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

Summary: Kotetsu hears a melody in the dark of the night. [Future Fic]

A sweet voice rippled through the air as Kotetsu turned, finger on the elevator call button, more ready to leave a long day at the office and head home for what little amount of sleep he would get.

"... did someone leave their music on?" he muttered to himself. He stopped, holding his breath to hear better. The music started up again, played for a few second, then abruptly stopped. Two breathes later and it had started again.

That's not a machine playing.

Kotetsu let go and turned back, taking an unfamiliar left at the end of the corridor instead of the right that led to the training rooms. The music, piano notes and singing, grew louder and louder as he stepped closer.

Finally, at the end of the hallway, there was a door part way open with the lights on. He stopped and stood there, drinking in the song.

You can't be afraid of forever, nor scared of eternity

No matter where you will go I'll be there

Standing by your side, matching you stride for stride

No matter when you need me I'll be there

Staying next to you...

The notes stopped and there was an annoyed huff.

"No, that's not going to to work... maybe if I change the lyrics here?"

Karina? At this time of night?

Kotetsu knocked on the door, pushing his head in to see Karina jump to her feet in surprise.

"Kotetsu?" She let out a nervous laugh. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, opening the door with a squeal. Both of them cringed at the noise. "I would've thought you'd be home by now."

"My parents are out for the night, so I was going to take advantage of the free time to work on my lyrics." She grabbed a sheet of music and waved it at him. "Since the old building was destroyed by Virgil, Titan asked for a small studio to be built for me. I guess they're thinking of making other Hero Idols."

He looked around the room, taking in the piano, a plain bookshelf with only two sections filled, and the strange way the wall was cut.

"It's made that way to soak up sounds," said Karina. "Normally the room is soundproof, but I wanted to have the door open, so..."

"I could hear a little of it by the elevator," Kotetsu said, smiling. "It sounded good. You sounded good."

Karina flushed, ducking her head a little to late to hide the spreading blush.

"If this for one of your performances?"

She froze.

"Um... not quite."

Kotetsu rubbed the back of his head.

I feel as if I stepped on a landmine. What could she be so worried about?

"For yourself?"

"Hehe... I guess you could say that, in a way..." Her voice trailed off as she turned away from him.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you embarrassed about it?" Kotetsu gave a giant grin. "If it's yours, I know it'll be great!"

"Not quite..." Pacing the room, Karina kept shooting him looks, but he kept silent.

Just do what Kaede tells you to do, let her think about how she wants to bring it up.

So he waited. Her arm movements became more animated, her mutterings louder and louder, and finally, she stopped.

"I don't know how, when, or even if Apollon Media does it, but Titan had us fill out letters today," she blurted out, eyes locked onto his.

Letters?

It took him a few seconds before everything clicked into place.

"You had to fill out your death letter today?"

I hate those. They make us update them every year, and I never know what to say.

"... and that's when I realized, I don't want just a letter." Karina let out a breath. "Dead words on dead trees. If I'm going to die one day as a Hero, then I want to write, and sing, my own requiem. Play it at my funeral."

"That's..." Kotetsu couldn't find the words.

Morbid? Realistic?

"...a really good idea for you, actually." Kotetsu held his hands out before she could say anything. "Most of the memories I have of you not being a Hero are of you being a singer. The idol concert Barnaby and I helped out at, you trying to make a decision between being a Hero or being a singer. And Karina... if that's how you want to be remembered, then you should be writing it." He frowned. "Playing it? Crafting it? Is there a word for when a person makes the music and the lyrics?"

Karina giggled, and he could almost sense the stress drop away from her.

Was she that worried about what I'd think? Why?

"Writing is fine." There was a pause. "It's not... morbid or anything, is it?"

Yes and no... I guess it's almost like making a living will.

"Not at all." He walked over to the piano, setting down the backpack he was carrying. "Um... I can leave if you aren't done. Or comfortable sharing it."

"It's not finished yet. I have the ideas that I want, and the music, but the lyrics aren't lining up with the melody for me."

She joined him a the piano, sitting down on the bench.

"Well, don't wait too long," joked Kotetsu. "I'd like to hear it before it's needed."

Karina shot him a confused look.

Shit. I shouldn't have said anything.

"It's just...

Okay, I was not expecting to have this conversation today...

"Karina, I'm older than you by some years," he said, voice softening. "You're closer in age to Kaede than to me, and, well, I honestly hope that I'm not around to be sitting and hearing this... if you, ah, if you know what I mean."

Don't make me say it, please.

Her eyes grew wider, tearing up before she slid across the bench and launched herself at him.

"I didn't, Kotatsu, I'm so sorry, I didn't even think of that!" she said, crying into his shirt and hugging him with Antonio's strength.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothed, rubbing the her head with one hand and her back with the other. "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad or upset you. I know you didn't mean anything by it. And really, it's a good idea to leave a little bit of yourself for the ones left behind. Trust me, I know."

Slowly, Karina looked up, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. Her brown eyes were red and puffy.

I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to make you cry over me.

"You... you really think that?"

"Of course," said Kotetsu, nodding. "Now, did you want me to leave?"

"...you can listen to it..." she hiccuped, then giggled. "Um, if you want?"

"Sure." Kotestu gave her one last hug, then went to sit on a cushion. "Play away."

She cleared her throat, giving him one last look before placing her hands on the ivory keys.

I might not have had all the time that I wanted ,

And I can't borrow anymore from tomorrow .

So I want to talk to you today, right now,

With the words that are you're probably missing.

You can't be afraid of forever, nor scared of eternity,

Just know that where you will go, I'll be there,

Standing by your side, matching you stride for stride.

No matter when you need me I'll be there,

Staying next to you...

The music trailed off, breaking its spell.

"I'm having problems with that last part, but I think I know what I want the chorus to be. I should also think of what to do later in the song... what?"

"You have an absolutely amazing voice," said Kotetsu, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "And your heart comes out when you sing."

She smiled and blushed at the same time, then nodded.

"Thank you."

Always.

"You're welcome." He sniffed one more time, then readjusted the hat on his head. "Okay, let's talk about your words. I noticed you're not rhyming them, so that's good, I'm horrible at rhyming."

"What I'm trying to do is this." Karina pulled out her notes and pointed at several spots with numbers written in parentheses. Kotetsu get up from the cushion and joined her at the piano bench. "See? Here and here should be similar, if not the same, and I'll get the balance here with beats instead of sounds."

"Then... I think these need to change places." His finger underlined two sentences. "That should help mimic the flow from earlier."

The two of them stayed together, huddled over the papers until Karina let out a bone-cracking yawn.

"Is that... is that the sun?"

The two of them looked to the window, where faint wisps of red and gold.

"Good thing your parents were out all night."

"I didn't mean to keep you out all night!"

The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

"Come on, let's go see the sunrise," said Kotetsu, grabbing Karina's hand.

"Now?"

"When else?" he teased. "The roof will have the perfect spot."

They got up, stretching from working all night, then left the room for the elevator.

"I really didn't mean to keep you out all night," apologized Karina again. "Are you going to be okay for tomorrow? I'm used to doing things like this."

"Staying up all night going over lyrics?"

She giggled.

"When the muse hits, the muse hits. I used to do it with music too, until I woke my parents up a few too many times. Now it's mainly me scribbling lyrics in a book by my bed."

"I think I'd rather be out drinking all night," he said, shaking his head in disbelief and pressing the elevator call button. "The amount of times you crossed out words was ridiculous."

"But they have to be perfect," Karina argued as the doors opened. "It's not like I'll be around to change them later."

"Truuuue," agreed Kotetsu. "But you also don't have the write the whole thing in one night."

"It makes perfect sense to strike when the fire's hot." She elbowed him in the ribs. "Or ice when the criminal's caught."

"Yeah, well, next time don't ice me along with the thief," he retorted, bumping her back. The elevator came to a halt with a bing before anything else could be said.

"Oh, wow..." Karina said as they stepped out onto the rooftop. The sky was silent and cold, but there was a warm glow of oranges on the horizon, a spread that, with each passing second, concentrated more in the middle. She shivered.

"Cold?"

"A little. It's chilly up here."

I didn't think we'd need a jacket.

He stepped forward, and hugged Karina from behind.

Heh, she squeaked.

"Sorry. I can't control the winds like Keith, I can't loan you my cloak like Nathan, and I'm not an aggressive heat dispenser like Antonio, so hopefully I'll be enough to keep you warm."

"I'm fine like this."

And so the two of them passed the next fifteen to twenty minutes standing on the rooftop, his longer arms wrapped around her smaller body. Watching as golden waves crashed over the tops of Stern Bild's tallest buildings and chased away the gentle grey of night.

"Thanks Kotetsu."

"Anytime Karina."

Letter from the Soup - R for Requiem

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