#midsummernightmare

Tomoe’s POV

“TOMOE!! Where were you?!” A middle aged man wearing a dark green and black vest got up quickly from his seat next to my bed. His unruly long hair was kept neat with his Jeff cap that matched his vest. His looked worried, for my health of course, and worn out. Probably just came back from a mission.

“Don’t have to worry Kotetsu I was on the roof. The nurse was with me.”

“But you should have stayed in bed! Your health has been—“

“Kotetsu, don’t worry. You must have had a hard day today.”

“Tomoe…” Kotetsu was sad. He hasn’t really smiled in a long time. He would when Kaede is around but with how busy he is with his duties, meeting Kaede had become a rarity. Meaning his bright glimmer was too, a rarity.

“Tomoe. I was thinking…” Kotetsu looked nervous, no…agitated, almost bothered by something.

“…I was thinking that maybe I’ll quit my job of being a Hero…”

What…?

Kotetsu…what are you…

“Don’t say something silly like that!” I said with such energy that it even startled me a bit.

“But Tomoe, with your condition like this you could--“

Die. He can never say that. It’s a reality that even I can’t fathom yet…I’m dying…and neither of us can’t do anything about it.

“Kotetsu, don’t be stupid. Being a Hero is what you wanted to do as since you were a child, and to give it all up for me…”

“Tomoe…I, want to be with you until...until you get better. And for me to do that I can’t be running around winning points and favours with the sponsers.”

“Is that really the case, Kotetsu?”

“Eh…?”

“Really, you haven’t changed at all since I met you.”

He really hasn’t. From the day that we met until the day that he proposed. Even when we had Kaede, he never changed a bit.

“Kotetsu, weren’t you the one who was always saying, ‘No matter what happens, a Hero should protect people at all times,”

“Th-that’s right but—“

“No matter what happens, a Hero should protect people at all times, right?”

“I know that but—“

“Then why are you still thinking about?”

“But right now you’re—“

-Beep-

-Beep-

-Beep-

Kotetsu’s Hero caller sounded, sutting him off midway.

This is his job…his life…I can’t take something like that away from him when I have so little time left…

Kotetsu looks at me sadly. I can see his reluctancy to leave but I also know how much he wants to save those that he can…

I look at him sternly and as determined as I can.

Kotetsu sighs heavily and gets up, “Alright, I’ll go. Are you glad I’m going now?”

I smile, and say, “Yes, I am.”

He hesitates at the door and turns around as I say, “No matter what happens, please be a Hero.”

For Kaede…and for me.

“Promise me, that.”

I smile as wide as my weak body allows me to. Staring back at me is Kotetsu’s warm and gentle smile.

“I promise.” Kotetsu tips his head down into a nod with his cap and rushes out the door.

It’s a promise then, Koetetsu…Wild Tiger.

Narrator’s POV

Tomoe’s body then erupted in the burning heat of her own body. Her body was eating itself from the inside out. Her breath became erratic and short and her limbs shook violently like a leaf in blizzard. Tomoe reached her hand out for the nurse call but the pain in her body was too much for her. Too much for her weakened body.

“Some…body….I….don’t…want…to…die….” tears streamed down Tomoe’s face as her vision began to blur and darken. It was then doctors and nurses burst into the room and proceeded to do all they could to save her.

Kaede…Kotetsu….I’m sorry…

However, all that sounded in the hospital room was the sharp ringing sound of the heartbeat monitor and the tiny cry of a little girl saying, “Mama?”

.

“AND THERE HE IS! IT’S THE CRUSHER FOR JUSTICE, WIIILLLLDDDDDD TIIIIGERRR!!!!!!”

Wild Tiger, aka. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi was having the most successful time of his career, he had gathered enough points to guarantee him a spot in the top 3 and if he worked hard enough he could defeat the reigning King of Heroes, Sky High. He would have until…

-Ring-

-Ring-

-Ring-

“Hello?”

.

“Her conditioned suddenly worsened after you left. I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Kotetsu stood at the entrance of the room with his wife, Tomoe, face and body covered with a white sheet of cloth.

“To…mo…e…” Kotetsu’s eyes started to water and stream down as he called her name over and over and over again. TO.MO.E.

He dropped to his knees and sobbed, sinking his head onto the floor he cried out her name. Tomoe.Tomoe. Tomoe.Tomoe. Tomoe.Tomoe. Tomoe.Tomoe. Tomoe.Tomoe. Tomoe.Tomoe.

“Papa.” The sound of a little girl’s voice broke the curling chant of the late Tomoe.

“Kae..de…”his mind was a blank, he didn’t know what to say to this little girl. Whether she understood what has happened, that her mother is….dead.

“Papa…what happened to mama?” Kaede slowly toddled into the room.

Kotetsu tried to smile, but his tears wouldn’t allow him to. That was when an aged but strong pair of hands placed themselves warmly around Kotetsu. His mother’s warmth reduced him back to the young child he was before as his tears fell endlessly.

.

“AND THE KING OF HEROS OF THE SEASON IS ONCE AGAIN, SKKKKYYYYY HIIIIGHHHH. TOO BAD FOR WILD TIGER FOR TAKING A SUDDEN BREAK IN THE FINAL DAYS OF THE SEASON LEAVING HIM 2ND LAST BEHIND ROCK BISON”

“When is the funeral?” Fire Emblem, aka. Nathan Seymour, asked.

“Tomorrow, noon.” Rock Bison, aka. Antonio Lopez answered, sighing deeply.

“Tomorrow, huh. How is Wild-kun doing?” Sky High, aka Keith Goodman, asked.

Antonio shook his head and said, “He wasn’t answering any of my calls and when I went over to his apartment last week he was a wreck.”

“I wonder if I should really go to the funeral, gozaru.” Origami Cyclone, aka. Ivan Karelin pondered.

“I think it’s better if some of us stayed back and take care of Sternbild in case anything happens. What do you think, handsome?” Nathan asked Antonio.

“I’ll go by myself. I knew her better and…I think Kotetsu needs sometime before he can face us. Before he can face himself.”

.

Oriental Town

Kotetsu’s POV

Chantings.

Bells.

People.

So much noise.

“We’re sorry for your loss.”

Loss?

Ah…that’s right…Tomoe…

Tomoe.

“Pa…”

Smoke.

“Papa.”

Someone’s calling me.

Who…?

“Papa.” A tiny pair of hands holds mine in its soft clasps. My little girl Kaede stands in front of me, well, under me, as I realize my head was hung low and my long hair had covered my face.

“Pain, pain….FLY AWAY!!!”

Startled at the sudden action that I usually did when Kaede got cuts and bruises on her. Whenever someone is hurt.

“Papa, does it still hurt? Grandma told me that you’re hurting a lot now that’s why you’re crying so much.”

“Kaede…”

“Papa…mama went to heaven didn’t she?”

“Y-yes she did…” My voice whimpered and cracked as I was forced to face the truth. Tomoe was dead. I could feel my tears welling up again.

“Then it’s fine right?! Mama can be with us forever and she won’t feel any pain now!”

I was shocked. What was Kaede talking about?

“Kaede, what do you mean?”

She giggled a bit, the way she usually does when someone tells a funny joke. “Mama told me that when she goes to heaven she’ll become an angel and that angels are like Heroes! She’ll be protecting us forever and ever!”

A Hero protects people.

Tomoe…you’re still here…aren’t you…?

I nodded and welled up in tears again. “She is. Mama is protecting us even right now!”

“Even now!” Kaede’s eyes lit up.

“Even now!”

“Then, then,” Kaede jumped up and down, “can we sing her ‘The Little Heroes’?!”

I blinked back my tears and gave her my best smile my face allowed me to, “WE’LL SING IT LOUD!”

“Yay!!!”

I picked Kaede up and placed her on my shoulders and we left the funeral home and headed back to our home. Singing the ‘Little Heroes’ I said to Tomoe, “Tomoe…I can’t promise you that I’ll be a Hero forever, but I can promise you, I’ll do my best in being Kaede’s father forever. That’s a promise.”

.

7 Years Later

Narrator’s POV

“Kotetsu-san? Kotetsu-san?”

“Ah, sorry did you say something Bunny?”

Barnaby sighed and said, “I was asking you if you understood the mission but I guess you didn’t even listen to that.”

Kotetsu had spaced out upon the start of the mission briefing and totally didn’t hear a single word of the mission. “I-I did listen! We go in and beat the bad guys right?”

“Well, yes, but—“

“Then it’s fine, don’t get your panties in a twist, Bunny-chan.”

“My name is BARNABY.”

“Barnaby, Bunny. It’s still the same person. You’re still you, and we’re still Heroes who have some protecting to do right?”

“Yes, well, if you had listened then you would have heard that Chopman got lucky and the criminals have been captured already.”

Confused and a bit upset Kotetsu exclaimed, “NO WAY. ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU LOST CRIMINALS TO CHOPMAN?!”

“IT’S MY FAULT NOW?” Barnaby clearly irritated said.

“Well, if you weren’t so busy calculating and planning so much we may have actually been able to catch at least one of them.”

“Well who was the one who took so LONG to get ready!?” Barnaby pointed his finger at Kotetsu.

“IT’S NOT MY FAULT THAT—“ Kotetsu stopped midway with his head turned to a side.

“What’s wrong?” Barnaby asked upon the sudden stop of his partner’s rant.

“Hm…? Oh, nothing. I just thought I heard someone call my name. Oh, which reminds me, I have an appointment with some higher up later on about something.” He attempted to scratch his head to no avil as he was still wearing his suit.

“Just you? Who is it?” Barnaby wondered as it was rarely a thing when higher ups called Kotetsu without him.

“Someone by the name of Mark Schneider, I think.”

“That’s the new owner of Apollon Media isn’t it?”

“Oh, really? What happened to Lloyd?”

Barnaby sighed heavily and shook his head, “As much as I respect you, I really wish you listened during meetings and briefings, Kotetsu-san.”

“Huh…? Did-did I say something wrong?”

“Let’s get changed and so that you won’t be late for the meeting.”

“Oi, Barnaby did I say something wrong!? Bunny-chann…”

“IT’S BARNABY.”

“Kotetsu…please….be safe….”