"There!"

Kotetsu took off like a shot, even without activating his powers. Antonio would follow, of course. He was the best backup in the world.

Long legs carried him through the deserted streets; everyone would be inside, watching the night's events on TV. All Kotetsu could see was the flaming blue pillar. Somewhere close by was the man who had killed his little girl.

Kotetsu activated his powers, no longer caring who might look out a window and see him. What did he have to stay hidden for, anyway? To protect Kaede? To free slaves? Look where that had gotten him.

The fire had started to dwindle, but Kotetsu was moving at a hundred times the speed of a normal man, and no mere brick wall would stop him. He crashed through it in a hail of rubble, screaming out his rage-

-only to see Kaede hovering in the middle of the room, head thrown back, shooting fire from her eyes and hands.

"KAEDE!"

She turned, and he only got out of the way in time because something hit him around the waist. When she faced him, the fire from her eyes scorched the place he'd been standing. "Daddy?"

"She can't control it!" Ivan shouted. He was clinging to Kotetsu after tackling him. "You have to wait until she calms down!"

Kotetsu's head felt like it was going to explode. There were too many conflicting pieces of information. The simmering rage that had powered him was gone with the fact of Kaede standing-hovering?-in front of him, replaced by confusion and overwhelming gratitude. "Ivan," he said, gently pushing the boy aside, "get off me. I'll be fine."

There was no way Kaede was fast enough to hit him, and she wasn't really trying. "Kaede!" he called, feeling an irrepressible grin splitting his face, "look up at the ceiling, sweetie. And keep pointing at the floor. I'm gonna get you down from there."

"How?"

"Trust Daddy."

He saw her swallow, then nod. She must be terrified. He didn't need a running leap, not while his powers were still active, and jumped up to catch her in his arms.

As soon as he did, the flames went immediately out. They spilled across his arms and back, but the heat was nothing compared to the relief he felt, and then there was just his Kaede, shaking and bewildered in his arms.

"Daddy! I'm sorry, I called the police, but I didn't know I was a NEXT, and I'm sorry, please, please don't let them take...Dad, you're glowing."

He kissed her forehead, careful not to squeeze her too hard while his powers were active. "We won't let them take us. Tell me what happened, Kaede. I need to know everything."

Kaede told him everything. She told him what Yuri had done, though Kotetsu had to explain to her why holding her hostage was the kindest thing Yuri could have done in that situation. She told him about getting her powers, about running away. "Oh, and I know Ivan's a NEXT. And I won't tell anyone."

Kotetsu kissed her hair. "I know you won't. I trust you."

"Dad, am I a Class-H?"

It was the question Kotetsu had been afraid of hearing since the day he'd found out Tomoe was pregnant. He smiled, a little sadly, and said, "Like father, like daughter. Can you do the fire on purpose?"

"I..." Kaede screwed up her face in concentration.

Kotetsu blinked. "That...isn't fire."

"Huh?"

What's going on? I saw her do Yuri's fire, and I thought he was the only one who had that power. I've never seen duplicates like this. "Kaede, what are you doing?"

"Th-this is how it felt! When I did the fire!" She reached down and picked up a bit of fallen plywood. Without even trying, she crushed it to dust between her fingers. "Huh?"

That's Hundred Power. My power. What... A sudden idea struck Kotetsu. "Ivan. Can you touch Kaede?"

Ivan had never been one to ask too many questions. He put a tentative hand on Kaede's shoulder, possibly afraid she'd burst into flames again.

Kotetsu tossed her another piece of plywood. "Can you break that?"

She struggled, but the wood stayed solid. "Dad, I don't under-"

"Try using your powers again." When he saw her tear-stained face, he said gently, "just one more time. Please?"

In a flash of light, Kaede wasn't standing in front of him anymore. Instead, he was looking straight at himself. "I hate it when you do that," he remarked conversationally to Ivan. "Just so you know."

"All right," he said to the room at large, thinking fast. "Kaede, I want you to stay with Antonio. No matter what happens, he'll keep you safe."

"Do I have to go live with Grandmother?"

I wish it were that simple. No...maybe I don't.

As Kotetsu had been dreading, he heard the sounds of booted feet encircling the school. Of course. They saw Kaede's fire. "Well," he said aloud, forcing cheerfulness, "now's as good a time as any to tell you three a few things."

"Tell us what?"

"NEXT inside, this is the police. Surrender yourself voluntarily, and you will not be harmed. Resist, and we will use all necessary force to subdue you."

"I've been trying to keep you safe, Kaede. But..." He reached out a hand to touch her cheek, then stopped. How can I tell her? How can I tell her there's no place in the world she'll be safe now? Our base camp was destroyed. Our house was destroyed. And everyone who could have helped us was taken years ago.

Because I didn't help them enough.

If I had, maybe they'd be here for me now.

What had Yuri said? That evil flourished when good people didn't stand up? No. He'd said there were no good people who didn't stand up. Maybe that was what being a good person meant.

"We have the building surrounded. If you don't open the door in ten seconds, we will fire on everyone inside."

"Go," Kotetsu said. "Now!"

Antonio scooped Kaede up in his arms. Kotetsu remembered Antonio as a teenager, daring punks to beat him with metal pipes. If Kaede really was copying powers, she'd be fine. Kotestu grabbed Ivan by the shoulders and dove behind the pile of bricks he'd used as cover from Kaede's fire, just as the bullets started flying.

The volley didn't last long. The police didn't want to waste ammunition on an unknown quantity, especially if they weren't sure a NEXT was even inside.

Kotetsu leaned down to Ivan's ear, speaking fast. "I know you've lost a lot today, and I know I'm asking a lot more. If you wanted to you could use your power to disappear forever, but you haven't done that yet, so I'm going to hope there's still a chance you'll stand with me."

"What are you going to do?"

He smiled grimly. "If I can't keep my daughter safe in this world, I'm going to make a world where she can be safe."

"That sounds a lot like what Keith used to say."

"Yeah, well, he was right. You wanna go bust him out?"

Ivan's eyes lit up for the first time since Edward died. "Yeah. I do."