A/N:

Wow, I can't believe I'm almost done with the draft for this. That aside, things are getting rather serious, so I hope you'll enjoy the drama about to unfold from this point onward.

-Reddie

"Oh, hey! I forgot to ask!" Kaede piped up from the shotgun seat, causing Barnaby to glance at her.

"What is it?"

She had been curious as to what Nathan said to him last night, but it slipped her mind before she headed off to bed. Now was a good time to ask, she thought. But instantly, the Summertime Bakery came into view, proving her wrong for thinking so.

"Ah, never mind, we're here." She opened the car door the very second he parked, leaving Barnaby to trail behind her in a hurry.

The smell of freshly baked peach cobbler met them as they walked through the entrance of the bakery, followed by a sharp yell.

"Those strawberry hand pies were supposed to be out of the oven an hour ago!" A woman shouted, shortly before something shattered on the ground.

"Ah, shit," Another woman griped.

"Dammit, Susan!"

"Cool it, Bernice! It's not like I burned a fucking cobbler!"

Bernice squawked, "The peach cobbler! Agh, I need to go check on that!" Shoes squeaked against tile, and then, "Be a little more careful, alright?"

Kaede cleared her throat, "Hello? Excuse us?" They could hear the two gasp.

Susan brought her voice down, "We've got customers, what do I do?"

"Don't be stupid! Just go up front and leave this for now! I'll take care of this!"

"But the cobbler?"

"Just get out there!"

Dr. Hitch then came skittering up to the counter, greeting them cordially, "Hello, how can I help you today?"

"Good morning, I'm Kaede Kaburagi, private investigator," Kaede bowed. "I emailed you last night about my case with Sternbild United?"

"Oh, yes, I remember that. Well, let's have a seat at one of those tables over there and get to work, shall we?" Just as she said that, Bernice walked into view, clapping the flour off her hands. As Dr. Hitch moved past the counter, Bernice quirked a brow at her before following suit.

"I turned off the oven for now. What's going on here?" Bernice chimed in, sounding a little concerned. Kaede noticed her eyes on the case folder. "Who are you?"

"No need to be alarmed. I'm simply a private investigator and your wife isn't in any legal trouble," Kaede explained. "Surely she mentioned my message last night." With that, Bernice glared back at Dr. Hitch.

"Suuuusaaaan…"

"Whoops!" Dr. Hitch laughed sheepishly, scratching at the back her gray curls, "Slipped my mind, sweetheart! Sorry!"

"I sent it awfully late last night, so my apologies." Kaede said in Dr. Hitch's defense. "To fill you in, my name is Kaede Kaburagi, and I'm here to resolve a case sent to me by Sternbild United. They lost track of your wife's background information when they were backing up files." Barnaby readjusted his glasses, stepping out from behind her as the three other women seated themselves at a table.

Dr. Hitch pointed, "Say, who is that? You didn't mention you were bringing anyone along."

"Pardon me," Barnaby laughed sheepishly, standing up, "I just drove her here is all. I can wait outside if you want."

"Now, now, I have no protests to you being here," Dr. Hitch waved, "I'd just like to know who exactly you are. You look awfully familiar."

"My name is Barnaby Brooks-Kaburagi." Barnaby said, settling back down into his seat, "I used to work with Hero TV."

Bernice gasped in recognition, "Oh! You were part of that tag team, Tiger and Barnaby, right?" Barnaby nodded, lips curling into a smile as his heart swelled with nostalgia at the sound of that name. "Dear goodness me, I cannot believe my eyes! The King of Heroes, in my bakery! Hey, wait a minute… Brooks-Kaburagi, you say? Well, well! When did you marry him?"

"He decided to propose after we went off the air, and I simply couldn't find any good reason to refuse," Barnaby spoke almost boastfully, showing off his wedding band as he readjusted his glasses. "But enough about me. I'm only here on Kaede's account, so it'd be best to get down to business." Barnaby pointed down at Kaede's folder.

"Alright, alright, I understand," Bernice laughed, "Papa looking out for his daughter and all."

"He's not my dad." Kaede corrected simply, causing Bernice and even Dr. Hitch to blink at her. Against her better instincts, she glanced over at Barnaby, only to watch his smile wane ever so slightly. "Er! He's family though, definitely. And I won't deny that he means a lot to me." Still, the smile did not pick back up. Tentatively, Kaede proceeded to open up the folder. Barnaby cast his eyes to the side, avoiding her gaze.

"My apologies for making assumptions," Bernice murmured gently. "But, yes, anyhow, onto the matter at hand…"

Kaede detailed in to the situation and specifics of the case, giving out only the information that was necessary and inquiring where she saw fit. Every now and then, Kaede would catch Bernice looking at Dr. Hitch in such an obvious tender way that it made the investigator swallow, wondering if the sight of such an old happy couple was just more salt in the wound she'd just inflicted on him. And from the wistful way he'd look down at his wedding band when Dr. Hitch glanced back at her wife playfully, she could tell it was.

It wasn't helping her guilt at all, but what else could she say? Barnaby was family to her, but she couldn't even bring herself to say that he was her stepdad. Even then, to claim him as a parent of hers in any way felt too much like betrayal. It felt like letting go of something she was supposed to treasure forever, and for her that just seemed like such a deep injustice. She couldn't turn her back on her parents, no matter how many years would pass. The bond she shared with them was just irreplaceable, so Barnaby simply couldn't occupy their space in her heart.

"Well, I can't tell you what to feel, Kaede. It's perfectly fine if you don't see him that way. But keep in mind that, if you do want to accept him as a parent, that doesn't necessarily mean rejecting your mother, you know?"

Kaede pushed those words to the back of her head. It wasn't just her mother anymore… she didn't want Barnaby to take her father's place either.

"…and, last but not least, I can send you my college transcripts. If you need them, of course."

"Well, send me everything to be on the safe side." Kaede nodded, "And rest assured that any unnecessary information I receive from you will be completely confidential. I won't disclose anything to the hospital that I don't need to. Your information is safe with me."

"Thank you so much, Miss Kaburagi."

"Not a problem, Dr. Hitch."

The old woman giggled, "Oh, you can just call me Susan, sweetheart. You're welcome in this bakery anytime."

"Say… actually, before I go, could I maybe purchase a couple of your lemon bars? Those look great."

Bernice declared, "Certainly!"

And after handing over five Stern dollars, a final fleeting thought crossed her mind before she could even think of leaving the bakery.

"Wait. One last question, for certain." She took a small bite of one lemon bar, making a sound of delight at the taste. She swallowed, "Do you happen to know anything about Dr. Layla C. Page? They lost track of her background information as well."

"Ah, Dr. Page?" Susan murmured thoughtfully. "Well, I didn't know her very well, but I do remember she worked with terminally ill patients like I did. But that's it. I'm not sure if she specialized in anything… I think she was a cardiologist, but don't take my word for it."

Jotting it down in the margins of a sheet in the case folder, Kaede nodded, "Alright then. Thanks again. I hope you ladies have a lovely day."

"It was a pleasure!" Bernice waved, "Goodbye!" As the door shut behind them, Kaede breathed a sigh of relief.

Barnaby was silent through the drive back to Century City, much to Kaede's dismay. She insisted that it wasn't a big deal and continued saying that he really did mean a lot to her, but he could only send a weak smile her way at that, the kind that said he didn't have the energy to pretend he didn't care anymore. He wanted to be her stepdad in the very least, but she wouldn't even give that to him. Being raised by his uncle after his parents' tragedy, he knew the feeling of not wanting anyone to replace dear old Mom and Dad. But it still hurt to be kept at arm's length like that. Yes, he was family to her, she said. Yes, he meant a lot to her, she said. Barnaby wanted to be satisfied with that alone, but it still made him feel a bit empty. Why couldn't that be enough for him?

"Look, it just isn't right, Barnaby," Kaede crossed her arms. "I can't just say you're my dad when I already have one…" She already knew there was something wrong with that argument, given that plenty of other people out there had two fathers. But that was different. Barnaby did not raise or adopt her as a child, carry her in his arms, or teach her how to walk. He simply said yes to a widower's marriage proposal. Just because he married Kotetsu didn't mean he had any right to be her parent.

"I would never dream of replacing Kotetsu, Kaede." He replied flatly, his voice tinged ever so slightly in sad disbelief. How could she think that? While he was at it, he added, "And I wouldn't dream of replacing Tomoe either."

Kaede muttered, "Old Man, do you… actually see me as your daughter?"

The red light came on, and he slowed to a stop without looking at her. Bernice's loving eyes were too busy burning into his skull with memories of Kotetsu, the way those sweet amber eyes used to make his heart swell with fervor. The memory inundated his head so strongly that he didn't really have that much capacity to hold a conversation about his feelings towards Kaede at the present moment. He didn't need unreciprocated parenthood to add onto the pain of missing Kotetsu.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled, "We can talk about this another time."

The green light returned, and Barnaby continued down the road, coming up towards a familiar venue, a plaza bustling with various people. He'd definitely been here before sometime in his first year as a Hero, but he couldn't quite place it. Maybe he was mistaken. If not, it really felt like the place had changed.

"Hey… that's where I used to skate as a kid," Kaede murmured fondly. Now that jogged Barnaby's memory. "It looks like… they turned it into a shopping center."

"Isn't this where I saved your life?" Barnaby couldn't help but say aloud, once it all came back to him. Now he remembered… that was the day Kotetsu first called him Bunny.

"Yeah." There was a pause before she said, "Let's stop by there. I have to go to the bathroom."

Silently, he complied, hoping that being surrounded by change would steal him away from his head for at least a moment.

The new shopping center was bustling with people, carrying all sorts of vibrant, colorful gift bags. Kaede took cautious steps, staying to the sidelines in order to avoid the crowd. As of this moment, she was surrounded by the threat of having her dad's power taken from her. She would've instantly regretted her decision to go through the place, had it not been for the fact that it had been a few hours since she last put her last tampon in before going to the bakery. There had to be a restroom around here somewhere, a stall where she could have some breathing space.

As the sign came into view, she could've cried of joy.

Looking back at Barnaby, she told him, "Found the bathroom." She pointed it out, "Can you wait nearby?"

"Certainly. Go right ahead." Barnaby replied, and with that, Kaede took off. The woman who had been trailing behind them the whole time then drew forward, running towards Barnaby eagerly. He glared back at her, putting a hand up. "Stop right there. Don't come any closer. Who are you and what do you want from me?"

"Huh?" The girl piped up, masculine voice showing through, "You don't recognize me?"

"Wait, that voice…" Barnaby blinked. She sounded so familiar, but that couldn't be right. He'd never seen this woman before in his life. Instantly, she looked down and made a noise of realization.

"Oh! My bad!" She put her hands up, dropping her bag. "Give me a second."

And in a flash of blue, the woman revealed herself to be—

"Ivan?" Barnaby's eyes narrowed, before widening in recognition. Ivan could only give a cheesy smile in return, picking up his gift bag once again. His hair had grown out, to the point where he had it tied back.

"It's been forever! How've you been, Barnaby?"

"Ah, I've been alright. More importantly, what were you doing in disguise in a place like this?"

"That, right." Ivan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I'm actually supposed to be working right now, but I thought I could sneak over here real quick to snag a gift for Edward. His birthday's coming up soon, and they were having a sale at this one place." He pulled out a black tie, striped with thin lines of beige. "I think this'll suit him real well when school starts up in the fall."

"Oh? So he's a student again?"

"No, a teacher."

Barnaby blinked, "Where does he teach?"

"NEXT Police Academy. You see," Ivan explained a bit wistfully, "the Hero Academy we attended got closed down after the show went off the air, but in order to keep the school running, Principal Massini jumped on the police-training trend that put the show out of business and started hiring police academy instructors. After his sentence ended, Edward came to live with me. He wanted to get back on his feet and get a job, but no one wanted to hire him because of his criminal record. It was financially tough for the two of us for a while, but then Principal Massini emailed me after I put up a donations page on my blog. We talked, he offered me a job there, but I declined and told him about Edward's situation. So Principal Massini managed to pull some strings, Edward got an online degree in law, and the rest all fell into place." Ivan smiled fondly at the tie in his hands, before tucking it back into the bag, "I'm just glad I was able to support him while he was getting his life back together. He really is a good guy, so he deserves everything he's got going for him right now."

"Nice to hear it turned out that way." Barnaby sighed, "And what about you?"

"Oh, me? U-Uh!" Ivan laughed nervously, "I'm nothing special! Just your regular, run-of-the-mill employee, ehehe…"

"…what kind of civilian job has you in disguise as a young woman with blue highlights?" Barnaby crossed his arms, seeing right through Ivan's evasions. Ivan hung his head.

"Alright. You caught me. Just promise you won't hate me if I tell you."

"It's not anything illegal, is it?"

"Absolutely not!" Ivan raised his voice defensively. "Just the opposite!" And with that, Barnaby could already tell what Ivan's occupation was.

"So… you're an officer of the NEXT police too?" His voice was soft. Ivan could only hang his head and sigh.

In came the weak reply, "Yeah. I know, I look like a giant traitor right now, feeding into the very thing that put us off the air. But you know the viral video of that kid who sparked that police trend?"

"If you really want to use your powers for the sake of justice, don't aim to be onscreen." The girl asserted, "If you want to prove you're doing something for the sake of justice, go into law enforcement. They're the real heroes because you can be certain they aren't doing their job just for the camera."

As the memory of that line from the video passed through his head, Barnaby nodded, "Yeah… what about her?"

"I couldn't help but feel like… some of the stuff she said was pretty true. Like, we had legal limitations, and nobody really sang praises for the police. They did the dirty work of investigations and everything while we were claiming the glory onscreen. And it… made me really think about why I became a Hero in the first place. I liked the fame and all the perks of the job, but when it all boiled down to it, I did want to save people. That had been the core of it all along… and I knew I wanted to keep doing that even if it meant nobody would know what I was doing. So, when we went off the air, I got a free pass because of my Hero status to join the NEXT police force. I'm good like this, Barnaby. I can really put my powers to good use as an investigator." With that, he shape-shifted back into his woman disguise. "And with that being said, I really should get back to work. You should stop by to give a talk at the NEXT Police Academy someday though. I'm sure Principal Massini would appreciate it."

"I'll think about it," Barnaby said, sheepishly. He had no intentions of giving talks any more, though the thought of it was nice. But he didn't think he could bear to stand up there alone any more, having gotten so used to talking with Kotetsu at his side for all those years.

"Alright then. I'll see you around, Barnaby! Email me sometime!" And so Ivan took off, long lavender skirt flowing behind him as he moved on. Kaede snuck up on Barnaby, looking with envy to the woman leaving.

"Lucky her, definitely not on her period if she's wearing a light color like that." She muttered, and he gave a slight jolt in surprise. Just then, her phone went off. Thinking it might've been Dr. Hitch or one of the hospitals, she picked up without checking.

"Hello?"

"Is this Kaede Kaburagi?" asked a frail masculine voice.

"Yes."

"Finally, you pick up."

"…who is this?"

"Babe, it's me, Yun. Just hear me out, okay?" Kaede could feel herself grow pale with each word he spoke. "After all this time, I still love you. So let's talk this out, alright? I need you take me back, Kaede." He sounded like he was trying to hold back from crying, "My life is so empty without you, and I don't know how I survived this long. I tried moving on. But you're the only one for me. We're meant to be, I can feel it in my heart, I-I just need you to give me a second chance to be good to you, alright? Listen… I'm at your flat right now, so I'll be waiting for you to come home. Then we can finally talk face-to-face again after all these years. You won't regret it, I promise. I love you, Kaede. See you tonight." And as he hangs up, she realizes she's shaking.

"Kaede?" Barnaby asks, deeply concerned by the frightened look on her face. "Kaede, are you alright?"

"L-Let's go back to the car." She said, stepping past him in a hurry, "I'll tell you there."

Before they left the parking lot, she told him about Yun's call and contacted the authorities, albeit shakily and fighting to keep her voice even. She definitely couldn't go home for the night, not with Yun there, so Barnaby took her back to his apartment. Knowing she didn't quite have much place to turn, she muttered a "thank you so much", to which Barnaby replied "not a problem".

"Family has to stick together, right?" He added tentatively. She gave a silent nod, too busy battling her head and the awful images it carried of Yun to come up with a verbal reply.

A feeling of numbness permeated Kaede to the core as she walked all the way from the parking lot to the elevator to his front door. She kept her emotions at bay all the while. After he'd gathered together a blanket and a pillow for the night on his chair, he offered up his bed to her. Thoughtfully, he'd also given her a towel and one of the overnight pads he'd bought just in case. At that point, she had no good reason to say no.

After a few hours, when she thought she was certain Barnaby was asleep, she finally started crying. However, she then found that she was mistaken to start crying when she did, for Barnaby came rushing into the room, a look of worry on his face. Dammit… that was exactly what she was trying to avoid.

Before he could even ask, she blurted out in a choked sob, "It'll be my fault."

"What?" He said, drawing closer to her. He sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a good distance from her as she sat up, weeping into her hands.

"H-He's going to die tonight because I didn't go home. He's going to k-kill himself…" She sobbed, "H-His death will be my f-fault. His blood will be o-on my hands…"

"No, it won't." Barnaby kept his voice soft, down to as comforting a tone as he could manage, "Kaede, listen, he's not going to kill himself. He's just saying that as a way to get you to do what he wants."

"H-How are you so sure?" She hiccupped, red wet eyes glaring at him.

"Think about it. Didn't he tell you he'd rather die than live without you? Well, it's been what, fifteen years since you broke up with him, hasn't it? But you heard his voice through the phone. He's still alive, Kaede."

"S…Still alive…" she echoed, before hanging her head and rubbing her teary eyes, "He's alright…"

"His life will go on without you."

"Mm."

"And you deserve to have yours go on without him too."

"Mm."

"Kaede, please, look at me." She peered up at him just as the tears began to gush out again.

"What?"

He kept his eyes firmly fixed on hers, "I can only imagine it's a hard thing to let go of. And you don't necessarily have to, if you can find a way to live with it. But at the same time, I can't help but worry for your well-being. I don't want you to continue carrying your past like that if it'll only be a burden on you." He then broke the gaze, looking to the side. "You've suffered through so much. You really owe it to yourself to be able to move forward."

"You too." She croaked, this close to touching his ring finger before she caught herself. Hastily, she pulled the hand back to herself, looking down in shame. But Barnaby got the message, and he breathed a sigh because he knew she was right. Even reliving sweet memories could be painful, because they showed him all the things he didn't have anymore.

With that, he got up and made his way back to the living room.

"Good night, Kaede. Try to rest easy."

For a split second, she desperately wanted to get up and grab his wrist, keep him from leaving the room. More than anything, she desperately needed a hug. But, remembering what she held, she decided against it. She fell asleep, wrapped in a familiar blue glow to comfort herself.

The embrace of a ghost would have to be enough for her.