A/N: "I only obey the voice of Thanatos." Lunatic has said this a few separate times in the series so far and I wanted to know why. I'll share my answer in the form of another chapter.

Chapter 2

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Yuri felt so naked…so utterly exposed…as he sat on that bed listening to the pounding of his own heart in his ears. Unfortunately, this nakedness he felt had nothing to do with the fact that he was unclothed beneath the thin sheets. It had everything to do with the mask that Kotetsu was holding up to him.

"How long?" Yuri asked.

"You mean how long have I known? Since the moment I entered this room."

"Then I must commend you on playing dumb so well."

"It comes naturally."

"I see." Yuri turned his eyes away, letting the conversation lapse into an awkward silence. Unconsciously, he pulled the sheet up to his chest as if to hide himself. He was confident in his next abilities and was sure he could take on Kotetsu if it came down to that…and yet…he suddenly had no desire to fight this man who had just made love to him. He reached out his delicate hand and took the mask from his hero rival.

"So, Wild Tiger, what is my fate? Will you turn me over to the police? Or will you kill me right here and now?" For a moment, Tiger stared at him with wide eyes. Then he stood up and began to clothe himself. "What is the matter Kaburagi? To you, I am nothing but a murderer. I must be apprehended. Otherwise, the city won't be safe."

"I think you should know by now that killing isn't my style," the older man said calmly as he fitted his tie. He went to the door and with his hand on the handle, he paused. "As for turning you in, well….I'd say there are circumstances now." Behind him, the door creaked shut. Footsteps echoed down the hall, growing fainter and fainter.

Yuri smiled to himself, feeling slightly insane by doing so. He'd offered himself, Lunatic, up on a silver platter and the man had still refused.

Truly, Kaburagi Kotetsu was an interesting opponent.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

He'd long since finished researching the hero known as "Wild Tiger". He knew absolutely everything there was to know about the man. It should have been disappointing, and yet the man remained the object of his fascination.

One thing he hadn't counted on was Tiger doing the same to him.

They'd established a sort of routine. In exchange for sex and for those brief moments in Kotetsu's arms, he'd allow the other man to preach to him…to try to win him over to his own way of thinking. It was almost cute, but Yuri was resolute in his ideals.

Kotetsu, however, turned out to be just as stubborn, refusing to give up until he'd put an end to Lunatic's vigilantism- or at the very least understood the reasons for it.

Yuri had just gotten out of the shower when he felt Kotetsu's presence in the room. He smiled ever so slightly.

"I don't remember inviting you in." Kotetsu said nothing in response. He threw something onto the bed. Before it sank into the sheets, Yuri was able to get a look at its cover. Freud.

"Thanatos," said Kotetsu simply. Yuri merely tipped his head to the side, waiting for him to continue. He must have discovered something good…from the look on his face.

"All this time whenever you spoke of Thanatos's voice, I'd thought you were referring to the Greek god of death," Kotetsu went on, "And I always thought it was strange since Thanatos is always associated with peaceful death. Your victims…well, being burned alive is anything but peaceful, so why not Eris, goddess of discord? Or maybe Nemesis, goddess of revenge?" he paused for a moment, "Then I discovered a different meaning through this book. 'Thanatos' the theory of the Death Drive."

Yuri inhaled sharply, both proud that someone had bothered to take his Lunatic speeches seriously and shocked that a simpleton like Kotetsu would actually pick up a book in order to decipher them.

But now it seemed that too much information was about to be given away…

"The drive toward self-destruction. The need to harm oneself. It confused even Freud himself when he stumbled upon it."

Stop…

"The answer was in trauma victims. Why would they force themselves to relive the same horrible scenario over and over? Why keep alive such painful memories if it would only keep hurting? It's not a compulsion toward self-harm, it's a need to return to an earlier state. It's a desire to undo what has already been done."

No…that's enough…

"I think Freud is slightly above your reading level, Mr. Kaburagi," Yuri said quietly, hoping to dissuade the man from revealing anything else. He went to the bed and plucked the accursed book from the sheets, tucking it safely under his arm. "If I wanted to be psycho-analyzed, then I would see a professional."

"Lunatic in a shrink's chair? It's strangely appropriate," Kotetsu scoffed. Yuri narrowed his eyes as the hero stepped forward, getting rather close for the conversation topic. "Your 'justice' is just a disguise for the murderous rampage of someone who has been wronged. Each death is you wishing you could take something back…something terrible that has happened. Who was the first to die by your hand?"

How could he have allowed himself to be read so easily? Kaburagi was taking him apart, brick by brick and it was only a matter of time before he would discover the skeletons buried beneath.

"Get out," Lunatic whispered, a flame ready in his hand.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

It really wasn't his business…or so Yuri kept telling himself over and over. He'd seen the television broadcast explaining how Kaburagi Kotetsu had murdered Samantha Taylor. He even had the report sitting on his desk right in front of him.

And he didn't believe a word of it. The whole situation smelled strongly of conspiracy. Someone had a dirty hand in this. Someone with a frightening next ability.

Was it some sort of hypnosis? Memory alteration? It seemed impossible otherwise for the other heroes to simply forget about their colleague. Perhaps more importantly, who did it? What could possibly be accomplished by pinning a murder on a man as harmless as Kaburagi?

He flipped through the report again. He knew the truth would be revealed eventually. Someone…either Kaburagi or the real culprit would soon be sitting in his court room. All he had to do was wait.

But what was this feeling? This fascination with Kaburagi Kotetsu and the need to prove his innocence? It was not how a man in his line of work should be thinking. He looked back at the TV, seeing that Kotetsu had been cornered by a few of the other heroes.

He sighed, standing up and reaching for his briefcase, the one that held Lunatic's uniform.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"Is this how it's going to end for you?" Yuri asked as he notched the fire-arrow into his crossbow. He had a penchant for dramatic entrances and he had to admit that this might just be his best yet.

"Lunatic!" Tiger exclaimed. His eyes darkened. He was slipping into desperation. He didn't want to die. "I didn't murder her."

I know

"Reflect carefully upon your actions."

Lunatic fired his arrow and Tiger braced himself, but Yuri had not been aiming for him. Instead the wire around his ankle was severed and he was suddenly free. He didn't move. He seemed shocked that Lunatic had helped him.

"Is this how you are going to allow your idea of justice to end?" Yuri said. It was Lunatic's way of telling an idiot to GET MOVING. Kotetsu scampered away and Yuri wasted no time, turning to face the other heroes.

"Do you plan on defending that murderer?" Fire emblem asked, outraged.

"No," Yuri responded, "I only obey the voice of Thanatos." He pointed his crossbow at the imposter in the Wild Tiger suit. Killing him wouldn't bring his father back, but Yuri knew that he couldn't just stand back and let things play out when evil men were plotting sinister things.

Beneath the mask he smiled. He'd made his decision.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

A/N: I hope I am not the only one who watched episode 21 and squealed in delight when Lunatic came to the rescue. I love this pairing even more now!