DISCLAIMER: This story is a non-commercial work of fiction based on the anime series TIGER & BUNNY. Trademarks & Copyright © 2011 by SUNRISE, T&B PARTNERS, MBS. Absolutely no monetary gain has been made with this work.
BENEATH THE CHERRY BLOSSOM MOON
By Rory
PART SEVEN
Barnaby stood a short distance from the stage, leaning against a post. He was struggling very hard to keep his growing irritation and impatience off his handsome face, as he watched a clearly mortified Kotetsu – having been designated the 'Princess' of the Festival – leading the Bon-odori dance with his mother and the other women.
Tonight was going to be the night, he had, days back, firmly decided upon. Tonight, he was going to make known to his partner what his true feelings for him were. He was planning to do it while they were dancing. He would sweep the older man off his feet and then, in the heat of the moment, propose to him. However, to his growing dismay, it did not seem like he was ever going to get Kotetsu to himself.
The Bon-odori finally came to an end and the emcee announced that a band will be playing more contemporary tunes, especially for the teenagers who were in attendance. Barnaby pushed himself off from the post, striding toward his partner who was descending from the stage. He came to a dead halt, however, when women pushed their way past him, heading toward Kotetsu.
"Kotetsu-kun!" one woman declared. "Please dance with me!"
"Excuse me!" The lady they had spoken with earlier – the one with the impressive rack – cut in and grabbed Kotetsu's arm. "He promised to dance with me first."
Barnaby raised a beseeching hand to the elder Hero. "But, Kotetsu-san..."
Helplessly, Kotetsu could only tip his hat to Barnaby, saying, "Sorry, Bunny."
A pretty teenager wearing a plum blossom print kimono eagerly took Barnaby's hand. "I would appreciate a dance, Barnaby-san."
The band began to play a lively hiphop tune. Although Barnaby tried to keep up with the rhythm, his green eyes remained focused on his partner. Kotetsu was about five meters away from him, dancing in that stiff style of his. His dancing partner, however, seemed oblivious to his lack of terpsichorean skill and simply latched on to him like an octopus.
Barnaby was about to storm over and break the couple apart. But then, the band changed the music that they were playing to a rumba, the song "Sway" in particular. On the dance floor, there arose groans from the young people who were unfamiliar with the dance style. A grinning Kaede, who was standing on the stage with camera in hand, ignored the crowd and gave Barnaby a thumbs-up sign.
Kaede's choice of music actually suited Barnaby, who definitely preferred elegant ballroom music and dances. With renewed determination, he said a quick "Excuse me" to the teenager and went over to where Kotetsu stood.
As he swept an inviting hand gracefully to his partner, Barnaby asked, "May I have this dance, Kotetsu-san?"
"Are you sure you want me stepping on your toes, Bunny-chan?" Kotetsu inquired teasingly, raising one dark eyebrow.
Remembering that knowing grin on Kaede's face, Barnaby just answered mysteriously, "I don't think that will happen this time. Mind if I lead?"
Kotetsu's cheeks turned pink at that query. "I guess it's okay. I think I've grown accustomed to being called 'Princess'. I mean..." He chuckled. "...I doubt if I'll feel embarrassed any further."
Barnaby wondered how his partner would feel if he knew what he was going to say to him later. Rather than think about what could happen, he took the older man's hand. "Don't worry," he said in reassurance. "I'm pretty sure that, after we're through, we'll have the crowd cheering us on."
During the first few minutes of the dance, Barnaby put Kotetsu through the simple steps, moving close to each other and then back, before executing some half turns. But then, as the dance continued, the blond Hero began noticing subtle changes in his partner. Kotetsu's movements were gradually losing their stiffness, becoming more fluid. His body and hips were undulating with the sinuous rhythm of the music. A glance down at the older man's mincing steps revealed that he was dancing effortlessly on the balls of his feet, his heels raised. Because his steps were being hampered by his zori sandals, he nudged them off and kicked them aside.
As the music was about to reach one of its many dramatic pauses, Barnaby pulled his partner to him. Kotetsu gracefully spun on his toes, letting the hem of his yukata flutter upward. The shocking eyeful that Barnaby got prompted him to catch the older man in his arms and press him close to his body, especially when Kotetsu executed a sideways high kick. While Barnaby supported that long leg with his left arm, his right hand jerked the yukata down.
"Damn it, Kotetsu-san!" Barnaby hissed in the veteran Hero's ear. "You're not wearing anything under your yukata!"
"I was having second thoughts about going to the festival. Although I had put on the yukata, I had yet to wear the fundoshi, having just come out of the bathroom," Kotetsu whispered in explanation. "I've already made up my mind not to go. But Kaachan barged into my room and dragged me straight to the SUV before I could put something on."
The blond urged Kotetsu into a tame slow dance. "What're we going to do now?"
"Have an extra pair of underwear on you?"
"Well..." Barnaby turned red, reluctant to say more. In the end, he admitted, "I am wearing the fundoshi you gave me. If I take it off and cut it in half, do you think it'll fit you too?"
At that revelation, Kotetsu's face lit up like a beacon. "Really? You ARE wearing it? I wanna see!"
Barnaby deftly sent the older man twirling away from him. "Not a chance!"
The music changed to a fast, bouncy swing. There was a devilish grin on Kotetsu's face as he wiggled his fingers eagerly. "I'm going to look...whether you like it or not."
"Try it and I'll expose you to everyone here!"
To his dismay, Kotetsu simply shrugged the threat off. "That's okay! Many of the folks here had already seen me skinny dipping in the lake with Antonio."
Kaede, who was listening to their exchange on the TV camera's long range microphone, winced as Fire Emblem's outraged shriek resounded over her earphones.
"You went skinny dipping with Tiger and yet you deprive me of even a glimpse of your fiery buns?" Nathan complained on the other end. "You're so unfair!"
There were choking sounds, and then Rock Bison squeaked out, "Help! I'm dying here!"
Kaede could only cluck her tongue and shake her head, as she turned her attention back to the two Heroes on the dance floor. She could barely hold back her squeals of delight as she watched her father and his partner. On outward appearances, it seemed like the Heroes were performing a traditional swing. But Kotetsu had been making deep graceful bends and floor slides in the attempt to reveal the younger man's fundoshi. Barnaby, in contrast, was determined to preserve his partner's modesty. When Kotetsu moved his hips suggestively, Barnaby had to lay his hand just above the older Hero's rump as a subtle warning for more decency.
All throughout their dance, Barnaby would stare, mesmerized, at the lively animation of Kotetsu's face – how he would smile as the younger man pulled him close and then laugh when Barnaby, just as quickly, drew away, remembering that his partner had plans to expose his fundoshi.
As the music reached its rousing end, both men acted simultaneously. Kotetsu was going to do a split on the floor and then flip the blond's yukata up. Barnaby, however, caught him before he could slide down. Undaunted, Kotetsu kicked up his right leg as Barnaby dipped him, his foot catching on the hem of the younger man's yukata. As a result, both Heroes found themselves completely exposed – Barnaby in a neon pink fundoshi and Kotetsu completely bare from the waist time – to a scandalized, but still titillated audience. Although Grandman Anju has her hands over her face, her fingers were spread so that she could still peer through. The old woman was grinning from ear to ear.
"Dad, you're such a pervert!" Kaede shrieked from the stage.
The two men straightened up at once, faces red from embarrassment, as resounding applause erupted from the crowd.
"Bunny..." Kotetsu said, his voice breathless.
Unable to contain his emotions any longer, Barnaby jerked the older man into his desperate embrace and bestowed a passionate kiss upon his full lips, completely ignoring the shocked gasps from everyone.
What he did feel was Kotetsu suddenly stiffening in his arms. He pressed the kiss even deeper, his tongue flicking over those lips requesting entry, only to be denied. As his eyelids fluttered open, Barnaby felt his heart drop into a bottomless hole on the floor, seeing Kotetsu's gold eyes round and wide with shock. Already, the older man's hands were moving up between their bodies. The young Hero did not wait to be shoved away.
It was Barnaby who ended the kiss, drawing back with tears of disappointment clouding his eyes. Kotetsu could only stare back at him, his cheeks flushed and lips open as he drank in little gulps of air.
"Kotetsu-san..." Barnaby felt the hot tears trickle down his face. But the apology would not come out of his mouth. "Kotetsu-san...I...I can't!"
With an anguished cry, Barnaby activated his Hundred Power and jumped high into the sky, ignoring Kotetsu's plea of "Barnaby! Wait, please!"
As a broken-hearted Barnaby fled from the festival grounds, all he could think about was, "Barnaby...He called me 'Barnaby'. I'm no longer 'Bunny' to him."
How far can a NEXT run within a five-minute time span?
For Barnaby, the great distance he had already traversed was not far enough. He would have fled straight to Stern Bild if his power had allowed it. But even if it were possible, he knew that it would be useless. All the rice fields and hills he had crossed could not block the painful memory of shocked amber eyes. He remembered that something had flickered briefly in those golden brown orbs, but he had decided not to linger before the emotion in those eyes turned to pure loathing.
His Hundred Power running out virtually caught Barnaby off-guard. He was attempting to leap over a tree trunk, but his power suddenly faded away so that he wasn't able to jump high enough. His leg bumped against the trunk and his zori got caught on a protruding branch. As the strap of his sandal was torn off, he fell, face first, to the ground. At that same instant, lightning cracked above his head followed by the deafening roar of thunder. Weary and heartbroken, the poor Hero can only lie on the soft earth, as big fat raindrops began to pour heavily down upon him.
Instinct should have prompted Barnaby to seek shelter in the dilapidated school building standing not far from where he was. Instead, he painfully picked himself up and trudged up the hill, heading for the solitary tree at the top. When he finally reached it, he practically sagged to the ground, his back scratching against the rough bark.
Tucking his long legs close to his body, Barnaby pressed his head to his knees, his whole body shaking as he wept.
"Kotetsu-san...Kotetsu-san..." the young Hero mumbled his partner's name again and again like a mantra, in the vain hope that the figure of the older man would be conjured up before him.
His cries, however, were drowned out by the sharp sizzle of lightning and the rumble of thunder.
In his misery, Barnaby did not notice how the branches of the tree he was sitting under moved to shield him from the downpour, although there was no brisk wind at that very moment.
I'm such an idiot! Barnaby berated himself repeatedly. How could Kotetsu-san love someone like me – selfish, impulsive, spiteful... I'm nothing at all like his beloved wife! And I'm also a man, for heaven's sake! How could I have been so stupid as to humiliate him in front of the entire town like that? I truly deserve to be rejected!"
Barnaby had no idea how long he had stayed under that tree. By his estimate, it was probably a couple of hours, maybe even more. He had just about made up his mind to return to Stern Bild just the way he was.
But then, he heard the sloshing sounds of footsteps tentatively approaching him.
"Just what is it with you kids nowadays?" His breath hitched in his throat, hearing the irritation in Kotetsu's voice. "First, it was Kaede. Now, it's you. When did running away ever solve anything? Do you have any idea how worried I was..."
"STOP LYING!"
That command stopped the older man in mid-sentence.
"Why did you come after me?" Barnaby asked bitterly without looking up at his partner. "I know how much you detest me for having kissed you in public like that. But I'm not sorry I did it! I love you, Kotetsu-san! I love you so much that I'm willing to accept even the smallest scrap of affection that you can give me. But why does loving you have to hurt so deeply? Why did my heart break when you didn't call me 'Bunny'?"
For several long, distressing moments, there was only the sound of the pouring rain. Already, Barnaby had resigned himself to the absolute certainty that his partner had abandoned him.
"Oh, Bunny!" There was no hiding the deep undercurrent of contained emotions in those two words. "Don't you understand? Do you know how difficult it has been for me as well? How could you love someone as worthless as I am? You're so young. You have a promising future ahead of you. The last thing I want is to become a burden to you."
"NO!" Barnaby at last raised his head at that strong declaration. "You will never be a burden..." Beholding his partner, he could only whisper in shock, "Kotetsu-san..."
Kotetsu's exquisite sunflower-and-tiger print yukata had been ripped and torn in several places. There were scratches on his face and small cuts on his arms and legs. He was favoring his right ankle, which was now visibly swollen. Both of his feet were scratched and muddy, not having worn his zori sandals in his haste to go after his partner.
Kotetsu flopped his arms to his sides helplessly. "I'm sorry, Bunny. I would've caught up with you sooner, but my Hundred Power ran out on me faster than I expected. I...I guess I'm officially down to just one minute now."
With a cry of regret and anguish, Barnaby flung himself into Kotetsu's arms. "This is all my fault!" he sobbed remorsefully, burying his face in the older man's shoulder. "You got hurt because of me!"
"This is nothing, Bunny, if you compare it to the wound I had inflicted in your heart. I'm sorry that I made you think that I didn't love you. It's just that I couldn't believe that you would love me in this way."
Barnaby gazed into those warm eyes. "Then let me prove it to you, Kotetsu-san. Let me demonstrate to you just how much I love you. I...I want you to make love to me."
Kotetsu chuckled inaudibly, seeing the younger man's cheeks turn crimson. Shaking his head, he said, "No, I don't think you're ready for that yet." He pressed his hand over Barnaby's lips before he could argue any further. "But...you can make love to me, if you're not averse to doing it with an old geezer like me, that is."
"Of course not!" Barnaby blurted out, only to blush harder as Kotetsu laughed. It was not his intention to show how desperately eager he was to play the dominant role. "I...I guess you have more experience than I do."
"No, actually I don't," Kotetsu surprisingly confessed to him. "But, I'm probably more prepared to handle a horny bunny like you."
"I'M NOT HORNY!"
Barnaby's outburst was stifled by the press of soft, hot lips on his mouth. Kotetsu's tongue poked and teased his lips until he parted them just a bit, enabling the older man to taste him. Even Kotetsu was just as giving, allowing his young partner to explore his moist depths.
When they briefly drew apart to breathe, there was an unusual red glimmer in Kotetsu's amber eyes.
"Maybe you aren't horny," Kotetsu said in response to Barnaby's final declaration. With his fingertip, he traced the Cupid's bow of the younger man's lips. "But you most certainly are my Bunny-chan."
