Disclaimer: All Tiger & Bunny elements belong to Sunrise.

Practice
Chapter 11: Amusement
by archfaith

"Ah! Our first stop of the night!" Kotetsu was beaming, ecstatic as he pulled Barnaby through the crowds by the wrist. As the odd trio wound their way along the path leading to the festival area, Karina began to notice some of the other festival goers stopping to stare. There was no doubt that they began to notice that the tall, blonde man in their midst was none other than Barnaby Brooks Jr., hero and celebrity of Stern Bild.

The crowds were most dense near the entrance to the Harvest Festival, where welcome booths had been set up to orient the attendees. Men and women in yukatas were handing out festival maps to families with young children, groups of school friends, and couples on dates. Behind the booths, Karina could see other stalls stretching far back into the gardens, beyond the low-hanging trees and down towards the lake area. The sudden smells of cooking food filtered into her senses, along with the crisp fragrance of the late harvest season.

Kotetsu pulled them along, Barnaby grasping her hand within his own. Instead of the curiosity and excitement she had expected to feel, Karina found herself fretting with a dull anxiety at the addition of Kotetsu to their night. There was no doubt she was glad to see him, but his presence had been so unexpected she had not been sure how to react. It was supposed to have been a night for her and Barnaby to know each other, without the temptation of sex to distract them. She was not sure how exactly they would feel comfortable with Kotetsu added to the mix. Not that she was too annoyed that he had decided to come along...

She felt a little guilty, feeling frustrated yet pleased that Kotetsu had opted to come along. Her feelings for him had barely changed despite the start of her uncertain relationship with Barnaby. Although she did blush a little less around the old man, and did not endeavor to get his attention as much as before. Does that mean my feelings have changed? she asked herself as the group stopped under a large tree that was set in a small grove, a few yards away from the rows of the festival. Its leaves gleamed yellow and red under the lantern light.

Kotetsu's eyes were set on a particular stall, one with a long line of patrons that did not seem to be moving. "That stall is selling some famous sake from Oriental Town," Kotetsu explained, a huge grin on his face. "Wait here, alright? I'll get us something to drink." The older man left her and Barnaby under the tree as he moved towards the stalls, eagerly joining the queue of people.

"Well, that will keep him for awhile," Barnaby said softly as he watched his partner go. Karina turned to look up at him, and he let out a sigh.

"After I finished preparing, Kotetsu called me and told me to come to his house. I didn't think it was anything that would take more than a few minutes," he told her. "When I got there, Kotetsu told me he had been planning on going to the Festival for some time. He was going to surprise me by taking me along. I was trying to tell him that it wouldn't be a good idea when you called."

"Ah," she said shortly. "So that was why you sounded so nervous when I spoke to you."

"I wasn't nervous," Barnaby said quickly, and a quick flash of his short temper returned. "I wasn't sure how to handle it. Kotetsu still thinks we can barely tolerate each other, you know."

"Is that why he wanted to come with us?"

"Partially," he answered. "I guess he wants to be our chaperone. He probably thinks we'll end up killing each other if we're left alone for too long." He shook his head again. "He really wanted to come."

"And you couldn't say no," she reflected softly. There was certainly more to Barnaby than the eye could fathom. Though she was still frustrated, the thought of Kotetsu's naivete breaking through Barnaby's logic was enough to bring a small smile to her lips. "He is your partner, after all."

Barnaby tilted his head towards her, a sharp gaze set into his eyes. Apparently he did not find the situation amusing in the least. "This might be awkward," he said carefully. "For reasons you know well enough."

She frowned. Although they had barely had any deep discussions since the night they had acknowledged that they would try a relationship, between them always hovered an unspoken problem. Kotetsu. How were they going to handle the odd triangle that was inevitably forming between the three of them? Even though Kotetsu had no idea that either had feelings for him, she and Barnaby were still acutely aware.

Despite her misgivings, she shook her head. "Well, he's here now. It is weird, but...let's try to enjoy ourselves without thinking too much about everything," she suggested. She was truly tired of thinking-constant evaluation of every little action, every thought. For once, she was tired of thinking things over; if anything, she just wanted to let it go. There were few moments when she wished she could be oblivious as Kotetsu, but this was certainly one of them. "This is supposed to be a date, after all," she added, and found herself giving him a playful pinch on the arm.

Barnaby nodded, and it seemed that he understood what she was trying to say. "Right,"he agreed, though his expression remained serious. "I probably should have spoken to him about this earlier."

Karina smiled despite the situation. "I think we'll have to get used to these kinds of things from now on," she told him. "It is a unique situation."

"Definitely," he answered. With his free hand he reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair that had fallen to the side of her face. "But nothing about this relationship has been normal in the first place."

"Hey!" they looked up to see Kotetsu coming towards them, expertly balancing three cups of dark sake in his hands. "We were in luck," he gloated as he stepped back up to them. "They were almost sold out of my favorite brand, but these were some of the last cups."

Karina reached out to take the cup offered to her. Barnaby did the same, and in a few seconds they were all tasting the sake. It was a bit heavier than the other drinks she had tried before, and had a slightly bitter taste. Still, there was a certain flavor and crispness that she enjoyed.

"Like it?" Kotetsu asked her.

"It's good," she replied. "It's my first time having it."

Kotetsu smiled, and she felt her heart fluttering slightly as she saw the look on his face-the genuine smile, the slight wrinkles near his eyes. Yet she had to note that in his eyes she could see a wistful sort of expression, as if his mind were far away while his body remained rooted to the ground. "This one is fairly light, since you're younger and all," he explained. "What do you think, Bunny?"

"Not bad," Barnaby answered as he took a sip. "I don't drink very often, so perhaps I wouldn't be the best judge."

"Well you're driving tonight, but some other time we'll have to go out drinking together," Kotetsu said as he took another sip of the sake. Karina felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the bemused look Barnaby gave the old man, and tried to keep her feelings in check as Kotetsu proceeded to give him a hearty slap on the back

"Well, let's take a look around," Kotetsu suggested, scanning the area around them. "I want to try some of those games." Drink in hand, he proceeded down the path away from the tall tree, an excited look on his face as he went towards the rows of stalls, towards the lights and colors and noise.

Barnaby came next to her and placed his free hand on her shoulder. She turned her face to his, but could not bring herself to look him in the eyes. She almost felt like she was betraying his trust, even though she had done nothing wrong in the physical sense. But the fact that Tiger had still been able to arouse those old feelings inside her made her wonder how ready she was for this relationship in the first place.

"You're blushing," Barnaby commented.

"I know," she answered. "I'm trying not to." She found herself involuntarily reaching for his hand. He let her take it, and a few seconds passed before their fingers tangled together, intertwining seamlessly. It was very unlike earlier, when she had struggled to grasp his fingers as Kotetsu dragged them along; this time, her hand was firmly entwined within his, her fingers curled around the back of his hand. It was surprising to her how comfortable it felt.

She felt a small movement of Barnaby's fingers, and raised her eyes to look up at him. "We haven't done this before," he commented, flexing his hand within her.

We haven't? she thought quickly. She could have sworn that they had hands at some point in the recent past; after a few seconds, however, she found she could not recall. She had lost count of their physical encounters, but it was surprising that they had not tried something as basic as holding hands.

"I guess not," she answered. "We're doing everything in the wrong order."

"Well. We'll get used to it," he said lightlu as he led the way, gently pulling her towards him as they walked towards the main part of the festival area. Karina let herself smile a little as they descended down the low hill.

...

Kotetsu was standing in front of one of the game booths, his eyes wide and eager as he watched the mechanics of the sport. It was one of the standard carnival games; a yukata-clad barker was handing a set of three balls to a young boy standing with a group of friends. Karina and Barnaby joined him, and the three of them watched as the boy endeavored, in vain, to throw the balls towards a stack of empty bottles. The bottles were arranged pyramid-style, with two on the bottom and one balancing precariously between them. The booth was festooned with large plush animals and characters, and Barnaby noted that a smaller version of the famous red bunny plush toy hung in a corner under a sad-looking giraffe.

"I should try!" Kotetsu announced loudly as the dejected boy walked away with his friends. "I'd make it in for sure."

Barnaby made a small noise, somewhere between a hiss and a chuckle. "You sure, old man?" he asked. "These games aren't set up for winning." A short memory, almost at the edges of his consciousness, began to surface; his parents had taken him to a carnival once, when he was barely three years old. Although the images were fuzzy and incoherent, he clearly remembered his father trying out of these games, with no luck. Some things never change.

Kotetsu turned to face them, his eyes sliding down to his and Karina's entwined fingers. Barnaby was sure that Kotetsu was finally beginning to catch on to their relationship when the same, easy smile formed on Kotetsu's face. "You guys are holding hands? That's a good idea. There are a lot of people here, so you wouldn't want to get lost."

Karina shook her head, seemingly amused as Barnaby noted the small smile on her face. He wondered if they should just get it over with and let Kotetsu in on the fact that they were seeing each other. But somehow, it did not seem like the right time nor place to address something so...fragile? He did not know exactly why, but telling Kotetsu seemed almost cruel. Although the old man was dense, he would probably become embarrassed if he knew that was the third wheel on Barnaby and Karina's date. Then again, Barnaby thought with a small twinge of annoyance, who exactly is the third wheel here?

Before he could dissuade his partner from wasting his money, Kotetsu had placed his cup of sake on the ledge of the booth. Fishing around in a pocket, he quickly handed the barker a crumpled five dollar bill. Barnaby sighed as Karina drew nearer to him.

"He's just wasting his time with this," he explained in a low voice, as Kotetsu felt the ball in his hand, studying the distance between himself and the stack of bottles with a patience that he did not often display. "The only way he'll be able to do it is if he uses Hundred Power, and that's out of the question."

Karina took a thoughtful sip of her sake as she looked towards the booth. "He's just having fun," she chided. "That's what a festival is for, right?"

They watched a few more moments as Kotetsu studied the throw again, under the barker's expectant gaze. In the next second he let the ball go, and it slammed squarely into the bottles with a loud crack. The bottles clattered to the floor as the barker scratched his head in confusion.

Kotetsu turned back to them, a sly grin on his face. "See? The old man's still got it!" Looking like an excited child, he went about choosing his prize as the disgruntled barker stopped to rearrange the bottles on the table. He returned to Barnaby and Karina with a tiny plush toy that closely resembled a minute version of Sky High, complete with the silver helmet and uplifted arms. He offered it to Karina, who slipped her hand out of Barnaby's to take the toy.

"It's cute," she commented. "I bet Keith would love to see this."

"Yeah, yeah," Kotetsu replied. "It's alright, but I'm sure a Wild Tiger plush would have been much better. The helmet is lopsided, see?"

"Did you use your Hundred Power?" Barnaby asked. He was genuinely surprised to see that Kotetsu had been able to get the shot; usually, the old man couldn't even handle a pen without somehow letting it slip out of his hand.

Kotetsu arched a brow. "No," he replied, a smile playing on his face. He was telling the truth; his eyes were still the same familiar shade of golden brown, not the tell-tale neon blue eyes of his activated NEXT state. "Why are you so surprised? I'm good at some things, you know." He gave Karina a short wink before turning back towards the row of stalls, his eyes gleaming. "Don't worry, Bunny, I'll win something for you next time!"

Barnaby cocked his head as his chest tightened inexplicably. He momentarily watched as Kotetsu ambled in front of them, looking excitedly down the aisles of festivities, before feeling a gentle nudge from Karina. He turned to see her watching him, a half-smile set on her face. The Sky High plush had been nestled comfortably inside her pouch, and the top of its helmet peaked out comically from the satin folds. "Are you upset he didn't win you something this time?" she asked playfully.

Ah, so that was her game...he supposed that if both he and Karina were going to feel odd about the situation with Kotetsu, they might as well try to be humorous about it. "I think I'm past the stage where gifts flatter me," he said lightly as they walked after the old man. "Besides, that toy is a little lopsided."

Karina looked up at him, eyebrow arched. "Your cheeks are a little red," she teased. "Well, even if Tiger can't keep up his winning streak, maybe I'll try a game later. That small bunny plush was kind of cute..."

Barnaby shook his head, adjusting his glasses as they walked down the row of stalls, passing more food stalls and games on every side. "What, one prize isn't enough for you?"

"Not for me," she chided. "I'd give it to you. Just so the bunny plush you keep in your apartment can have some company." He felt her hand reaching for his then, and grasped it tightly as they walked down the aisle.

If anything, this entire episode-since it really could not called a date any longer-could be treated as a test. Barnaby was never one to attribute anything to chance; perhaps this night was a wake-up call that he and Karina needed to deal with their feelings before progressing on to something new. Although he suddenly felt closer than ever to her, he still had to get over his unrequited feelings towards Kotetsu. And he had to continually remind himself that Karina was struggling with the exact same problem.

The festival was larger than he imagined, and at every turn there was something new to see. Although Barnaby had been to western carnivals in the past, he did not recall attending a Japanese-style carnival before. Food stalls sold barbequed chicken or squid on short sticks, bowls of fried noodles, flat vegetable pancakes topped with fish flakes. Kotetsu often stopped to sample his favorite treat, and this necessitated a quick break as Barnaby and Karina tried the snacks as well. Kotetsu, as everyone knew, was enthusiastic about things that interested him, and food was one of them. As they ate, he would often expound on the ingredients and fillings of each snack, with an invariable judgment of each portion as they ended their small meals. More than once, Barnaby thought he saw a certain, distant look in Kotetsu's eyes as the older man talked about his own festival days in his younger years. Mentions of Tomoe or Kaede became common through these conversations, as Kotetsu seemed eager to mention their clearly remembered likes and dislikes.

To Barnaby's relief, the festival goers left him alone-for the most part. There was never a day when he wasn't asked for an autograph, but luckily he was only stopped fifteen times during the course of the night. Most of the time he was asked politely by chatty young girls, who would come right up to him and politely ask for some of his time. Still, he noted, they grew a little quieter once they noted Karina standing next to him. Even with the domino mask covering the lower part of her face, she was elegant and simple in her blue yukata. Although she smiled at the girls who came up to them, most of his female fans seemed embarrassed as soon as they saw that she was with him. As soon as he autographed the items and posed for pictures with his fans, they would scamper shyly away from him, eyes still on Karina as they moved on.

Karina seemed to notice their immediate shyness as soon as they noticed her standing next to him. "Am I scaring your fans or something?" she commented to him, her lips near his collar bone. Kotetsu was standing in line at one of the drink stalls, waiting for a second round of sake from a different seller.

He smiled. "You seem to be intimidating them," he answered. "I'm not usually seen with anyone other than Tiger in public. Let alone a woman."

She nodded. "I bet everyone will be talking about it tomorrow," she said reflectively. "It's kind of weird, though. I'm used to intimidating people as Blue Rose, but not here...in my normal life." She sighed. "I know it's because I'm with you."

"Well, they did seem a little jealous as they walked away," he said lightly. "Take it as a compliment."

"I'll try," she answered. "But we're both heroes. You're getting all the attention."

"Well, you never know," he replied. Kotetsu had retrieved the cups of sake, and was returning to them with a grin on his face. "One day you might be more famous than me."

She smiled. Although they still did not know much about each other, he did know that she had a great passion in pursuing her music career. "Assuming you're still around, that is," she corrected him.

"Still around for what?" Kotetsu asked as he came up to them.

"For Karina's future career choices," Barnaby explained as Kotetsu handed Karina another cup of sake. Barnaby had only opted for the single cup of sake earlier in the night, since he was going to be driving; out of courtesy, Kotetsu had retrieved a cup of water for him.

Kotetsu looked fondly over to Karina. "When you become some big concert star, you mean," he said dreamily. Barnaby was beginning to wonder how many cups of sake his partner indulged himself in-Kotetsu had been drinking between snacks, and Barnaby had lost count of how many cups he had downed. "Well, just make sure you don't forget the older guy who came to watch you perform all those nights."

Barnaby could not help but raise an eyebrow at this. He knew that Kotetsu and Antonio sometimes drank at the same bar Karina played in, but from Kotetsu's tone of voice it seemed that he encountered Karina there quite often. He felt another odd feeling welling up inside his chest, as if he could not decide who to be more critical of-Kotetsu, for being so dense in the area of romance, or Karina, for carrying on her dead end crush.

Karina seemed to notice his discomfort, and shot him an apologetic glance. "You'll have to come watch me play some night, Bunny," she said quickly. "I'm not bad, if I do say so myself."

Kotetsu smiled lazily. "Not so humble as I thought," he said, putting out his free hand to gently pat Karina's hair, as if she was a child. Barnaby had the impression that if her hair hadn't been styled so neatly, Kotetsu may have even tried to tousle it.

"Well, she has to be proud of something," he said, trying his best to keep up the facade of the bored onlooker making insignificant small talk. "It's not as though you have much prowess saving people."

He was rewarded with this statement with a playful jab in the stomach from Karina's elbow. "Careful," she warned. "I'd get into the fact that I'm currently third place on the King of Heroes scoreboard, but I'll leave that fact for another argument."

"Third place?" Kotetsu echoed, eyes narrowing. "I thought I was third place. Last time I checked, anyway. I was doing well!"

"You were in third place two weeks ago, old man," Barnaby shot back, putting a hand on his hip. "Karina has overtaken you in the rankings as of last week."

Kotetsu shook his head, and Barnaby could tell that the older man did not even really seem to care what his rank was. "Well, whatever," he said dismissively. "Let's not talk about all that stuff now. We're here to have fun, am I right?"

Both Barnaby and Karina remained silent for a minute. Barnaby was not going to take the bait, but Karina decided to willingly give in. "Right," she chimed in.

"How about a toast?" Kotetsu raised his cup in the air. Karina followed his example, although a sideways glance towards Barnaby told him that she was merely humoring him at this point. With a sigh, Barnaby raised his cup of water towards the other two, the sides coming together with a satisfying clink.

"To new friendships!" Kotetsu said theatrically, and Barnaby found himself throwing a side glance to Karina in amusement as their cups came together. Kotetsu wasted no time in taking a long swig of the sake, while Karina sipped hers.

"Ah," the older man said. "I'm glad you two are finally getting along."

...

It had not been quite the night she envisioned, but she didn't count it as a waste.

Still, through all the unexpected happenings of their three-person date, the last thing she thought she would be doing was reaching into Kotetsu's yukata, her fingers brushing against the muscles of his chest. His skin was warm and flushed, and felt smooth against her bare fingers.

"In here?" she asked. She was fairly certain her cheeks were bright red. The older man's skin was warm to the touch, and she felt a certain, unbidden delight rising within her.

"It should be in there," Barnaby answered, shifting the older man in his arms. Kotetsu's head lolled onto his shoulder, his eyes fluttering open and and closed. Barnaby's face was disdainful yet oddly patient; she could tell that he had been through these types of situations before. After all, Kotetsu had passed out at Club Phoenix only a few weeks earlier.

She snapped out of her nervous trance and finally located the small pocket built into the front of Kotetsu's yukata. She carefully unzipped it, and felt around the small patch of fabric for the item she was looking for. "Here it is," she said, her fingers finally grasping the small key.

"Good," Barnaby said. "The old man's getting a bit heavy."

Karina took the key and turned to face the front door of Kotetsu's home. She slid the key into the the lock, which made a short clanging noise as the door clicked open. Karina pushed it, and held it back so that Barnaby could enter with his load.

This was not the first time she had been to Kotetsu's house-she had been here once or twice before, with the other heroes. Although they all saw each other often enough, they always found ways to see each other outside their duties as heroes, and aside from working out together in the gym. She had last been to Kotetsu's house a few months ago, if she recalled correctly-they had cobbled together an excuse to gather for some occasion. Antonio's birthday? she tried to recall as she flipped on a switch in the hallway.

The living room was as she remembered it. The furniture was in neat and tidy condition, if not slightly outdated with the muted patterns on the furniture. There were a few empty bottles of beer on the coffee table, and some DVDs were laid out next to them. Although she only took a fleeting look at them, she knew that they were probably DVDs of Mr. Legend, or something to do with the Golden Age of Heroes. No doubt Kotetsu had been watching something earlier in the day.

She let Barnaby enter before going behind him to the shut the door. "Thanks," the blonde told her. She was still getting used to his expressions, but she thought she could see a slight hint of apology in his eyes. "You probably never imagined our night would end up like this."

"No," she admitted. "But I'm used to things not coming out exactly as I planned."

Barnaby shook his head in frustration. "I probably should have cut him off after the first few drinks," he reflected. "I know him well enough by now."

"It's okay," she answered. "He was enjoying himself."

A few moments of silence followed before Barnaby tilted his head, eyes flashing on the stairs up to Kotetsu's room. "If you wait here for a few minutes, I'll make sure he gets to bed. I can take you home after that."

"I'll come with you. Maybe you could use an extra set of hands."

Barnaby arched an eyebrow, but said nothing to dissuade her as he began the climb up to Kotetsu's room, making sure the older man's feet didn't brush against the sides of the wall as he ascended. Karina followed him, holding up the long skirt of her yukata with her hands."It sounds as though you're eager to see this," he commented dryly as they climbed.

Karina shook her head slightly, but decided to be truthful about her feelings. "I...there is a part of me that still does like him, Bunny. And I know you feel the same way." There was nothing to lose by letting the facts out into the open now.

He was silent for a few moments as they both climbed the stairs, Kotetsu stirring fitfully in Barnaby's arms. They reached the top of the stairs, and Karina pushed open the door to Kotetsu's bedroom. They walked inside, Karina flipping open the light switch as Barnaby gently lay the older man down onto the mattress. Kotetsu seemed to be deep in sleep at this point; he sighed softly as Barnaby placed his arms near his sides, but it did not seem as though he would wake any time soon.

"I should undress him," Barnaby murmured, in a voice that seemed almost shamed. "He's going to get his yukata wrinkled. He'll have to get it dry cleaned."

Karina shook her head. "Even at a time like this, you're so particular about clothes," she admonished. "Do you need me to help?"

"Not really," he admitted. "This isn't the first time I've had to do this."

She narrowed her eyes with interest. She knew what he meant, but she couldn't help herself when she decided to press him. "You mean you've undressed him before?" he asked, twisting the end of her question slightly, giving it an accusatory tone. If they were going to be uncomfortable in this whole situation, she may as well try to play with him.

He took another look at her, and it seemed that he was performing a short evaluation of her thoughts. "Not like that," he finally said, with a short sigh. "You know what I mean. When's he had too much to drink."

Karina nodded. "I thought so," she answered. "I just wanted to make sure. Here," she said, her eyes returning to Kotetsu's prone form. "I'll fold his clothes after you take them off."

Barnaby opened his mouth as if to protest, but shut it a second later. "If you insist on staying up here," he said, as he bent down to his task. Kotetsu was breathing evenly, his head tilted to one side as Barnaby set about untying the obi on his yukata.

They worked quickly; less than five minutes later, Kotetsu lay before them wearing only a thin undershirt and and underwear, still as oblivious as before. Karina had folded the obi and yukata and set them on a chest of drawers across from Kotetsu's bed.

"Should we put him under the covers?" she asked Barnaby.

Barnaby was still watching Kotetsu with uncertainty. There was another emotion in his eyes too, but Karina was unable to discern exactly what it was. Longing? she thought, with a stab of jealousy. But she could not be too angry with Barnaby; they had both just admitted they still had feelings for the old man, after all. "He's fine the way he is," Barnaby finally said. "Come on."

They descended the stairs in silence. Karina did not chose to speak until they were facing each other at the bottom of stairs, Barnaby's hand still on the bannister. "What do you usually do after a night like this?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Even though I dislike it, I usually wait for a few hours before leaving," Barnaby admitted. "After one of Kotetsu's escapades, you can never tell what kind of trouble he might get into. He's sleeping now, but there have been times when he's gone out of control."

"The Wrecker for Justice, huh?" Karina asked, recalling the media's favored nickname for Wild Tiger. Barnaby would have to tell her some of these stories one day.

"If you can believe it," Barnaby answered. "I can tell you about it on our way to your house. Let me just-"

"Wait," she said firmly. "Who said I was going home?"

...

To be continued.

I took a long time in delivering this next chapter. Things were extremely hectic during the last two months, so sorry for the delay. I thought this would be the last chapter, but there will be one more chapter after this, so please keep reading! As always, constructive criticism and suggestions are more than welcome.