed and kissed her hand.

"Whew, this place hasn't changed a bit!" Tetsuko breathed. Save for the season's latest Hero posters and Ivan's collection of anime figurines, everything was the same…even that distinct locker room sweat smell.

"You have such lousy timing, Tets," said Nathan. "Handsome's not here. He's got photoshoots of some sort."

"Nah, that's okay. I already saw him yesterday," said Tetsuko.

Nathan raised an exquisitely plucked brow. "Oh?" he said thoughtfully.

"Is it true what we heard?" Pao Lin eagerly butted in. "You've got a job offer?"

"That means you're staying, right? You'd better not run off like you did last time," Karina said in scolding tones.

"Ahaha…n-nothing's confirmed yet! There's still the interview, and…well, truthfully I've never gone to these things before. Maybe an endurance test or something?" said Tetsuko.

"Whatever it is, I wish Wild Tigress all the best!" said Keith. "You can do it!"

"Come on, you've gotta check out our new posters. My stupid sponsor's gone and Photoshopped my boobs again. Can you believe it? Now it's one size bigger!" said Karina, pulling her arm.

"You kidding me? I wish I had yours when I was sixteen!" Tetsuko exclaimed.

"Ha, to replace your sagging ones?" Antonio said with a smirk.

"Oi, they're still Wild, ok?"

They chatted animatedly for a while, and checked out the posters. Tetsuko expressed suitable admiration for Karina's visually adjusted mammary glands, although she was quick to stress that she still wasn't happy that Suntory were making her out as nothing more than fanservice fodder. At least Tetsuko didn't have to worry about that during her Hero days, because Bunny was the fanservice.

At one point, when everyone's attention was suitably diverted, Tetsuko suddenly felt a hand grab her elbow, and she was pulled behind a particularly tasteless potted plant. Nathan's face loomed over her, looking more serious than he ever could.

"Listen, girl," he said. "Tonight. You, me, the Hellfire Club. No excuses."

"Eh? What for? I-I don't feel like dancing, Nath-"

"No, you don't understand. Tonight, you and I are going out. I'll pick you up, so by God you'd better be ready by 7." Nathan released her. "And wear something sexy."

"B-but I don't have anything sex-"

The man was already gone. "Hmph, typical superhero exit," Tetsuko grumbled.


True to his word, Nathan waited outside her home in his flaming red Zenvo, right at the dot of 7pm. He rolled his eyes when he saw Tetsuko.

"I said sexy, Tets. Don't you have anything else other than your outdated gear?"

"I prefer the term 'retro'," said Tetsuko, sliding onto the passenger seat and closing the door after her. She hadn't bothered to change her usual vest-and-shirt assembly, although she did scrub herself well in the shower. She was now squeaky clean from top to bottom.

"That's another word for 'so last year', darling," drawled Nathan as he joined the traffic.

"So what was so important that I have to go out with you? Kaede's all alone at home, you know."

"She's got free access to the tv?"

"Yeah."

"And insane amounts of snacks?"

"We had dinner. But…yeah."

"Then she'll be fine. If anything happens, she'll call the fire brigade. Or her Mama's friends, ahaha!"

"Oh, haha indeed. Well?"

"Honey, what do we talk about when you and I get together?"

Tetsuko thought about it. "McClaren? That tennis player you had a crush on?"

"McEnroy. And it's rugby," Nathan stressed.

"Same thing," said Tetsuko, waving a hand dismissively.

"No, it's not!"

"Both sports involve hitting balls around, no?"

"Interesting. But no. Try again."

Tetsuko growled. She had little patience for guessing games. "Antonio's butt? Or just guys' butts in general?"

"Ha! No. Final guess."

"Global warming? Plutonium deposits? What?"

Nathan turned towards her and gave her a Sphinx-like smile. "Bar-na-by!"

"Eeh? Bunny? What about him?"

"Hm, hm…there's something you kids aren't sharing with your Aunty Nathan, isn't there?"

"Such as…? What we have for breakfast, that kind of thing?"

"I know you two hooked up at some point. Don't deny it! Question is, when and what happened afterwards? Handsome wouldn't admit it, of course…but he completely changed after you left. Kept to himself a lot. At least when you were around he'd show his face when we have our little gatherings."

"He was busy! Building a pet toaster."

Nathan's brow wrinkled. "What?"

"Nothing. Private joke. Anyway, you know how he is. A bit anti-social, but at least now he plays nicer with the others…right?"

"Yes. He's a puppy you've housebroken quite nicely. How did you ever manage that?"

"Honestly? I don't know."

"Whatever you did, it worked. So spill, girl. I just know there's a story behind this."

"Sheesh, you're being kinda nosy, aren't you?"

"That's why you love me, Tets," said Nathan with a wink. "Ah, so we're here."

"This place yours?" Tetsuko asked as the valets opened the doors for them.

"The name's such a gimme, isn't it?" Nathan beamed, stepping out of the car, fashionable heels clicking smartly on the asphalt.

"Well, it's certainly…" said Tetsuko, craning her neck up and taking in the garish neon lights, the building's modern deco design, and concluded: "Something."

Nathan didn't resume his line of interrogation until they were comfortably seated inside his personal booth. Tetsuko had settled for a non-alcoholic drink, much to his disappointment. He'd hoped that he could get her loose enough for her to confess everything.

"Sorry, I gotta watch my health now," Tetsuko had said, smiling politely.

"You're really showing your age when you talk like that, you know," Nathan sighed. "But, whatever. So, back to Barnaby…"

"There's really nothing to tell! We're good friends, and that's it."

"Um-hmm. Friends with benefits, I take it?"

"Haha, you're worse than the tabloids, Nathan…always speculating the wrong things."

"Really? Then how do you explain this?" said Nathan, taking out his smartphone and showing it to her.

Tetsuko automatically closed her eyes, knowing full well what was on the screen. She imagined the amount of cameras snapping at that moment, calculated the frame rate and number of consecutive shots, and if she gathered them all together, she'd have enough material to make a full ten second 360 degree clip of her and Barnaby kissing at the Cultural Expo last year.

She laughed uneasily. "Ahahaha, that thing? Uhm, that's – that's just harmless! Ok, please get that off my face," she pushed the phone aside. "Something was stuck in my teeth, and Bunny was helping me get it out."

Nathan gave her a flat look. "A pervy version of Bunny floss? Come on, you can do better than that."

"Ok, fine. You want the truth? Then here goes-" Tetsuko paused, took a deep breath, and said: "My heels snapped that time. I tripped and Bunny caught me."

Nathan slapped the tabletop hard enough to make her jump. "With his mouth? Really, Tets?!"

Tetsuko gulped. For a man wearing shimmering eyeshadow and double coating of mascara, Nathan certainly could look fierce if he wanted to. The former Wild Tigress took a long sip from her iced tea and tried again.

"This is old news, Nathan. Why now? Why here? You could've asked about this ages ago."

"I did. The media was crawling all over this after you left. Remember those emails I sent that you never replied?"

Tetsuko did, and her guilt was clearly written on her face. "Ah, media. You know how they are. Leave it alone for three days and they'll move on to other things."

"You really won't share something important like this with your Hero friends? Your best friends?"

Tetsuko winced. She was hoping that Nathan wouldn't pull out the friendship card to emotionally blackmail her.

"Alright, fine," she said after a lengthy pause. "You want the truth?"

"No funny tricks this time," Nathan growled.

"Bunny and I…may have…or rather, we almost…did a home run."

Nathan's expression went blank at first. Tetsuko briefly wondered if that information alone wasn't sensational enough for him. But suddenly he erupted in a loud squeal, causing her to jump for the second time. He swooped forth, grabbing both her hands.

"Really?! So what happened?" he said excitedly. "Tell me everything!"

"Everything?" Tetsuko echoed weakly.

"Everything," Nathan affirmed. "So that Cultural Expo was just the beginning?"

"We went out for dinner that night. His treat. At some swizz schmancy restaurant whose name I can't pronouce. Anyway, so. Everything was normal. I was being my usual klutzy derp, and he laughed at me. Thinking back I realize that we both didn't want to think that I was leaving the next day. It was…sad, really…" Tetsuko trailed off, her eyes caught in the past.

"Somewhere along the way," she went on, "we started walking around the Expo. They had all these traditional dances going on, and it just so happened that we watched the Kabuki dance. Bunny mentioned that he'd never seen such things before. I told him it's rather common over at Oriental Town. The municipal council's always organizing shows to 'educate the youngsters' or somesuch rot. Anyway, then Bunny suddenly said he couldn't imagine what he'd do without me around anymore. I made some stupid joke, and before I know it, we were kissing."

Tetsuko sat back. Somewhere in the middle of her tale, Nathan had released her and clasped both his hands over his heart. It could've just been the light, but the man's eyes looked positively glistening. "Magic," he breathed dreamily. His face then turned serious all of a sudden as he snapped: "Then? Did you get into his pants afterwards?"

"You really want to know that part too?" Tetsuko muttered.

"Well? You've already started talking, so you might as well finish it. Otherwise I'll keep on hounding you forever!"

"We went back to his place. Then things happened in his car, and…oh God, I don't think I'd ever look at his gear stick the same way again," Tetsuko said, blushing profusely.

"His gear stick, or his 'gear stick'?"

"That gear stick! The-the one you use to switch your car gear!" Tetsuko exclaimed, demonstrating with one hand. "Sheesh, how dirty minded can you get?"

"You'd be surprised, Tets. Then?"

"Then we got into his room, and before I know it, I was…we were…" Tetsuko stuttered. If Nathan was expecting a blow-by-blow account of her sex life, then he's in for a big disappointment. She was never comfortable talking about such things to other people. "We got naked, okay? I was ready and he really was about to do it. He was this close," she said, holding up her thumb and forefinger and putting them half an inch apart.

Nathan's eyes were like saucers. "That close?"

"Okay, no." Thumb and forefinger were squeezed closer together so that they were touching. "More like this."

"God, no. Then what happened?"

"Then I felt it."

"Ooh. His – uh…" Nathan trailed off, waggling his brows suggestively as he pointed at his groinal area.

"No, no. My ring. My wedding ring."

"Eh?"

"I felt it around my finger and suddenly I was hit by this unbelievable sense of guilt. It was a memory of Tomo, and having sex with someone else while wearing it just seemed wrong…it's like having him stand there and watch as I do it…y'know?"

"Then why didn't you take it off?"

Tetsuko shook her head. "I simply couldn't. I told Bunny to stop, apologized to him, and that's that. He understood, of course. Sheesh, that idiot can be too understanding for his own good sometimes. I hated myself for doing it. I mean, he's been trying so hard, and I just…well…" She closed her eyes with a sigh, allowing her forehead to drop onto the tabletop with an audible bang. "I'm such an idiot," she mumbled.

"That you are, girl," said Nathan, taking a sip out of his drink. "It never occurred to you to try again now that you're back here?"

"I don't know. Bunny never mentioned it, so I thought that maybe he's put it all behind. Besides, he dated people afterwards, right?"

Nathan made a face. "Half-starved stick insects with brains of a mollusc. None that fits his calibre, I can assure you. From the way he goes through each one of them says that he wasn't happy too."

Tetsuko straightened herself up. "Well, at least he's trying to like people again. That's good."

"Stop kidding yourself, Tets. Handsome's single again, so you really should go for it. I'm not undermining your feelings towards your husband, mind you. I'm sure what you had with him then was wonderful. But don't you think it's time that you moved on? Finding someone doesn't mean that you dishonour his memory. Why, if Tomo was here, he'd want you to be happy instead of moping about and making doe eyes at Handsome."

"I do not make doe eyes!" Tetsuko protested loudly.

"Figure of speech, darling," Nathan drawled. "So tell me: what's he like?"

"What's what like?"

"Oh, you know! Barnaby naked…?"

"Wha-? You're really asking me this?"

"Go on. I know you're dying to tell," Nathan said, quirking his brows suggestively.

Tetsuko smiled despite herself. Her eyes took on a dreamy sheen as she recalled. "Cool, yet hot at the same time. The real him would never waste time with words. He'd prefer to show how he feels. He's like…like the Columbus of sex – always exploring."

"And…?" Nathan said, eagerly leaning forth and placing his elbow on the table, missed, and almost dropped his drink.

"The way he looks at you as if you're the only thing that matters. And he's meticulous. Very meticulous. It's like he's mentally taking notes on what I like and what I don't like. And those hands…ooh. They could make nightingales sing!"

Nathan collapsed against the couch, fanning himself with a napkin. "Ohh, be still my doki doki heart!"

Tetsuko cleared her throat as politely as she could. She had no idea how heartthrobbing her affair was with Barnaby, but apparently it was working wonders on Nathan. "Right," she managed.

"You. You're one lucky woman! D'you have any idea how many girls would kill just to see what you saw?"

"Meh. See one naked man and you've already seen the rest. What's the big deal?"

That comment earned a light swat up the back of her head from Nathan.

"Silly Tets!" he exclaimed. "That's your problem, right there! You've got a good thing going, yet you throw it away. You'll end up regretting it, trust me."

"I have my reasons. I don't expect you to understand them, but they're mine. Besides, I'd rather worry about Kaede than myself. I really need this job, Nathan. I'm not good at anything else."

"Oh, pshaw. You've had it in the bag right from the beginning. You needn't have to worry."

"What do you mean by that?" Tetsuko asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Nothing. Hero Academy's doomed if they don't have the Wild Tigress around to show them what's what. Try not to scare your students on the first day, okay?"

"Hah, you kidding me? We're all gonna Roar Wildly!"

"Keep those corny catchphrases to a minimum. They're there to graduate, not flunk."

"They're really that bad?"

"Like a hangnail," said Nathan, nodding sagely as he finished up his drink. "Call him, Tets. Start where you both left off. I know he's been waiting for you to do that."

Tetsuko didn't know how to respond. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that the very thought made her uncomfortable. So she merely shrugged, and gave him a bright smile.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not. I'll just…I don't know."

The vexed look she received from Nathan didn't make her feel any better.


Episode the next: Kaede's teenage angst, and the Vegeta vs. Kamen Rider debate between Tetsuko and Antonio. Which one does Bunny prefer?