Hold Your Applause [Open]

Step forward step back. Hip flick hip flick. Shoulder roll, and lean forward. Twirl and flick your hair. Slow point to the sky facing away. Spin. Step forward hand on hip. Pop hip up, slow hand creep down body. Hand stop at knee. Leg lift with chin tucked back. Lean back with a lazy head. Twist body away. Jump with a side flip. Land in a split with both hands up. Slow fall to stomach lay. Hold till music and lights fade. Hold for applause.

“There’s never applause…” Annabella whispered to herself between pants.

She shifted her legs to a more relaxed position  then shifted her head to rest on her forearms. She closed her eyes with a sigh her fingers dug into the gravel on the roof. Each pebble held a mild illuminated blue tone to it from her hair. A few carried a mild streak of black from her chipped black fingernail polish that lacked a proper top coat to prevent the color transferring onto other things. She slowly lifted her head as she heard the gravel beside her displace itself a voice that sounded just like her own, but softer spoke up.

“There used to be back in middle school.” A gentle hand pressed to her back gently rubbing it. “You know before you quit the cheer squad?”

Annabella looked over lazily to her twin sister. If it weren’t for their quirks altering their looks she was almost positive they would look exactly the same despite their beauty marks that were on opposite sides of their faces. Her sister’s black wavy hair freshly cut to shoulder length bounced upon her tilt of her head, the streaks of color that poked out here and there that resembled a rainbow when you sampled all the colors popped in the moonlight. Her gentle and pale yellow eyes held such reassuring warmth for Annabella.

“You know if it bothers you so much you can just drop out. My high school has a great music program aaand there's a great collage that'd be lucky to have you down the road from us. You could so transfer over before your second year too!” She encouraged with a bright smile. “Come on you’d do great! You could have fun with music and dance again.”

“I can’t” Annabella frowned. “Working for something like fame and stupid stuff like that would make me no different than those trash heroes.”

“Then do it for the passion of making music! Music and dancing can be used to help people too. Its not just about the fame and fortune.”

“I…” Annabella sighed. “I’m aware it's just… I can physically, and directly help people. I can become a hero, and show the world what a true hero should be! Making music yes could help work towards a future where people realize heroes and celebrities are not the same thing all the while physically saving people making a difference.”

Annabella got up to her feet looking to her sister then to the moon clenching her fists.

“I can be better, and I will be better.”

“Ann” Her sister gently reached up and hold her hand, Annabella slowly relaxed it letting their fingers interlock. “Mom and dad are stupid to be afraid of you. Yeah you’re a bit temperamental but…”

Annabella looked down to her as her sister gently squeezed her hand.

“You shouldn’t define your entire life based on lectures they gave you when you were just trying to help. I get why you so badly want to help change the world. I do really. But sacrificing your own dreams just to do it?”

“Alice. Making a better world is one of my dreams too. Not just musician stuff… It’ll be okay.” Annabella pulled her sister up to her feet and smiled gently at her. “I’ll make hero society the way it should be. And when I’m done the world will be way safer. Then we can sing together to stupid songs as loud as he can until the neighbors scream at us.”



Spin. Step forward hand on hip. Pop hip up, slow hand creep down body-

“That bored my dear?” Her grandmother asked in Japanese from behind her.

“No…” Annabella replied in Japanese with a sigh.

She then turned to face her grandmother who then passed her some Yen.

“The boys asked me to thank you for the assistance in getting that briefcase. They said you did very well with keeping the things inside safe so they threw in a little bonus for us both.”

Annabella looked to the stack of money before folding it and pocketing it. She made her way over to her apartment’s couch to grab her jean jacket with a black hood. It was way more than last time. She was honestly too afraid to ask what exactly was in the case she stole a week earlier. But she needed the cash. And with her grandmother’s help she could get paid and a week later get clean money that wouldn’t set off any alarms when she used them.

“Glad they approved…” Anna muttered.

She pulled on her jacket pulling the hood up followed by her boots.

“Going out?” Her grandmother asked with a curious look.

“Yeah I’m out of energy drinks.” Annabella muttered then began to walk by her grandmother, but stopped when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

“I know you feel badly about all this and that’s why you’re being extra moody right now. But you should try to cheer up my dear Bella. You have come so far with your skills since your arrival here.” Her grandmother said encouragingly.

She let Annabella leave who made her way out of the apartment and down the street to a small general store. She popped in some earbuds listening to some music as she walked into the store. She grabbed a basket while she hummed to the music over to the drink section. She scooped  up and looked over some Zone energy drinks, Sakura soda, and the brand she came to this store all the time for that reminded her of home; some grape Fanta canned soda. On her way up to the counter she snatched up some dried watermelon packs, and a handful of Umaibo Cheese and Mentaiko.

Upon looking up she saw the cashier slowly filling a bag with money as a man held them at gunpoint. Annabella kept humming as she walked up shifting her basket to one arm. With the other she grabbed the man’s forearm and aimed it upwards to redirect the fire to the ceiling. She at the same time swung her leg up right between his legs to cause him to drop his gun, and to his knees. She then punched him in the throat to make him choke while she slid her basket from her arm to her palm. She swung it using the soda in it as added weight and smashed it into the side of the man’s head to knock him out. She then stepped over him brushing her hair from her face and displaced the basket onto the counter popping out one of her ear buds.

“Toshi you really need to get some security in here this is the third time this week man.” She said as she pulled out some of her cash while the cashier put the cash back into the drawer and began to ring in her things.

“I know but I don’t have the money to do that right now.” He said sadly.

Annabella sighed counting out some money after she got the price putting two stacks of many down.

“Well here, for the stuff, and some to fix the hole in the ceiling. Any extra please put in for some legit security. Okay?” She said as she took her receipt.

“Anna, you really don’t have to-” He said blinking at the amount she passed him, she normally paid for damages caused when she had stepped in in the past with robbers while she was in the store but this was far more than usual.

“Yeah no… I clearly do.” She said eyeing the man out cold on the ground. “Stay safe Toshi.”

She put the basket back and started to get her bags. She needed the cash but people like Toshi could use it far more than her. She then pulled her earbud back out from her pocket to put it into her ear once more as she went to leave.

Kosuke walked down the road with his hands in his pockets. He usually stood out pretty heavily anywhere he went in japan. If it wasn't his light skin and white hair, it was his red eyes. If that didn't catch anyone off guard, it was the multiple piercings in his ears or the fact he wore all black, like... all the time! Regardless, he didn't care about the stares or occasional comments, he just wanted to become the best hero in the world, so he knew one day he would have his own fan base. As he walked towards one of his favorite stores to get an order of Dango, he saw a rather agitated man get out of a car parked right in front of the store. The man walked quickly towards the store, but Kosuke entered first, immediately noticing the blue haired girl and the unconscious man on the ground. It was obvious something had gone down, it was then that the other man got to the door.

"Hanzo, what the hell's taking you so lo-..." He stopped once he saw his partner on the ground unconscious. Immediately realizing there was a hero in the immediate area, he grabbed the closest person he could to use as a hostage. That person just so happened to be Kosuke. Pulling a gun and holding it to Kosuke's head as he held him from behind, tight to his body to keep him from trying to escape, the man scanned the area, seeing only the shopkeeper and the blue haired girl, he was able to immediately assume that she was the one who had stopped his friend. "Not one step closer hero, or i'll blow his friggin' head off!" He cocked the gun as he said this, as if to show how serious he was.

Kosuke's eyes would roll and in a slightly sarcastic drawl he would mutter, "Oh nooooo, a gun, what ever shall I do?" The man pushed it into his temple slightly, showing he was annoyed, at least a little. Kosuke kept prodding though, "Go ahead, put me out of my misery. I've got bills coming up soon, do it." The man kind of looked weirded out at this point. "Shut up, i'm taking you hostage!" Kosuke would sigh, "I know, but you're doing a piss poor job at it. I'd much rather you just kill me than make me listen to you try to sound tough." The would-be robber definitely looked angry as his face reddened. But, he still refrained from pulling the trigger and losing whatever leverage he felt like he had over the hero girl.

Annabella paused as she met eyes with the man before her, obviously the buddy of the one she just took out. Her black and blue eyes stared down the man carefully holdin the rhand up to the clerk who she could tell look startled out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t want him bolting and getting shot in the process. She held her other hand up to the man with the gun threatening the teen boy he held.

“Bro chill.” She held up her bag full of snacks slightly shaking it. “I just wanted snacks. You don’t have to make a rash decision. “

Deescalating the situation in a situation like this was usually best from what she had learned with her time at her school and work study. Even if you didn’t mean to let the villain go making them think they could so they would let the hostage go usually helped since she knew she could take him ou before he could get into his car again.

“Just turn around an-” She slowly blinked with a curl of her bottom lip then moved her eyes from the man with the gun to the boy who told the man holding a gun to his head to shoot him. “What now…?”

The boy only further pushed the villain further and further. Annabella just closed her eyes with a whisper mutter.

“Oh my god no wonder grandma is who she is…” She sighed hard then took a deep breath.

Deescalating wouldn't work… though the boy was proving to be a good distraction so plan b. She held up her hands and slowly kneeled down to the ground setting her back to the ground and moved her hands to behind her head.

“No need to take a hostage its okay see?” She said softly so what she said wouldn’t take too much away from the boy’s words that distracted most of the man’s attention while also giving the man a sense of security to let his guard down.

She charged up her energy in her hands now that they couldn't be seen. In a dark setting it would be obvious with the glow but given her hair’s natural glow it remained well hidden. When the moment seemed right she would whip her hands forward in the finger gun pose with 2 fingers then mimed out a gun being fired as she shout out 3 blasts in quick succession. The first at the barrel of the gun to not only redirect it away from the boys head but to fling it away breaking the mans finger on the trigger in the process. The next into his crotch cause she was annoyed… and to ensure he wouldn’t bolt away. Then the third into one of his knees to double make sure he wouldn’t get away.

“Bang…” She said coldly then grabbed her bag and got up. “As asked I didn’t take another step closer. That’s specifically what you asked for right? Hope I met your demands correctly.”

She brushed off her knees looking to the boy annoyed.

“And you. It’s called de-escalate then take them out when the hostage is free and the villain’s guard is down. Civilian or not you need to take a note of that. If you rile the gunner up too much he’ll not only shoot you but lash out at those left behind.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Just because you don’t care about your life doesn’t grant you the right to endanger those around you.”

She said sternly to him before she caught Toshi eyeing the bleeding man on the ground and sighed, rubbing the back of her head.

“Crap sorry Toshi didn’t mean to get blood in your store again…” She said more light heartedly.

“Its alright I suppose… you gave me plenty for the roof I can afford a cleaner if i cant get it all out.” Toshi sighs with a sigh.

“Toshi that money is for security not a maid. I can come back and clean if you need me to but don't waste security money on fancy bleach…”

Kosuke had hoped that he could coax the would be robber into an argument with him, giving the hero time to get the civilian away from the area or take down the robber. This didn't seem to be working for them however, as he attempted to take up the man's attention, the hero laid on the ground and seemed to surrender. Great. Looks like he would have to take matters into his own hands. Slowly moving one of his feet behind his attackers legs, he would use her own distraction to set himself up to hip toss the man holding him. This would have been a good plan, however, the blue haired girl enacted a plan of her own simultaneously. As he moved to engage the hip toss, she sat up and fired three balls of energy, the first of which penetrated straight through Kosuke's forehead as he had shifted positions last minute in his own attempt of escape

The energy bullet definitely did the job of killing him and the other two found their intended marks within the robber, leaving him on the ground screaming in agony. Kosuke's body lying lifeless beside him. He missed what she said, obviously his senses didn't work when he was dead. But, he woke up to hear the last part. Sitting up, he would wipe the blood from his forehead and stand up, looking at the still whimpering robber and over to the blue haired girl, "I guess you weren't giving up, huh? That's a relief, I thought you weren't a hero after all." he sounded totally calm, completely ignoring the fact that his brains and blood were on the floor just moments ago and not in his head where they belonged. "The name's Kosuke, good to meet you." He offered a slight, nonchalant bow of the head. What? He wasn't disrespectful! "Quite a powerful attack you have." He wasn't the best with small talk, so sue him!

The plan she had seemed like it would have worked if it wasn't for one particular thing she didn’t expect to happen. The boy had moved right in front of where the gun should have been; where she had aimed her shot and already fired at. The blasts were as strong as bullets so she was well aware the damage it would have done. It was a killing blow. Done by her own hand. Unlike the original plan she didn’t lecture the boy, nor spoke to the cashier. The cashier also didn’t join in on the banter he just stood there stunned with Annabella who watched modified. His body felt as though it was moving in slow motion her eyes glowed brightly as she screamed out.

“No!”

She didn’t care if people who deserved it died but this was just a civilian. She also despite her record back in America had never killed before. She had even vowed to herself that she never would as well. It was the one line she’d never cross. Now with one slip up someone was dead directly because of her. She held her mouth with a trembling hand as tears filled her eyes. The tears slowly fell and rolled down her cheeks as the boy’s body laid fully still on the ground. She wanted to rush over to hold the boy, to give him some sense of comfort even if he was dead but the voice of her grandmother came back to her in her mind.

‘Do you know why our family got away with so much murder before we were ever caught my dear? Its because our powers once our energy shatters leaves no trail of evidence that could link back to us. Yes it would narrow down many possibilities but in a world full of quirks of various kinds there are far too many that could do what we do to directly link it back to us. I know you will not kill but if you ever end up killing a villian you must never touch the body after. You can not afford to leave any evidence behind.’

She slowly fell from her kneeling position to a sitting one as she held her held with her free hand. Her eyes wide in shock.

‘You can’t just lash out when you’re angry Ann! You could get someone killed if you're not careful do you understand that?! Hell at this rate you make me think you don’t even care how your actions could hurt or kill others just to get your own damn way! You can be better so do better!’

The memories of her mother’s words from when she was younger cluttered her mind next. Her parents were right after all. The cashier fell backwards startled when the boy stood back up. Most of what he said was muffled from her current mental state. Her eyes looked at the boy. Even if he stood now he had still died. She still killed someone. The words of his concern that she wasn’t a hero stabbed her heart.

“.... That’s because I’m not a hero…” She almost whispered out.

Heroes, true heroes didn’t kill good people.

‘Before your mother took on that pro’s name she had my last name, the name of a proud family of villains. Nakoma. A far better sounding last name then that silly name Necowl she adopted to show she’d be a hero not a villain’

The memory of her grandmother explaining why her last name did not match either of her parents when they first met. Could she really call herself a Necowl still after this…?

“...Annabella…” She muttered out clearly still in shock.

Why was he cursed with such a horrible power? As someone who wanted to become a professional hero, his particular quirk would almost always make other heroes he would work around uncomfortable. However, as someone who knew the effect his powers generally had on people, which usually put them into shock of some sort. It was obvious that she wasn't having a pleasant reaction to witnessing his quirk in action. He would approach her, placing a hand on her shoulder if she allowed it. His tone and facial expression got much softer, "Hey, you saved that guy. I know my quirk is... not pleasant for good people... As far as I am concerned you are a hero, even if you aren't a pro." He had payed extra attention to the classes around helping people deal with trauma or shocking experiences. He knew this wouldn't necessarily be something she would get over easily, but he would be as helpful as he could.

Annabella jumped a bit as he went to touch her, before she frowned her brows a bit with a shake of her head.

“Your quirk? Your quirk is the only reason you’re alive! If you were anyone else you’d be dead. You realize that right?” She asked as tears streamed down her face. “You died… You laid their dead… And that was my fault…”

She clutched her head and shook it a bit.

“I didn’t even go to you- I... “ She clenched her eyes shut. “I never killed someone before. It’s the one thing I never wanted to-”

The cashier froze for a good long while holding the phone in his hand before he finally asked.

“Do you still want me to call the police…?” He asked softly.

Annabella stared at the boy as if he was a mere ghost for a moment before she nodded.

“Yeah…” She said as she tried to gather her thoughts and forced herself up to her feet. “... You may see me as a hero, but heroes don’t kill… even if some people deserve it… they don’t kill. I killed you. You came back, but I still killed you.”

She bit her lip a little.

“Which means I need to go…” She wanted to call her grandmother for help but she already knew the woman would first tell her to get out of dodge anyways before talking to her either way.