Tiger and bunny: Lucky to be a lady tonight

Chapter 14

Kotetsu wasn't well after that night. She didn't want to leave Barnaby's apartment, and when Barnaby left her alone for too long, she'd have a small panic attack until he came back. The man who had attacked her had been watching her. He had told her that much and she didn't feel safe until he was caught.

News reporters hadn't helped, grabbing onto the story of Wild Tigress being attacked and plastering it all over their networks, creating their own spins and combining the attack with the rumors that had been birthed at the party when Kotetsu and Barnaby had shared a dance.

Finally, Barnaby got Lloyds to give him some time off to help Kotetsu healed up. He packed Kotetsu up in his car and took off to Oriental Town so that she could be with her family, though he wasn't looking forward to being around her brother again.

Kotetsu leaned forward, watching her childhood home grow closer as Barnaby drove up the long country drive.

Home. Mom...Kaede...

A smile almost found her lips.

Barnaby smiled seeing Kotetsu almost smile. He reached over and grabbed her hand. "Excited to see Kaede again?"

She nodded, "And...telling her she'll be a big sister."

"How do you think she'll react? Better question, how do you think everyone will react?"

"I don't even know how I'm reacting to the news..." she shook her head.

Barnaby chuckled as he rounded the last curve of the road. "It's a bit scary for me, but I'm excited at the same time. I'm expecting your mom to be the most positive about the news."

She nodded and sighed, leaning back, "Please don't fight with my brother again. I don't think I could handle it."

"For your sake, I'll try hard not to. I don't want to set you off." His thumb rubbed over the top of her hand as Barnaby pulled into the driveway of the Kaburagi home.

Muramasa, Kaede, and Anju all stepped outside once they saw the blond's sleek sports car pull into the driveway. All of them had a smile, which surprised Barnaby really. He had been without a supporting family for a huge majority of his life, and he had forgotten just how welcoming a family could be, no matter what had happened.

Kotetsu took a deep breath and opened the door once the car was parked and the engine turned off, slipping out into the gentle breeze as Barnaby helped her out of his car, making sure she was stable on her own before going to the trunk and starting to unload. Normally, Kaede would be his first hug attempt when going home, but this time, she hurried straight for her mother, wrapping her arms tight around the elderly woman.

Anju hugged her daughter tight. "I was so worried about you... The news has said some nasty things, and we didn't know how much of it was true."

"They...don't know everything, but... Oh Mama, I was so scared... I never thought... Being a hero, I never imagined being a victim..."

"It's alright now. Let's try to avoid that topic while you're here." The woman pulled back and turned to the rest of the family. "Kaede you'd better come give your father a hug. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

The girl, for once, didn't put up a fight, hurrying to hug her distraught father and letting her hug back. "Let's go inside. Grandma just made tea." The girl smiled, pulling her father inside the house.

Anju followed the two back inside, pausing to tell Muramasa to help Barnaby move things inside. The older man was hesitant, but did go to Barnaby's aid, and helped bring in the luggage from the car.

Muramasa led the way to Kotetsu's room, setting down the bags he had been carrying before going to the door. After Barnaby entered the room to set his bags down, Muramasa shut the door, not quite looking at Barnaby.