Chapter Six

"Bunny! Grab her!" Kotetsu yelled, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, when the blonde finally pulled up to the side of the road. Eden quickly jumped out of the side car and ran onto the sidewalk. She made a strange sound, between a giggle and a pant, as she playfully taunted the older man. She threw the black and white cap back to its owner to distract him, but the man caught it easily.

"Why?" Wild Tiger had scrambled off the bike very ungracefully and reached out at the girl.

"She took a picture of me while I was on the bike!"

"So? It's probably no more embarrassing than how you usually look."

"Ow." Kotetsu stopped his hunt for the girl. "That hurts, Lil' Bunny." Barnaby ignored his partner and dismounted his bike. He observed their surroundings and had a pretty good guess what was going to happen next. But just for kicks and giggles, he asked his partner his opinion.

"Hey, Kotetsu. What do you think of the restaurant?"

"Oh." The older man quickly forgot about the photo and finally took in where he was. Not on a strip of street known for their gourmet dining halls, nor a large mall that had a popular restaurant attached to it. Instead, they were on a quiet neighborhood road lined with terraced houses, parked in front of one particularly large home along the line of dwellings.

"Eden, you gave us a bad address."

Eden shook her head at Kotetsu and gave the sign for 'no' in sign language with her left hand. She then hunted out her notebook from her bag.

"This is your home, isn't it?" Barnaby ventured, and was given an enthusiastic nod in reply as she wrote down her message.

'I'm cooking dinner for you guys.'

"Oh, Eden, that's really sweet but—" Kotetsu was cut off when the teenager gave him an unhappy look, placing her hands on her hips. She stared at him for a while and when he remained quiet, she put on a smile and made for the front door. She dug out a key from her front pocket and began to unlock the door, looking over her shoulder back at the boys and waving them over. The partnered pair looked at each other, exchanging unsure looks. Eden stamped her foot on the ground to get their attention and waved them over again, before Barnaby made the first move. They followed the girl and entered the house.

The home was pleasant; nothing too drab or stuffy or empty or depressing. It was nice and felt lived in. The front entrance opened to a small foyer where a closet for hats and coats were commonly used in the winter, and a small corner was dedicated to the storage of shoes. Kotetsu instinctively began to take off his shoes when he saw Eden do it, but Barnaby was a little slow on the draw. Just past the foyer were the living room and a flight of stairs, with the dining room just beyond that and the kitchen parallel to the dining room.

"Nice house, Eden." Kotetsu complimented with a smile. The girl waved her arm out towards the couch as a gesture for the men to make themselves comfortable, but they didn't sit just yet. The house was quiet and prompted Barnaby to question.

"Do you have a caretaker, Eden?" She nodded from around the corner before disappearing into the kitchen. Barnaby wanted to ask another question, but his partner grabbed his arm as a nonverbal warning to stay quiet instead. The blonde was going to protest, but the older man's amber eyes pleaded for him to relent. Eden came back with something written in her notebook for them to read.

'Do you both like flank steak?' Kotetsu gave an enthusiastic affirmative (fried rice was becoming a little monotonous) and Barnaby gave his consent as well. Between the dining room and the kitchen, there was a large, open space to serve as a bar between the two rooms, so even while Eden cooked, the duo could still watch her from the dining room. They opted to sit at the bar while the teenager cooked. Kotetsu leaned over to whisper into Barnaby's ear.

"Why are you asking her such questions?"

"Didn't you think it was a little odd that the house was empty?"

"A little, but she's almost an adult. She can be home alone. Besides, what if talking about her guardian makes her sore?" Barnaby gave a flat stare at his partner.

"It's not like she was orphaned last week."

"What would you kn—" And then Kotetsu realized how stupid his next statement would sound. The orphan would know best how the other orphan would take talking about their parents and such. A loud thunk of a large pot on the stove-top startled the heroes from their exchange. Eden was staring at them, her head tilted to one side as if to ask 'what's going on?' Kotetsu and Barnaby parted, the former offering a goofy grin and the latter turning to adjust his glasses.


The rest of the evening went by smoothly, despite their host being unable to talk. The men didn't feel comfortable sitting around quietly and watching television, so Eden fished out some playing cards for them when she had some free time. Kotetsu suggested a few games but Barnaby refused to play with just two players. So Kotetsu invited Eden to play when she could.

"Do you know how to play poker?"

Shake of the head.

"Blackjack is an easy game. Do you know it?"

Shake of the head.

"Well, it's easy to teach." So Barnaby laid out the basic rules and objective of the game, which the girl seemed to understand. When Kotetsu asked what they could bet with, the best Eden could find was some loose change (and not a lot of it) and some little cookies. Kotetsu voted for the cookies.

"You'll ruin your appetite."

"We can eat them after dinner! We are playing for dessert." Wild Tiger gave a huge grin. So they placed bets with cookies.

Eden was a little slow to make her decisions at first, but warmed up to the flow of the game. She had a few wins in the beginning, but it didn't take long for the expert of the game to show himself.

"You're no fun to play with, Bunny."

"If you knew how to restrain yourself when you're doing well, then you would be winning more often." Eden giggled to herself as she stirred some ingredients in a pot.

When dinner preparations were finally coming to a close, Eden pulled out the plates and silverware and glasses and began to set the table. The men wanted to help her, but she swatted their hands away when they got too close. Barnaby was the first to realize something odd.

"Are you expecting another person for dinner?" Four plates, four glasses, four place settings. Eden nodded her head and as if on cue, the front door to the house jiggled and opened up. The duo couldn't help but stiffen up, the fourth member of their dinner party was just announced a second ago. They weren't sure who to expect and were not given the chance to even ask.

"Good evening, Eden." A man's voice. An older man's voice. He walked into the living room. "Good evening, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Kaburagi." It was the City Police Chief Commissioner. The duo stood up.

"Good evening, Mr. Clarkson." Kotetsu shook the man's hand when he grabbed for it, a little stunned by the newcomer. But the graying man gave a smile.

"What brings you here, sir?" Barnaby managed to ask when the investigator came over to shake his hand as well.

"Eden told me about the dinner. I thought it was a good idea to show our gratitude." When the two men remained quiet, Clarkson raised an eyebrow but figured out the source of their confusion. "She didn't tell you two that you've been relieved of watch."

"A farewell dinner?"

"A celebration of a job well done on your parts." Kotetsu and Barnaby looked at each other. Two surprises within four minutes. "You heroes really didn't need to help me out with her. Thank you very much."

"It was really nothing, sir." Wild Tiger replied, his face sincere and smiling. "A bit of a handful, but Eden was no trouble."

"Well, I'm happy that she wasn't a burden on you men then." The Commissioner smiled and gestured towards the dining table, now completely set with food and drinks and ready to be dined at. The teenager took her place behind a chair, waiting for everyone else to take their seats. Quietly, they all picked a place around the table and began their meal.

Commissioner Clarkson was very pleasant dinner company and warmed up the partnered pair quickly after their surprise. Even though he had a serious face, he was amiable and easy to talk to. He asked how Kotetsu and Barnaby managed to keep the girl under control and if watching her had created problems with their hero duties. They explained to him the system they had worked out. Barnaby even asked if their sudden relief from duty meant that Eden could go back to work.

"Yes, it does. She can start as early as tomorrow if she wanted."

"That's great!" Kotetsu exclaimed. "Does that mean she has been cleared of those charges?"

Clarkson's face fell. "Unfortunately, no." The older hero's instinct was to ask for the details, what was happening to keep Eden under suspicion, but he couldn't bring himself to ask because of the look on the man's face. He turned to face his partner, who was busy staring at a photo on a side table. Curious, Kotetsu looked over at it too. It was a photo of a family: mother, father, and a little girl, about age five.

"Do you like the picture?"

"Oh! I didn't mean to stare." Eden looked up from her dinner plate.

"I imagine that Eden didn't tell you about the photos either."

"That's Eden's family though, isn't it?"

"Yes it is, Mr. Brooks."

"Do you mind if we ask what happened, Mr. Clarkson?" Kotetsu shot a look to his partner, but it didn't deter the man. The Commissioner looked over at Eden, but the only indication she gave him was a sideways glance and continued her meal.

"No, Mr. Brooks. You two do deserve some honest answers to your questions. It may answer some other questions you have as well."

"Does Eden mind?"

"No, she doesn't mind.

"But back to your question." The investigator leaned over to pick up the photo and he handed it over to Barnaby. "Eden's parents were unfortunately murdered." The girl stood up with her plate in hand and made her way to the kitchen. "It was seven years ago."

"I'm so sorry." Kotetsu couldn't help himself as he looked over to Eden, but she just shook her head at him and began to clean the kitchen.

"She appreciates your condolences, Mr. Kaburagi."

"What happened to them?"

"A break-in at their home. They were sleeping." Clarkson got a faraway look in his eyes as he folded his hands and twirled his thumbs on the table. Eden came by and picked up his plate to clean it and left quickly. Barnaby didn't plan on asking more questions and was content to leave it at that, but the investigator kept going, lost in his own thoughts.

"It was some gang, but that's not surprising. As Chief of Police, lots of enemies are made and syndicate activities compromised." He heaved a heavy sigh. "Despite our investigations, we couldn't convict anyone either. Carefully executed." Clarkson pinched the bridge of his nose before pushing a hand through his graying hair. He tried to smile.

"But I got carried away. I apologize."

"No. I'm sorry for bringing it up, Mr. Clarkson." Eden came by and finished cleaning the dinner table. She elbowed Barnaby when she walked by him and when he looked up at her, she just made the sign for 'fine' with her free hand.

"Enough of that sad stuff, men." And the Commissioner aptly changed the subject, but the mood had a harder time of leaving. Even Kotetsu couldn't help himself from looking over at the girl in the kitchen. She did not acknowledge if she noticed the man's stares or not, but she did bring out a plate of cookies as dessert, just as the three of them had agreed upon. This brightened Kotetsu's mood tremendously and Barnaby enjoyed the sweets as well. Eventually, all the men moved from the dining table to the living room, and from the living room to the front door. Clarkson was giving an amiable farewell to the heroes, and thanked them profusely. When Kotetsu and Barnaby finally left the house, the sun had just set beyond the unseen horizon and the sky was dark. Streetlights were giving off a faint glow. The duo had a strange feeling of a job left unfinished.

"That sure was sudden, huh, Bunny?" The tone in his voice was quiet and somber.

"Yeah. It's unsettling." They made their way over to the pink motorcycle and green sidecar. "The Commissioner said that Eden wasn't off the hook just yet."

"That's right; he did." Kotetsu kicked a pebble out of his path. "I hope that matter clears up quickly."

"Eden was a bit uncommunicative when Mr. Clarkson appeared too." Barnaby gracefully mounted his bike as he voiced his thought out loud. His partner walked around but didn't enter the sidecar just yet. Instead, he stared at it as if a memory was clawing at the front of his head.

"I noticed that too. I hope—AAAAHHHH!"

"What! what!" The blonde gave a little jump at the man's yell, looking around to see what could have caused such a reaction.

"That little devil still has that embarrassing photo of me during the ride here!"

"Geez, Old Man. I thought it was something serious." Barnaby gave his colleague a disappointed glare and started up his vehicle.

"It is serious!"

"Sit down or I'm leaving without you."


"Happy to be returning to work, Eden?" James Clarkson asked the young lady as she entered the living room. She nodded her head, but was busy doing something on her phone. "What do you have there?" He asked.

With a devilish grin, she turned the cell phone around and showed him a picture. It was none other than Wild Tiger resting his head against Barnaby Brooks Jr. during a motorcycle ride, both heroes' faces in plain sight. The old man gave a chuckle. Eden then held up a finger, indicating more, and swiped for a new picture to appear. This time, the hero team was leaning in close to one another, just inches away, and looked to be in deep conversation, sitting at the same bar that was in her home. Clarkson gave another laugh.

"Those two sure are friendlier than they let on." He mused to himself. Eden gave an enthusiastic nod of her head.


A/N: Ta-da! I hope everyone has been enjoying the story. :) There is more to come, of course. Anyone have any clue as to what could happen next? Thank you for reading!