With the most impeccable timing after lunch Barnaby got a phone call from Doc Saito.
Barnaby's green eyes had looked apologetic as he flipped his phone open and began to chat away with the good doc. Kotetsu sat patiently on the hood of the limo, watching the hustle and bustle around him. He was still in a weirdly happy mood after their lunch together. So Barnaby had a soul? What a fantastic bit of blackmail.
Part of his job entailed being on alert and when Barnaby had moved out of earshot to speak with Doc Saito, Kotetsu instinctively went on lookout duty. They were in the odd mid-day where the average Joe and Jane were working inside of offices and kids were still in school, eagerly awaiting the last school bell when they could be unleashed upon the concrete city. The only people milling about seemed to be elderly people and random suit and tie's who paid the blond no attention. Well some women were paying attention to Barnaby, but that sure wasn't the attention he truly needed protection from.
He pulled the v-neck of his shirt off his chest, hoping to release some heat from his body. The black shirt and bulletproof vest were not made for the hot days ahead. Maybe he should talk to Barnaby about designing something less warm. Or at least not black. Why did he even need to wear black? Shouldn't he be trying to blend in? Not stick out and make himself and Barnaby even more so of targets. Wearing all black was like hanging a sign on his back that said "I'm with him! Aim here!"
Kotetsu distractedly watched as Barnaby hung up his cell phone. The blonde's shoulders dropped slightly as he let out a deep breath. He wondered if everything is alright, Barnaby didn't seem like the guy to just drop his image because of a phone call. He was moving to slid off the hood of the limo when two young women approached Barnaby. Both had to be in their early twenties, stylish young things with flirty eyes. It took less than a second for the confident and charming smile to replace his surprised look. Kotetsu almost groaned seeing that ladies man smile overtake the young man's face. Those poor women were in for it now. Another set of hearts tangled up in a bunny's web.
Several minutes later Barnaby waved goodbye to the women who were giggling loudly, dramatically fanning themselves.
Kotetsu folded his arms over his chest and went into daddy mode.
"You really shouldn't do that you know?"
Barnaby looked genuinely confused, eyes slightly widened and mouth open.
"Do what?"
Kotetsu nodded behind Barnaby.
"Encourage those poor ladies. Their hearts are gonna be crushed. By a blond bunny!" His smile grew at Barnaby's flushing face.
The blond puffed out his chest, "That's none of your business ouji-san."
Kotetsu didn't hide his unbelieving smile and changed topics, "So what did the good doc say?"
Barnaby barely missed a beat before replying. "Bad news. Looks like an intern caused a Level 4 shut down of the facilities at Apollon's Research Quarters. They've been on lockdown for the past hour and Doc Saito says that he's not expecting to get out of there until 7 tonight."
Kotetsu leaned back onto his hands. "Then I take it your schedule just freed up considerably?"
Barnaby nodded. "Looks like it."
"What exactly could an intern do to lockdown one of the biggest corporations in this hemisphere of the world for 7 or 8 hours?" Kotetsu asked out of pure curiosity.
The green eyes had a warning look to them when Barnaby answered, "You really don't want to know."
Hands flew up in a mockingly scared manner. "Whatever you say Bunny."
Greens eye rolled tiredly and his charming façade cracked, "Look it's Barna-"
"Anyways!" Kotetsu barged on, not really caring for the inevitable speech about to occur. "Since your schedule is wide open and you have absolutely no food in your little flat, it's grocery time."
Barnaby seemed baffled by the sudden enthusiasm and recovered only enough to say, "I am more than capable of food shopping on my own."
Kotetsu tossed a warm smile over his shoulder.
"Bunnies need more than celery and carrots to thrive!"
"Rabbits tend to eat more than carrots ouji-san. In fact I don't even like carrots." Barnaby sounded like a little kid pulling every last trick out of his hat to impress a grown up.
The older man just waved off the halfhearted complaint and held open the limo door for his blond charge with a flourish of his hands.
Rolling his eyes Barnaby slipped easily into the car, a little upset over Kotetsu's insistence upon treating him like a kid.
The grocery store that Kotetsu brought them to was a little mom and pop place that Nathan had once recommended for its charm and the fact it wasn't very popular with large crowds. Perfect for anyone in their business.
It hadn't taken Kotetsu long to search through the isles for what he thought Barnaby might want to eat. Of course the sugary breakfast cereal he had held up to the blond had been a joke, but it was worth a shot. But it soon became a game of sorts where Kotetsu would pick up different things he thought Barnaby would eat and the man would respond with a shake or nod of his head. And as much as Kotetsu loved playing games, he really sucked at this one. His hit or miss ratio was horribly skewed to the miss column and Barnaby looked only slightly aggravated at the whole mess.
They looked pretty domestic for the most part, if not a little flashy for the entire store. Then again, Kotetsu thought with a smile, the store had to deal with a glittery and bejeweled Nathan as a costumer on a regular basis. So a sharply dressed Barnaby and Kotetsu decked out in a bulletproof vest and black pants (customary hat in place) wouldn't be too weird.
When Barnaby had gotten tired of Kotetsu trying to determine what kind of bread he would eat he sighed, crouching down to retrieve a brand of bread Kotetsu had never heard of and tossed it in the plastic basket he had slung over his arm. A frustrated scowl appeared on Barnaby's face and he looked up at Kotetsu.
"What kind of method are you using to determine what I would like to eat? I can't see a rhyme or reason at all." Barnaby thought back to the items his bodyguard had held up to him. There had been the children's cereal, a bag of carrots (I still don't eat carrots ouji-san), sugary sweets, a can of olives and a tin of black coffee that was a shade darker than Kotetsu's black pants.
His question received a simple shrug and a hopeful smile.
"Uh, mostly I've been going with my gut. I knew you weren't a vegetarian because of lunch so I went from there."
Barnaby stood up and walked away from the breads, knowing Kotetsu would be hot on his heels.
And he honestly did try to hide the crinkle of his nose at the word 'gut'.
"So you have been using your gut instinct? I think it may be time for you to change your tactics."
"Using my gut has gotten me this far." Kotetsu threw his hands behind his head. "Why would I change what works?"
Another shake of blond curls distracted Kotetsu. "Because, your instincts have been wrong for the past hour."
Kotetsu laughed and almost slung an arm over the younger man. He paused midway when he remembered that this was Barnaby, who most definitely would not appreciate the friendly gesture. Instead his hands awkwardly settled in his pockets. Geez this kid was so composed about everything. And he was acting more like Kotetsu's father than his client. Kotetsu stared at the back of Barnaby's head and simply wondered if anyone had ever gotten it through to this kid to lighten up. He was going to give himself a heart attack before the end of seven months and then what was Kotetsu supposed to do? A heart attack client at the age of 24? Yeah that would not be good. Barnaby turned to look back at Kotetsu, only a questioning pull at his lips even hinted that he wondered what Kotetsu was doing.
He honestly did want to see the kid relax. He probably was really nice! Okay, so he probably wouldn't be extremely nice or anything. But Kotetsu had seen the blond trying to be nice at the restaurant, first when he had stumbled over his wife and then again to little Ivan. Barnaby was probably at least not as cold when he loosened up.
A set of eyes had settled upon Kotetsu and his gut told him to be on the lookout. Trying not alert Barnaby, he scanned the aisles, searching for the pair of eyes he knew had been on him earlier. He felt a slight pressure building on his nerves, ones that he had learned to trust after many years. But when he could't pinpoint where the unease was coming from he brushed off the feeling. Just to be safe he cast a few quick glances that told him the threat was not lurking any more and he turned just in time to see two women approaching Barnaby (again).
This time Barnaby turned and a smile lit his face.
"Kriem! Cis! What are you two doing here?"
The two women smiled in turn at the blond, the dark haired woman hugging Barnaby with her little arms. The pale haired woman stood back enough for the two to reacquaint themselves.
Kotetsu slid back to stand by Barnaby, making his presence known. These two girls were probably Barnaby's age. Both small and lithe, the girls were fairly attractive in their own respects and Kotetsu chose to stay slightly on guard with these new girls that Barnaby obviously knew. The blond was still talking when the dark haired woman's eyes slid onto Kotetsu. He tried to maintain steady eye contact but the little tattoo under her eye was distracting.
Catching onto his mistake Barnaby turned slightly and motioned at Kotetsu.
"Ah, I forgot. Ladies, this is Kotetsu Kaburagi! He's going to be my guide around the city for my stay here."
The same dark haired woman held out her hand daintily and Kotetsu took it lightly before placing a kiss on it.
"You mean he's a bodyguard, don't you Barnaby? His clothes certainly don't seem to suggest a mere guide."
Both men smiled at the girl. But Barnaby's laugh almost knocked Kotetsu off kilter. His smile was warm at the two women, even if the pale haired woman still hadn't said a word.
"You're right as usual Kriem. Yes, Mr. Kaburagi is going to be my bodyguard for a while." Green eyes flited over to Kotetsu and he smiled, "Mr. Kaburagi, these are some of my friends from high school. This is Kriem."
The dark haired woman tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement. "And Cis."
Another cool stare greeted Kotetsu's outstretched hand. He pulled back his hand awkwardly and laughed. "Nice to meet you ladies."
The spokeswoman for both of the ladies smiled and chirped, "And it's very nice to meet you Mr. Kaburagi. Cis and I sincerely hope that Barnaby isn't being too much trouble. He does have a tendency of being a tease." Her eyes were warm as she looked at Barnaby who shook his head. Kotetsu watched the interaction. Barnaby certainly seemed popular amongst the women they had encountered but Kotetsu didn't think he was a tease. That just sounded so dirty.
And as usual Barnaby smoothly change the direction of the conversation.
"I think you have mistaken me for someone else Kriem. But I am curious as to where your husband is? It's been since the wedding since we've seen each other right?"
The knowing glint in Kriem's eyes told Kotetsu that she knew Barnaby well enough to know what the boy was doing, but she tapped a black polished fingernail to her lips, thoughtful.
"He should be around here somewhere. I just sent him for some of my favorite candybars."
A cold voice answered Kriem, and Kotetsu blinked at actually hearing the other girl speak. "He is always in his own world, you know that Kriem."
Kriem seemed unsuprised by the girl and she turned to her friend.
"But that was fifteen minutes ago! Surely he couldn't of gotten lost in such a small store."
Kotetsu noticed the hulking man before the other three and he began to warn them when the man closed his arms around Kriem.
The girl turned minutely in his arms, pout instantly forgotten, and threw her arms around his neck. "There you are Jake! We've been waiting on you."
Cis sighed and looked away from the interaction.
Kotetsu's warning died in his throat at the appearance of the man. He was shaggy and scraggly, with wild pink and yellow hair and odd tattoos that went together with his wife's. The man was tall and what he had thought was a hulking physique was really a fuzzy jacket that looked suspiciously like a lion pelt. Underneath was a pale bare torso with crisscrossing lines of scare tissue. Kotetsu didn't judge people, or at least he tried not to, but Jake was an odd cookie no matter how he sliced it.
Refraining from glancing over to Barnaby, Kotetsu twitched. This wasn't really the crowd he pictured Barnaby hanging out with at that elite boarding school his resume had listed. Amber eyes slid down the bony fingers of the man's hands, noting the lack of actual candy there.
After several awkward seconds of the married couple nuzzling Jake finally seemed to realize they had an audience. He turned away from his wife and grinned at the two males across from him.
"Well, hello there Barnaby. Long time no see."
Barnaby smiles turned more so polite than warm. "A very long time Jake. The wedding was at least two years ago, if I remember correctly." Jake seemed uninterested in catching up though because a bony finger directed itself at Kotetsu. "And who's this fellow?"
Kotetsu spoke up for the first time in a while and stood straighter. "Kotetsu Kaburagi. At your service!"
Kriem tapped the lion pelted arm, drawing her husband's attention to her once again.
"Mr. Kaburagi is Barnaby's bodyguard while he's in town. And before you showed up I was going to suggest them coming to dinner with us on Friday." Her dark eyes found Barnaby's and Kotetsu's, slightly inquiring if they wanted to come.
Kotetsu wasn't too sure he approved of the idea, but Barnaby seemed happy that there were familiar faces in Sternbuild. And Kotetsu realized how alone Barnaby must have actually felt in a different city with just his uncle as a familiar face. Seeing these high school friends were the familiarity that Barnaby had been lacking so far. That was enough for Kotetsu and he promised himself he would be extra on guard at dinner. Barnaby saw the assent in his bodyguard and nodded. "We'd love to come, thank you Kriem and Jake."
Kriem smiled brightly, while Jake's face simply frowned uninterestedly.
Cis spoke up again, eyes turned to the store front.
"My show's on in 13 minutes. Let's go."
Barnaby and Kriem exchanged information for Friday night before the trio departed with promises of seeing each other in a few days.
Once the aisle way was empty, Kotetsu let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. The dull ache was lifting off his chest and he tried to shake the encounter off his mind. Friday was a long time away and before then he hoped he and Barnaby would be more friends than acquaintances at that point. But before that came getting them back to Barnaby's flat and starting a yummy dinner.
Stretching his arms easily over his head, Kotetsu listened to the pops of his spine and clasped Barnaby on the back. Oh, he forgot he wasn't supposed to do that. But he figured he was alright when Barnaby only spared him a brief glance. The blond's shoulders were slightly stiff but the energy seemed to be leaking out of his body. "I think I have had enough of running into people we know." He declared.
Kotetsu blinked before he agreed and looked at their basket of food.
"And I think we have enough for at least a week. Want anything else?"
A blank stare was his answer and Kotetsu almost missed Barnaby's small smile.
"No, let's just check out."
"You're the boss." Kotetsu shrugged and walked beside the blonde, matching his stride.
Barnaby had the nerve to laugh, causing Kotetsu to cringe.
"I'm not so sure about that."
Once they were back at Barnaby's flat, the two had quickly set about placing everything in it's appropriate place, before starting up a slow cooked dinner. Over the course of their cooking Kotetsu finally broke the news that he would be living with Barnaby, direct orders from Agnes herself. Barnaby had scoffed with a quick reply of "Figures." Other than a small joke on what time the ouji-san had to be in bed, Barnaby had taken the news surprisingly well. And once again Kotetsu found himself thinking that seven months wasn't that long and his job would get a little easier everyday.
A/N: And that's Chapter 4 guys. Looking back on the last few chapter, I realized that all this drama has occurred in one day. That is crazy and I wish my life was that fulfilling in one day. But luckily Chapter 5 starts on a new day and we begin the snowball effect of DRAMA and PLOTLINES. So watch out for that. And thank you to my lovely reviewers, lurkers and general audiences. It is great to hear feedback from you all. And in response to some question in the review:
SK- thanks for the compliment! I hope I keep them as much In Character as possible in this story. Different situations mean different reactions. I think.
deemama66- I hope to keep the teeth rotting to a minimum. Barnaby and Kotetsu are just sizing each other up and well, we will see how that plays out.
Illuminati-4- You had really great points that I totally pictured in my head, but sometimes I forget ya'll aren't reading this in my head. Haha Hope the story is unique enough for you! And yes I can't wait to introduce everyone else! We've got Nathan and Antonio as fellow bodyguards (Nathan of course ordered his unfiorm in blinding baby pink) and little Ivan is a waiter (an adorable on). But where does that leave Pao-lin? Keith? Karina? I would love to hear your thoughts where they are :) I already have Pao-lin's intro written out, and Keith and Karina are waiting in the wings. Kotetsu's backstory happens in 2-3 chapters depending on how they end of splitting up.
TheYoko- Hang in there with a bratty Barnaby for a little while, all shall be revealed!
And thanks to Lilytaiba for the encouragement!
Long AN but the final point is that i start a summer class next week and as such I plan on updating when I can, it won't be everyday but it will be weekly.
