Note: "Insert conversation here" = speaking in German

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

The early morning chatter lingered over her head, businessmen and women, parents picking up their morning coffee after dropping their kids off at school, students grabbing a cup to go before heading to class. She was thankful there were some coffee shops that were open in the early hours; most other stores and malls were typically closed until ten or eleven, depending where you were. Karina sighed, leaning her chin on her folded hands, forcing herself to stay awake; she hadn't been to sleep peacefully after last night's mission. The youngest that had been killed was only fifteen. The thought weighed heavily on her heart, knowing that there were people out there heartless enough to shoot at people that young.

"Excuse me, miss – is this seat taken?" a hopeful brown-haired man asked. Almond eyes glared at him, seeing him shrink back just a little, but it wasn't enough to make him back off completely.

"Yes – I'm waiting for my boyfriend," Karina answered icily. Her years as playing the dominatrix came in handy once in a while. His smile instantly turned fearful, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, uh – sorry for bothering you then; um, excuse me," he bowed his head then quickly ran off to find another seat. Narrowed eyes watched the retreating back, before she sighed, closing her eyes. There was a reason she cut her hair so short – she thought it would help make her look a little less appealing, but apparently it had the opposite effect. She was told by countless people (even Barnaby, of all people) that she looked even cuter with the pixie cut. Karina groaned silently, gently rubbing her fingers against her temples – she really wanted her damn coffee now.

She looked up to the coffee bar where said boyfriend was waiting in line to order their drinks; four years had certainly done wonders for the young Hero, though sometimes she wondered if it was because he was trying to prove himself worthy in memory of the old veteran. Ivan had gained three inches to his height, not enough to match the older Heroes, but enough that she still had to tilt her head up to match his gaze. His white blond hair had gotten longer, pulled back in a messy, low tail at the back of his neck, spiking up in all directions.

She had spent weeks trying to persuade him to ditch the orchid "Japan" jacket he always used to wear, before he finally agreed (though she suspected it was still hanging on a wall somewhere in his house). Not that she minded – the black tank top he was wearing showed off the nicely toned and muscled arms he had worked to gain; his shoulders had boarded, making him look a little less slender, less effeminate than he used to. He had switched out the baggy cargo pants and boots about two years ago for basic trainers and jeans that were slightly form-fitting – something she came to appreciate very much since they showed off his cute, perky little ass.

Karina blushed when she realised just how much she was staring at his rear, letting out a tired sigh shaking her head. Never, did she even once think that Ivan Karelin, also known as Origami Cyclone, would be the one guy she'd love more than she did Wild Tiger. She could still recall crying to Nathan when the old man really had left when he retired; she felt she wasn't ever going to see him again till he came back and proved that his passion of being a Hero was greater than even his declining power. Then again, perhaps the reason she was able to let go of the "crush" so easily is because this time – he really would never be seen again.

"You worry too much, Aldric," the voice almost made her jump out of her skin. Karina whipped her head around to the door, not sure what she was expecting, but her heart wouldn't stop beating crazily against her chest. A man with short, spiky auburn hair walked in, followed alongside by a man who was probably ten years or so older than him, judging by the amount of grey hairs he had.

"I can't help it – you're precious to me, you know," the older man spoke. She wasn't sure what they were saying and it took her a minute or two to recognize the language as German. Karina quickly ducked her gaze away as they passed by, not sure why; if it weren't for the fact that the two men were speaking a different language, she could've sworn that Tiger had walked right in past her. She watched them take their place in line for the coffee bar, not noticing that Ivan was coming back with their orders in hand.

"Here we are – one vanilla cream latte to jump-start you," he set the tray down with a smile. When Karina didn't answer him, he blinked at her curiously, waving a hand in front of her face. "Karina? Good morning – still with me here?"

Karina snapped to attention, before reaching over to pull him to sit down, Ivan letting out a startled noise as he found himself being forced to his seat. She pointed over his shoulder to the two older men ordering their drinks. "Behind you – guy in the dark-blue sweater vest, glasses and spiky brown hair," she described. Dark purple eyes only blinked at her, glancing over his shoulder to who she was describing, easily spotting him. She hissed at him to not stare, Ivan turning his head back muttering a small apology.

"Listen – if you get the chance listen to him talk," she ordered. The blond only blinked at her. "Please, I just… something about his voice just…" she closed her mouth, letting him go to sit properly when she noticed that the two men had their drinks to go, walking away from the counter.

"If I'm late for class, I swear I will be the most hellish little brat in the world!" Violet eyes widened at the voice of the target they were following, watching the two men walk by their table.

"It's worth it spending these few minutes with you." The two seemed to be poking fun at each other – if the smiles and light nudges were anything to go by, since neither Heroes could understand a word they were saying. There was an odd settlement between them as the two men left the coffee shop, the bell hanging above the door jiggling about their departure. Ivan moved first, reaching out to take a tentative sip of the iced mocha he had ordered for himself; Karina simply stared at the bubbly white foam layering her latte, hands folded on her lap. She let out a short, forced laugh, avoiding eye contact with dark-violet eyes gazing at her worryingly.

"I'm crazy, aren't I? I thought… I mean, do I really miss him that much to the point where I hear his voice in random strangers?" she let out another forced laugh. Ivan didn't' say anything, waiting for her to continue. "German – it's German, of all things! There's no way he'd learn something like that! He's too stupid and dense to pick up something like that so easily, he…" her voice stopped, feeling the tears trying to prick their way through the corner of her eyes, reaching a hand to wipe them away.

"…then, I'm just as crazy," Ivan answered softly. Almond eyes looked up at him surprised, seeing a sad smile on his face. "I, too, thought it was Tiger-san for a moment." She looked at him unable to utter a single word; Ivan reached his hand across the table. She didn't move at first, hesitant as she raised her hand, sliding it over the surface to meet his, lacing their fingers together. She felt him give her hand a tight squeeze, matching his gaze to see that he was trying to hold back his own tears as well. They didn't say anything – simply understanding each other's thoughts without even having to say them out loud. Finally, they pulled their hands apart to allow for the ease of drinking their own cups; they silently agreed that it was early in the morning, they had a rough night and that man just now wasn't their clumsy, goofy Tiger. Having brushed that matter under the rug, both decided to sit back and enjoy their coffee date before Karina had to run off to her morning classes.

-8-

The temperature was dropping – not by much, but it was definitely enough to be noticeable; people were beginning to wear slightly longer sleeves, a majority walking around in long pants as the fall weather rolled around the corner. Barnaby resisted the urge to shiver at the chill pricking at his bare arms; he'd have to start wearing a longer sleeved shirt soon – or a jacket once the temperature really started to drop. His mind had been in a haze ever since that night – when those three teenagers had been killed; it's been nearly five days since then, but the lingering aftermath from that was haunting him.

The room he had been so dreadfully familiar with for twenty-years – the fire, seeing his parents dead, Maverick standing there with the gun in his hand – he thought he'd never relive that moment ever again since meeting Kotetsu. However, the "memory" he saw that night was different – like it wasn't a memory at all. The room was still exactly the same, not a single flame out of place or a colour distorted at all – the thing that was different was the people. Actually, person – his breath hitched when he saw the body on the floor wasn't his mother or his father… but Kotetsu.

Barnaby halted in his steps, not minding the people walking around him. Why did his mind substitute the man for one of the dead bodies – it's happened before, but that was because he was confused. Once he found out that Jake wasn't responsible for his parents' death, he had felt so frustrated that his mind just automatically started putting people he was familiar with in Jake's place. One of those people had been Kotetsu. Why would he see Kotetsu dead on his living room floor? Was his mind trying to convince him to believe what everyone else believed? That the man was dead and gone forever? Consciously he didn't want to think, but maybe his subconscious knew better and that all his searching would be fruitless.

"…Barnaby?" His head snapped up to his name, his heart leaping to his throat at the voice staring at the man who called out to him. It took a minute or two before the blond could speak, trying to separate the imaginary from reality.

"Akira…"

"Yikes, you look horrible – having a rough week?" the man asked, a genuine look of concern on his face.. Akira obviously had done some food shopping; he was carrying a large, brown-paper bag in one arm, and carrying a smaller, white plastic bag in the other. Barnaby only blinked at him, unsure what to say – maybe because he still couldn't fully move past the fact that Akira resembled Kotetsu too much, that he felt a little uneasy.

"…something like that," he finally managed to muster up an answer. Akira gave him a sympathetic look, but made no attempts to move past him.

"Sounds like you need a break – being a Hero must be pretty tough, huh?"

"It can be, sometimes… um, what are you up to exactly?" the blond asked, trying to side step the topic. "That's a lot of food for just two people."

"Ah, this – Will's throwing a wind-down party tonight, so of course he's making me get all treats while he's taking care of that godforsaken piss he calls booze," Akira joked, jostling the plastic bag as he spoke. However, something about the other's tone suggested he wasn't really looking forward to this party.

"You don't sound all too happy about it."

"They're all people from his work place – clients and co-workers; Will works in a tattoo-parlor by the way," Akira grimaced as he said that. "So you can imagine the company is less than savvy."

"Not really your type of crowd?" Barnaby couldn't help the jest, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch up into a small smile. The dark-haired man laughed lightly, nodding his head.

"Yeah – I tend to lock myself up in my room during these things; Will calls me an asocial hermit for that," he replied. The two stood in a moment of silence as people passed them by, some sparing a glance, others completely ignoring them as they went about their own business. Akira shifted his weight at the sudden awkward silence, biting down on his lower lip before he spoke again. "Say – would you… well, do you want to come over tonight?"

"I'm not much of a party-goer myself…"

"Well, you don't have to have to drink with them – just thought I could get you to keep this old man company for the night," there was a small nervous smile on the angular face. Barnaby only raised a brow at him, Akira quickly waving a hand in the air. "Nothing like that – think of it as a thanks for the whole hostage thing a while back."

"You sort of rescued yourself for that one, so there's really nothing to thank for."

"Still, let me show my appreciation at least – you did try to help when those punks cornered me days before that," Akira smiled, holding his hand out in a friendly gesture. "Besides, I doubt the Heroes are really appreciated as much as they say they are." There was some truth in that matter; Barnaby looked to the hand for a moment, before hesitantly shaking his head.

"I appreciate the offer, but – I have some plans for tonight, unfortunately," it was a partial lie, but he had a feeling if he told the other man that he was searching again, Akira would be more insistent and encroach some more of that all-knowing wisdom of his. He was taken aback by the brief look of disappointment that flashed in amber eyes before a smile quickly replaced it. The outstretched hand withdrew.

"Ah… right… sorry, I guess a Hero is a pretty busy job," Akira answered uneasy. "Just as well, I mean – we've only really bumped into each other, so it's not like we actually know each other that well… wow, ok this is starting to feel awkward – forget I said anything." The blond was surprised by the faint blush colouring tanned cheeks; the initial image he had of Akira was slowly changing bit by bit. He didn't think the man was this shy on certain social matters, considering how well-composed he's been up till now; Barnaby felt like he was gazing a very shy child trying to speak up to other people for the first time. He didn't get a chance to say anything when the other took in a deep breath, the blush disappearing as he regained his composure just as quickly.

"I should be going or Will's going to hunt me down; sorry for the bother and – I hope the rest of the week gets better for you, Mr. Hero," Akira parted with a light nod. Barnaby only returned the gesture, watching as the man side stepped him to continue on his way in the opposite direction. He didn't watch his back, dark green eyes staring at the concrete in front of him; he felt bad for hurting the other's feelings like that, but he wasn't going to let his determination sway.

The image in his head – seeing Kotetsu's lifeless body burning – he couldn't dismiss it no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it wasn't true. He had been too comfortable with himself lately, too lax on his searching and the insecurities were creeping up on him. That side of him that sought out revenge for his parents, the side he thought he had finally buried along with Jake's demise, was screaming at him, saying if he didn't try hard enough, he'd lose his partner forever. Barnaby closed his eyes, trying to block out that voice, the image replaying again; he tried to find a happier time, a time when Kotetsu had been by his side, that stupid, silly jovial smile on his face, an arm around his shoulder, and his persistent need to meddle in things that didn't concern him.

He remembered the disastrous "surprise" birthday party the man tried to spring on him, the idiotic grin on his face when he handed the diamond-NEXT thief to him wishing him a happy birthday. He didn't want to admit it, but for some reason he had been happy, even if only a little bit. It was probably the first time the clumsy, moronic Tiger ever got him to smile – though he'd never show or admit it to the veteran. Barnaby took in a deep breath, before opening his eyes again; finally managing to pacify the violent nagging in his head. He relaxed his hands he didn't even realised he had clenched, before continuing on his way.

-Chapter Seven/End-