Dear lord… why is it every time I write Akira into the picture I end up with really long chapters… Enjoy. (This is probably riddled with errors everywhere! Will fix later when it's not 1 in the morning and below freezing degrees…)

Setting: After series
Genre: General/Angst
Rating: PG (may or may not change)
Summary: Four years is a long time to be missing, but it doesn't stop Barnaby from trying to find his partner, Wild Tiger, who went MIA those four years ago. By chance, a man of strikingly similar warmth crosses his path; he is everything that Kotetsu was, but at the same time everything about him is wrong.

Once Lost Yet to Return

Perhaps going on foot wasn't such a good idea; he hadn't expected it to be so crowded on the one day he gets time off from work. Then again, staring at the traffic it was probably easier on foot then by bike; Barnaby let out a silent sigh, wondering why so many people were out today. Course, this could turn out to be a good thing – it would increase the chances that he might find his partner wandering in and out of the masses; he'd just have to be extra alert is all.

Occasionally he was stopped once or twice by fans who happened to notice him; the blond was surprised he was still this popular, even though Sky High was still the current reigning 'King of Heroes' this year. Without his partner by his side, Barnaby was forced to rejoin the first league ranks since his power was overwhelming to begin with. He was reluctant at first, but returning to the first tier gave him back certain privileges that were not allowed to the second tier Heroes.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with us, old man!" a gruff voice broke his train of thought. Barnaby glanced up ahead to see at least three young men cornering someone up against the wall.

"Ahaha – you're all a pretty rude bunch, aren't you?" that voice surprised him. The blond walked quietly, peeking through the three bodies slightly surprised to see it was Akira backed up against the wall, a weary smile on his face.

"Huh? What are you saying? You're the one who's rude! Bumping into us like that and not saying anything!" one of them threatened, trying to pull off a menacing face. The dark-haired man only sighed, casually shrugging his shoulders, hands in his pant pockets.

"I did say it was my bad – ah, I just want to enjoy my peaceful day off," Akira closed his eyes with a small frown. "Really, it's so rare I get time to myself these days."

"Why you -! Don't look so bored when someone is talking to you!" a man with brown dread-locks raised a close fist in the air. The other two simply stepped back to let their companion have a little fun as he aimed for the older man's face. Akira didn't move, slowly opening his eyes at the incoming attack, taking his hands out of his pockets; before he could even lift his arms in defense, a hand grabbed the wrist.

"Who-!"

"Excuse me, but is there a problem here?" Barnaby asked casually. The man only glared at him, trying to pull his hand out of the tight grasp.

"Who the hell are you? Don't get in my way!" he raised his other hand to strike. Barnaby stepped back, twisting the arm in his grip, before forcing the guy down to the ground, the man letting out a howl in pain. His two friends moved in to help, lunging at him; Barnaby let the arm go holding an arm up to deflect the incoming punch, before moving to the side to avoid the other. Before either could throw another hit, the blond had already closed the distance; his fist making contact right on the nose of one, then turned around and kneed the other in the gut. Both men tumbled to the ground, their assumed 'ringleader' only staring with wide eyes as he watched his two friends fall with one blow each.

He scrambled up to his feet, Barnaby preparing himself in case he tried to attack, but he seemed to think better of it. Gathering up his fallen friends and quickly running away, screaming over their shoulders that they'd remember this. Barnaby only sighed as he relaxed his stance, shaking his head; as if the average punk had a chance against a Hero.

"…I can take care of myself, you know," Akira spoke. Bright green eyes frowned at the older man standing there arms crossed over his chest.

"You're welcome," Barnaby answered. Akira only laughed, shrugging his shoulders before moving away from the wall.

"Ah well, I suppose one good thing came from those punks," he commented. The blond gave him a puzzled look as the other flashed him a gentle smile. "I got to see how you're doing, which might I add – is a lot better than the last time I saw you." For some reason that caught Barnaby off guard, looking away from the other man to stare at the brick pattern of the building.

"It's not like it's been that long," he grumbled. He heard the other give a hearty laugh that resonated in his ears; Kotetsu had a laugh just like that.

"Still, the week seems to have been good for you; you don't look quite as colourless as the first time we met," Akira noted, a soft smile on his face. Barnaby didn't say anything, bowing his head and excusing himself. "Ah – where are you going?"

"Nowhere in particular…"

"Hmm, so you've got nothing you're doing right now then?"

"No, I'm… searching…" the blond answered hesitantly. A low hum escaped Akira as he walked up to the other's side, reaching an arm around the small shoulder; Barnaby made a startled noise, blinking at the sudden contact. It was making him feel uneasy and yet – he didn't try to push the man away.

"They say you always have to look ahead to see the future, but if you're always spending so much time looking at what's in front of you you'll miss out what's around you," he stated. The young Hero only blinked at him, even more confused at what this man was going on about. He felt himself being tugged in a different direction, a tanned hand pointing to across the street.

"Now see that young girl over there, white skirt, blue top and wavy red hair? She's waiting for a date," Akira claimed.

"You can't just assume that…"

"Ah, but I can – her skirt's been pressed, she's trying to look nice; her hair too has been done as well. The top of her head is actually quite straight, but only the end is wavy; she obviously tried to curl her hair but she probably ran out of time that's why only the bottom is curled." Barnaby only stared him, then to the girl. She did seem to be fidgeting a little; sure enough a young handsome-looking man came up to her, a bouquet of flowers held out to her.

"And there's the date – obviously a first date."

"How can you…?"

"The flowers in the bouquet – Amethyst means admiration, he's admired her for a while; jonquil means he wants her to return the same feelings," Akira continued to explain. Barnaby looked at him in surprise, before glancing back to the couple; the girl was blushing, taking the flowers with a huge smile on her face before she leaned up to give a kiss on the guy's cheek, seeing him blush as well. It could very well be their first date, since both parties were overjoyed by the other's actions. Barnaby didn't have time to ponder more on it when he felt Akira pull him in another direction, pointing down the street behind them this time.

"Family of three – son riding on his father's shoulders," he pointed out. "Wife is not the boy's real mother, but a step-mother most likely – seems recent since the boy is fine with his father, but shies away every time the wife tries to talk to him." Barnaby had given up trying to remove himself from the strong hold, but he was getting a little annoyed with all this random observation talk when he should be spending his time now looking for Kotetsu. He sighed and let his eyes follow the stretched hand gesturing towards the family. Sure enough, every time the mother tried to talk to the boy riding on his father's shoulders, he looked away. His father tried to nudge his son to talk to her, but she put a hand on his elbow, an understanding smile on her face.

He was amazed – Barnaby was honestly amazed that the man standing next to him could tell that much just by watching their body language. The arm around him finally slipped away, glancing over to see a strange smile on Akira's face; the older waved as he slowly began walking away.

"If you keep looking ahead, you'll miss out on the beauty of little things like that," he simply said before turning his back to the young blond. Barnaby couldn't say anything, watching his back as the distance grew between them; he didn't want to see it, but he was having a hard time not believing it. Akira looked just like Kotetsu from behind. Forest green eyes looked away, ignoring the clawing pain eating away in his chest; it wasn't possible, was it? They were just too different and even if it had been four years, there was no way a person could change this much. Despite the likeness, Barnaby couldn't feel a trace of what made Kotetsu who he was; there was always a certain "vibe" he got from the bumbling, sometimes incompetent man that he never found in anyone else. Akira didn't have that "vibe", but he couldn't deny that warmth he felt.

Barnaby put a hand over his shoulder where Akira's hand had rested; it was a foreign touch and yet – oddly genial, as if he knew it his whole life. He thought back to the events from the park; he hadn't wanted to think about it at first, but it struck him after he left their house that Akira probably carried him all the way. The thought was embarrassing to say the least, though Barnaby had successfully talked himself into thinking that the man had carried him piggy-back style, and not princess-style. He remembered feeling safe and at ease around him – even if the housemate was an obnoxious loudmouth, it didn't stop that rare feeling of being… genuinely happy.

He looked back up across the street - the couple and the family already long gone on their way, watching the crowds go in and out, before looking up at the clear sky. When had he last looked at the stars? The last time he had smelled flowers was when he received them as gifts, and even then he barely paid much attention to them. When was the last time he really looked at his fellow Heroes? Really seen and acknowledged the changes in them these past four years; how much Kaede had grown and was really looking like her mother. A small smile appeared on handsome features at the thought – the young girl mostly had her mother's looks and thankfully her smarts as well, but that bull-headed stubbornness was definitely from her father.

He stood there for a while, letting the sounds of the city adsorb his senses before he decided to continue on with his search. There was an occasional stop or two when something caught his eye, taking a minute or two to watch and enjoy and then moved on. Maybe he would visit Kaede later – they hadn't really interacted much since the day he gave her the ring; Barnaby felt like he'd regret later if he didn't get to know the daughter of the person he trusted the most.

-8-

"Excuse me, but – does this man look familiar to you?" she held up the photo. The old woman simply shook her head, giving her a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, dear – afraid I haven't seen him before."

"Ah, thank you and sorry for troubling you," Kaede bowed her head before walking away. She was technically supposed to be in lessons right now, but she managed to convince her roommate to inform the instructors that she was sick and resting in their room. The other girl had been reluctant, but agreed to help get her out of class after much pleading on Kaede's part. She had quite a few days to make up for lost time searching, and besides – she was already top of her class, so missing a lesson or two wasn't going to hurt.

Honestly though, Kaede was beginning to worry just a little; lately it seemed that Barnaby was spending a lot of time talking with her recently. Not that she minded really – she was still a fan of his, after all although she had long since moved on from her idol-like crush on him – but it was troubling her that the man seemed to prioritizing time with her over searching for her father. She paused in her steps, reaching to hold her hands over the ring against her chest; would Barnaby, too, eventually give up and come to accept the fact that Wild Tiger was gone for good? Would she be left as the only person in world who would keep turning her head every time someone looked the slightest bit like her dad?

Kaede shook her head clear; no, Barnaby didn't say anything about giving up when they talked last night. He was still searching for Kotetsu, but he felt he'd be letting the man down if he didn't at least get to know the precious daughter a little – at least, that's how he explained it to her. Her fingers curled around the chain, wondering why now – why after four years was the ex-King of Heroes wanting to know her better? A loud chiming noise distracted her, looking up to the big public screen display running an emergency broadcast.

"…The situation is quite serious – an elementary school is currently being held hostage by a group of gunmen; it has already been reported that one teacher may be dead," the newscaster announced. An image of the school was displayed in the right top corner behind her; Kaede recognized that building. "The culprits have not made any demands yet, and both police and Heroes are hesitant to enter the building at this current time." Dark brown eyes narrowed at the report, quickly shoving her wallet into her bag; searching for her dad will have to wait. She quickly dashed off in the other direction, weaving in and out of the people standing around watching the news, horrified that anyone would swoop so low as to take children for hostages. Kaede tried to avoid touching anyone as much as possible – she knew whose power she had at the moment, and she wasn't going to risk losing it because of some unknown NEXT walking amongst the normal crowd.

The situation was briefed to the Heroes who had arrived on the scene first, the group of which included Barnaby, Origami Cyclone and Blue Rose. By the time the others had shown up, the police had already explained the whole problem to them, Barnaby already forming a plan with Origami on how to successfully infiltrate and figure out just how many gunmen they were dealing with, and how to sneak in without them knowing.

"Can you do it?" Barnaby asked. The other didn't even hesitate as he nodded.

"Something like this – it's the only thing I can do," the samurai Hero answered. There was a bright light as he activated his powers to shift shapes, a tiny white mouse standing in his place once the light faded. Barnaby couldn't help the small smile as he watched the transformed Hero scamper off into the building; Ivan's powers have grown significantly these past few years and so had his confidence. All they could do now was wait till the other got back with information on how it looked on the inside.

Inside the building, inside the one room where the children had been herded and kept huddled in a corner, honey-brown eyes were glaring through thin-framed glasses at their captor, hands behind his head as the man stood in the door with a machine gun. He had been in the middle of a math lesson – they were learning their times-table today – when a round of gunshots resonated through the halls, followed by a series of screams. Before he could even do anything a gun was pointed at his head, and he was having threats yelled at him and the kids in the room.

One little girl was sobbing uncontrollably, hugging her knees tight to her chest as she cried softly for her parents; the man was getting irritated by her whines, shouting at her to shut up. The teacher glared at him, unable to keep his voice to himself.

"Stop it! She's just a kid and she's scared!"

"You, shut up! Or I'll shoot you too!" he held his gun up to make a point. The teacher bit his tongue to keep from saying anything more, glancing worryingly to the little girl trying desperately to quiet her tears. If only he had a clear opening, one where he was sure the kids wouldn't be put in any danger. Then, something odd caught his eye, staring to the slightly open door with a bewildered look – a mouse. A small, unnoticed white mouse poked its head in, quiet and still as if surveying the situation before it left just as silently, as if it had never been there at all. He resisted the urge to smile; he had a feeling that had been no ordinary mouse, and that these thugs would be getting what they deserved soon enough.

Everyone was already on their toes by the time Origami came back out and de-transformed, explaining how things looked on the inside. There were at least six culprits in total; two were guarding the front and two at the back, while one was keeping watch in the halls on the ground floor, the last one minding the children and one teacher in a room on the same floor. There was a side entrance, however, that they seemed to have failed to notice and left completely unguarded.

"All right, Heroes – this is an extremely delicate mission," Agnes' voice could be heard over their communications. "Barnaby, Dragon Kid, Sky High – you three will infiltrate and take care of the gunmen and rescue the hostages; Blue Rose, Rock Bison – stay on the front in case any of them try to escape. Origami Cyclone, Fire Emblem – mind the back!" All of them answered with a firm "yes ma'am", splitting off into their respective groups and headed to their designated locations. Barnaby, Dragon Kid and Sky High successfully managed to sneak to the side, and just as Origami had said – it was left unguarded, using the element of surprise to their advantage. They came up to the corner where the one man would on guard, Barnaby nodding to Dragon Kid. She only grinned, powering up her electricity before running out into the open, throwing it at the man before he could even react.

He let out an undignified scream at the shock, before collapsing onto the tiled floor; they moved out from their hiding spot. One of the guards apparently heard the scream and came to investigate, shocked to see their comrade knocked out and three Heroes standing in front of them. They fired without hesitation, Sky High using his winds to deflect the bullets, while Dragon Kid charged up another attack and struck without mercy. Barnaby took the opportunity to slip into the room, pushing the door open at full force.

"No sudden moves!"

Barnaby froze, glad that his face was hidden by his armor – he was pretty sure he was showing a surprised expression, but not at the fact the gunman had a hostage by the arm, gun to their head.

"A…Akira!" the name slipped before he even thought about it.

"H-hey, Mr. Hero," Akira gave him a nervous, apologetic smile, as if he was at fault for being caught like this. The thug twisted his arm tighter, bumping the barrel of the gun against his template.

"Easy there – one false move and he's dead meat," the man warned. Barnaby loosened his stance, slowly backing out from the door, the man pushing Akira to move forward while still keeping the gun steady to his head. Both Dragon Kid and Sky High looked to the other Hero confused as to why he was suddenly backing away until they saw the reason why, neither able to make a move. The man only smirked at them, walking backwards slowly with Akira to make sure they didn't try something sneaky.

"Oh no! It looks like one of the culprits has taken a teacher hostage to escape! What will our Heroes do now!" Mario's voice was loud enough that even the Heroes on ground could hear him. They had already apprehended the remaining gunmen, thanks to the mini riot inside; the other three had panicked upon hearing the round of gunshots and tried to escape, running right into the waiting arms of the Heroes set up at the exits. They all stood back as the last culprit walked out with the auburn haired man in his grasp, Akira stumbling a little as he was forced down the steps.

At that moment, Kaede arrived on the scene, seeing the brute shoving the innocent man out into the open. She could see the other Heroes were reluctant to make a move, trying to find an opening, a distraction, anything that could ensure a hit without endangering the hostage. Kaede steadied her feet, holding a hand up in front of her as she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate; she tried to visualize a hand in her mind, opening her eyes as she stared at the spot just behind the gunman. The dirt behind him started to stir, slowly circling upwards as it tried to take a shape; there was a look of surprise on the Heroes faces as they watched this swirling sand tower build.

It was already a foot or two about the guy by the time he noticed it, letting out a startled yelp, unwittingly removing the gun from his hostage's head. Akira took the moment of distraction to knock the gun out of his hand, taking the man (and everyone else) completely by surprised. Before anyone could register what was going on, the seemingly helpless teacher twisted his body to relax the tension on his arm, grabbing the man by the collar and effortlessly throw him over his shoulder and hard on to the ground.

There was a loud wave of shocked noises at the feat, Kaede losing her concentration and the sand tower she had been trying to turn into a hand, dispersed back to the ground it came from. By that time Barnaby had ran out to see a man at least twice Akira's weight being thrown down like he was made of paper, indeed very glad for the armor hiding the amazed and shocked expression on his face. Akira only grinned down at the man slowly losing consciousness.

"This is one old man you shouldn't underestimate," he said. The man promptly passed out from having the wind knocked out of him; Akira stood up straight to dust his hands off, before looking over to see the red-suited Hero walking over to him. He waved. "Guess this is all yours from here."

"Yes, that it is… but where the hell does a grade school teacher learn a move like that?" the question slipped before he could catch it. The older man only laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"A guy has to stay in shape somehow, right?" he answered jokingly. Barnaby only sighed, shaking his head as he lifted up his face plate, revealing a small smile on his handsome features. He was surprised to find that Akira was a teacher – well, he had figured that much out when Will mentioned something about textbooks and a teacher's aide. He didn't expect an elementary school teacher though.

"So this is what you do for a living, huh?"

"Yeah, well – I like kids, so why not? Much better than working with teenagers," the man replied. Before either could carry on a further conversation, a string of "ows" diverted Barnaby's attention, seeing Rock Bison coming towards them, dragging one very sheepish looking Kaede with him.

"I believe she's responsible for that sand trick just now," he stated less than amused. Barnaby frowned at the teenager pulling her arm away from the rock hard grip.

"Kaede, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in class," Barnaby nagged. It was obvious from her uniform that she snuck out somehow. The girl only pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's not like I'll be missing much – besides, I helped a little bit!"

"You're not allowed to use your powers – anyone's powers – outside the academy, remember? It's too dangerous," he reminded. She only huffed, avoiding the nagging green eyes staring down at her.

"You can't expect me to just sit around and do nothing! And I can control the powers I copy… more or less," she muttered that last part to herself. Barnaby only sighed, planting a hand to his head, Rock Bison doing the same; she was her father's daughter in more ways than one sometimes.

"Aha – see, this is why I don't teach teenagers," Akira chimed in. "Although, I suppose I should thank you for creating an opening for me." He smiled; Kaede uncrossed her arms and turned to give him a cheery smile.

"No, it's fine – after all, I will be a Hero someday so if whatever I do helps, then I'm happy," she replied. Their eyes met for the first time, Kaede blinking up into amber coloured eyes staring at her with a strange look. The two stood in an odd silence, simply staring at each other eye to eye. A feign sense of warmth flooded her chest, feeling her heartbeat stop before it started pounding faster in her chest; Akira had a faint look of familiarity in his eyes, his breath seemed to have stopped a moment.

"Hey… have we… met before?" he finally asked. The question threw them off guard; Barnaby blinked at the man, gazing between the two confused. Kaede wasn't sure how to answer. There was something definitely familiar about this man, but it couldn't have been… could it?

"I… I don't think so…" she finally answered shyly. Akira only hummed, a peculiar smile coming to his face.

"Ah, sorry – you sort of reminded me of a student I used to teach, but thinking about it… the age isn't right," he excused. Before either subject could be broached, someone was calling out to the man, all eyes turning to an elderly man dressed in a semi-formal gray suit.

"Akira! You all right?"

"Ah, principle – I'm fine, and the kids?"

"Still very shaken up from this whole mess; their parents will probably be arriving soon to pick them up."

"Ok, I'll go in and see if I can calm them down a little before then."

"Sorry for pressing the matter, but did the culprits ever say what they wanted?" Barnaby asked, interrupting the two men.

"Money, probably," Akira answered first. "This school doesn't look like it, but there are actually quite a lot of kids from wealthy families who attend here. They were probably trying to use the kids as ransom for money." There was sudden groan as all attention turned to said culprit rousing from his unconsciousness. He sat up slowly rubbing his head as he tried to recall what had just happened; he barely had a second to think about it when Kaede rushed over and kicked him straight in the head, effectively knocking him back out. Barnaby let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

"That was a little unnecessary, Kaede…"

"What's it matter? Anyone who dares to hurt little kids deserves nothing less!" she argued. Barnaby couldn't help the snicker as the reaction reminded him of Kotetsu; he couldn't help but feel that the man would have reacted the same way (though maybe not as childish). With the threat of danger gone and the criminals being handed over to the police, Akira and the principle headed back into the school to take care of the children, and try to sooth their trauma until their parents came for them. Akira waved over his shoulder to Barnaby, the blond returning the gesture almost subconsciously; he didn't think two short meetings would put them on such friendly terms already.

"Ne, Barnaby – do you know him?" Kaede asked. Barnaby blinked at the young teen, curious about the blank, far off stare she was showing. He followed her line of vision, seeing that she was watching Akira disappear into the school building.

"Well, just his name really – Akira Hurst; I've – bumped into him a couple of times before this," he answered vaguely. Kaede only hummed, a delicate hand reaching for the ring around her neck, fingers fiddling with it her dark eyes never leaving Akira's back. Barnaby had a feeling he knew what she was thinking – what she was hoping for, and it gnawed him for saying this, "He's not your father, Kaede…" The fingers stilled, her head tilting to the ground as she bit her lip.

"But he's –!" similar? Has the same eyes? The same voice? – All those thoughts went through her head, but she just couldn't put them into verbal words. She felt a hand reach around her head, gently pulling her close to the armor-clad body, a gentle, but unsteady voice hushing the tears trying to push their way through. She let him, even though she would never, ever let her dad do the same, Barnaby didn't really have the privilege either, but for some reason – she didn't want to fight it this time. She could've sworn for sure that it was the real thing, that her father was standing right there in front of her, she had seen it in that man's eyes. There was a flash of recognition, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came and that vague connection Kaede had felt didn't return. No, that man just now wasn't her dad no matter how much she tried to feel it; perhaps Barnaby felt the same thing, that's why he was standing there now, an arm around her and completely oblivious to the fact that she had skipped class.

-Chapter Four/End-