The autumn breeze that night is gentle, its sighs soothing as tiny whiffs nestle into his hair and rustle each strand slightly. It carries a scent of pine and freshly fallen leaves with it, which falls starkly in contrast against the tarnished metal railing he is sitting on and the concrete floor ending abruptly before him, marking the edge of the rooftop. But Kotetsu Kaburagi couldn't feel the wind or appreciate its fragrance that night. Alone amidst the chilling solitude of the night sky, far away from the bustling city life below, there is only the bitter wash of beer in his mouth. Street lights, skyscrapers and passing cars glimmer, sprawling out into a constellation, but they all fall dull on his eyes.
On the other side, two girls in hero outfits whisper among themselves, casting wary eyes on the solitary figure humming to himself. Their posture is rigid; neither of them have experience in negotiation nor the confidence to take on the role.
The more steadfast of the two, with the green hair and oriental costume, spoke first. "That's Kotetsu Kaburagi. An ex-employee of Top Mag who is recently fired. It's unclear whether that's the reason why he's up here," she informs, reading the data directly from her call bracelet.
"Are you sure the report's correct? Is he really planning to..."
"They're right, little miss!" He hollers, startling the two girls. The two men accompanying them- one in a red, fiery costume and the other in a bull-like metal suit- remain deadly still. "Care to join me before I go?" Giving them a lopsided grin, he welcomely points to the stash of alcohol lying in the corner of the railing before swerving his own can of beer and drains it in one giant gulp.
They ignore his invitation. "Are you really going to do this? Think about it; what about your friends and family?"
"Family..." Kotetsu pauses and ostensibly contemplates the matter before cracking a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I guess I'll miss them," he says, his tone blithe and plastic. "But they'll be better off without me. I'm sort of the family leech you see." Laughing, he scratches the back of his head as if he just told an embarrassing secret.
"And as for friends..." Well, he has none of those. Maybe once upon a time in his childhood he did but that number rapidly declined after he accidentally cracked a boy's skull during an innocent act of horseplay in the neighbourhood playground. Luckily the kid survived but things were never the same since.
To this day the scent of blood pooling around the boy's head and the stare of horror imbued eyes still lingers in his memory.
He subconsciously brushes a finger across the fresh cut on his arm, letting the gnawing pain distract him from the unwelcomed thoughts. It is a habit of his since his schooldays, a way to ward off any unpleasant feelings once they become too overwhelming.
"Hey..." Fire guy takes a cautious step forward. "You can tell us what's wrong." He says, his voice gentle.
"Let me think." Kotetsu pretends to mull over that thought as he teeters precariously on the hand rails. "...Hm, I don't remember!" Laughing, he makes a face as if his head hurts from thinking too much.
But it is a lie of course. Even now, fifteen years later, he still clearly remembers the words written on the school blackboard:
"MONSTER"
"Get out of our classroom!"
"You don't belong here!"
"You're not human."
When their teacher came in, he merely glanced at the board, lightly scolded the class before wiping the words away as if they were a childish prank.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Throughout his school years the insidious harassment never stopped, but then again, it wasn't as if he expected it to. The adults never acknowledged it either. Instead they harboured the same alienating stares and scornful, tightly pursed lips. He tried facing it all with laughter and a smile, figuring that if he acted like a goof, maybe they'll eventually grow tired of him. But the abuse only escalated. He tried to ignore it, immersing himself in Hero TV and reveries of becoming a hero to escape the stark reality.
But like a bubble, it can last only so long.
One morning he found a kitten sprawled across his doorstep, barely breathing, its head completely bashed in, and attached to it was a note scribbled "Filth like you should get out of our town!" It was the morning of his high school graduation.
He headed for Sternbild afterwards and never looked back since.
When he came to, the rooftop has long been overtaken by a tense silence. Another moment of silence passed before Kotetsu quietly slips off the railing, both feet landing firmly on the rooftop concrete. The heroes jolt but stayed in place, their visceral senses reacting to the sudden movement. Their bodies relax when they realize Kotetsu isn't intending to jump just yet. He makes his way to the cans of beer in the corner.
Crouching down, Kotetsu slowly reaches for a can while keeping a clandestine eye on the heroes' movement; Rock Bison fails to notice it. Waiting until Kotetsu is halfway through his beer, he suddenly yells "now's our chance!" and rushes towards the smaller man. Too caught up in the moment, he never notice the others' alarmed shouting.
Kotetsu easily side-steps Bison's outstretched arms. He clutches onto the other man's forearm with both hands, and using the momentum borrowed from the lunge, tosses the larger man over his shoulders and sends him sailing pass the hand rails.
The remaining heroes gasp at the outcome and run to the spot Bison where is tossed, hesitantly peering over the ledge to see his fate. Luckily for Bison, he managed to grab onto one of the advertisement boards below to stop his fall.
"Help meeeeeeeeeee!" Bison desperately begs.
Now's his chance; the remaining heroes have forgotten his presence. He leaps onto the hand rails, twisting around so his back faces the cityscape. "Adios," Kotetsu grins, giving the girls a salute before he launches himself into the open air.
And as he plunges towards the pavement below, regret and apologies slowly surface. He whispers "sorry" to his mom and brother but his voice is completely drowned out by the roaring air slicing past him. He regrets leaving them behind without any last words but the decision to take his own life came to him like an impulse. Or rather, perhaps it is more of an epiphany. A realization that he can never be happy.
Then the impact came. He could feel the blow and shock resonate through his body. Funny how he could also feel his legs dangling below him and his back propped upwards. The sensation is almost as if he is being carried. A moment passed before he realizes he still retains motor control. Instinctively, he opens his eyes to find a pair of glowing blue eyes staring back at him. They contain no pupils and the rest of the face is obscured in shadows, a mere silhouette that only serves to further accentuate those glowing orbs. The only distinctive feature is a pair of horns protruding from the figure's head but the ethereal light enveloping them renders all details indistinguishable.
"Who... are you?" Kotetsu weakly wonders, his consciousness fleeting. He wasn't certain whether the being that caught him is an angel or a devil. But it doesn't matter. As long as it's not on Earth, it doesn't matter whether he will be bathed in Heaven's light or seared in Hellfire.
A single tear rolls down from the corner of his eye before his consciousness completely fades.
Finally it's over.