Chapter Ten

The explanation that Commissioner Clarkson gave was indeed lengthy and the details quite disturbing. When Eden was on leave from the police department, no suicides occurred despite members of the Touro mafia being held at the station. The case was turning dark for the girl and Clarkson had to pull a lot strings and favors to keep it off the news and keep the court small and private. The man had his suspicions about the prosecuting side, managing to dig up some muddy and questionable ties the lawyer and his clients had to the very organization at the center of the scandal. Well, that explained the interest and persistence of his opponent.

That was also the time when James Clarkson had a terrible feeling settle in his gut. The strongest lead he and the police could get from the crime scene of his brother's murder was a weak connection to the Touro mafia. None of the evidence was strong enough to convict anyone, so the suspects were set free. Understandably, Eden was distraught. Her uncle offered to take custody and he had her enrolled for therapy. Despite his best efforts, the therapy had resulted in little progress. Eden eventually cut her long hair one day by herself, refused to listen to her babysitters, and begged to go with her uncle to the police station. Between Eden crying almost every night and James's own guilt for being unable to find justice for his family, he relented.

"So, Eden has a vendetta for this Touro mafia." Kotetsu quietly mused to himself. James continued.

The man tried to confront his niece about his suspicions, approaching her timidly because of the sensitivity of the subject, but she would rebuke him with a stoic face. Eden didn't subdue his fears, but he tried to take comfort in the lack of evidence against her and the fact that the girl's powers only work to elicit the truth from people. Eventually, the trial reached a point where Eden had to take her own defense. The teenager took her seat, stiff and hardly responsive. A third party Sign Language translator relayed her answers from the lawyer. It was tense, but her questioning finally ended and quite peacefully. She descended from her seat and made her way over to her uncle. For a moment, the prosecutor and Eden passed each other and Eden had lunged forward and grabbed him.

The resulting incident became a quick and chaotic scramble on the floor of the court room between man and girl. Eden had a death grip on the man's arm, shoving her hands under his sleeve and latching on so tight her nails left marks on his skin. Immediately, she began emit a blue light around her, activating her power on the man. Within seconds, Clarkson had grabbed the girl and tried to rip her off the poor lawyer. Security guards soon joined in, pulling and yelling and finally freeing a Mister Anthony Sardone from the teenager's claws. The judge was so outraged, calling for order and banging his gavel, demanding to know the meaning behind the weak attack. Commissioner Clarkson turned the girl around, furious and about to demand the same thing, but he couldn't. Eden's eyes were wide and red, tears trailing down her cheeks uncontrollably and whimpering pathetically.

Anthony Sardone, once freed from the angry grips of a teenage girl, was trying to claw his eyes out. His screams were shrill as his own nails peeled away the skin at his cheeks. The muscles in his arms were strained and shaking, as if he was fighting himself. His clients and assistants held him down and managed to save him from himself. After a few more minutes of his solo tussle, he managed to regain control of himself.

James Clarkson's lawyer approached the Judge and begged for Court to be adjourned for that day; clearly the girl was feeling unwell and stressed. The lawyer promised for a full explanation the next day. Reluctantly, the Judge agreed to settle the matter another time and dismissed everyone. But he promised consequences.

"Oh my God," Kotetsu breathed out. He took a quick peek around the corner at Eden; still sleeping. Barnaby's jaw was slack from surprise.

"Yeah." James agreed, running a heavy hand through his graying hair. "No one was expecting that."

"I don't…" The blonde began, trying to find his words. "How… Why? What...?"

"Her emotions got the better of her. That's all."

"Why?"

"Eden is still upset over her parents' murders. She believes with every fiber of her being that the Touro Mafia was behind it." Clarkson pinched the bridge of his nose as his brows drew together. "With justice so close in her own hands, she took her chance."

"Then Eden's power…?" The man pushed his glasses up his nose.

"It's some sort of mind control or tactile hypnosis. The finer details are unimportant." A heavy sigh. "She's been lying to us this whole time about what she's been doing." The table gave a sudden bang when the commissioner's fist slammed into it. The glass rattled and the noise caused the Heroes to jump. "I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay, Mr. Commissioner." Kotetsu very slowly reached out a hand to the man's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's understandable how you're feeling." Barnaby opened his mouth to say something, but closed it immediately. What he had to ask next would be a difficult pill to take, so he had to prepare himself. He took a deep breath, a hard swallow, and tried again.

"Did Eden run away from a juvenile correctional facility?"

"Bunny!"

"Thank God she didn't, no." The blonde let out a relieved sigh. His partner did the same. "She's with me. The Judge showed her a lot of mercy considering this whole mess."

"Then, would you be so kind as to finish the story, Commissioner Clarkson?"

"Yes, Mr. Brooks. I apologize." The older man took a long drink from his glass and continued.

"The next day, Eden and I met with the Judge privately. I told him her whole situation, her past, everything to help him understand. I was furious with Eden for lying to me and acting so rashly, but I know why she did it. I had to get the Judge to see it too.

"He asked her how she pleads to the charges brought against her." Kotetsu guffawed.

"No matter how she pleaded, the Judge saw what she did to that lawyer guy." Tiger's tone seemed to convey annoyance. "He obviously already made up his mind about her." James continued his story.

"Eden pleaded guilty."

"Wise choice," Barnaby commented, folding his hands together. "Owning up to her actions." Kotetsu clicked his tongue.

"The Judge thought so too. He revealed his verdict the next day in front of us and the Touros. Eden was discharged from the police force indefinitely, ordered to attend therapy for unresolved issues, and forced to wear those gloves that you two have noticed."

"That's it?"

"Yes. He showed her great mercy."

"So, those gloves prevent Eden from using her powers?" Kotetsu asked.

"She can still activate it, but the process requires her to physically make skin-to-skin contact. Those gloves act as a buffer and with the lock, it is impossible for her to take them off herself."

"Who has the key?"

"Her therapist." Clarkson said it with a twinge in his voice, obviously irritated. "Who hasn't seen her in three weeks and no doubt thinks she's a danger to herself and everyone around her." He buried his face in his hands again, elbows resting on the table. The room fell silent with the duo trying to absorb everything that they were told tonight. It was a lot of information to process in a short amount of time.

"Eden is really lucky," Barnaby began quietly, "To have gotten off so easily. Considering everything, I'm very happy that it worked out so well for her."

"I know, Mr. Brooks. Thank you." James thanked the man across from him. Kotetsu had his head bowed slightly, biting his bottom lip and stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Mr. Commissioner," He began, sounding a bit hesitant. The police officer turned around in his seat to look at the bearded man.

"Yes, Mr. Kaburagi?"

"How about…" He paused, taking a rapid glance at his partner before continuing. "How about you let Eden visit Bunny and I while she has to visit the therapist?"

"What?"

"What." Barnaby's face fell and he gave a disapproving look to the older man.

"Yeah." Kotetsu reached a hand around to the back of his neck. "I mean, she must be feeling really isolated and persecuted after everything, and she might feel better being around other NEXTs. She seemed to like us when we watched her before."

"Mr. Kaburagi," Clarkson's forehead wrinkled and his eyes drooped a little, a look of pure appreciation appearing on his face. "That's really thoughtful of you to offer." He paused, as if debating with himself. "Would you… Would it really be okay?"

"Yeah," He smiled. "I bet you're having a hard time trying to find someone to look after her anyway."

"… Thank you very much." If Kotetsu didn't know any better, he'd have thought that the commissioner was going to cry. "Thank you too, Mr. Brooks." He turned around and shook the blonde's hand unexpectedly. His green eyes were wide, but he didn't say anything. When Clarkson took his hands back and looked at his watch, he chuckled to himself and rubbed his forehead. "Wow. I should really be getting out of here."

"Yes. Go get some rest, Commissioner." Barnaby stood from the table and James followed. The three men gathered up all of Eden's belongings; her coat, her bag, her clothing (and stuffed horse). Her uncle swung the backpack over his shoulder and picked her up from the chair. The girl was sleeping like the dead. She was light in his arms from sickness and improper eating habits. Barnaby insisted he help the man down to his car to open doors and such since he had his hands full and Clarkson thanked him gratefully. Kotetsu offered to clean up the apartment and stayed behind. His partner gave him a strange look, but let the man do as he wished.

When Barnaby returned to his apartment, he wasn't sure what to expect but what he saw wasn't it. Kotetsu was sprawled out on his floor in the living room, his arm flung over his face and hiding his eyes. His chest rose and fell slowly with great, heavy breaths. If the blonde had learned anything about his partner, it was that he was showing all the signs that he was upset right now. With a sigh, the hero walked over to Wild Tiger and sat himself down rather ungracefully by his head.

"What's wrong, Kotetsu?" He supposed he should have been a little more gentle, but it was late and it was a long, hard night. When the older man remained silent, his jaw stiffening, the blonde reached out a hand and plucked at his long, brown bangs in an affectionate manner. "Come on, tell me."

Kotetsu removed his arm but cast his golden eyes away and frowned, an utterly lost look upon his face. He heaved a sigh but remained silent. Barnaby, getting impatient, gave a firm tap to the side of the older man's face with his palm. It startled the man and caused him to focus his sight on his partner's face; his green eyes suddenly became a bit unnerving.

"I'm your partner, aren't I?" He rubbed his thumb across the man's cheek and the atmosphere suddenly changed. Both heroes became as still as water. Slowly, a strange heat rose in their faces and for once in their lives they had the same thought run across their minds.

"Yeah," Kotetsu managed to say. Barnaby removed his hand. "You're my partner."

"Good." The blonde clenched the hand he had touched Kotetsu with and slowly unfurled it. He tried to put it out of his mind. "Now, what's wrong?"

"It's just…" Tiger paused, remembering what was bothering him. "I can't believe what Eden did."

"What do you mean? In the court room?" The man thought that considering the girl's past, how she reacted was understandable.

"No. I mean the criminals at the station." Barnaby let out a knowing 'ah' sound, suddenly realizing what his partner meant. He knew how sensitive Kotetsu was about human lives, criminals or not. "I can't believe that she…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Hey." The younger interrupted. "Are you really going to dwell on it this late? I bet you can't even think straight after all that happened tonight." He could see the dark circles under the man's eyes and knew he would agree. The older man sighed.

"You're right, Bunny." His amber eyes drifted away again. "As usual." A weak smirk found its way to his lips. "Mind if I crash here tonight?" Barnaby hesitated, unsure if the floor or his chair would be comfortable enough for his friend. His own bed would be much more preferred, but it was across the city and he didn't trust Kotetsu to make the journey back in his exhausted state.

"Yeah, you can." He finally relented, moving to stand. "Let me get you a blanket. I suggest you take the chair; it'd be better for your back." He walked towards his bedroom, smirking over his shoulder. Tiger gave a dry laugh in return, recognizing that his junior was poking fun at his age.

"Ha. Ha. How nice of you to think of my frail state, Lil' Bunny." He raised himself slowly off of Barnaby's floor, feeling a dull ache in his lower back. Well damn, he thought to himself. But he made his way over to the leather chair and plopped into it just fine. Within the minute, his partner brought him a blanket, as promised. Kotetsu wondered why it was pink but decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Thank you, Bunny."

"Good night, Kotetsu." Barnaby smiled and was about to turn and go to bed himself, but a large, warm hand grabbed a hold of his wrist. He froze and finally turned around just enough to eye the man's tan hand. After another moment, he slowly moved his eyes to look the older man in the face.

"Good night, Bunny." Kotetsu gave a friendly squeeze, rubbing his thumb across the man's delicate, pale skin on the underside of his wrist, not unlike the way Barnaby had done to him earlier. "Sweet dreams." He finally let go.

"You too." Barnaby stood his ground a minute longer, examining his wrist and looking back at his partner before walking off. Tiger watched the young man's back retreat back into the hallway and into his room. When he was finally out of sight, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and drew the pink blanket up to his chest. He fidgeted in the seat, wondering if it was the weird angle of the chair or how narrow it was that kept him from settling down. Somehow, he knew that there were bigger obstacles that prevented him from sleeping easy.


A/N: The longest night ends! Yay! The beginning of this chapter fought me, but I did the best I could. I hope the events and results aren't too crazy to digest, but I think I balanced it out with the personal exchange between Kotetsu and Barnaby. I hope. :)

Thanks for reading!