Sunny slowly opened his eyes to feel sunlight on his face. He sat up, his hands warming thanks to the pavement of the street.
Street?
He had woken up in the middle of an intersection. That wasn’t good at all. He could get hit by a car!
He quickly made his way onto the sidewalk and out of the street and let out a sigh of relief. That was a close one.
...Why was he here again?
Well, he recognized the area. Perhaps if he went home he would remember.
~~~~~~
“You thought you could escape me? Sorry, that isn’t happening anytime soon.”
The fake Hero’s voice sounded oddly polite, like someone trying to sell you something they know doesn’t work.
“Huh?” Hero looked at the copy just as confused as Basil was.
“We are you. You are us. You can’t keep us away forever.”
Masked Basil stared daggers at Basil and Hero who both seemed to be thinking about something.
Masked Hero summoned a frying pan to his side and pointed it at Hero threateningly. Hero summoned his own while the Basil’s summoned their shears.
Two vs two.
The best they could do is hope for the best.
~~~~~~
The ambulance ride was long and tiring. Kim and Aubrey were covered in Sunny’s blood and when paramedics tried to ask what happened the others refused to speak. Kim had begun to regret not waking up Vance before leaving. Oh well, she’ll shoot him a text later. Right now she was busy calming down Aubrey who seemed to be staring at the floor like it stabbed her best friends.
She hoped she was doing well, rubbing circles on Aubrey’s back in a soothing manner as Kel seemed more focused on his unconscious brother. Kel may not be Kim’s favorite person but he didn’t deserve this.
She looked at Basil who was covered in blood that clearly wasn’t his. She wasn’t that blind. One of the first things she noticed was the bloody shears in Basil’s hand. Thinking of it, she saw him at the lake only a few moments before holding those shears. He seemed nervous and skittish at the time, not like he was planning a homicide.
Maybe he wasn’t planning a homicide. Maybe he was planning something else.
Alright, thinking like that was making her feel like shit. Maybe she did push him a bit hard. He didn’t deserve it.
Her eyes finally landed on Sunny, the boy who seemed to enjoy minding his own business. She could respect that. Sunny didn’t do anything wrong these past few days. He just seemed to be going with the flow. Now he had his eye brutally stabbed out by the kid she thought couldn’t hurt a fly.
It was weird how the world works.
Aubrey and Kel looked exhausted and Kim let out a sigh, “You two should get some rest. You look like you could pass out any second.”
Kel let out a groan while Aubrey decided to stare harder at the floor.
Yeah, maybe recommending that was stupid.
She just hoped she could get answers soon.
~~~~~~
The sound of metal hitting metal was loud and made Hero’s ears ring. He didn’t let up his attack though the masked version of himself only moved faster and faster. He didn’t know how Basil was doing but the lack of blood-curdling screams made him think he was okay.
Masked Hero and Hero’s pans clashed together. Masked Hero looked Hero in the eye with no emotion on his face.
“You know, I have to wonder. When was the last time we put ourselves first?”
Another clash.
“After all, everything you do has been for Mari, Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, and Kel. When have we ever done something for ourselves?”
Hero tried not to focus on the words the masked version of himself was spewing. He had to be strong for the others. They need him to be strong.
“See? You’re doing it again! It’s always about the others!”
Masked Hero suddenly kicked Hero in the gut, catching him off guard.
“What about us? How about you stay strong for yourself? Every time you do something you do it for them. Why don’t you fight to live your life? I want to live our lives without feeling like I need to do something for someone else for a change!”
Another blow. This time it was the jaw. Hero let out a yelp at the pain as he tried to get back up.
“Another thing, I hate this stupid feeling! You keep hiding away your sadness but the truth is you haven’t even finished mourning. You can’t even visit a tombstone! How pathetic are we?”
Standing up, Hero felt ill. His body felt like it wanted to fall and cave in.
“We should just die. Why even bother living life if it isn’t for ourselves?”
Hero felt like crying. Every word the masked version of himself muttered felt true. He took up being a doctor for his parents. He got out of bed and worked for Kel. He didn’t give up because he didn’t want to fail Mari. Hell, even now he isn't fighting for himself. He was fighting for everyone else.
“I’m tired of playing Hero. We’re tired of playing Hero. If you hand me control I could end this pain for the both of us.”
Hero felt numb.
Would doing this be the right thing to do?
…
No.
He wants to keep living.
He wants to help people.
He wants to be there.
He wants to help his friends. He might be doing everything for someone but he is also doing it for himself.
He decided to stay the doctor route to help people going through problems. He wants to save lives.
He gets up and works not just for Kel but to exist another day.
“Oh. So that is your resolve. Very well.”
Masked Hero twirled the pan around his hand.
“Prove to me you can live like this.”
~~~~~~
Sunny followed Mewo home. The cat was way ahead of him but that didn’t stop him from catching up. Suddenly, Mewo disappeared and Sunny was left alone. Well, at least he was home. He should be safe there. After all, Mari would protect him.
He walked forward only for him to notice someone standing in front of his garage. Their blond hair and green vest shirt were warmly familiar. Basil turned to face him and they both stared at each other before Basil gave a small smile.
“Hi, Sunny! You found your way back home.”
Sunny gave him a short nod.
“I don’t know if I ever said this properly, but I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”
Sunny tilted his head.
“When I gave you my Photo Album, I really did want you to have it. But somehow, whenever I try to help, I end up burdening you instead. Even back then….”
A supportive smile.
“All this pain we’ve been feeling...the guilt in our hearts….”
Basil looked into Sunny’s eyes.
“Even if you try to bottle it all up. It all comes out somehow.”
Basil put his hand on his shoulder.
“I want to say that everything will be okay, that we have no choice but to carry on. But, that is up to you.”
Sunny felt tears in his eyes. He didn’t understand why they were there.
“Aubrey, Kel, and Hero are good friends. You have to trust they’ll forgive us. It’s hard to believe that but...the photos in our album. They aren’t just photos, but memories. Our memories! It is proof of our friendships!”
The tears were coming out slowly.
“Hold those pictures close...and remember what you want to protect.”
They came out faster.
“Haha, sorry. It looks like I am burdening you again. The path to the future will open soon yet it is up to you what you do in the end. It isn’t much but...I will be cheering you on.”
With that Basil had begun to walk away before stopping and turning back around. He quickly ran forward and wrapped his arms around Sunny, who was currently still thanks to shock.
It took a few moments but Sunny wrapped his arms around Basil as well, giving the boy a tight hug.
“Sunny...let’s make some new memories together. Okay?”
~~~~~~
Aubrey was next to Basil’s hospital bed and Kel’s next to Hero.
Kim sighed as she looked at the two friends.
“Please. Get some rest. You both look like you deserve it.”
Aubrey and Kel sent Kim a glare that was not effective at all thanks to their droopy eyes.
Eventually, though, they did end up falling asleep.
Kim let out a tired groan as she began to walk out of the hospital. The bus stop wasn’t too far away and the sun was beginning to rise. She could ask what the hell happened later.
As of right now, she was going home to go to bed.