Setting: After series
Genre: General/Angst/Romance lingering somewhere...
Rating: PG
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

She had searched through the halls for a good ten minutes before someone was able to tell her where Professor Cary was. Kaede found him, the man standing in an empty classroom, leaning back against the desk as he stared at the notes scribbled across the blackboard. He had a habit of doodling theories and hypotheses in his spare time when he wasn't teaching. Kaede cleared her throat to get his attention, pale blue-grey eyes glancing in her direction; a smile lit up his aging face instantly.

"Ah, Kaede – what can I do for you?" he asked, adjusting the glasses sitting on his squat nose. Kaede hesitated a moment, before she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Professor, you're – researching about declining powers, right?" she questioned timidly, staring at the floor. The gray-haired man seemed genuinely surprised before a cheery smile came to his face; he gestured towards the chairs, Kaede taking a seat as he walked around the desk.

"Yes, I am attempting so – it's very difficult since it is such a rare occurrence," he explained. "The only prominent case known to the public is Wild Tiger's; most folks tend to fall under the radar when their powers start to decline." He mused, a wistful look on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. There was a moment pause between them before he brushed it aside, turning to the girl with a wide smile.

"So, what is it you want to know? I can't promise I'll have an answer though," he asked. Kaede kept staring at the floor, trying to word her thoughts into coherent questions, but she wasn't entirely sure where to begin.

"Professor – if, let's just say a NEXT completely lost their powers, do you think – I'd still be able to copy them?" she finally spoke. Cary looked at her with a quizzical face, perking up at this intriguing question.

"That's hard to say really – but in theory, I would have to say no. It would be quite impossible for you to copy a power that is no longer there," he answered. Chocolate brown eyes glanced up at him with a pained, but almost fiery light.

"But – isn't it all genetics? Even if they no longer have their powers, it's still there in the genes right?"

"Well, one could argue that, but I think it's more complicated than that," he began, rubbing his hand under his chin. "If a NEXT's abilities is caused by a genetic mutation, then in theory the decline of those abilities is due the defect either somehow correcting itself, or simply degrading to a point that information is disrupted, but is not a danger to the host."

"But – it doesn't really explain why I wouldn't be able to copy their powers," she pointed out. The elder man leaned back against the desk, truly fascinated by this question and the debate he was having with his student. He always had a fondness for Kaede – not just because she was Wild Tiger's daughter, but because her powers of copying intrigued him. He let out a hum as his gaze wandered away from her again.

"Rare as declines are, copying powers are even rarer – especially one like yours; but regardless, all copy-types need information," he explained. The teen only blinked at him.

"Information?"

"Right – take Origami Cyclone for example; if you try to describe a person he's never seen or touch before in explicit detail, the chances of him being able to create a perfect copy are slim, since everyone perceives traits differently. Your powers work in the same way – you need all the information in order to copy them, hence why touch is a very important factor for your abilities." The girl only gave him a weird look, clearly not fully understanding what he was trying to explain. He only laughed though, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to think of a better way to explain it to her.

"Think of it as a hard drive – information stored on it can be easily accessed and copied if needed. However, if the drive crashes or malfunctions, the possibility to retrieve every piece of information on it is near impossible. You may be able to recover some of the data, but the bulk of it is lost forever.

"A NEXT whose powers have completely faded has lost the information you need to create a perfect copy, thus you wouldn't be able to recreate their ability and use it as your own," he explained. Thin brown brows furrowed in thought as the explanation set in; she suppose it made sense when he put it that way. She heard him laugh again, blinking up at the greying man with a puzzled look. He had a warm gentle smile on his face, straightening up his posture as he leaned away from the desk.

"Kaede – you remember what 'NEXT' stands for right?"

"Yes – Normal Entities with eXtraordinary Talents," she answered. The professor only nodded and started to gather up the papers and notes he had spread out across the desk.

"That's correct – so a person who has lost their powers, well… that would only make them a normal entity without extraordinary talents, right? So in other words – they're just a normal human being, with no powers for you to copy."

-8-

Smoke waft from the barrel of the gun, the faint echo of the shot faded into the night sky as a heavy silence fell between them. The air was eerily stilled, each taking a moment to grasp at what had just happened. Barnaby had stopped struggling to move, his breath caught for a few minutes as he tried to understand if what happened had really happened. Chocolate brown eyes slowly opened, gazing at the man standing face to face with her. A strange, almost jovial smile broke out on Kaede's face as tears threatened to push their way through. The shot had missed her by a good three feet; something had disrupted Akira's aim – no, he purposely threw the aim off. Wide, shocked honey-brown eyes glanced at his hand – it was shaking; he never shook while holding a gun. Even on his very first mission – he had hesitated with the shot, but his hands had never wavered while holding the rifle.

"…why…" he choked out in a strained voice. An unfamiliar fear began rising his chest, an emotion he never felt before filling his head. Kaede reached for the silver ring hanging around her neck, fingers curling tightly around the jewelry piece as she smiled tenderly at him.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," her voice was soft, just barely containing the joy she was feeling. Akira started, holding the gun with both hands in hopes it would help steady his grip, but it only proved to make the shaking even more violent. Even if he did manage to shoot her now, he had no guarantee he'd hit the intended target point on her body. He gritted his teeth, an overwhelming fear thumping hard against his chest – or was that his heart beating wildly against his ribcage. He tried to pull the trigger, but his body refused to listen, his instinct warring over his rationality on why he shouldn't fire this gun right now at this girl.

"…why…why can't I shoot you…" his voice cracked. Kaede kept quiet, the smile still on her face as she took a step towards him; his breath hitched, feeling himself back up on reflex which surprised him. "Wha-what the hell did you do to me!"

"I didn't have to do anything," Kaede assured. "You may not remember, but you know who I am." She took another step towards him and he stepped back again, feeling his whole body tremble, his face scrunched up with extreme emotion as he tried to pull the trigger again.

"I'm not…you're not my daughter! I don't – I don't have one…I don't…I…"

"Please, try to remember – you know who you are, even if you aren't aware of it yet," Kaede pleaded, holding her hands to her chest. "Please…papa…" The tears welded up in her eyes, a single streak sliding down her cheek as she couldn't hold them back any longer. His eyes glared at her in fright and confusion before his face softened, brows rising in faint recognition as a tender warm glow came to honey-amber eyes. His hands stopped shaking, lowering his arms in front of him as he simply stared at the teen standing before him. His grip slacked, the gun slipping carelessly from his fingers as he looked at her with a nostalgic expression.

"…Kae…de…" the word fell from his lips in a hesitate whisper. Kaede felt her heart leap at her name, trying her best not to break down crying right there, seeing a lost almost longing smile appear on his face. She had barely taken three steps forward before his body suddenly jerked, letting out a soundless gasp as he fell forward. It took a minute or two before either one realised that the man had just been shot.

"NO!"

"DAD!" Kaede shrieked, putting her hands over her mouth. Barnaby somehow forced himself to his feet, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through his leg as he half-dragged himself over to the other man, practically collapsing to his knees once he got to the fallen body. He turned the other over, holding him up in his arms as the threat of tears filled his bright green eyes. Kaede slid to her knees as she came up to them, trying not to panic as she held her hands to her chest.

"K-Kotetsu? Are you really Kotetsu? Is it really you?" Barnaby asked in a strained voice. Amber-brown eyes winced, before looking up at him with a pained expression, showing a smile through gritted teeth.

"H-hey…long time no see, huh…Bunny…" he answered with a small wink. Barnaby tightened his hold around the man's shoulder, unable to hold back the tears clouding up his vision as a smile somehow managed to find its way on fair features.

"It really…after all this time…" he choked on his tears. There was a soft smile as Kotetsu slowly nodded his head.

"Sorry for leaving you alone for so long…" he apologized. Barnaby only shook his head, using his hand to try and wipe away the tears, not caring that his glasses were getting smudged.

"It doesn't matter now – you're here! You remember everything!" the blond managed. Kotetsu only smiled before his eyes glanced to the side where his daughter was kneeling next to them. Her long dark hair was left untied, falling over her shoulders as she leaned forward on her knees, anxious, scared – her dark brown eyes wide with fearful tears.

"Look at you – you went and grew up without me again," he teased weakly. Kaede only shook her head, muttering something about "idiot father" as she glanced away from him. Kotetsu laughed, reaching a hand out to brush the bangs away from her face. "You look so much like your mother now…I really wish she could see you now," he whispered softly. Kaede didn't say anything, taking his hand with hers as she held it tight. Weary eyes looked between the two with a tired sigh, looking back up into the mint green eyes staring at him with fright.

"Hey – don't give me those faces…I want to see you both smile," Kotetsu requested. Barnaby tried, but he couldn't force the corners of his mouth to turn up, shaking his head as he held on tighter.

"It's going to be fine – you're not going to die," he murmured softly. Kotetsu could feel him shaking, the grip on his hand tightening as well.

"Bunny…"

"We'll get you to the hospital! You'll pull through this – you always…you always do! You can't…" the words trailed off with the tears, not wanting to finish the last few words. A short, tired sigh escaped him, amber-brown eyes slowly falling shut.

"You'll be fine…you've both gotten along this far without me… I'm sure…"

"Don't' say that!" Kaede practically screamed out, cradling his hand as her silent tears turned vocal. Barnaby gave him a sharp jolt, trying to force him to keep his eyes open.

"Please – not like this! You have no idea how long – please, I – we don't want to lose you again!" Barnaby's voice was strained. A faint ghost of a smile lingered, a barely audible laugh drifting from parted lips; Barnaby shook him again. "Kotetsu! Please!"

"…too loud, bunny…" came the soft whisper. The smile faded, his head slowly falling back against the blonde's arm. Kaede hesitantly let his hand go, letting it fall limply to the ground with a light thud, an unbearable silence weighing heavily down on them. Barnaby slowly shook his head, eyes wide as his mind still tried to deny what was really happening right now.

"…n-no…Kotetsu…? Kotetsu!" he shook the dark-haired man violently, but he didn't stir. No words were exchanged between them, simply sitting there in the silence of the night, expecting some sort of shock to wake them up from this dream. Kaede let out a soft shriek, burying her face in her hands as she hunched over, shoulders shaking with her hard tears. Barnaby only sat in quiet shock, some small corner of his mind was trying to convince him that it wasn't real. This was just a repeat of what happened against H-01 five years ago; Kotetsu had just simply passed out, he was just merely unconscious and any moment now would jolt awake. He was waiting for placid face to light up, to have the old man give them some lame one-liner, thinking it made him look cool.

Not a single breath stirred in his chest, his face still peaceful and undisturbed as the minutes stretched on. Barnaby closed his eyes, holding his partner close to him as he lowered his head in despair, biting his tongue to keep quiet as the tears fell uninhibited at the pain clawing in his chest.

He withdrew the binoculars from his face, sharp dark eyes gazing out to the scene below with an empty look. He tucked the clunky device into the pouch slung across his hip; a hand reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small, black device, holding a button down as he spoke in to the speaker as a red light blinked on.

"Target acquired – Akira Hurst is dead," his tone was flat. He released the button and the light went off, watching the warehouse grounds from his place on the roof ledge for a few minutes; he pocketed the recorder away, shouldering the rifle on his back before heading towards the open door. He paused at the frame, tilting his head up to look up at the towering levels separating Bronze from Silver. The gaps and openings between each stage allowed some sunlight to shine through during the day, but still gave a staggering reminder about the difference between those who lived luxuriously on Silver and those who "settled for second best" on Bronze. There was a faint twinkle of stars trying to outshine the city lights against the illuminated raven black sky; an odd smile came to his face as he sighed. He looked away from the sky, placing his hands into his pockets as he crossed the threshold of the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Soft whimpers and faint hiccups of tears disrupted the stillness of the night air, mourning the loss of a friend and parent. Kaede had stopped shaking as she managed to calm her tears to some degree, her hair spilling around her cheeks as she clung tightly to the chain around her neck. All the fears she had growing up, all the worries that someday she'd be left alone, that she'd lose her father as well – everything overwhelmed her, a searing ache in her chest that it had all become real. A hand touched her head gently, but she didn't look up – she figured it was just Barnaby trying to bring her some fort of comfort.

"Geeze – where'd you get all these tears from? I don't think your mother was nearly as emotional." Dark brown eyes widened in surprise, jerking her head up to stare into honey-brown eyes gazing at her with a laughing smile. Barnaby snapped up at the voice as well, jaw hanging open slightly as he stared in bewilderment. Kotetsu only smiled up at them, waiting for the initial shock to wear off before he said anymore.

"D-dad… you're – you're alive?" Kaede squeaked.

"No, I'm a ghost come back to haunt –!" he barely had a chance to finish his sentence before he felt himself be lifted up, pale pink lips sealing over his in a surprise kiss. The young teen's startled gasp went unnoticed, Barnaby pulling away the second he realised what he was doing, a deep flush colouring his cheeks.

"I – I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…I don't know why I just…" he stumbled with his words. He pulled back as the other sat himself up; Kotetsu only shook his head, a pleasantly surprised smile on his face.

"No, it's fine – that was…pretty nice, actually," he answered back somewhat embarrassingly.

"W-wait! How are you fine? We saw you get shot!" Kaede suddenly pointed out, remembering what had happened just minutes ago. Barnaby had to blink a few times to get rid of the haze his mind was still in from the impulsive kiss, panicking as he realised the girl was right.

"Your injury then!"

"Calm down you two and let me explain," Kotetsu sighed, holding his hands up to both of them. Barnaby bit his lip, Kaede fidgeting on her knees as they waited for the dark-haired man to explain how he was still alive after taking a hit like that. Kotetsu took a few minutes to gather his thoughts, before he spoke.

"Look – I know I got hit, but who's to say I got shot by a bullet?" he questioned. The two only blinked at him puzzled.

"Then…what were you shot with?" Barnaby asked, breeching the silence.

"It was just a supplement pill – if you shape it the right way and fire it off at a concentrated speed, it's enough to break the skin, but without the metal weight it won't cause any serious damage," Kotetsu explained, reaching a hand behind his back to feel for the minor wound. "But still – that stung a lot more than I was expecting it to. I thought I really was gonna pass out there for a second."

"Wait – so you faked your death just now!" Kaede exclaimed, her face torn between disbelief and furious. He only gave her a nervous glance, looking ahead of him since Barnaby was also giving him a similar scathing look.

"Well, yeah – lucky for me, Bunny still hasn't learned how to check a pulse yet," Kotetsu teased. The blush darkened as the blond reached a hand to adjust his glasses; the thought hadn't even crossed his mind to check the man's neck for a pulse. Kotetsu gently massaged the area where the fake "bullet" had hit him, flinching at the slight twinge lingering in his back; he muttered something about it bruising.

"Why would…" Barnaby began. Both father and daughter looked to him expectantly, the blond hesitating a bit before continuing on. "Why would you fake your death like that?" The older didn't answer right away, a soft smile on his face as he started to climb to his feet.

"I'll explain it to you later. First thing first – we have to get you to a hospital and get that bullet out of your leg," Kotetsu pointed out. Forest green eyes blinked at him, before looking down at his leg, a good portion of his pants soaked through with blood. He flinched at the pain now pulsing through his leg, having been reminded about it after ignoring it for so long. Kotetsu only looked to his daughter, who gave him a nod; the two then helped the injured Hero to his feet, Barnaby staggering as he leaned against the other man for support back to his bike. They were then confronted with the issue on how they were going to fit three people on a motorcycle, till Kaede suggested using the hundred power to get herself to the nearest hospital in a few super-powered jumps. Kotetsu was adverse to the thought of having his daughter leaping rooftops, but Barnaby assured him it wasn't the first time she's done it.

He grumbled and grouched about it, but relented, Kaede powering up and took off with great speed shouting over her shoulder that she'd see them there. Kotetsu sighed, giving a nagging look to the man clinging to his shoulders; they were going to have a nice long chat about the handling of the young girl in his absence once Barnaby was patched up. It was a bit of a struggle getting them seated on the bike, and a balancing act for Kotetsu since it's been a long while since he last rode one, but he managed to kick them off after a few false starts and pulled out towards the main roads. The wind whipped by them as they passed the city streets, still bustling with nightly activities and crowds; the speed was slow and steady, gradually increasing as Kotetsu's confidence in steering did. Barnaby only sighed against his back, arms wrapped tight around the slender waist as he leaned against the solid form.

This almost felt too much like a dream – a dream he had been clinging to for nearly four years now, and he was afraid of letting go. Afraid that he'd wake up and Kotetsu would be gone from his grasp again. His hold tightened just a bit, pressing himself against the warm back of his partner as the scenery passed by in a blur. A wide smile broke out on his face, closing his eyes as he just simply took in the feel, the solid shape of the man he had his arms wrapped around. He had his partner back, healthy and walking and very much alive, and all sequences of events that had leaded up to this had flown completely from his mind for the time being. All that mattered in the world right now to Barnaby was the warmth of Kotetsu's back and the steady, even breathing against his ear.

-Chapter Sixteen/End-