Chapter 10

Being a Hero

A/N: Chapter redone. It needed it. The other chapters, starting at chapter one will be fixed also. I will alert you of changes in chapter 11!

"Were you going to tell anyone?"

Tiger wrung his hands, "No. I didn't really know how."

"This isn't just about you being a hero, this is about you being a Next. Your powers are fading and you choose to still go out and fight."

The older man looked to the young woman, concern all over her pretty features. "Barnaby can do the hero thing alone. He never really needed me."

"Whether or not that was true in the beginning doesn't matter now. Barnaby still has a lot of learning to do. And he can only learn from you." she turned in her seat, "That's beside the point anyway. You could get hurt."

Kotetsu sighed and rubbed his chin, "I told my family I'd quit and come home. Start a normal life, but I'm not really sure I can. Being a hero is all I want."

Illiana frowned at him, "You have to do what you love. Plain and simple. Your family should be able to understand that."

"They do. But it doesn't change that they need me. My daughter hates me; I haven't been there all because I tell myself I'm keeping my promise to her mother. ...she wanted me to be a hero..."

"Then be a hero."

The man put his head in his hands before standing abruptly, "You should check on Barnaby. Right now only you can help him."

"I'm not sure why you think that."

Kotetsu managed a crooked smile, "I've seen the way he looks at you. He'll take you seriously."

"You should stop crying." Barnaby hadn't even heard her come into his apartment. Illiana pointed over her shoulder to the door, "It was unlocked."

"What do you want?"

"For you to stop crying."

He looked at her, "Why?"

"My father told me once that crying does nothing but waste time."

Barnaby sat up and took off his glasses, wiping his eyes, "Time...i'm not even sure if I have any time left...or if I have all the time in the world."

The woman shook her head disapprovingly, "No one has all the time in the world."

"Why are you here?"

"Tiger figured you'd take me seriously."

He glared at her, "What makes him think that?"

"Maybe you should ask him. But...I got you to stop moping."

Barnaby wanted to scowl but knew that wouldn't be an acceptable expression on his face. So he settled for a blank, bored, look. Illiana rolled her eyes and turned towards the door, "Well then, if you'd rather mope, have at it."

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Because you agreed that the two of us meeting was fate. The two of us being involved in whatever this is is a sign. We have to do something. Emphasis on the we. Something is happening and I can't figure it out alone."

The blonde scoffed at her, "What's happening?"

Illiana's shoulder's dropped, "Something big." She held up the folder she had brought with her.

Barnaby was unsure, he wanted the answers but he was afraid of them all the same. So he did what he thought was best, "Maverick is the only one I need answers from."

The woman was livid, "So he can lie to you some more!"

"And you've told me the truth?" Illiana was quiet as he approached her, "Did ouroboros kill your father?"

"I..." she hesitated.

"Don't avoid the question."

"I don't know! Are you happy now? I don't know who did it! But I do know that it happened because he was so into what happened to your parents. Someone they all knew killed them!"

It was quiet for a while as they both just breathed in the space. Illiana's chest heaved and her eyes burned with tears. Barnaby stood his ground, opposing her. He felt bad. He really did, but he was in too much pain for her theories. He sighed, "Maverick will give me my answers."

Illiana wasn't leaving without her final say, "Who's to say he didn't kill them?"

"Stop it!"

"No! You stop acting like a child following behind Maverick! Be a man Barnaby! Be a hero!"

"Get out!"

"Gladly!"

Barnaby stood in his apartment and it seemed so much more silent than it had before she'd come. Yelling with her was odd, and her eyes lit up in a way when she was angry... And the things she said were true... He sighed; she only wanted to help him and have his help in return. But Barnaby couldn't even help himself...

"I'm going to try and jog his memory."

"Good luck." Illiana answered Kotetsu a little more coldly than she meant to. But she was still upset with the man's partner. Barnaby was stubborn, holding onto memories that were lies.

"You sound upset."

"Yeah...I guess he didn't tell you what happened?"

"No."

The woman sighed. She couldn't believe this was even happening, Barnaby was her only clue to her father's murder and he didn't want anything to do with her. The man couldn't even trust his own memories. And to make it worse he only trusted the one person that Illiana distrusted the most.

"He didn't listen to me if you couldn't already tell. Is he still moping?"

A pause, "Yes."

"Just do what you can." she sighed, "I wont do anything else for him."

"Ana, Barnaby is just afraid."

A true statement if she had ever heard one, "Yeah. I know." She hung up and rubbed her eyes, "So am I."

She had long since tossed the files she'd found in the trash and hid the white bear from sight. If Barnaby didn't want to help her, she didn't want to go on trying to find their parent's murderer.

As far as the world knew, justice had been served a long time ago. It was time she settled for being blissfully ignorant also. Although her father would shame her for doing so. Illiana bit her lip and glared at the trashcan. What could she do with the information anyway?

She wiped away the tears in her eyes before returning to work.

"Miss Blackwell."

Illiana's head snapped up to her door. Maverick let himself in and walked purposefully to her desk. She pushed away from the item and stood from her chair, "May I help you?"

"Well Miss Blackwell it seems we have a bit of a problem."

"We do?"

Maverick stopped his advance and looked down at her trashcan, as he lent down to retrieve the folder then he sighed, "Yes, we do. It has come to my attention that you have told Barnaby some things about me that greatly upset him."

Her phone started to buzz across the desk, it was Kotetsu. "And I take it Barnaby brought these things to your attention."

He smiled, "Very good." he flipped through the folder in his hands, "Did you know that at one point I was very good friends with your father?"

The woman was shocked, "What?"

"Yes. You see, in order for Hero TV to thrive I needed the help of the Police. Staging robberies and the like would only work if the cops aren't always barging in." Illiana was appalled, her father would never willingly... "But, of course your father's sense of justice was strong. And just like the Brooks', he got in my way."

Maverick advanced further and Illiana backed away from him, "You killed my dad." She bumped into a decorative chair, looking down at her feet. When she looked up Maverick had his hand extended to her face and his eyes shone a brilliant, glowing, blue.

He grinned, "Yes, I did."