The idea just sort of popped up, y'know? Too good to let it go past anyway.
He fumbled with his keys, swearing quietly as they dropped onto the rusting metal walkway. Trembling from numbness and cold, he picked up his keyring. After a brief struggle to shove in his door, the sound of the ringing staircase reached him as someone ascended. Great, his neighbor the damn barista.
"Hey, how's it going, kid?"
The older man's disarming smile was met with a brief glance colder than the snow on the ground.
"Cute kid," he muttered, after the door slammed shut in his face. The teenager had been here for a good number of months, and he had yet to hear a single greeting or not-mumbled word. Hell, the only reason he knew the kid's last name was Sakuraba was because it was on the nameplate. It was bad enough having to deal with nasty customers at work, but he didn't want to live next to one either.
-0-0-0-
The door flung shut behind him, Neku stumbled in, away from outside distractions and discomforts. His breath no longer fogged in front of his face, and warmth slowly spread from his core and seeped into his extremities. He was exhausted, and collapsed onto his mattress in the corner. Homework was burning holes into his schoolbag, and if he didn't keep his grades up he'd be forced to revoke his Hero's license. Inside his bathroom, he carefully took off his black contacts after washing his hands and pulled off a black wig, revealing a shock of orange blonde hair and tired blue eyes.
After a hot shower, he emerged feeling somewhat better. His backpack lay forlornly on the floor, and he emptied out it's contents onto his bed nest. Curling amongst the numerous pillows and comforters was always nice, and it was the only thing he decided to splurge on. A mesh frame of colorful pop-art pins was nearby, and he removed the pins from his costume to place back onto the frame. Absentmindedly, he laid back, observing all the abilities at his disposal. He wanted to try a new line up of pins for the next battles, and needed to see them all in one place. The only pin that he never left the apartment without was the pin his father got him during a business trip to Tokyo.
He had gotten some new pins after moving to Shibuya, but hadn't had the chance to try them out. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to suddenly switch out his pins. After all, he was most comfortable with his old ones. In the end he decided to switch out his Cure Drink pin for a Healing Bunny pin he'd gotten from a shop called Sheep Heavenly. It was embarrassing as hell to be in such a girly and pastel covered place, but he had seen the pins and felt something strange emanating from some of them. In the end, he forked over two-thousand yen and escaped with the little pink bunny pin. The cashier gushed on about how this pin was one of her favorites, and her comments did not escape the ears of the girls behind him. He quickly walked out of the store, his ears and cheeks bright red.
Still, this was one of the pins that had felt unique to him. It didn't work any differently from his old soda pop pin, but he wanted to see what would happen. He also hoped it was worth the ridiculous price tag.
A rumbling noise began kicking around in his gut, and he got up to reheat a convenience store meal. As the microwave hummed and clanked suspiciously, he started organizing all his homework and made a list. When dinner was finished and he tossed out the trash, he started working on schoolwork from the comfort of his bed, finishing right as the clock struck twelve. He was grateful for the fact that school was not too difficult for him, and that maintaining good test scores required only some amount of effort. Sleep came easy that night.
When his alarm woke him up the next morning, he thought that he was hearing sirens in a dream again. He moaned and rubbed his eyes to check the digital clock. It took him a few moments to properly read the glowing red numbers, but when he did see them, his heart stopped. 7:10 A.M. The subway train he took came at 7:30 A.M., and school started at 7: 56 A.M. He almost screamed before jumping out of his bed. He swore loudly, not giving a damn about his next door neighbor as he ran around the tiny apartment, before finally shoving things into his school bag and sprinting out in a hurry. He had forgotten his gloves again, and his muffler trailed behind him like streamers of red as he ripped out his pass card and shoved through the crowds to finally forcibly shove himself into the crowded car. People began spitting insults at him, but he ignored them in stride and secured his place on the subway. He breathed happily as the train lurched into motion, and wondered if today would be relatively incident free. Some quick practice with his skull pin helped him refresh his mind again.
He squeezed out at the next stop and began his frantic travels yet again. At exactly 7:55 A.M., he slid into his seat and began pulling out his notebooks and pencils. His wig was not skewed at all due to an impressive number of bobby pins, and he could still feel both contacts in his eyes, so all was still right with the world. Some other students began whispering about him, but he couldn't be bothered to listen in. The teacher ambled in, tired as ever (from nights at hostess clubs Neku found out one time), and began reading out names. Classes weren't too hard, he bought some lunch bread, and he went to cram school afterwards. Three hours passed before he was finally back at his snug little apartment and the sky outside was dark. He fumbled with his keys again because of his forgotten gloves, but got in without distractions this time. The second time he left his apartment that day, he left with his costume in a backpack with him.
He hadn't gotten any store sponsors, so he was wearing the basic uniform issued to all new heroes. He always fled in a hurry before he could get any sponsors, so eventually, he had worn the basic costume far longer than any other new hero, and it became associated with him. The plain black jumpsuit was a bit baggy on his slim frame, but it suited him. As a hero, no one cared if his hair was such an odd color, and he took off his irritating contacts as well before pulling out his mask. It was a white, blank slab of material covering his face, but it was his, and he made sure to take care of it. This time, he made sure to put on gloves.
He left through a window in the bathroom, and took all the back routes to the Shibuya HA base, but there was already a large group of reporters and fans swarming the area. They were waiting for other heroes, but he had attracted a good amount of attention, ending the two-hour long hostage stalemate in a mere minute from last night. Gently, he used his psychokinesis pin to hold them off before rushing in. He turned in the orbs from the Noise corrupting the man last night, and his happy expression was hidden behind the mask as the bank teller gave him proof of his monthly salary and a very large bonus. He could actually have some spending money for the first time in months.
"Marionette! Over here~!"
"She's so cute!"
"Omigosh! It's Tempo too!"
"Man, the guy in Tempo is absolutely ripped!"
"This is the first time I've seen girl Tempo in person!"
"Mr. Mew is the cutest plushie I've ever seen, and ever since she got sponsored by Lapin Angelique she's looked so much better!"
"Never really cared for lolita fashion to be honest, not sexy enough!"
Neku blinked as he realized he was holding his skull pin and unconsciously listening in to thoughts. The doors opened, and the heroine Marionette appeared, followed closely by the hero pair Tempo. Rumor was that they were friends out of costume, which is why they worked closely together while on the streets. Marionette had gotten extremely popular due to her deadly-but-cute fighting style using her stuffed cat (pig), and Tempo was perfectly synchronized in close range combat which was flashy and drew crowds. Marionette would keep Noise numbers under control, allowing Tempo to attack big ones fearlessly up close. It was a brilliant strategy that helped them both become successful heroes in Shibuya.
"Hey, it's Psychic! You really saved us yesterday!"
Tempo was right behind her and also said their thanks. In fact, the shorter Tempo came right up to him.
"Having a whole bunch of powers must be pretty useful, right?"
He paused, and eventually answered the question.
"It's not that useful."
"You're surprisingly modest."
"Tempo, don't bother him. The least we can do is owe him some privacy after he helped us out yesterday," Marionette said.
"I guess. Still, we owe you one!" they said, running back to their counterpart.
Neku silently watched them all, still not completely done with his cash withdrawal. He hesitantly squeezed his skull pin again.
"... cold... kinda scary..."
"...yo, that's a hella creepy mask..."
"... loner type... me... getting popular though... I want to change."
The last one was Marionette. He wondered why she felt some sort of kinship with him. Obviously none of them thought his personality was the best. Their ringing cellphones immediately snapped him out of his daze. He had his phone pressed to his ear in a flash.
"Heroes. There has been a major accident at an intersection near you. A truck driver lost control after hitting black ice. Casualties are confirmed. A nearby building is also damaged and people are trapped under the rubble. The driver himself has not been extracted, and Noise are beginning to appear at the scene due to the chaos. Assist rescue efforts by preventing the Noise from possessing anyone at the scene."
The cold voice abruptly ended.
"C'mon! Let's go!" One of Tempo called, running out.
Tempo was traveling fast with their skateboard, but Marionette was exceptionally flashy. Neku couldn't help but stare in shock as the pig she carried around ballooned to the size of a car. She easily fit on it's shoulder, and she offered a hand to Neku.
"Looks like you won't get there before us this time, Psychic. Wanna ride?"
"... Fine."
He jumped onto the other free shoulder and almost fell off as the pig began barreling through crowds to its destination. It was just as fast as Tempo's board, and they were soon side by side with the other two.
"Hey! Why's the emo tagging 'long?"
"Oh shut up," Neku retorted.
"It's true!"
Marionette's blue locks trailed behind her and she focused forward.
"I offered him a ride! He's only on foot, y'know?"
"I don't think it's a good idea to be associated with us if you prefer to work alone, Psychic."
The reasonable Tempo had a point, but he was offered free transportation, so he would take it.
"This piggy just makes for good traveling. Nothing else."
"Hey! Don't call Mr. Mew a piggy again or you're going down!"
"I'm going down then."
They arrived at the scene, and Neku felt his stomach twist uncomfortably.
Noise were everywhere, destroying their surroundings and attacking people.
Yet not a single one was currently possessing a person.
Noise needed to possess people to become physical, and even then they were attached to the possessed person. These ones were running free.
"What? No! This isn't right at all!" Marionette shouted, "No one's possessed!"
"We can see that!" Neku snapped.
To their horror, the other heroes had their hands full, and the Noise seemed to have a taste for human blood.
"Marionette! Use Mr. Mew to draw their attention!" Tempo called.
"Don't bother. I can do it better."
The taller of Tempo spun around and grabbed Neku by the collar.
"Oh, really? How?!"
"... This," he muttered with a frown, holding up his skull pin.
"Hah? Yer' stupider than ya' look! That's just a pin!"
"Oh just back off you muscle-head! It's my power!" He shoved the tall Tempo away from him and gave his pin a toss.
"Cover me!"
His shut his eyes tight, and began feeling out for all the Noise auras mixed in with thoughts. He forcibly slapped them with his power, and he could feel them all suddenly come for him. The only thing he could be grateful for was that no new ones were appearing to add to the already massive ranks.
He gasped and nearly collapsed when he opened his eyes again. The younger Tempo had graciously caught him. He coughed and shoved down his nausea to completely incinerate a small pack of Noise coming to their side.
"They're all coming!"
"All of them?" Marionette said in shock.
"Damn, I screwed up!" he shouted back, immediately diving into combat. He used his powers to lift rubble and at one point even used a car to ram through a swathe of Noise.
"Holy crap! What da' hell are ya?!"
"Shut your mouth and fight!"
He began expertly wielding his flames to hold Noise at bay, before switching to shockwaves that sliced deep into the skin of the larger Noise. Satisfied that he had that one preoccupied with its wound, he raised a block of concrete and smashed in its head.
"Watch out!" Marionette yelled. She slapped away her Noise and ran for Neku, but a pack of Noise suddenly sliced their claws into him. It was like twisted karma. A slice for a slice, and gashes of spurting red bloomed from his body.
He screamed and fell to the ground, and Marionette quickly battered the Noise into the ground before they could swarm him again.
"Do you need a hospit-!"
In front of her eyes, Neku's wounds were healing.
"Argh, goddammit. Thanks!" he shouted, not even sparing her a glance as he dived back into the conflict.
"Did you see that?!" she screamed to Tempo through the chaos.
The younger Tempo swung their blade through the swarming Noise as their partner first thinned out the crowds with his skateboard.
"Yeah! That was amazing!"
"Told ya' he's not human!"
"Maybe he has a healing psych too! First the Noise, the flames, the shock-waves, the telekinesis, and now this! I can't believe a person like this exists!"
"We'll find him afterwards! For now, focus on the fight!" Marionette said, making Mr. Mew as large as she could, and having him tackle down lines of Noise.
-0-0-0-
With a sickening thump, he plunged a broken pipe into the final Noise's head. He was out of energy. A line of blood dribbled from his nose and out underneath his mask. That was never a good sign. He needed somewhere to rest, and fast. If he collapsed here, the paramedics would definitely take off his mask to check the blood. He didn't trust any of the civilians here either. He tried to slow his heavy breathing, but it was clear that he was near his limit. His pulse fluttered weakly and his knees hit the ground. He didn't know what to do.
"Psychic! There you are!"
Marionette again. Her costume was looking worse for wear, and it was smeared with dirt and grease.
"Oh, what happened?"
He said nothing and briefly lifted the bottom half of his mask to wipe at the blood.
"You look like crap."
She seethed and flicked him in the head.
"Learn some tact! You'll never get a girlfriend, I bet!"
"Not... interested."
"Hm? Hey, you're not okay at all."
"Just tired, I don't need your pity!"
"Tempo! Let's take this guy to the base!"
Tempo came rolling over on their skateboard.
"You sure? This guy's got a crappy personality!"
"You're pretty aggressive too, Beat," Tempo 2 added quietly.
"If you're that worried, we can blackmail him back."
"Wow, that's pretty harsh of you, Marionette, but that does work."
"Alright then.
"Don't talk about random crap right in front of me! What are you guys talking about?" Neku shouted, when suddenly his head went foggy and he hit the ground for real this time.
"Oh, holy shit! You okay, man?"
"You're a dumbass. Do I look okay?" he growled, his face pressed to the ground. Everything went dark afterwards.
-0-0-0-
And so he woke up on a ratty couch.
"So you brought him here? It's bad enough that you guys hang out here all the time, but now you bring another random kid with you? Can't you guys be normal and hang out at each others' places instead?"
The lights were on, and he swore they were trying to burn in his eyes. He moaned and more or less fell off the couch. A raging migraine was shattering his brain tissue, and the best he could do was move in the general direction of the voices.
"Can I get any pain-killers?" he asked, looking through blurry eyes.
"Well what do you know? Sleeping Beauty's up."
That voice seemed annoyingly familiar.
"Wait. You're Psychic?"
He rubbed his eyes and finally got a good look at the speaker. To his left were the other Marionette and Tempo, and to his right was...
"Why is my goddamned neighbor here?"
Dun dun DUUUUUNN.