There's the crack of a gunshot. Terrible heavy silence fills each second as reality sets in, then the panicked babbling of a commentator. "It looks like Wild Tiger's been shot! He's-"
Tomoe shot up, breathing hard and tears stinging at her eyes. She forced herself to calm down, slowing releasing blankets from her tearing grip. It had been like this for about a year now, reliving that awful memory. She doubted it would ever stop.
Her feet swung down to meet the bare carpet and she flipped open her cell phone to check the time. 4:37 AM. Huh, she had actually gotten more sleep than normal. She didn't know if that relieved her or terrified her since she still felt as exhausted as if she had never slept at all. She ran a shaking hand through her hair and decided that she was going to start work early again. Going back to sleep wasn't really an option, even if every cell in her body felt strained.
She fumbled around on her bed stand, eventually finding her lamp and turning it on. The dim light barely illuminated the small table it stood on and part of the bed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to see the black laptop that lay right below it.
Yesterday, someone had sent her an email linking to an article about a man who had recently gained NEXT powers at the age of sixty-five. Dr. Ried and the group had already determined that the average age bracket for NEXT development was 9-14 years old. All of the NEXT that Tomoe had personally interviewed had been aware of their abilities since they were at least 18.
It was still difficult to determine if the genetic or chemical structure allowing NEXT abilities is present since birth and manifests later due to some sort of inciting incident or if the powers develop as the user does. This gentleman seemed like he would be a pretty key element to finding out the answer to this question.
Tomoe skimmed through the article, looking for any mention of an accident or anything that might've triggered the activation of the power. She didn't notice anything like that, but the man's ability was alter his density. Maybe the ability was triggered as a coping mechanism for his weakening bones? It was hard to say, as the article didn't specify if the man could regulate what areas become more dense, or if it was the man's density as a whole that changed.
She copied down the man's name to try and contact him later. Then she forwarded the link to the research group. With that done, she opened up her blog and read some of the comments on the most recent post.
Thirty percent of it was harassing comments from people who still saw NEXT as an unnatural freak phenomenon. Another ten percent was just regular spam. Tomoe took a moment to take down all of the inappropriate comments and issue warnings to some of the users. Unfortunately, this was a pretty common occurrence.
There were two comments of interest. One was from a woman reporting that her cousin had experienced a decline in his power. While a decline was relatively rare, it wasn't much of a surprise. What made this case stick out was the fact that it was an elemental ability. It was not surprising for physical and psychic-type abilities to decline. The group determined that these were likely tied to the decline of a NEXT's body and mind with age (though they had not yet obtained solid evidence).
But elemental abilities were the least understood out of the three main types of NEXT power, and there were very few instances of one going into a decline. She sent a message to the user (a NattyGreen234), asking for more details.
The other was posted by a visitor.
Is it possible for people with multiple personalities to have different NEXT powers?
Interesting. It was a concept that hadn't come up before, though they had considered the possibility of NEXT with disassociative personality disorder not having access to their power when controlled by certain personalities. Tomoe made a note on her computer to look into it.
Rosy sunlight was beginning to stain her curtains red. 6:05. Time to get up for the day.
A couple of hours later, she was pulling open the door to the Stern Bild University science building. She headed straight for Lab 203, where the others were already waiting for her.
"Good morning," she greeted, setting her computer down on the counter. "Any luck?"
Dr. Ried, a spry 59-year-old with a full head of silver and lively gray eyes, shook his head. "The test results of the genetic sequencing and profiling were inconclusive. Given the number of mutations the average human body alone has, it's hard to pinpoint exactly what section of DNA might be causing the NEXT phenomenon."
"It would be easier to locate if we knew of a common factor between NEXT abilities," Iris explained. "Then we could narrow the search. But if each sequence is different for each ability..."
"There's also a strong possibility that the trigger lies outside of the human-specific sequence of DNA. Searching for a very specific factor in that vast expanse of DNA is near impossible with our resources. And it would take forever. Probably literally," Josh pointed out.
"Don't forget that we're not even sure that NEXT abilities are even directly linked to genetics," Iris agreed.
"How are things going on your end, Tomoe?" the professor asked.
"Well, I found some leads to follow. One is a man in his sixties just acquiring an ability; I sent a copy of a link to all of you. The other is regarding an elemental NEXT's power going into a decline. Also, not really a lead, but I did get an interesting question this morning."
"What's that?"
"Is it possible for NEXT with multiple personalities to have multiple abilities?"
Iris tossed her hands up into the air. "As if we don't already have enough variables!"
"If we can get an answer to that question though, we might be able to determine once and for all if NEXT are a genetic phenomenon or not," Josh said, blue eyes narrowed in thought.
"It's definitely worth exploring," Dr. Ried agreed. "I'll contact some of my acquaintances about it. The problem is that the ratio of NEXT to non-NEXT is about 1:75. It might be difficult to find a to guarantee that the group we find will produce reliable results. Any luck with sponsors?"
"Well, I have an appointment today with Mrs. Joubert from HeroTV," Tomoe replied. "She won't be able to sponsor us, of course, but she does have connections to various hero agencies. If I can convince her to pass the word along, we might get some luck this time."
All four sighed as they remembered each email sent out virtually every day for the past several months without a single reply.
"Okay, it's a start, anyway."
"Hey Josh, Iris, do you want to come with?"
"Ah, I can't," Josh said, pushing back short blond hair absently. "I have a seminar to teach this afternoon."
"I have to start organizing and analyzing the data of our last survey," Iris said, not looking too concerned about missing a meeting with the infamous Agnes. "Speaking of which, I should probably start on it right now. There's a lot of information to go through."
"Speaking of, do you have a summary of our findings so far?"
"Yeah, here you go." The dark-haired girl passed over a thin manila folder. "I don't know if it'll help our case or not, but you never know."
"Thank you." Tomoe glanced at her watch. "I better get going. My meeting is in a couple of hours, but I would like some time to grab food beforehand. I haven't had breakfast yet."
Hazel and blue eyes met with a sympathetic look. The students understood the struggle.
"Good luck," Josh told her. Then, "Mind bringing me back some coffee and donuts? The food here sucks."
"You won't get them for at least another three hours."
"Doesn't matter. Never a wrong time for sugar and caffeine when you're a college student. I can last a few hours as long as I know I'm getting them."
"Iris, would you like anything?"
"...Could I get a breakfast bagel and coffee? I gotta take my car in for new brakes." The girl was usually outspoken and blunt, but she was not used to asking for favors.
"Since we're on the subject, could I get some Irish Breakfast tea with a blueberry muffin?" the professor requested breezily, pretending to read a document. Tomoe could see the playful gleam in his slate grey eyes.
"Hey! Tomoe isn't your servant!" Josh said indignantly, missing the subtle hint. "People with proper pay should get their own food."
"You were the one who brought up buying breakfast in the first place!" the professor argued back childishly.
"Yeah, but I'm broke."
"Hey, I'm trying to get some work done here!" Iris snapped, sharply eyeing the arguing pair. The other two fell silent and shuffled papers around innocently, purposely avoiding her stare.
Tomoe just chuckled. "Bye, everyone. See you in a bit."
"Good luck!" Iris said.
"Chocolate donuts, please!"
"Don't forget my blueberry muffin!"
Two hours later, she was climbing out of a taxi in front of the Apollon Media building. It looked big and modern and not at all inviting. It didn't help to ease the nausea that Tomoe could feel creeping in. She wasn't all that sure whether she felt sick because she was exhausted or if she was nervous about the coming meeting. Maybe a bit of both.
She sucked in a deep breath, tugged at her dress, and squared her shoulders. A little bit of nausea wasn't going to be enough to stop her. It had taken a year to get to this point and she wasn't about to back out now.
Her low heels tapped lightly on marble stairs, the sound lost in the noise created by others chattering away on their phones as they entered and exited the building and the congested city traffic. Way sooner than she would like, she was pushing her way through glass doors and stepping into a lobby that was ten degrees colder than outside.
Tomoe shuddered and wished she'd thought to bring a sweater or at least wore a dress with sleeves. Then again, the weather was beautiful outside. How was she to know that the building would be an ice box? Not to mention the lobby looked as cold as it felt. The walls were a gleaming white and the marble floor was polished enough to shine. Elevators lay to the right, shining a haughty gold. There were grey chairs and couches off to the left in what looked like a waiting area, arranged around a TV. But rather than making the space look more comfortable, it only looked like a hospital waiting room to Tomoe. She promptly shut the image out of her mind.
A large desk with the Apollon Media logo emblazened on the front lay straight ahead, and that was her target, so she turned away from her darkening thoughts and made her way forward. The receptionist paused her typing on a computer as Tomoe approached, a professional smile ready.
"I'm here for an appointment with Agnes Joubert," Tomoe said coolly, not letting her nervousness show on her face.
"Name?"
"Kaburagi Tomoe."
"And your appointment time is...?"
"Ten o'clock."
"Great. Agnes will be with you in just a little while. You may choose to wait down here for a bit or head directly to Room 105."
"Where can I find Room 105?"
"Up the elevator one floor, down the left-hand hallway, third door on your right."
"Thank you." Tomoe nodded politely to the girl, who had already resumed her work on the computer. It looked like she had already forgotten Tomoe's prescence. It was a bit disconcerting, just like everything else in this building.
Thankfully, the conference room was easy to find. She was surprised that it was a simple room with a rather small table capable of seating up to six comfortably and a few colorful chairs positioned around it. The walls were a soft eggshell white tinted an almost-blue, completely unlike the blinding spectacle downstairs. The floor was covered with a dark carpet, contrasting the walls and the bright furniture. The harsh flourescent lighting was almost unnoticeable with the sunlight streaming in through a window on the far wall, giving a view of the below courtyard.
Tomoe watched people cross over the sidewalks and tramp over the green grass, ignoring the manicured scenery in favor of getting to their destination faster. Despite only being one floor up, everyone looked so small. Tomoe shook her head in amazement checking the time on her phone. Tomoe desperately wanted to call Kaede, but it was almost ten o'clock on a Friday. Kaede would be in the middle of class right now. Besides, Tomoe reminded herself, Kaede would be coming for her weekly visit tonight. What should they get for dinner...?
Tomoe realized that she had been lost in thought when the door clicked open. She turned to greet the blonde woman who clicked her way into the room on uncomfortable-looking high heels.
"Hello Ms...?" The blonde didn't even look up at her, opting instead to drop down on a tangerine-colored chair. Tomoe, after a moment's hesitation, understood that as a cue to take the spot across from the woman.
"Kaburagi. Yes, pleased to make your acquientance, Miss Joubert," Tomoe replied, bowing a bit awkwardly in her sitting position.
Agnes just waved a hand dismissively. "Agnes is fine. Now, what were- Wait. That name sounds familiar." Her eyebrows pinched thoughtfully for just a moment before softening into a look of sympathy.
"A relative?"
"Wife."
Agnes nodded uncomfortably, seeming unsure how to react. It must have been odd for her, because Kotetsu described her as a woman who always had an opinion to share and wasn't afraid to say it, even if it was rude. The pause lingered for a moment, then her face resumed her previous impatient expression. A touch of softness still lingered in Agnes' teal-green eyes, though.
"What exactly did you need to see me about? I'm on a bit of a tight schedule. I have to attend another meeting in twenty minutes."
"To be frank, I want to make sure that what happened to my husband never happens to anyone else. For this reason, I've joined up with a small research group at Stern Bild University. However, we are at the limit of our current resources."
The blonde just leaned back and sighed. "Unfortuantely, I am strictly in charge of HeroTV and any specials; it's not my decision to promote any studies, even if it is related. You do understand that I'm just a producer specifically for HeroTV, right?"
"I was aware that this would be the case. We were actually hoping that you might be able to connect us with some potential sponsors. We haven't had much luck in the last few months as far as that is concerned, and we can't continue our study without more financial support. I know that it's an undesirable request on our part, but I would like to ensure the safety of heroes and other NEXT as soon as possible."
"It's true that the loss of Wild Tiger did result in a steep dive in ratings for a while. Plus, losing more heroes means less competition."
Tomoe held her tongue, but just barely. She had to remind herself that this was the callous Agnes that Kotetsu always warned her about and that she shouldn't take it personally. Raising ratings was Agnes' job, after all. If ratings convinced Agnes to agree, then so be it.
"Well, Mr. Maverick would probably be the best option, since he started HeroTV in the interest of supporting NEXT in the community. He would the connections and the money to start another venture like this. But it can be very hard to set up a meeting with him..."
"I can't do much, so I can't guarantee that you'll be able to see him, but if you send me a general outline of your data, I might be able to bring the matter up with him. From there, it'll be his decision to contact you or not. If he turns it down, I could maybe contact some other companies."
"Thank you! I actually had a data summary prepared," Tomoe said, passing over the manilla envelope. Agnes glanced over the contents before speaking again, thoughtful.
"Actually, the end of the season for HeroTV is coming up in a few days. There's always an afterparty. All the direct bosses of the heroes and the company CEOs will be there. Mr. Maverick will be too, of course. I'll see what I can do then."
It was honestly more than Tomoe had been hoping for. "Thank you very much," she said, standing to bow gratefully.
Agnes also climbed to her feet and waved off Tomoe's gratitude. "It's the least I should do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my next meeting." She clicked her way over to the door and pulled it open. But before she left completely, she turned back for a moment. "I hope it goes well." Then she was gone.
Once Tomoe sat down on bench in the courtyard, she pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number. "How did it go?"
She smiled. "Well, as of right now, there are no definite answers, but Agnes promised to try to get me an audience with Mr. Maverick soon. I think we might finally be moving in the right direction."
"Glad to hear it, because Josh found some potentially interesting information today."
"Oh?"
"One of the students in his seminar today is an elemental NEXT. His ability is controlling air composition. He approached Josh because he had recently developed the ability and was worried that he might accidently drive away all the oxygen or pull too much oxygen in. There was already an instance of him waking up unable to breathe at night due to a build up of carbon dioxide."
"That is very concerning, but it doesn't sound too much out of the norm. I assume there's something else to it?"
"You assume correctly. See, the student specifically described it as "driving away" and "pulling in" rather than "changing" or "converting."
"So...it might not be elemental?"
"That's right. I suspect it might actually be a form of telekinesis. In other words, a psychic ability. It might be worth re-examining all of our files on previously interviewed elemental NEXT. At least some might be a form of psychic ability rather than an 'elemental'."
"Hm...I'll be back in about forty-five minutes to take a look through all of our case studies."
"Please do. I set Josh on it, but he can't read anything for more than five minutes and poor Iris is already busy enough."
"Alright, see you soon."
Tomoe set down her phone in a daze. First the meeting with Agnes, and now maybe a clue to understanding elemental NEXT? She tilted her head back to look at the sky. Things were finally starting to go right.
"You're the best, Tomoe! A real lifesaver!" Josh cried gratefully, grabbing the offered box out of her hands and inhaling deeply. "You have no idea how badly I've been craving some good donuts lately." He stuffed one in his mouth and barely swallowed before he snagged the coffee cup and chugged it down. It had to be scalding hot, based on his pained expression and red face, but he didn't put it down.
Iris just rolled her eyes as she walked over to accept her food and coffee. "You're an idiot," she stated affectionately before she sat down next to him and bit into her breakfast bagel. Her reaction wasn't nearly as obvious as Josh's, but she made a quiet pleased noise and chewed a bit quicker. She then carefully picked up her coffee cup and blew the steam away before taking a small sip. Already she looked more alert.
"And, of course, an Irish Breakfast tea with two sugars and a blueberry muffin for the professor," Tomoe said teasingly as she passed over the bag and cup to the man.
"Ooh, thank you. A muffin sounds lovely right now," he replied, accepting the gift in stride, despite the fact that he had only been joking when he'd asked for it. "Going through these files by myself has been quite daunting." And it certainly seemed as such; there was a massive stack directly in front of him with two smaller piles sitting off to the side.
"I can take over for a bit, if you'd like," Tomoe offered, already reaching for the large stack of papers without waiting for an answer.
"Thank you, much appreciated. I managed to sort out a few potential files that sound like they could be psychic in nature. This pile," he said, pointing to the one with an impressive amount of manila folders in it, "are for those cases. They might be have to be reinvestigated with the possibility of psychic ability in mind. The others that seem far less likely to be psychic and thus don't require immediate reinvestigation, are in the other pile." That pile, of course, was pitifully small. Tomoe sighed inwardly.
"Got it," she replied outwardly, sinking down into a chair for the long haul.
"She did what?!"
Josh stared over a coffee cup, drink frozen halfway to his face. Iris stopped tapping on the computer. The lab hadn't been terribly loud in the first place, but now the silence was screaming.
"I know, I could hardly believe it myself. Kaede would never do such a thing, but she did. And in front of her entire class. All the poor boy did was tap her on the shoulder." Anju's face was tight with concern, making her faint wrinkles just a tiny bit deeper. Her eyes shot to the side, where Tomoe could just barely see Kaede sulking. "And that's not the only thing. Apparently everything metallic or magnetic began to attach itself to her."
It didn't seem possible for her emotions to feel any more intense, but she was wrong.
"She's a NEXT? Did she know or was this the first time that it happened?"
"We're not sure. Muramasa and I tried talking to her, but she won't say a word."
A heavy sigh released some of the dizziness. "Alright. I'll come back tonight."
"You probably should stay awhile too," Anju suggested. "Even if you're not a NEXT, Muramasa and I might need help keeping her ability under control. It's faded by now, but all the house appliances started moving towards her. If her magnetism grows any stronger..."
Tomoe didn't need to hear the end of the sentence. "I'll see you guys tonight."
"Okay, have a safe trip," Anju said, her eyes once more darting off-screen before the image cut out.
Iris and Josh were still staring awkwardly, not sure what to do or say. Tomoe gathered up the files she needed to look over and tucked them under her arm. "Please tell Dr. Ried when he gets back that I'll be away for a few days."
It was dark by the time Tomoe stepped tiredly off the train. Muramasa was there with his van, ready to pick her up. She dropped gratefully into the van's front seat, bags at her feet, but the comfortable feeling soon vanished after several seconds of tense silence.
It had been this way since Kotetsu died. Muramasa might not have been the type to dote on his little brother, but Tomoe knew that he blamed her at least a bit for his death. After all, Tomoe was Kotetsu's strongest supporter. She was the one who urged him to continue being a hero when she fell sick all those years ago. He was going to quit, to stay with her. Maybe she should have let him. So it was understandable that Muramasa blamed her. Tomoe sometimes blamed herself.
But every time she thought like this, she remembered Kotetsu's love for helping others. His enthusiasm for being a hero. She couldn't have taken that away from him, even if she wished she had.
The tension held until the van pulled up in front of the house. "Thank you," Tomoe offered softly, a plea for peace.
A muttered "sure" was her only reply before the door was shut and the van pulled away.
Inside, the situation wasn't much better. Anju anxiously had gotten the door for her, and explained that Kaede had shut herself in her room.
And when Tomoe gently tapped on her door, she was greeted with a stony silence. "Kaede? Kaede, I know that you're there. Can I come in?"
When no reply offered itself, Tomoe cautiously opened the door and stepped inside the dark room. She almost missed the shape of her daughter lying face down on the bed, head buried in a pillow.
"Kaede sweetie, answer me please." She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.
Kaede just buried her face further into the pillow.
"Why did you yell at that boy?"
"I didn't want him to touch me," she finally replied, her answer almost muffled into oblivion.
"What was wrong with him touching you? He just wanted to pass you a paper. It was a tap on the shoulder, Kaede. Unless there's something I don't know...?" Tomoe's agitation was threatening to leak into her voice against her best efforts. She was really tired and maybe this wasn't the best time to be addressing this. But she didn't want to wait until tomorrow. She was hoping that despite the reason for the visit, she would be able to spend some time with Kaede. It had been far too long since she last saw her baby girl.
"I didn't want him touching me because he's a NEXT. It was disgusting."
All of her tiredness was ripped away in an instant.
"Kaede!"
When Kaede stubbornly didn't answer, Tomoe forged on, too lost in shock to consider her words. "And did you know before now that you were a NEXT?"
A nod.
"Why didn't you tell me or your grandmother? You never used to keep secrets like this! What were you thinking? You were raised better than this; to be understanding towards others, and not to keep secrets! It can be dangerous to try and control your powers on your own. Think about how worried we-"
"But you weren't! You weren't worried, you couldn't be worried because you're never here!" Kaede shouted, shooting up angrily. "And you didn't raise me any better because weren't you and Papa keeping a big secret from me? That Papa had been a hero since I had been born!" Hurt tears were flowing down Kaede's face, but Tomoe couldn't react. It was true, after all. What should she say in this situation? What could she say?
Her window of opportunity had passed. Kaede's face closed off and she flopped heavily back down on the bed, facing the wall.
"Kaede..."
"Go away."
"Sweetie..."
"I said go away!"
Ashamed, Tomoe could only retreat.
Anju was waiting for her on the back porch.
"...Do you think we should've told her?"
"No. It was in her best interest to keep it a secret. But-" she said, cutting off Tomoe before she could speak, "you should've stayed."
"I couldn't! Kotetsu's death wouldn't have happened if we just knew a bit more..."
"No. That's not why you left, and you know it."
Tomoe went quiet and stared out at the garden, barely able to make out the plants in the waning light.
"How could I console Kaede when I couldn't even console myself?" she asked softly. "I didn't leave my room for days. Searching for answers was the only outlet I had."
"And who else was searching for answers? Who only just found out that not only had her father died, but died because he was a hero? She didn't need you to console her; she needed you to talk to her."
It made Tomoe sick to her stomach. She had not only encouraged Kotetsu to pursue a lifestyle that could-and did-get him killed; she utterly failed as a mother. And while Kotetsu had been happy being a hero and wouldn't have wanted to give it up for anything, Kaede hadn't asked for the consequences. Kaede hadn't even known before it was all dumped on her shoulders at once. Worst of all, Tomoe knew. She knew that she shouldn't have left Kaede and run off by herself. She knew that she was being selfish. She just hadn't wanted to see it.
Anju didn't raise her voice, but that just made the disapproval and disappointment all the louder. The older woman gave the words a moment to sink in before climbing to her feet. "There's some food in the fridge if you're hungry. Your room is set up when you're ready." Her steps then faded away into the house.
Minutes passed, the horizon growing ever darker. Tomoe lowered her head to her knees, trying to hold back tears as she realized that she had never been ready. She hadn't even been near the starting line.