Concert

"This is Naomi Nu and we've got some fun news for you all!
It seems a new super cute idol, The Pink Cutie, is going to be making a debut in the nearby stadium. If you've managed to get one of the tickets that are sold out everywhere, consider yourself lucky and go check it out!"
I'm in one of the rooms in the hero HQ with Tarou and Gaia, watching the TV as I relax from all the running around I had to do today.
'This plan better work...'

...

"Plan out a concert?"
Full Throttle looked at her confused and she continue.
"Of course! We edit these posters to add the time and location and put them everywhere, maybe I could even convince one of the TV stations to air some marketing too. There's no way she'll miss it, and when she sees it she'll definitely come. After all, we're her adoring fans aren't we?"
She let out a laugh as we looked at her.

...

I look down at the poster on the table. It was now evening, getting close to the time the concert is supposed to start.
"Alright, most of the heroes are already there, you two ready to go?"
Tarou and I nod as we stand up and head to the lobby.

...

"What about people wanting to see it?"
Tarou asked her with a slight worry in his voice but Gaia is quick to reassure him.
"The tickets will be sold out, her only audience will be an army of heroes."

...

We reach the lobby and are about to exit the building when we come across Chloe and Amy being escorted out by Thunder who sees us and says.
"Ah, hey there Gaia. I'm just guiding these two out, I'll be on the location soon!"
The two girls look back at him with Chloe asking.
"Where you going? Already about to arrest someone?"
The two laugh but then stop noticing all of us looking at them silently.
"Hah... Uh... Wait, was I right?"
Gaia turns towards thunder and asks.
"Is it their time?"
Before he can answer, Amy quickly says.
"Yeah! Finally done with community service, we're two free innocent girls now."
'I think I know what's about to happen...'
Just as I expected, Gaia approaches and places her hands in each of their shoulders before saying with an almost devious smile.
"How about you help us out with a concert?"

...

An hour has passed as we're all standing in the audience waiting, and hoping, for that girl to arrive.
Gaia finally arrives, looking around as she gives everything one last check before saying.
"Alright, Full Throttle has the entrance. After explaining to Chloe and Amy they're excitedly patrolling the staff are in case she goes that way, and looking around, the fake cardboard people we set in seats are actually better than I thought."
Tarou and I look at her and she nods.
I start looking around, checking for the girl.
'Nothing yet.
...?'
As I'm checking around the audience near us I see a familiar face.
'Yuu? Must bee a good sign. He can be arrested later.'
I turn back towards Gaia as she says.
"We just have to wait, and put faith in that annoying personality of her-"

Suddenly the lights on the stage turn pink and move to a single position, making Gaia confused.
"What the... There should be no staff around...!"
We watch as someone walks forward and stops, striking a pause in the light before finally shouting.
"My adoring fans! Perfection has arrived!"
Seeing her, Gaia's face becomes serious as she starts walking forward.
"Let's get closer, I need to know if she's the real one."
We keep following close behind when suddenly she pulls out a mirror.
"I really am perfect, but that's not what you're here for."
As she says that, the mirror transforms into a microphone which she puts close to her mouth as another shout comes through, with her smile becoming even wider.
"Ready to worship my voice?"
Gaia looks at that and starts walking faster while she talks to herself.
"Object change magic? Not good."

While we slowly move through the crowd, the girl on stage begins to sing.
'Surprisingly quite good.'
Finally we get close to the stage, with Gaia looking back at us a moment later.
"It's her, she's real. Be careful you two, now let's take her down."
'She really does look exactly like her summons...'
She places her hand on the stage, ready to jump up, but before she can the girl immediately screams.
"HEY! NO OLD FILTH ALLOWED!"
"Tsk."
An annoyed Gaia immediately jumps onto the stage. While Tarou and I slowly climbed onto it, she stated.
"You're sloth's ally aren't you?! You're under arrest!"

We finally stand up on the stage, expecting anything when she starts laughing.
"Hahah. I get it, a trap huh? That's funny, between all of you and me... Who here is REALLY TRAPPED?"
I don't have time to think, as the moment she says that, a whole army looking just like her appears in the blink of an eye, flooding the stage, and soon, the whole audience. I only have time to grab Tarou, teleporting us both to staff walkways on the ceiling, before a whole bunch of them attempt to tackle us.
"Coach!"
I grab Tarou, causing him to look at me.
"She'll be fine, we need to keep an eye on the real one."
He nods and we both turn to look at her, she was still the only one in that pink light, now laughing. Meanwhile the whole stadium turned into chaos. Magic exploding, and summoning, and glowing as attacks were thrown all over the place with each hero attempting to take down as many summons as they could, only for even more to take their place.
Tarou glances at all the chaos and says to himself in a low tone.
"Are Chloe and Amy going to be fine...?"
I manage to hear it and say.
"They're tough. We both remember. We just need to focus on the real one."
After another nod from him we keep watch, luckily just in time as she had started to run away, attempting to escape through the back.
"She's running!"
"Not with us around."
I grab Tarou and teleport us both to the exit she took.

She's running, faster than you'd expect for her body size, but we manage to keep up through all the turns, taking down the sudden summons she threw along the way, until finally we reach a room with no exit.
She laughs before turning around and saying.
"Well, I guess stalkers these days sure have more stamina. I should congratulate you."
I stare at her, not daring to risk taking my eyes off of her when Tarou shouts.
"It ends now! I'm taking you down."
"Which one?"
A sudden voice comes from behind us as another one of her summons tackles me to the floor, making me hit my head, leaving me dazed.
"KAZU!"
A sudden Air Blast destroys her, now just a pile of rock on top of me as I slowly get up.
I look behind, seeing a few more coming but before I can warn him, Tarou already notices, sending a few air blasts, concentrating on the ceiling of the hallway, making it crumble and covering that exit, stopping the summons from there altogether.
"You're definitely strong, I'll give you that. Still, there's better ways to get my attention for an autograph."
She lets out a mocking laugh after saying that, to which Tarou pays her no mind as he suddenly sends an Air Blast her way, causing her to jump out of the way, but not before it clips one of her twin tails, frizzling it.

Suddenly she becomes quit, staring at her twin tail. The only sound coming from behind me as the summons are still trying to get through.
Then a blood curdling scream suddenly fills the entire room, as the girls eyes become crazed, quickly turning towards Tarou and sending a chill down my spine.
I look at him before I'm suddenly on the ground, hitting my head once more, as her summons managed to dig their way through and were now keeping me in place as they wore wide scary smiles on their faces.
"...How dare you."
I struggle to look over at the real girl who was slowly walking towards Tarou.
"HOW. DARE. YOU!"

Suddenly she tackles Tarou to the ground, transforming the microphone she held in her hand into a big knife, about to plunge it into Tarou's heart which he struggles to keep back as he holds her arm.
"Kazu...! She's stronger... Than she looks!"
"QUIET!"
She begins screaming once more.
"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO THE GREAT, PERFECT, ENVY!"
'Envy...?'

I watch as she slowly brings the knife down, getting closer and closer to Tarou's heart, I attempt to get up but the summons keep me down as my head is still dazed from before.
'Envy!'
"I WILL CUT YOU AND SHAPE YOU INTO PERFECTION!"

Just as the knife touches Tarou I scream out.
"ENVY!"

...

Slowly I wake up to screams. I'm breathing heavily as I look around, seeing the room completely destroyed, with piles or rubble all around me where her summons used to be.
I stand up and look ahead to see Tarou, who was standing, staring right at me with worry in his eyes.
'Tarou... He's fine... I'm so glad...'
I look at his mouth, but don't see it open.
'He's not the one screaming?'
I look around me again, slightly dazed and unfocused, before finally laying my eyes on a screaming girl.
'Envy... She's screaming?'
I focus my eyes and finally realize what happened.
Envy kept screaming non stop as she stared at her missing hand, the one that held the knife, as blood kept pulsing out.
'What happened to her hand.'

I keep looking around, but see nothing. Until finally I look down and my eyes snap open to reality as my daze finally lifts.
In my hand I was holding a small hand, one that clearly belonged to a girl.

The moment I see it I drop it to the ground as my heart beats faster and faster.
'It happened again... It happened again... It happened ag-'
"Are you-"
Tarou interrupts my thoughts as he begins a question causing me to remember where I was as I suddenly look at him, and before he can finish the question I teleport myself out.

...

I sit alone on the ground, leaning against a building, next to some random road, as I surround myself with my thoughts.
'I lost control again... I took away her hand...

Deserved.

No, what? Why did I... Thinking about it, what have I been doing this whole time...?
So focused on training and healing, and then on those enemies... I finally feel lucid.
I feel like I've been out of control for a long while now... Like a bad dream.

Mom.

Right, I've been trying my best for her... Maybe I should just wait though, surely one of these days she HAS to wake up... Right...?

I can't be certain.

I really can't... How long are these comas supposed to last for anyway. Not forever right?
I should... I should ask the Vice Chairman.'
I look down at my chest, and slowly I want to raise up my hand to hold-

"Hey."
I quickly look up, panicking slightly, when I see Hiro standing next to me.
"Don't teleport away now. Relax."
"...How... How did you find me?"
He lets out a small chuckle under his breath before crouching down to my eye level.
"I may be laidback, and sometimes a bit lazy, but I AM still part of the watchdogs club."
After that he sits next to me, and I lower my arm back down.
He stares ahead at nothing as he continues.
"Tarou let me know what happened."
He lets out another chuckle.
"In fact he asked all of us to find you. Even his new friend Tomo."
I look down at my pocket, where my phone is.
'I had turned it off... No doubt they must be blowing up my messages.'
I go back to staring ahead while Hiro keeps talking.
"He's worried, he thinks you've got too much going on."
He pauses but I stay silent, which he uses as permission to continue.
"Too much pressure. I'd agree, but who knows, some people deal better when pressured."
I glance at him and ask.
"What are you going to do now."
He looks at me for a moment, then goes back to staring at nothing again.
"You saved Tarou. Don't blame yourself for something you had no option on.
I'm staying here with you. Let me know when you feel better and we'll walk back together."

I nod and we sit in silence for a while, as I start to slowly feel happy again.