A Halloween Birthday for Bunny | By : roryheadmav Category: +S to Z > Tiger & Bunny Views: 1756 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: This story is a non-commercial work of fiction based on the anime series TIGER & BUNNY. Trademarks & Copyright © 2011 by SUNRISE, T&B PARTNERS, MBS. Absolutely no monetary gain has been made with this work. |
A HALLOWEEN BIRTHDAY FOR BUNNY
© October 31, 2011 By Rory V. Pascual
PART ONE
It was raining cats and dogs the night of Barnaby Brooks Jr.'s birthday party, but the inclement weather did not deter the Heroes from celebrating the occasion in the Justice Tower Training Center. It being also Halloween, everyone came in costumes.
Sky High looked absolutely resplendent, dressed in a tux and long, black velvet coat a la Dracula, complete with pearly white fangs that he never failed to show off whenever he smiled. Because of his towering height, Rock Bison came as Frankenstein's monster. Blue Rose chose to dress as a sexy witch and even brought a broomstick. Against her better judgment, Pao-Lin came in a Tinkerbell costume, which drew comments of "Kawaii!" from the birthday boy and his lover. True to his being a weeabo, Origami Cyclone was attired as a Japanese ghoul. Ever the stylish one, Fire Emblem chose to come as a sexy devil with long curving ram's horns at the top of his head.
Rubbing briskly a cringing Antonio's bottom, Nathan remarked cheerfully, "Just in case my yummy monster's buns need to be toasted," drawing laughter from everyone.
The party was actually Nathan's idea. Although Apollon Media wanted a major media event befitting Barnaby's lofty title of 'King of Heroes', he had insisted that the affair be a simple and private one among the Heroes. And Nathan had a very good reason for doing so.
Taking a dainty sip of champagne from his flute glass, Fire Emblem glanced at the two men seated quietly on the couch, sharing canapés and a bottle of rose wine between them.
Although they would vehemently deny it, Barnaby and Wild Tiger made quite a striking – and very attractive – pair. At that moment, the two Heroes looked downright charming. Both wore white silk shirts, topped by colorful vests – pink and red for Barnaby and red orange and black for Kotetsu. Barnaby even donned fluffy bunny ears while Kotetsu had small round tiger ears. They also had on matching furry paw gloves and shoes.
It has been only two months since Barnaby and Wild Tiger formally announced to their friends that they were officially a couple. Although there was no doubt in Nathan's – and everybody else's – minds that Stern Bild's premiere Hero team were indeed very much in love with each other, there was no mistaking the apprehension and fear that often flashed in Kotetsu's eyes.
It was not difficult to guess what was going through Wild Tiger's mind. He was afraid that he was betraying his late wife's memory by falling in love again, and with a man at that. In fact, Kotetsu had unconsciously developed the habit of fiddling with the wedding ring on his finger. Nathan observed that he was doing it now, but Barnaby stilled the nervous movement by laying his palm over his partner's hand, a reassuring albeit pained smile on his face.
"I'm sorry," Kotetsu mouthed those two words, clearly embarrassed
"It's all right. I understand," Barnaby replied in turn.
Nathan realized he had to do something, anything, to distract Wild Tiger from his guilty musings.
A quick glance at the wall clock told him that it was only an hour before midnight. It was the right time to change the program to something more interesting. As soon as that thought entered Nathan's mind, present circumstances decided to cooperate with his little scheme.
Bright forks of lightning streaked down from the heavens. As thunder exploded outside, the Justice Tower – not to mention the entire city of Stern Bild – was plunged in darkness. Instantly, there were surprised cries followed by demands from Karina to "Call maintenance! Tell them to get the generator running!"
"I already did," Pao-Lin said from somewhere, possibly near the intercom. "They said that the generator is busted."
Nathan, however, came prepared for the occasion. Taking out the flashlight he had hidden inside his coat, he flicked it on. All the Heroes let out shocked gasps. Indeed, the dim beam of his flashlight gave his face a cadaverous hue.
"It's Ghost Story time!" he announced with an exaggerated eerie moan.
"Wonderful!" Keith exclaimed in complete agreement with the suggestion. "And, again, truly wonderful!"
"NO!" That strong voice was definitely Barnaby.
"Why, Handsome!" Nathan teased. "Don't tell me you get frightened with a harmless little ghost story!"
"I am not! It's my birthday, remember? It is not the time to be telling ghost stories!"
"Ah, but it's also Halloween! A night for ghosts and ghouls to come out and play!"
Karina pounded her right fist into her left palm in mock realization. "Oh! I've always wondered why you're such a troll, Barnaby! Now I know the reason why!"
"SHUT UP, WITCH!"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"
Kotetsu chuckled, sensing his partner's distress. "Don't torment Bunny-chan, Nathan. Even in this darkness, I can see that his eyes are already as wide as platters."
There was a derisive snort from the younger man. "You're one to talk, considering that you failed that Test of Courage last summer."
"But I didn't faint when Saitoh-san crept up on us."
Ivan quietly put in, "No, but you screamed like a little girl and you were clinging to me all throughout the test."
Pao-Lin chimed in as well, "Didn't Rock Bison-san run away from Sky High-san's dog?"
"Please don't remind me of that!" Antonio groaned in sheer embarrassment.
"Sorry, Handsome. But we're doing this," Fire Emblem said with finality.
As Nathan lit a small vigil candle on the table and waved to the Heroes to gather around, he heard Kotetsu say to his pissed off lover reassuringly, "It's going to be fun, Bunny."
"Really? Then why are your hands so cold, Kotetsu-san?"
"Because it is a bit chilly in here due to the rain," Kotetsu said defensively, guiding Barnaby to the table.
The younger man plopped down huffily. "Let's get on with this, Nathan! Tell us your ghost story. I'll prove to you that I'm not afraid of ghosts."
Fire Emblem knew a bluff when we heard one. When everyone was finally seated on the floor around the table, Nathan took a deep breath and began his spooky narrative.
"This story took place almost forty years ago in the old facilities of Stern Bild General Hospital. I'm sure you've all seen that creepy rundown set of buildings on the city's outskirts."
Except for a disgruntled Barnaby, all the Heroes blinked back at him like owls, their heads nodding in unison.
"There was a young doctor working in that hospital. People say he was as good-looking as Barnaby here." That earned a derisive snort. "However, he was rather aloof, unapproachable. Although the female doctors and nurses swooned over him, he was not interested in them in the slightest. The reason for this was that he was actually desperately in love with his older best friend, who happened to be a paramedic at the same hospital."
It was Kotetsu who interrupted him this time. "Is this story…appropriate, Nathan?"
Fire Emblem inwardly cursed himself for his insensitivity, but he had already started the story. He couldn't stop now. Instead, he offered a lame reassurance, "Don't worry. Just let me tell the tale."
"If you say so," Kotetsu reluctantly nodded.
"To continue, they were very good friends – this doctor and the paramedic. Whenever they were in the hospital, they would always be seen having lunch together in the cafeteria or working like an expert team in the Emergency Room whenever the paramedic brought in a patient with his ambulance. The problem was the doctor knew that what he felt for the paramedic would forever be unrequited because his friend happened to be a happily married man. The paramedic's wife was a beautiful young woman with glossy, long, dark hair. Despite this, the doctor prayed that the paramedic's love would be his someday.
"You remember that saying – 'Be careful what you wish for'. Needless to say, that moment the doctor wished hard for came when a disastrous pile-up occurred on the Stern-Medaille Highway. A truck had been speeding on the road. The driver lost control and slammed his 18-wheeler into several cars in front of him. One of those cars happened to belong to the paramedic, who was then taking his wife out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary. The collision sent their car crashing through the railing and falling down on the road on the Silver Stage below. The paramedic's head and body impacted on the steering wheel and dashboard in front of him. His poor wife had not been lucky. Somehow, her seatbelt got torn off and she crashed headfirst right into the windshield, her dead body flung several feet onto the pavement."
That last statement elicited horrified gasps from his listeners.
"It just so happened that the doctor was the ER physician on duty that night when the couple was wheeled in. He confirmed the death of the paramedic's wife before moving on to perform delicate bran surgery on his best friend. Because the wife had no living kin, he ordered that her body be cremated. He couldn't let his best friend see the grave injuries and ghastly wounds and lacerations that his wife had sustained in the accident. The only thing he kept as a memento of her was the pale gold wedding ring which she had worn on her finger.
"A week later, the paramedic woke up from his coma with no memory of his wife or his life prior to the accident. This was the opportunity that the doctor has been waiting for. Sternly warning the hospital staff against making any mention of the wife because it might traumatize the patient, the doctor personally saw to his friend's treatment and rehabilitation. He also went on to woo the physically and emotionally vulnerable paramedic, going so far as to tell the older man that they were lovers. As proof, he even showed his friend the wedding ring which he had taken to wearing around his neck on a silver chain. What was once friendship soon blossomed into love, and the two men started living together in the doctor's lavish apartment. Because of the amnesia, the paramedic never remembered the wife he had lost."
Nathan paused then, giving his audience time to reflect on his narrative. Both Blue Rose and Dragon Kid were holding back their tears while the men had somber expressions on their faces. Kotetsu especially was despondent, possibly remembering his own loss, so that Barnaby had to pull him into his comforting embrace.
"A year later," Fire Emblem went on, "rumors began to spread about a strange woman wandering the hospital late at night. Those who have seen her claimed that she was bloodied all over. Her long, blood-matted hair covered her whole head. All that could be seen of her face was a large, bloodshot eye whenever she peeked through the door cracks of the patient's wards and rooms. It was obvious to all that the woman was searching for someone. One brave nurse attempted to speak to her. The wraith floated toward the nurse in a rush, passed through her body like a frigid wisp, and disappeared. Despite many eyewitness accounts, the doctor scoffed at their stories, attributing them to tired minds and overactive imaginations.
"One stormy evening, just like what we are having now, the doctor was on the graveyard shift. His lover chose to drop by that night, bringing a hot home-cooked meal and some fresh clothes. They were going to an empty room on the Seventh Floor. It being a quiet night because of the storm, an entire wing on the floor was empty of patients. The doctor was hoping that he could share a midnight repast and some sensual quality time with his lover, which is not actually allowed on the hospital premises.
"However, as they stepped into the dark hallway, who should they see a distance off from them but a woman. She was walking with a shuffling limp, her feet going 'swissssh…click…swissssh…click' as she dragged the heels of her red shoes along. From where they stood, she seemed to be wearing a dress with bright red streaks. Her head was bowed low and all they could see was her long dark hair.
"Pity for the poor woman prompted the paramedic to approach her, despite his lover's warning him not to. 'Are you all right, Ma'am?' he asked as he walked closer and closer to her. 'Can we help you?'
"Instead of answering, the woman raised her left hand, moving it back and forth, so that they could see the pale shadow on her ring finger where a wedding band should be."
Again, Nathan paused, inwardly amused at the frightened faces before him. Keith even swallowed hard in obvious nervousness.
"The doctor went after his lover then. To his horror, however, it seemed as if he couldn't close the distance between them, no matter how hard he ran. Meanwhile, the paramedic was already standing behind the woman, and he was stunned to see that her body was covered in hideous wounds and her dress was completely drenched in blood.
"'Ma'am, you're hurt!" he exclaimed. "'Let us take you to the ER right now so that you can be treated!'
"This time, the woman replied, 'I am looking for someone…my husband.'"
All the Heroes were hanging on to the edge of their seats, completely oblivious to the dark shadows that were slowly going toward them.
"The paramedic said, 'I'll help you find your husband if you will tell me his name. Who is he?'"
At that query, a strong, cold gust of wind blew the windows open with a bang and the candle was snuffed out. That precise instant, Barnaby snatched Nathan's flashlight from the tabletop and switched it on, just as an icy hand fell on Ivan's nape.
"YO!"
Ivan let out an ear-piercing shriek. The Heroes also screamed in terror, seeing the ghostly wraith with long dark hair standing between Barnaby and Kotetsu. As the flashlight fell to the floor, everyone stampeded for the door. Nathan and the others turned left while Barnaby – carrying Kotetsu in his arms – took the opposite corridor.
"Of all the nerve!" Agnes Joubert declared in grave offense, tossing the box of cream puffs she had brought for dessert on the table. "Do I look like a ghost?"
"Ano…I think they were scared of me."
Agnes felt a chill run up her spine as she slowly turned around. Her eyes grew as round as saucers at the sight of the white clad ghoul behind her. As she dropped to the floor in a swoon, she thought she heard the ghost giggle.
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