Disclaimer: I don't own Tiger & Bunny in any way, shape, or form. I just like to play with the characters.

Summary: Dragon Kid and Kotetsu talk in, and about, what the dark brings. [Future Fic - set about 1 year after the epilogue]

Author's Note: Thank you all for your patience during NaNoWriMo! Words were written and coffee was drunk, so now I'll give you the next chapter!

Two bodies were sprawled out on the ground, one of them a young girl in dusty yellow, curled up around herself as supple as any cat. The other was a taller man in a green shirt with a white and red vest, an immense concrete block lying on top both of his legs. There was a sliver of light around them, enough to see faint outlines, but not enough for anything else, not from where the main part of the street had collapsed. That's what normally happened when Silver fell onto Bronze, and then Bronze opened up a hole into areas reclaimed from the rivers. As the seconds ticked by, one more piece of debris rocked at the lip of the street above, then crashed down, stealing away the sliver.

Utter blackness.

The girl was the first to stir, stretching until she let out a gasp and clasped her left shoulder. Dragon Kid probed the injury, careful not to make it worse, but determined to know the extent of the damage. Not broken, thankfully. Either sprained, or possibly dislocated, but neither of which she really wanted to test out now. She tucked the pain-radiating arm closer to her, peering around in the dark and listening.

"That's right..." she said, her voice oddly distorted in the area, bouncing off of places never meant to project sound.

Not quite an echo, but not normal either. I don't think we have a clear exit.

"I was standin-Tiger!" She suddenly yelled out, spinning to look around for her companion. Dragon Kid staggered a little bit, too much movement too fast, and caught herself with a loud-sounding palm on a wall.

Crap. Can't see when there's no light.

Her eyes glowed powder-blue, and she kept a small ball of electricity crackling in her open palm that belonged to her unhurt arm. It would do in a pinch. Shadows flickered, and all she could see for a few minutes were slices of darkness marred by lighter shades of stone.

"Not the best light," she muttered, "but better than nothing. Tiger?" Her voice gained in volume as she didn't hear anything. "Are you okay? Tiger? Where are you?"

A groan came from behind her, so she aimed her electricity that way, letting it crackle through the air and splatter against the stone wall, harmless . Her eyes widened when see saw him, sprawled out on the ground, legs under a massive chunk of road and his white vest splattered red.

Nothing's still bleeding though, she thought, bringing up a new ball and looking over him quickly with a keen eye. Her light wasn't glistening off of wet blood, so it must have occurred before.

"'Kid?" Tiger coughed, sounding as if he sucked down dust for every breath he took. His eyes fluttered open, focusing on her after a few seconds. "What happened?"

"The building fell," she replied, leaning against a wall next to him. "And you pushed me out of the way."

"Tried to," he managed to get out, hacking his lungs up around a cough.

Good old Tiger, always ready with a smile. Even if there was nothing to smile about. Even when there were little black bits staining his teeth as he smiled.

"You're still here."

"Pushing me out of the way doesn't mean I wouldn't be trapped." She watched as he mouthed her words, probably trying to follow her logic. "Luckily, no one else was around, so it's probably just us down here."

"Call?"

That's probably not going to work.

Dragon Kid checked her call band.

Just as I figured.

"I can't get a signal," she said, sighing and coming over to crouch down next to the older Hero. There was a smoother section of rock near his right shoulder, so she sat on that, discretely stretching as her eyes flickered to his confined position. "I think your legs are trapped, but it is possible to slide them out from underneath?"

With our luck, that'll be a hard no.

Tiger strained against the concrete block.

"No," he gasped, gritting his teeth. "I'm stuck. Not until... I get my power... back. At least."

Called it. I can't tell if it's bad luck that follows him, or just a series of coincidences.

Dragon Kid looked over him.

He looks pretty bad.

"You're still coughing... did your chest get hit?"

"I'm not sure," confessed Tiger, grinning lopsidedly. "I think so. Hurts at any rate."

Great. I wish one of the others were here with us, they'd know what to do. Sky High knows basic field medicine at least.

"Then we just need to wait," she said, extinguishing her light and hearing a small gasp. "The others'll finds us soon, so, um... take shallow breaths."

I don't like how he's sounding, that gasp wasn't good.

"They could... you should keep... light on."

"But we'll hear them before they see my light," Dragon Kid argued. "So it's a waste of energy." There was a small giggle at the pun.

"Maybe... we can dig... ourselves out," rasped Tiger.

"You're stuck, and my power's not strength," she said, giving him a look he didn't see in the darkness. "We're going to need more than just me to get you free."

They both went silent. Dragon Kid closed her eyes.

I wonder where the others are right now? Do they know that we're missing? Or are they still evacuating civilians? How long will it take them to find us down here?

A rapid panting caught her attention.

"Tiger? Are you okay?" She asked. Then she shook her head.

Of course he's not okay Pao-Lin! We're trapped underground, he's injured, and he's being squished like... like a moon cake in your youngest cousin's grimy hands!

"...fine," he said, the word ending on a slight whine. "I'm okay."

Their last conversation played through her head, and her eyes widened.

And he only got agitated when I let my electricity fade...

"Tiger," She said, her voice slow and cautious. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

"Nonsense!" He exploded, the laughter turning into more coughing, hacking, and wheezing.

Seriously? Tiger?

"You wouldn't be the only one with fears, if you are," she continued, making sure to keep her voice soft. "Karina's afraid of fire. The kind Lunatic has. And I think Nathan is too."

"...they've got... reason, at least. His fire's... scary."

"So you are afraid of the dark!" Dragon Kid immediately relit a small globe in her hand, examining her fellow Hero. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I'm not... afraid... of the dark..." Tiger puffed, his face pale and annoyed. "Not exactly."

Dragon Kid waited, but he didn't explain.

"Why not exactly?" She finally asked bluntly, her arms folding over her chest as she stood up, done with sitting on the rock.

I wish I hadn't lost my staff in this mess, I feel like I need to do something, even if it's a little practice while we wait.

In return, he sighed, ending with an unhealthy sounding wheeze.

Just how badly is he hurt?

"Worried about," he said, spacing out his words with his breath. "What the... darkness... brings..."

"What do you mean?" She moved closer to his head, leaning against an outcropping and making sure that he could see the light.

"Everything... bad happens... in the dark." He scowled. "During blackout... I was helping... my wife died..."

...what do I say to that?

Dragon Kid didn't know. She remembered when Tiger had told them his wife had died of illness, the information pulled out with the appearance of the mayor's child.

A death is hard enough, but to not be there when they crossed over? Not being able to say a final goodbye? She closed her eyes and gave a heartfelt thanks that she'd at least been able to see her grandmother in time.

"... battled Jake... at night..."

That's right! It'd been after his battle that Ms. Agnes had negotiated a deal with Jake, saying that night wasn't the best time for ratings.

"Didn't trust... Bunny... at night..."

Had that been at night? When did we rescue Origami Cyclone? She wasn't sure, so she didn't say anything; Tiger was rambling enough for both of them.

"More too. But now..." he gave a grin, and she was startled, focusing on the glossiness that was painted against his bottom lip. "Here... in the dark."

"Nothing bad will happen this time," she said, stumbling closer, frantically checking him over again.

This isn't fair, there was only blood on his teeth, not on his lips. Shit, I shouldn't have assumed his trapped legs were the worst, even if they're probably broken beyond belief.

"Tiger, what hurts the worst?" she asked, ignoring the odd echoes her voice made.

"Everything," he laughed, but it turned into a moan of pain, and he squeezed his eyes shut, turning away from her. Away from the light she held.

No. No no no, he hasn't been back with us for even a year yet. This is too close to That Day... too close to what we thought had already happened.

"But there has to be a worst," she argued. "Your legs? Your chest? Your arm?"

"What's wrong with my arm?" He asked, trying to turn his head. "I can't see it, and I can't really feel it."

Dragon Kid looked at the piece of rebar that pinned the arm to the ground.

"Nothing," she lied, looking away from it. "It was just another option to choose from."

"So... not afraid... of the dark... just what... it brings..." He finished with a shuddering rasp, his body shaking.

"Stop talking!" she said, tapping her call bracelet again. There had to be a signal, this was Stern Bild, right? The most technologically advanced city in the region. One of the many reasons she had begged her parents to let her be a Hero here.

"Drag- -id!" There was a crackle, and she could have cried at the sound of Rock Bison. "Whe- - -ou?"

"Down!" She shouted out, glancing over at Tiger. He was being silent. Too silent. She's overheard Barnaby talking to Fire Emblem about That Day and apparently the Japanese man hadn't stopped talking until he'd passed out.

Did he pass out again? Or did something worse...

"Tiger?" She took a step closer. He was still breathing, and that small action of his chest rising and falling, even as it did so with an uneven rhythm, did a lot to calm her heart.

"We're down! Trapped!" She shouted again, placing her mouth near to the receiver. Technology didn't quite work that way-if there was no signal then no matter how hard she shouted, nobody would hear her. But she couldn't help it.

"Tiger, tell me about Kaede," she said, casting about for a subject she was sure he could go on forever. "Talk to me about Barnaby!"

"...bunny...?" His voice slurred worse than before, and his eyes were shut. Just after one word he started to cough again, red flecking the area around his mouth. "where...?"

"He's coming," she said. "Rock Bison heard me."

Please let him have heard me. I can't do this on my own!

Something sounded off to the left. A cracking noise came from one spot, then several others. Bits and pieces of loose debris began to fall from the caved-in ceiling, and she threw herself forward, covering Tiger's head, letting out a soft cry as something hit her in the back. Then, light shone in, and she released her glow, standing up to face the direction of the noise.

"You guys okay?" asked Rock Bison, tossing aside a larger section of the highway, one that she and Ivan probably wouldn't have been able to move while working together.

"He needs help," she said, turning around and pointing to Tiger. If her finger was trembling, nobody said anything.

"Well, the rescue team's arrived," announced Fire Emblem, peering around Bison's massive shoulders. "I made sure to bring an ambulance too, just in case."

"Not really just in case," muttered Baranaby, pushing past Rock Bison and making a beeline toward his partner, a worried scowl on his face. "It's more expected at this point."

"He was coughing really badly," Dragon Kid said, arms twisting together.

"Did his chest get hit? Or his ribs?"

"We don't know."

Barnaby rose to a standing position, Tiger lying limp in his arms. Dragon Kid pretended not to see the tears in his eyes; it was easy since her own were staring to make the room go wavy.

"He'll be fine," said Fire Emblem, their voice low and husky. They placed a hand on her shoulder as they both watched Barnaby carry Tiger out, Rock Bison trailing after them.

"... that was horrible!" Dragon Kid finally blurted out, dashing the tears from her eyes with one hand.

"I'm sure."

She looked up at Fire Emblem.

"That's two of us you know! Who've nearly seen him... him die."

"Maybe it wasn't that bad."

"He was coughing up blood. Had trouble breathing. And both his legs are definitely broken."

They both glance to the newly-created entrance, where Bunny and Rock Bison had gone.

"... how are you?" Fire Emblem darted a look towards her. "Physically."

She opened her mouth to respond that she was fine, then winced as Tiger's shaky confirmation of being okay came back to her.

"I've had better days," she finally said, rolling her neck. "But I've also had worse."

"Let's get you checked out, then we can visit Tiger and Sky High in the hospital."

"Sky High?!" Dragon Kid turned her wide eyes on Fire Emblem. "What happened to him?"

"It was either him or Origami. The aftereffects of a train car I believe." They gave her a look. "Probably the same thing that happened here, if my guess is correct."

Dragon Kid shook her head, scowling.

"I hate not having something strength-based sometimes."

"Did I ever tell you about the time Tiger saved me?" Fire Emblem's voice filled the area, casting all of those horrible thoughts she'd had back into the crevices they'd crawled out of. She followed the older Hero, determined not to look around.

Heroes do die she reminded herself. But... not today. Not here. And that'll have to be good enough for now.

Letter from the Soup - B for Blackness

Feel free to send a Wild Roar by leaving a kudos or a comment!

(Thank you, and again, thank you for all who have!)