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The Last Six Seconds of A Hundred Power	By : roryheadmav Category: +S to Z > Tiger & Bunny Views: 1202 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: 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.

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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.

THE LAST SIX SECONDS OF A HUNDRED POWER

By Rory

PART THREE

Christmas Eve, NC 1979, 9:47 pm

"Mr. Kochs!" Kylie Lane quickly snatched the small flask of whiskey out of the derelict's hand before he could pour its contents into the bowl of eggnog. "Didn't I tell you not to spike the eggnog?"

"Come on, Kylie!" Kochs wheedled the glaring shelter volunteer. He even gave her a rather disgusting display of yellowed teeth. "It's freezing cold. Hard liquor can keep one's blood warm."

Another hobo who was known only by the name of Bob mumbled under his breath, "Eggnog tastes no good with whiskey anyway."

"Who asked you, Bob?"

Japanese exchange student Iwashi Nomura, who was serving coffee, glowered suspiciously at the teenage runaway – who wanted to be known by the imposing nickname "Digital Derelict" – who was engrossed in playing a video game.

"Is that my PSP?" she demanded in growing irritation.

Blushing in embarrassment, the boy said, "Please let me play with it, Ma'am. I promise I won't break it."

Iwashi sighed and mumbled under her breath, "I'm more afraid that you won't give it back."

"Everyone, please." Sergeant A. Kharl Crane, a homeless Iraq War veteran, stood patiently in line, waiting to be served some spaghetti and meatballs, a slice of ham, hot soup, and a bread bun by the other volunteers of the Stern Bild Homeless Shelter. "Christmas is the only time that we can eat like Royalty. Even for just one night, let's act civilized." He bestowed a charming smile upon Ruby Bunian. "How about another meatball, honey?"

"Only two for each person," Ruby said firmly, tapping the vet's head with her ladle. "And I'm not your 'Honey', Kharl."

Jen Strifecloud tried to hold her giggles as the Sergeant pulled out a wilted sprig of mistletoe from his rumpled khaki jacket and attempted to steal a kiss from the mortified young woman.

"Come on, Ruby," she remarked encouragingly. "We have enough food for everyone."

"This is not an 'all-you-can-eat' buffet, Jen," Ruby growled back. "What if someone else comes in?" She pushed Kharl's face away before his puckered lips could connect with her cheek. "Hey! I'm not part of the menu!"

With arms akimbo, Kylie breathed out a sigh. She was about to remove her apron, but her friend Lin Okami laid a hand on her arm.

"Please don't go out there, Kylie," Lin begged her. "The weather report said that the two storms are most certain to merge at any time. If there's still someone out there, I'm sure they'd have found shelter by now."

Hours before the blizzard hit, Kylie had led the volunteers in scouring Stern Bild for all the homeless people that they could find. Being a multi-leveled city, however, it was impossible for them to cover a lot of ground, so that their efforts were limited to the Bronze Stage and a measly third of the Silver Stage.

Kylie shook her head, forlorn. "How I wish we could be certain of that!"

Suddenly, the doors of the shelter banged open, letting in the frigid wind and a fierce flurry of snow. Then, Max Carter – the wino living in the dumpster under the old brick arch – stomped inside, carrying another man behind his back.

"Max, what happened?" Kylie hurried toward the obviously fuming vagrant.

"I was tucked safely away in my dumpster when this idiot dragged me out and demanded that I head for the nearest shelter. Naturally, I refused, but then he picked me up and hauled me over his shoulders. We were barely halfway here when he collapsed underneath me. The next thing I knew, I'm the one carrying him here!"

The man Max was bearing on his back lifted his head and said feebly, "Sorry about this, Max. I felt dizzy for a moment there. But…" The corners of his mouth curled up in a mischievous smirk. "…I still got you here, didn't I?"

Realizing he had been tricked, Max growled menacingly, "Why you son of a bitch…" He was getting ready to dump his burden on the floor.

But, upon seeing that familiar domino mask, Kylie suddenly exclaimed, "Aren't you Wild Tiger? The Hero?" She gave the cranky wino a stern look. "Put him down gently, Max."

"Thank you, thank you," the Hero said gratefully, as he was led to a nearby table.

"What're you doing out in this weather, Mr. Tiger?" Lin couldn't stop herself from inquiring.

Seized by apprehension, Iwashi set down her coffee tray and locked the front doors. "Don't tell me that criminals are taking advantage of the blizzard to rob and cause mayhem."

"Oh, no! No trouble from lawless elements at all. I just thought I'd go out and make sure that everyone's safe."

"Shouldn't you be worrying more about yourself?" asked Kylie, pressing a glass of eggnog into his hands. "Pardon my saying so, but you don't look well. In fact, you're rather pale."

"I'm fine. As I said, it's just slight dizziness."

Max let out a snort as he gulped down his own glass of the tasty beverage. "Frankly, I don't know why you even bother caring about people like us. Is it for those popularity points?"

"Max, hush!" Kylie scolded him sharply.

"Well, it's the truth, ain't it? When my wife divorced me and took all my money, I never saw my daughter again. They haven't even bothered to look for me. I've been living on the streets for over eight years and people still spit on me. Goes to show how worthless they think of me."

An old woman in the corner bitterly put in, "My own children put me in a home. But when it was closed down due to lack of funding, they never came back for me."

Every vagrant in the meal hall echoed similar stories and sentiments. Some even went so far as to say that they didn't need their families who have abandoned and forgotten about them.

"As you can see, Mr. Tiger," Kharl Crane stressed, "we have long since accepted our lot as the outcasts of society. While we accept works of charity, such deeds of generosity only happen during calamities and holidays. It doesn't change the fact that we are unwanted and unloved, even by our own families."

"Is that so?" Wild Tiger muttered, his tanned fingers closing around his glass. "Have you actually tried returning home to your loved ones?"

At that simple query, everyone found themselves at a loss for words.

The Hero slowly stood up from his seat. "You say that you are 'unwanted' and 'unloved'. But by keeping your hurts inside your hearts, by refusing to surrender your pride, you have distanced yourselves from the people who love you and from those who truly care about your plight." There was a heartbreaking smile on Kotetsu's face as he activated his Hundred Power. "Don't you understand? You will always have a home to return to."

The homeless and volunteers gasped as Wild Tiger showed them a two-second vision of his own home in Oriental Town. A beautiful woman with long, silky dark brown hair was helping their two-year old daughter put up ornaments on their tiny Christmas tree.

Then, the woman smiled and pointed to them. "Look, Kaede! Papa's home!"

A voice that was obviously the Hero's greeted with great cheer, "Tadaima, Tomoe, Kaede!

The child's mouth stretched in a toothless grin as she flung her chubby arms wide and toddled toward them. "Okaeri, Papa!"

At that moment, the vision faded away. It did not surprise Kylie and the other volunteers to see that all the vagrants had their arms outstretched to catch the little girl.

Surprisingly, it was Max who broke the silence. Wiping away the tears from his eyes, he announced, "I think I'll pay a visit to my family this year." Turning to the Hero, he asked, "Why don't you come along with me so that you can meet my daughter?"

To everyone's shock, however, Wild Tiger was already long gone, with only the open crack of the front door marking his departure.

~~~~~~~

Christmas Eve, NC 1979, 10:50 pm

Kotetsu stumbled face first on the snow as a frigid gust of wind finally knocked him off his feet. More than the freezing temperature and horrendous weather, it was the heavy weight of people's fear and despair that was forcing his entire body down to the ground.

It started with his encounter with Judge Petrov. The profound guilt emanating from the young man was something he had never experienced before. He had wondered then if it was a side effect of his Hundred Power's deterioration. But, he couldn't ignore the judge's pain or the hatred that his mother had for her own son. With those brief touches, Kotetsu had offered his heart to them, showed them that they should not carry such heavy burdens in their souls. He didn't know if he had helped them in some way, but he wished he had.

Strangely enough, it was this side effect of being able to feel people's emotions that led to him to that group of terrified street children and, later, poor Max, whom he knew would never admit that he had been shaking from the cold and crying miserably inside his dumpster. Those precious memories that he had shown to the nuns and children at the orphanage and the homeless and volunteers at the shelter…he never knew he could do that. Maybe if he had known about this particular side ability of his Hundred Power way back then, he could have put it to better use.

But now, as he lay on the cold, hard ground being battered by gale-force winds and the hopelessness of an entire city, even he was slowly being overcome by his own sorrow and despair.

Am I going to die here? Is this how it all ends for Wild Tiger? Kotetsu's bitter tears instantly turned into crystal drops of ice as they trickled from his exhausted amber eyes. Maybe I should've let Dr. Carvajal reveal to the other Heroes the true state of my…condition. Then I wouldn't be dying here. All alone. God, do they even care about me? Do they even love me?

It was then that a thought formed inside his mind. He had never asked anything for himself. It was always others above his own welfare. Just this once, he desired something for himself. A little knowledge which he hoped the one last, precious second of his Hundred Power could give him.

With great effort, Kotetsu stood up and closed his eyes, concentrating on that one question that he so desperately wanted an answer to. Then, he activated his Hundred Power a final time. With a pained gasp, he could feel the last dregs of his life being drained to fuel his dwindling power. Already, his eyes were blurring from weakness and pain.

"KOTETSU-SAN!"

A glorious smile formed on Kotetsu's face as his Hundred Power rewarded him with one final vision of a handsome blond-haired young man reaching out to him with tears pouring from his emerald eyes. Kotetsu's lips moved, but no words came out. In the end, he surrendered himself to the darkness, no longer despairing, but happy, contented and soothed.
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The Last Six Seconds of A Hundred Power