Chapter Eleven

"If all of this is bothering you, why did you suggest it?" The blonde had a very flat look on his face, unamused and annoyed that his partner was behaving in such a contrary way. Kotetsu had his face buried in his rough hands, groaning. The pair was sitting on the steps of Apollon Media's Headquarters; the day was bright but pleasant. A cool wind blew past and ruffled Barnaby's hair, causing him to reach back and fix it unconsciously. He couldn't even get Kotetsu to look at him, because of the position he took or because he was conflicted with himself, was still yet to be determined. Almost a week had passed since the elder man put forth his suggestion to the City Police Commissioner and he had been behaving strangely ever since then.

"Because I don't want it to both me!" Tiger was making no sense and Barnaby could feel his eye twitch with frustration.

"You need to articulate yourself better if you want me to understand."

"You know why I'm hung up 'bout this!" Kotetsu raised himself to look his partner in the eye. "Eden killed people, Bunny."

"I know." He replied firmly. "What is so hard to understand about an upset girl using her powers like that? And an unstable one, at that? There are plenty of murderous NEXT criminals out there, many that you've put away, I'm sure."

"That's not my point, Bunny." He huffed.

"Then what is your point?"

"Lives shouldn't be taken lightly! Eden should know that between her age and her job!"

"Not everyone is given a tremendous respect for life like you, Kotetsu! Most people need to learn it. And based on Eden's history, I'm not surprised that she does."

"How can you say that, Bunny?!"

"Because I've been through the same things, remember?!" Kotetsu recoiled. He was suddenly grateful that it was a slow time of day and almost no one was around them to hear their fight. Barnaby heaved a sigh; he was getting a headache. "Orphaned at a young age and haunted by an unsolved crime. It's actually really eerie how similar our pasts are." He hung his head and rested his forehead against his palm. Kotetsu held his tongue for a moment to let the man breathe, but he wasn't quite done yet.

"Yeah, Bunny, but..." He began in a softer tone, a little put off by the sharp look he received from Barnaby as he turned his head in his hand. "You knew that killing people wasn't the answer. You hunted Ouroboros to bring them to justice, not murder them."

"You're wrong, Kotetsu." The older man stiffened where he sat, surprised by the calm and even look in the man's green eyes as he said that. "At four, I wanted to find my parents' murderers. At nine, I wanted them dead. At sixteen, I was hungry for vengeance and their lives still. And when I finally found Jake, I still wanted to squeeze the life out of him with my bare hands." Kotetsu knitted his brows together, feeling incredibly pitiful for the blonde next to him. He knew that his parents' deaths were hard on him for his whole life, but he never realized how much anger it brought him as well.

"Even at twenty-four, I knew that killing him wouldn't bring my parents back or give me any real peace, but that primal instinct, the notion of an eye for an eye, still haunted me. My reason won out in the end." He paused, running a hand through his pale hair as if debating to say something else. "And seeing your respect for life helped me too. If everyone had your philosophy, Kotetsu, the world would be a much better place."

Wild Tiger could feel the heat rise in his cheeks at the compliment. He only hoped his darker complexion would hide his modest blush. "Thanks, Bunny." He said. "But—"

"Imagine if you were killed tomorrow; how do you think Kaede would react?" The older man recoiled again, his eyes wide and disbelieving that Barnaby could say such a thing.

"Bunny! Don't say-!"

"Eden was the same age as Kaede is now when she lost her parents." The blonde was persistent. "Imagine your daughter, confused and trying to make her way in life with friends, growing up and making the awkward transition from child to teenager, finding out her own morals and values, and then losing you; the one adult she trusts and loves the most in her life."

Kotetsu's instinct was to make a joke about how Kaede was more upset than loving towards him and would be more devastated if her grandmother died instead of him, but he knew that wasn't the point of Barnaby's hypothetical and kept his mouth shut. How the young man described it sounded so personal and knowing. But when Kotetsu tried imaging his daughter coping with his lose, he had to pull away. Just thinking about his little girl grief-stricken made his heart twist and pinch painfully; he never wanted Kaede to feel that way. She had already been through it once.

"You're not gonna let me win this one, are you, Bunny?" He hung his head, his shoulders slouching dramatically as he rested his arms on his knees.

"Not everyone is as strong or as brave as you, Kotetsu." Barnaby laid his hand on the man's shoulder, giving it a firm and reassuring squeeze. "Your sense of justice and philosophy are to be admired too. But you don't scorn the child that hates dogs because one bit his hand. You can only teach him that not all dogs are bad and to see the error of his thinking." The senior partner gave an amused snicker.

"I don't know if your comparison really works, Bunny."

"I thought it was a good analogy." He gave a firm pat on Kotetsu's back to show his lighter mood. "So, will Eden bother you today?"

"Nah, I don't think so. You enlightened me." His amber eyes locked with Barnaby's and he smirked, hoping his thankfulness was showing through. "I still don't agree with her actions, but I think I can move past her mistakes."

The pair were finally feeling settled around one another, all tension and anxiety gone. Kotetsu felt so thankful to have all that stress lifted off of him thanks to his partner's insight, and Barnaby was just happy to have the man back to his usual, smiling self. How the older man went about moping and feeling edgy drove him up a wall and made him uncomfortable too. He only wished Kotetsu was more open with his feelings, otherwise he could have helped him out earlier. Then a thought struck the young man as he rested his chin in his palm.

What if Kotetsu was hiding other things from him? The older man was more than happy to spread his good mood around and talk with his friends about their problems, always inquiring about their health and lives. But what if despite the man's outgoing personality, he was holding back? Hiding his own fears and issues from everyone else for whatever strange reason of his? Barnaby slid his emerald eyes over to his partner, carefully studying him out of the corner of his eye. It was completely possible, but should he pry now?

No; the blonde held himself back. Not today. One hurdle was overcome and it was best not to overwhelm the man. He had just proven that he could be support for Tiger if he so desired; now, if he chose to seek him out again was another matter. Barnaby tried to calm his nerves by pushing the thought out of his mind. The two were expecting company and she was going to be a handful.


Three o'clock rolled around and a not-so-subtle black car came rolling up in front of Apollon Media. The Hero team had no hesitations about who it was, but were a little surprised by how early their guest had arrived. From the driver's side, a familiar young man stepped out, his brown hair and loose tie waving in the wind: Detective Verre. From the back seat, a healthier looking Eden stepped out with her backpack over one shoulder, notebook and pen in one gloved hand. She looked miserable. Her ex-partner came over quickly, gingerly offering his arm for her to take, which she did. Barnaby and Kotetsu both stood and walked over to meet them half way. When they met, Eden didn't look up and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Good afternoon Mr. Brooks and Mr. Wild Tiger."

"Good afternoon, Detective." Kotetsu managed a smile.

"Are you sure you guys don't mind Eden tagging along with you today?" The question was unexpected; the cop was usually more stoic than this. He had an uncertain look in his eyes, his brow furrowing a little. A silence threatened to follow, but the blonde was quick to react.

"Of course not. We wouldn't have suggested it if we didn't want her around." Finally, Eden lifted her eyes a little to look at Barnaby like a shy deer.

"Besides," Kotetsu added, "Who else would she be with?" Surely Verre and Clarkson were too busy most of the day to give her the attention she needed. And she wasn't going to the police station, that's for sure.

"She's been with her therapist." The air became much gloomier, and Tiger felt like he should have bit his tongue instead. But the detective was quick to recover. "The Commissioner and I are really thankful to you two. Please, if there is anything we can do for you and the other heroes in the future—"

"We don't do this for favors, sir!" Kotetsu waved his hands around with his familiar goofy grin. "We help out because we care." Barnaby nodded his agreement and smiled. It seemed to put the man at ease and he finally smiled too.

"Well then," He withdrew his arm from the teenager and looked down at her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders and turning her towards him. "Have a good day, Eden." He brought her against his chest and gave her a firm hug. After a moment, she returned the gesture. Such a display of affection surprised the Heroes and they quickly became embarrassed for witnessing. Barnaby was quick to make a few deductions from what he knew about their relationship. Clarkson mentioned that Verre practically baby-sitted the child at the police station ever since she came into her uncle's custody at the age of nine. Then when her powers developed and she was old enough to be trusted, she became his partner in investigations. For seven years they had time to bond; no doubt that he must view Eden as a little sister by now.

When they parted, Detective Verre gave a very formal bow to the Heroes, thanked them again, slipped into the suspicious black car, and drove away (most likely back to work). The girl had watched him walk away and after staring down the street for a moment, she finally turned back to face her temporary guardians. She didn't look happy by any stretch of the meaning, but she wasn't angry like their first gathering either. Just pitiful.

Barnaby expected his partner to speak first, since he was the most gregarious and happy to lead the way, but he could only smile awkwardly at the girl. The blonde knitted his brow; he must still have some reservations about her. But the smile was something, so maybe he took the words to heart and he was just taking his time to warm up. So the rookie spoke first, reaching his hand out in a friendly gesture.

"It's okay, Eden. We—" He let out an 'oumfh' sound and staggered backward a step to regain his balance. The girl had flung herself at him, burying her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Barnaby became very flustered and confused, unsure how to react. He looked over to Kotetsu, asking for help with his eyes, but his senior only shrugged his shoulders, just as lost as the young man. "Um…" He hesitantly patted the girl's shoulders, but she didn't stay long.

She let go and tossed herself against Kotetsu now, hiding her face in his black and white vest and giving him a tight hug too. The man was better prepared and didn't stumble back like his partner did, but he was just as bewildered about what to do. When Eden wasn't letting go, the father did what came natural to him when a little girl pitched herself at him in a fuss; he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and rested his other hand on top of her head, giving it an affectionate pet.

"Hey now," He began, voice showing a hint of playfulness in it, "you aren't crying now, are you?" He teased, fully expecting to hear hiccups and sniffling, but was again stunned when Eden looked up to him immediately, looking a little pathetic but with no tears in her eyes. She shook her head at him for good measure. "Oh. I see."

Eden withdrew herself from Kotetsu, taking a few steps back so she could look at both men properly. She bowed her head, lifted, put her fingertips to her lips and extended it back out to them. The pair had remembered that sign and opened their mouths to protest but the teenager put up her hand in silence and whipped out her notebook to a clean page, scribbling down as quickly as she could. Finished, she presented it to them.

'I'm really grateful that you guys still accept me, despite my flaws and issues. Thank you so much.'

"Aw, Eden," Kotetsu blurted out, reaching a hand to rub the back of his neck, feeling sore about how he thought of her just an hour or so ago. "Let's not over-think this, okay? You are who you are and what is done is done." He hurriedly changed the subject. "What was up with the detective hugging you? He's usually really strict."

Eden scribbled away on the paper in a flash, turning the book over again.

'We've been together for seven years. When Uncle wasn't there, I had Luke. He's sort of like an adopted older brother to me.' Just as Barnaby had guessed.

"How old does that make him?" Kotetsu thought that the man looked awfully young to have worked for the police for so long.

'28.'

"Enough of the tangents." Barnaby spoke up. "Have you been going to school, Eden?" The girl shook her head.

'My therapist doesn't think that peer interaction would benefit my current state. I've been receiving all my school work at home.'

"Then we know someone who would love to see you!" Kotetsu flashed a smile and Barnaby's chest felt lighter; he was going to get along with the girl just fine. The older man suggested a taxi to their new destination, but Eden really wanted to take a motorcycle ride again. This flustered the father, and he protested. "Why?! I thought you were afraid of motorcycles! You just want to see Bunny and me squeeze onto that pink motorbike again for kicks and giggles!"

"Hey! It's mostly white!"


A/N: I'm reaching a point in this story where it can go into a thousand different directions and I'm overwhelmed over which road to take. The next chapter in particular has been rough. But that you everyone for being patient and I hope this is satisfactory. c: