[The air feels heavy, and there's a weight on Kotetsu's shoulders that could almost crush him. His hands curl into tight fists as he shuts his eyes, jaw tight and expression pained. So this is the true reality of Holly Heights. He hadn't expected anything like this at all. It just seemed like a bizarrely quaint little town, no one bothered enough to cause a scene or any ruckus. It all felt so normal and at-ease that it was hard to remember sometimes that you weren't supposed to belong there. It was almost perfect. Just... too perfect, and now, Kotetsu understood why. Because it had been a lie.
If it wasn't Kaede sitting there at his side, the anger and disgust bubbling up inside of Kotetsu would have burst forth and overflowed. Something needed to happen, someone needed to pay for what they had done to Barnaby. He needed answers, there needed to be consequences, he needed to do something, anything, because he was a hero, because Barnaby was his partner, because...
But it didn't matter, because there was nothing he could do.
Kotetsu's head hung low as his fists reached up to press against his closed eyes in order to fight against his tears.
Even if Barnaby was alive now, even if he was still with him, Kotetsu had let him down, had lost him, and there had been nothing he could do about it. Just like Tomoe. This was how it would always be, reminders that there were always things he couldn't fix, things he could do nothing about, things that were just facts etched into permanent stone.
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If it wasn't Kaede sitting there at his side, the anger and disgust bubbling up inside of Kotetsu would have burst forth and overflowed. Something needed to happen, someone needed to pay for what they had done to Barnaby. He needed answers, there needed to be consequences, he needed to do something, anything, because he was a hero, because Barnaby was his partner, because...
But it didn't matter, because there was nothing he could do.
Kotetsu's head hung low as his fists reached up to press against his closed eyes in order to fight against his tears.
Even if Barnaby was alive now, even if he was still with him, Kotetsu had let him down, had lost him, and there had been nothing he could do about it. Just like Tomoe. This was how it would always be, reminders that there were always things he couldn't fix, things he could do nothing about, things that were just facts etched into permanent stone.
You can't always save everyone.]