Setting: After series
Genre: General/Angst/Definite romance in this chapter
Rating: PG (not changing)
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 words past over her head in a medley of noise and silence, eyes looking to the front without really seeing the professor at the front of the classroom, jotting notes across the blackboard as he lectured on. The pen tapped idly at the corner of her notebook, her mind wandering away from her back to that encounter with that elementary teacher. She glanced down at the lined paper flat open on her desk; his arms had been familiarly warm and comforting – even almost embarrassing to a fault. She had betted everything that he was really her father, and the disappointment and pain that followed it only proved to make the ache in her chest stronger.

"Kaburagi?"

He wasn't a NEXT – but, even if he had turned out to be her father, wouldn't she still be able to get his hundred power?

"Ms. Kaburagi!"

After all, it was some sort of genetic mutation that caused these unusual powers – isn't that what she was copying when she used her abilities. She had to touch them after all, so even if her father had completely lost all his powers, it was still in the genes, right?

"Wild Tiger…" Kaede jerked her head up with a startled noise. The professor was staring at her with a weary glance, letting out a sigh. "So nice of you to finally join us, Ms. Kaburagi – now if you could be so kind as to answer the third question on page fifty-two of your text, please."

Kaede bowed her head, looking through her book laid out on her desk locating the question requested; she stared it, hesitating a moment before shyly shaking her head. She knew the answer, but she really didn't feel like explaining it right now – not with a hundred other questions flooding her head. A few students laughed and chuckled, but the professor quieted them in an instant by calling on someone else to take up the problem. The class continued on without her, the room once again dropping out of her mental vision as her thoughts wandered back to that man. Akira Hurst – it could be possible he was just a case of a "doppelganger"; someone who just happened to very – very – closely resemble her father. There were always these kinds of cases of people claiming to find their unrelated "twin", but there was always something different – they could look similar, but not damn near identical. She sighed heavily to herself, tapping the pen at the corner of her notebook.

The class period soon ended, everyone getting up out of their seats and headed to the door, some going off to their next lessons, some having free time to laze about, some going to training. Kaede didn't get up from her seat right away, waiting a few minutes to reel her mind back to the present before she began gathering up her things.

"Kaede-chan, are you alright?" Tony asked, coming up to her desk. Kaede only looked up at him, trying to put on a smile for him, but it came out as a sigh.

"I guess… just a lot on my mind, that's all," she shrugged, giving up on the smile. The curly haired boy only gave her a worried glance, but didn't say anything as he waited for her to pack her stuff away. The two walked out of the classroom together, down the halls to his next class; Kaede had a free period, so she stood around the door while they waited for Tony's lesson to start.

"Um – want to talk about it?" the smaller boy finally asked. The dark-haired girl only shook her head, brushing her bangs behind her ear.

"It's fine, just – trying to figure something out."

"Well, maybe I could help," Tony offered. "Two heads are better than one, right?" She finally smiled at him, nodding her head at the response. She started to explain – not everything, but enough that he'd understand her point and why she was thoroughly confused and a little bit upset with this new revelation that the man she met wasn't who she thought he'd be. Tony didn't say anything aside from the typical responses and hums, letting her finish at her own pace; he leaned back against the doorframe of the classroom, letting the information roll in his head a little.

"Well, if he can't use his powers anymore, how can you be sure he really is Wild Tiger? The time limit went down to 1-minute within a year, didn't it?" he pointed out. "What if he doesn't have any power left after four years?"

"But – it's still in the genes, isn't it? I mean, that's what they say causes these powers to exist," Kaede argued back. "There has to be something there for me to copy? What else would I need to copy someone's powers?" Both only regarded each other in a confused and frustrated silence; since there was really no solid evidence on how genetics played into a NEXT's abilities or how it was even triggered in the first place, they could throw around theories all day and still not find an answer. Tony scratched the back of his neck, eyes staring off to some distance corner.

"Maybe you should ask Professor Cary on this – isn't he trying to research into the declining powers of a NEXT?" he suggested. The question rolled in her head for a moment, before it really sunk in. Kaede perked up when she realised he was right, quickly turning around to run off and find the professor, thanking Tony over her shoulder as she left. He only wished her luck before heading into his classroom to wait for his next lesson. Kaede paced down the hallways, stopping students and instructors alike if they had seen Professor Cary – he shouldn't be teaching a class right now, so hopefully she have time to talk to him about this. She was really hoping he'd be knowledgeable enough on this subject that she'd finally get some answers – even if vague – to the questions haunting her mind.

-8-

He pulled his bike up to the curb, cutting the engine as he balanced it carefully before knocking the kick stand down to hold it up; he pulled the helmet from his head, brushing a hand through his hair out of habit to straighten out his curls. Mint green eyes stared up at the townhouse towering ominously over him, feeling a tightness in his chest at the sudden emotions. So many pleasant new memories had been made here, from their first meeting to the kiss they shared on the landing in front of the closed red door. Barnaby gritted his teeth, pushing the thoughts aside as he dismounted his bike, holding on to the handles to make sure it would balance right before letting it go.

He trekked up the stone steps leading to the door, raising a hand to knock; he knew it was very unlikely that Akira – or William – would be there to answer it. Even without the evidence, there was no doubt in the blonde's mind that the raven head was in the same assassin business. They had lived together for almost two years, there was no way William could not have noticed any strange behaviors or late night excursions that Akira wouldn't be able to explain or lie about. There was no answer, but Barnaby wasn't surprised, reaching for the handle out of reflex – the door clicked open. Unlocked; he was suspicious, but it didn't stop him from entering all the same, eyes alert as he cautiously stepped through the threshold.

Empty – not a noise could be heard aside from his own booted footsteps crossing the wooden floor. The shelves surrounding the TV still housed the various little decos, books and some disc covers that Barnaby had become so familiar with each time he visited. He continued on towards the stairs, second door to the right – the door he always went to if William had company over, the many nights they spent staying up late and talking. He put a hand on the knob, hesitating a moment before slowly easing it open, peeking around the door to glance into the empty room. The book shelves were clean of the books they once boasted, but other than that – nothing else was out of place.

An overwhelming feeling flooded his chest, Barnaby trying to force back the tears as he stepped in further into the room. His hand brushed against the plush material of the armchair – always his spot. Akira would sit on the bed, and Barnaby was always in the chair – they would talk until they ran out of subject matter, and even then it didn't stop them from continuing on talking. All the warmth, all the comfort he had thought he'd lost the day he lost his partner – it had all been in here, in this house, with Akira's presence by his side and now it was all taken away from him again. Did God really feel that determined to take away every little thing that made him truly happy?

A small, single tear managed to drop, a hand quickly wiping it away as he willed the rest not to fall. He needed to leave. Barnaby quickly turned around and headed back down the stairs, trying not to look back once as he crossed the open living space and back out the door. He nearly slammed it behind him, staring down at the stone, cold porch with a harsh glare. He had hoped to find some clue as to where to find Akira – although perhaps part of him was hoping to find the man himself. Nathan and Antonio had been trying to dig up as much as they could about Akira's associates, but other than finding a basic profile on William Zimmerman, who was labeled as "missing" – they had no other leads. Barnaby hadn't been able to leave the hospital for almost three days after his scuffle with Akira, the doctors wanting to be sure there were no side effects from the gas. He kept insisting he was fine and perfectly capable of walking again, but the other Heroes jumped at him, agreeing with the doctors so he was forced to compile with the orders. He didn't like it – he had been antsy the whole time; all the time he spent in the hospital, was time Akira could use to cover his tracks, or get as far away from him as possible.

Barnaby glanced back up at the complex one last time before he turned away from it for good; he doubt they'd came back here again, not when a Hero knew this place. He walked down the steps with a heavy weight in each foot, walking over to his bike to head back home for the day. It was at Ben's insistence he'd rest for the day, and Lloyds of all people, agreed to it, meaning a call could go off right now and Barnaby would be the last to know about it. The blond sighed as he reached out for his helmet, freezing as he noticed a white piece of paper placed under it on the seat of his bike. He glanced up, down and around the area, seeing nothing on the streets and not sensing anything on the roofs. Throwing caution into the wind, he reached a hesitant hand for it, eyes going wide briefly before narrowing at the neatly cursive writing scrawled out on the paper.

Barnaby Brooks Jr.

There was only one person who came to mind who could've left this note; Barnaby stood there for the longest while before unfolding the piece of paper, still keeping his guard up in case Akira was still nearby. A time and place was written, but nothing more. He crumpled the paper in his fingers, shoving it roughly into his pocket before picking up his helmet and placed it on his head. He mounted the motorcycle, kicking up the stand before reeving the engine to life, kicking off the curb as he left behind the row of townhouses. He debated with telling the others about this, but if they tagged along, he might not have the chance to properly talk with the man.

His fingers curled tighter around the handles as he weaved in and out of traffic to head for home and plan his next move. He knew this was trap, and he was going to go willingly into it so he'd have to think ahead, try to get one up on the older man if he was going to get any answers. He turned off at the exit to head up towards Silver Stage, zooming past onwards towards Gold; he was going to get Akira to talk, even if he had to beat the man over the head to do so.

-8-

The early evening sun was slowly setting in the distance, hidden by the towering landscape of the city; the sky faded into an orangey, fiery mist as the day came to a close. An ashen blond laid out on her bed on her stomach, a magazine spread out in front of her and a pair of earphones plugged into her ears, the volume cranked up loud enough to drown the outside world to the upbeat, rocking tune playing from the mp3 player by her pillow. She had been so engrossed in her music and the article that she practically shrieked, nearly falling off the bed at the hand suddenly grabbing her shoulder. A hand reached to yank the earplug from her ear, turning to glare up at the straight haired girl running back out the door of their dorm room.

"KAEDE KABURAGI!" the blond screeched out. Kaede paused at the doorway, throwing an apologetic glance over her shoulder.

"Sorry, but I did call you several times! I need to borrow your powers!" the girl rushed. The ash-blond didn't have time to question why or even remind her that her powers didn't work the last time she tried to find her father. Kaede had already disappeared through the door. The blond only sighed, putting the earplug back into her ear, turning back to her magazine; the other girl would figure it out again eventually.

Kaede snuck around the instructors making one last sweep through the halls, easily getting to the academy gates before they were closed for curfew hours. She quickly ran far from the grounds, avoiding bumps and nudges from the evening crowds before she stopped off in a secluded passage. She closed her eyes, concentrating her focus as she activated her roommate's, Madison's, powers. Madison's ability was an in-depth perception scope – like a radar tracker, only a little more precise, but at the price of being much more fickle. Kaede had used it once before when she entered the academy to find her father, but he hadn't shown up on the virtual mind-map that was appearing in her head now. Madison had explained that even a small physical change, like losing a finger or even the target cutting their hair could throw the tracker off.

However that didn't matter right now – Kaede was looking for Barnaby. After her talk with Professor Cary, every doubt she had about Akira Hurst vanished; this time – this time she was absolutely sure about her theory. She tried to call Barnaby earlier but he wasn't answering his phone, going directly to his voicemail each time. She called Antonio, but the other Hero hadn't seen the blond all day and when he tried contacting the other through his call band, Barnaby didn't answer it either. When asked why she was insistent to talk to him, Kaede swept the question to the side, Antonio giving her a stern warning not to do anything rash and to not leave the academy after curfew.

A white silhouette appeared on the wired grid map of the city in her head, marking the location of where the man was currently at and committing it to memory. Kaede opened her eyes before she ran out of the passage and headed in that direction. Barnaby was down near the dock warehouses in Bronze; why he was down there she didn't entertain the thought for now. She had to find him, since he was the only one who had close contact with the grade-school teacher; she had to talk to him properly this time, and this time – she prayed with all her heart that she would not be mistaken. After all – third time is the charm.

-8-

The sun had sunk low beneath the horizon, leaving him with the dim street lights to guide his way as he cut the engine. Barnaby looked up to the sky to where the last rays of sunlight were seen before the raven black sky dominated the vast plain above. He looked back to the row of warehouses, weather-beaten and looking worn down from lack of proper maintenance, but no less useful for storage – or for setting up a trap. He climbed off his bike, setting the helmet down on the seat as he glared down the open space, lit only by the overhead lights hanging above each entrance. There were too many places an assassin could hide, and Barnaby wasn't sure what kind of "trap" the other had possibly set up for him. He lingered for a moment longer, cautiously taking a step into the shadowed threshold, looking back, front, up and around him for any signs of movement lurking in the shadows.

He hadn't really planned that far ahead beyond arriving here at the designated time and looking for Akira. Akira may have the advantage of surprise, but Barnaby had his power – as long as he was careful when to use it, he'd have it as a backup in case Akira tried to really kill him this time. It was eerily quiet as he continued on walking, not even a creak from the buildings as he weaved in and out around corners. He was half tempted to scream out, if only to get a reaction from the other man and partly to express the mounting frustration and impatience piling up in his chest. Barnaby jumped back in surprise as a small kick of dirt flared up in front of his feet, only just barely seeing the bullet bounce off the ground. He turned his eyes to the estimated direction the shot came from, turning around to head in that direction before he felt another bullet just barely graze the surface of his shoulder, skimming across the threads of his jacket from behind.

He made a startled noise at the change of direction of the attack, just only dodging a shot flying past his face. Seeing as no matter which direction he ran, he went straight forward, trying to get away from the building structures as much as possible while avoiding the cross fire of shots coming at him in short, timed intervals. He flinched as a bullet skimmed him across the arm, resisting the temptation to activate his powers for protection. Akira was purposely pushing him to use his powers, trying to tip the situation to his favour. Barnaby gritted his teeth, holding his arms over his head as he pushed on; without knowing how the other was firing off multiple shots in a short amount of time, or even how many rounds there were, there was a good chance he'd get shot before he found the man. He heard a clinking, clattering noise hit the ground, forest green eyes honing in on the small round object rolling its way towards him. He only just barely cleared the range, tumbling away from the smoke of the explosion before he heard another rolling towards him.

The gunshots had at least stopped for now, but with the thick smoke rising from the ground and spreading out, his field of vision was narrowed even more against the black of the night. Something pierced through the puff of smoke, mint green eyes going wide in shock at the grenade flying straight at him. Barnaby let out a yelp as he was pushed back from the force of the explosion, landing on his feet with practised ease as he winced at the dull ache in his body. He cursed at the blue glow surrounding his frame, but if he hadn't used his powers that explosion would've definitely left some nasty burns if it didn't kill him first. Akira now had exactly what he wanted – Barnaby was using his powers and in five minutes, he'd be defenseless for an hour; plenty of time for the assassin to strike at his leisure.

A snarled scream echoed into the empty sky as Barnaby charged through the area, searching every nook, every hole large enough to hide a full grown man. There were no more sneak attacks against him, but somewhere in the back of his mind he figured that the other knew it was pointless to waste ammunition against someone who could make themselves a hundred times faster, stronger and any other physical qualities. Akira couldn't hide forever – there were only so many places a person could hide and hide well with such an elaborate set up, and Barnaby wasn't one to give up easily, no matter how infuriating the task was. He lost track of time in his search, not at all surprised when the blue glow faded and he still hadn't found Akira. He glared down at his own hands before looking around the area about him.

"There – happy now! I did exactly what you wanted – I can't use my powers now!" Barnaby shouted out to nowhere in particular, but he was certain the man could hear him. A movement from the right caught his eye, turning a sharp glare to the figure stepping out from the shadows and into the light provided from the warehouses.

"You held out longer than I was expecting," Akira drawled. "But then again – I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Mr. Hero." Barnaby clenched his jaw, hands curling into fists as he stood face to face with the auburn-haired man. Before he had a chance to move in closer, Akira held up his arm, pointing the small handheld gun at the blond; Barnaby froze on the spot. The corners of Akira's mouth twitched into a vague smirk, but his overall expression remained cold – empty and lifeless as he regarded the Hero in front of him.

"That's a nice face you're showing," he noted, clicking the safety off the gun. Barnaby could feel his nails digging into his palms.

"…why are you doing this?" he asked softly.

"Well for one, I was ordered to – you can't tell me an assassin and a Hero getting too close to each other is a good idea," Akira shrugged, still holding the blond in a figurative grasp. Barnaby gave him a scathing glare, biting down on his lip to remind himself not to do anything too rash while the other had a gun trained on him.

"I won't say it's a good idea – it's a horrible idea, in fact, but… did you – really need to do this?" Barnaby questioned. All the questions he had before, all the pain of wanting to know why, was suddenly gone from him, blank now that he was finally faced with the other. "Was everything…just some twisted game to get my trust so you could kill me?"

"Don't read too much into it," Akira snapped. "You really think I wouldn't know who you are the first day we met? It was a pretty convenient setup – saving a Hero who collapsed in the park, don't you think?"

"So why get close to me? If you knew who I was, then why didn't you just push me away? Shut me out when we started – started to be…" he trailed off. What could he say – friends? Close friends? Lovers? The feelings from that night were resurfacing again, the warmth of the other's lips, the heat from his body in the cold winter night. Barnaby could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, shaking his head furious to stop them. Akira was silent before a dangerous smirk played across his angular face.

"Yeah, that's right – it had all been a game," he started. "I never really had the need for relations – it's a hazard in my line of work, so I thought I'd have some fun. See what I could do to you, lure you in and test your trust." Barnaby looked away from him, a burning fire searing his chest as those words punctured right through him. A sudden thought dawned on him, before he slowly raised his gaze to match honey-amber eyes staring at him meticulously.

"You're lying," he stated softly, but boldly. The dark-haired man only blinked at him, but didn't lax his stance as the smirk turned down into a frown.

"And what makes you think that? I've had you chasing me since the start, so you can't say this hadn't been a game."

"If – you really had been playing a game, you wouldn't have made the first move," Barnaby pointed out. The frown deepened, thick brows knitting tighter together in displeasure. The blond continued on. "That night – when you kissed me – that was no game, Akira; if you really had me chasing after you, you would've made me make the first move. Besides that night…" Barnaby subconsciously lifted his fingers to his mouth, still remembering the phantom touch of the warm lips against his, the flush colouring tanned cheeks, the look of uncertainty and fear in honey-brown eyes. No matter how good of an actor Akira can claim to be, there was no denying what the blond had seen in his eyes. There was a long silence from both parties before it was interrupted by a click; mint green eyes glanced up to see a smirk once again on the sunny complexion, but there was something different about it.

"Shall I shoot you in the heart first? Take away the pain from there first before I aim for your head?" he asked. Barnaby didn't say anything, eyes turning to the ground; any ambition, any sort of motivation to dodge and escape gone. Akira didn't say anything, the smirk widening a little as he eased his finger slowly around the trigger.

"NO! DAD STOP!" A voice from behind him made Akira turn around, looking to the young teen girl standing a few feet away from them. Barnaby quickly got over his shock at seeing Kaede standing there, still dressed in her academy tracksuit, charging at the older man. Akira snapped his attention back to the blond, firing his gun off in a split second after getting his aim. Barnaby staggered, letting out a pained yelp as he fell to the ground, clutching at his leg; it might have not been so bad if it weren't for the fact that the bullet hit the same spot where H-01 had stabbed him five years ago, during the terrifying battle against the android.

"Patience Hero – you'll get your turn," the short-haired man promised. Forest green eyes only glared at him through the pain, gasping miserably at the numbing pins and needles pain shooting through his whole leg. Akira turned to the brown haired girl staring at him with wide, but resolute eyes, slowly lifting his gun to aim at her. Kaede flinched a little in fear, but she didn't move, giving him a determined gaze.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you should've just stayed at home like a good little girl."

"Please – don't do this, dad; someday you'll remember everything and you'll never forgive yourself," Kaede spoke out desperately. Akira only cocked his head at her, giving her an odd grin.

"I don't think you even know who I am – I'm not your father," he replied. "And my job doesn't require forgiveness, let alone pity or mercy."

"I know perfectly well who you are! You're my dad! I know you are!" she kept insisting. Barnaby tried to pull himself forward, but the pain still escalating through his leg made it difficult to move easily. Akira only gave a curt laugh, as he clicked his gun for another shot.

"I don't have a daughter – let alone ever been married."

"Yes, you do! Yes you were! You were married to a woman named Tomoe! And you had a daughter with her, Kaede! Kaburagi, Kaede! Please try to remember!"

"ENOUGH!" his harsh voice cut through the tense air between them, silencing her almost in an instant. Akira took in a deep breath to regain his composure before he glance at her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Here now – I'm going to shoot you in the head, miss; stop that nonsense babbling of yours." Kaede only looked at him with strange calm, warming gaze, not at all afraid of the gunpoint aimed for her head.

"You can't shoot me…" she stated gently. He blinked at her. "You won't."

"Don't underestimate me – I've killed kids even younger than you," he near growled. She didn't say anything, not even showing a hint of fear as she closed her chocolate brown eyes. Akira frowned at the attitude, letting out a huff as his finger pulled tighter around the trigger. "Fine – have it your way."

"KAEDE!"

The gunshot resonated loudly into the night sky.

-Chapter Fifteen/End-