I don't own Kamen Rider Hibiki and RWBY, those belong to their creators. This is for fun, not profit.
Chapter 11: Nagisa's Doubt and Resolve
In his hideout, Kabuki is seen looking at videos and photos of him fighting against Hibiki and his friends. He then watches a video recording of himself fighting against Hibiki in his Kurenai form.
"Hmmm…To think he would progress this far in a short amount of time. I may have underestimated this young Hibiki. But oh well, this would make things interesting, nonetheless. Who knows, maybe those friends of his can also…" Kabuki said before he had this thought flashed in his head.
If Hitoshi was anything like the Hibiki that he knows, then the one thing they both have in common is that they draw strength from their friends, and that's when Kabuki had the perfect plan in destroying Hibiki.
"Maybe I should start by cutting off that support of his. Starting with…" Kabuki said before he zooms in to a picture of Todoroki and smiles at it. "Him."
(Play: This Will Be the Day by Jeff Williams)
(The song begins as Hitoshi was at the place his parents died.)
(They see you as small and helpless. They see you as just a child. Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild.) (Hitoshi then looks at his Henshin Onsa Onkaku, and then looks and sees Hibiki standing in front of him, looking at each other. As the wind blows past them, the title appears.)
(Prepare for your greatest moments. Prepare for your finest hour. The dream that you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower.) (Yuki and Page, were sitting in front of their mother in their home. Nagisa was sitting on a bench playing some music with his Ongekigen.)
(We are lightning. Straying from the thunder. Miracles of ancient wonder.) (We see an army of Grimm but are soon replaced with an army of Makamou. We soon see Ramon in front of a legion of goons. Then we saw Kabuki, and standing beside him were Dark Decade and Shadow Moon. We soon see the members of Team HYPN in a circle, and the four of them are in charge.)
(This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door.) (While fighting, we soon see the three of them in their Rider forms fighting Makamous.)
(I don't wanna hear your absolution. Hope you're ready for a revolution.) (Then we see the members of Team JNPR looking at the school. We soon see Team RWBY practicing their weapons.)
(Welcome to a world of new solutions. Welcome to a world of bloody evolution.) (We see Ozpin, drinking his coffee, with Goodwitch next to him on an airship.)
(In time-your heart will open minds. A story will be told…) (We see each member behind their respective symbols. Then we move in front of Beacon and see every character one by one with the last one being Hitoshi.)
(Because victory is in a simple soul!) (We soon see Hibiki practicing with his Ongekibou Rekka before stopping when the title appears.)
In Beacon Academy, it was another day for class. In the training arena, Professor Glynda Goodwitch was overseeing sparing matches between the students.
Currently standing in the arena was Hitoshi and Cardin for their match.
While Hitoshi had a confident smile on his face, Cardin who was known to be a bully and an intimidator had a nervous look on his face, almost like he was afraid of fighting Hitoshi right now. But that didn't stop Glynda from starting their match.
"Now, begin!" Glynda told them.
Seeing that Cardin was hesitant at first, Hitoshi then gestures to him to come at him. Cardin then grits his teeth and charges at Hitoshi, attacking him with his mash several times.
Hitoshi easily dodges before he skillfully moves to Cardin's back and slams his Rekka on his head, which knocks Cardin out as he falls to the ground as his eyes turn into swirls along with birds flying above his head.
"End of match. Victor is Hitoshi Hideaki." Glynda declared, and Hitoshi's friends to cheer for his victory.
"Way to go, Hitoshi!" Nagisa shouted.
"Yeah! Way to show Cardin whose boss!" Ruby shouted as well.
Hitoshi smiles at his friends before he looks down at the fallen Cardin as he is now groaning.
"Don't take it too hard, Cardin. If it means anything, you put up a good fight." Hitoshi told him.
Cardin woke up and raised his head to look at Hitoshi.
"You…Just get lucky…" Cardin groans before he passes out once again.
Glynda then approaches Hitoshi to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Mister Hideaki. Truth be told, I have my doubts at first, you actually manage to defeat ten opponents in a row." Glynda then turns to a certain group of students on their seats.
Groaning and lying on the seats were nine opponents who were soundly defeated by Hitoshi just like Cardin, among them were Cardin's teammates. Glynda then turns back to Hitoshi.
"But you shouldn't let your confidence over this get the better of you. You should always remember that carelessness will be your downfall. Never forget that." Glynda told him and Hitoshi nodded in acknowledgement.
"I won't, Professor Goodwitch. I'm aware that confidence can be a strong drive to improve yourself, but overconfidence will often make your skills dull in the process. So I'll continue to strive to improve myself" Hitoshi said.
Glynda smiles before she places a hand on his shoulder.
"Good. Just as long as you know that." She told him before she turned to the students. "That would be all of today's sparring matches. You are all dismissed."
The students then return to their locker rooms to put away their weapons along with changing into their uniforms. As Hitoshi and Nagisa changed into their uniforms they were talking.
"Man, that was really something. I mean ten straight wins, you must feel invincible after the whole Kurenai thing." Nagisa said, but Hitoshi only shook his head.
"No. If anything, achieving Kurenai level is only a first step. I still have a lot to learn as both an Oni and a Huntsman." Hitoshi said, and Nagisa rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Mister Humble." Nagisa said which caused Hitoshi to chuckle and punch on his arm, Nagisa rubs his and chuckles. "Hey, no reason to punch me. It was just a joke."
"Well, it's what you get for calling me humble." Hitoshi said before he closed his locker and left the locker room.
"Okay. Jeez…" Nagisa mutters as he follows him.
(Later)
After having their other classes along with having lunch and dinner, the students return to their dorm rooms. Team HYPN enter the room with Nagisa yawning in front of his mouth.
"Man…I sometimes forget how boring Professor Port's lectures can be." Nagisa said.
"Yeah. Especially the times when he told us about his glory days." Hitoshi said in agreement.
"You shouldn't forget that he's still an instructor, and that he deserves respect…Though I don't disagree." Yuki said and Page chuckled.
"And that only proves my point." Nagisa said before Hitoshi got his team's attention by coughing in his hand.
"Anyway, that's enough about class for today. Look what I got." Hitoshi said before he brought out three letters. "Letters for each of us."
"Really?" Page said with a smile before Hitoshi gave her the letter for both sisters and Yuki looked at it with a smile on her face.
"Yeah. Just got it after lunch." Hitoshi said.
"With a letter for me, there's no doubt in my mind that it's from my mom." Nagisa said with some annoyance in his voice.
"Hey, you shouldn't say something like that. Especially since you're far away from home and your family hasn't seen you for months." Hitoshi told him as he moved in front of Nagisa.
Nagisa sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, yeah. I know, and I guess I would be lying to say that I don't miss them too." Nagisa said.
"Good." Hitoshi then gives Nagisa his letter, but when he looks at it, the current Todoroki blinks to see the name on it, 'Nao'.
"Sis?" Nagisa mutters to himself.
Hitoshi and the Chidori sisters then read the letters in their hands.
"To Hitoshi, I hope you are doing well. I know you are still striving to improve yourself even after you achieve Kurenai, but never forget, you must always seek help from your comrades. It's never shameful to ask for that help in times of need." Hitoshi chuckles after reading the letter. "Yeah, I know. I don't need you telling me that."
Hitoshi then turns to the Chidori sisters.
"What sort of letter did you two get?" Hitoshi asked.
"It's from our mother. She's saying how proud she is of us." Yuki told him.
"But still…I hope she's doing well running the company by herself." Page said before Yuki pets her sister's head.
"I'm certain she's fine, Page. It is Mother we're talking about." Yuki told her, and Page smiled in agreement.
"Yes. You're right about that." Page said before she notices that Hitoshi was smiling at her and her sister, and flinches as she remembers about his past. "Oh dear…I'm so sorry! We probably shouldn't be talking about our family, since…Well…"
"Hey, it's alright. It happened a long time ago and besides, it's not like you were involved with what happened to my family." Hitoshi told her.
"But still…" Page said before Hitoshi ruffles up her hair.
"Hey. When I said it's fine, it's fine. Okay?" Hitoshi said, and Page nodded as she fixed her hair.
"Okay…"
"Anyway, that's enough about me. What does your letter say, Nagisa?" Hitoshi asked, expecting an answer soon.
But they noticed that Nagisa was silent which was strange since he was always a talker, they turned to the Thunder Oni who simply stared at the letter in his hand.
"Nagisa? Nagisa." Hitoshi calls out before he places his hand on his friend's shoulder which snaps Nagisa out of his trance and turns to him.
"Huh? What is it?" Nagisa asked.
"Well…Are you okay? You space out for a moment there." Hitoshi told him, and Nagisa blinks to hear that.
"I did?" Nagisa asked, and Yuki nodded.
"Yes, you did." Yuki said before she looked at the letter in his hand. "Was it because of your letter?"
"Oh…Maybe." Nagisa said before he lowered his head.
"Then…What did it say?" Hitoshi asked.
"It's…" Nagisa said before he raised his head showing an embarrassed smile on his face as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "It's nothing! Just my mom saying how much she misses me, along with some embarrassing stuff like how much she loves and misses me."
"Okay…?" Hitoshi said but he wasn't convinced by that.
Nagisa then yawns with his hand in front of his mouth.
"Anyway…It's getting late. Time to hit the hay." Nagisa said before he climbed up to his bunk bed and lied down and instantly went to sleep as he snores.
Despite what he said, Hitoshi, Yuki, and Page were able to tell that something about that letter really bothered Nagisa.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hitoshi asked the Chidori twins, and they nodded.
"That he's keeping something from us. Well, it was quite obvious." Yuki said.
"But I wonder what could be wrong?" Page said in concern for Nagisa.
"Well…Maybe for now, let's just give him some space until he's ready to talk about it." Hitoshi told them.
But Nagisa was able to hear them as he was secretly still awake. He then brought out and looked at the letter that was sent to him from his home.
(Next day)
For Hitoshi and his friends, they were having a history lesson from Professor Oobleck who was giving his lecture as he zipped around the classroom while enjoying some coffee as usual.
"Around 30 years ago, most of the northern powers in the north were mostly govern by private military forces consisting of former soldiers and unlicensed huntsmen. They decided to form their own independent state, known as North Ambria. But this led to a conflict known as the Northern War."
Oobleck then moves up to his chalkboard to write down the details of the said war.
"The Northern War was caused due to a conflict of ideas and…" Oobleck said before he turned to Yuki. "Miss Chidori, care to explain the details of the Northern War?"
"Yes, of course." Yuki said before she stood up. "After the great northern disaster, most of the northern leadership was in disarray and was on the verge of collapse. After they were unified to become North Ambria, they mostly made their income by working as mercenaries in order to secure their resources to avoid famine and to secure a better future for their nation. But their growing popularity led to a conflict with Atlas. After refusing to merge with Atlas, they cut off most of the supply chains to North Ambria which ultimately led to the Northern War."
"Correct." Oobleck said.
While students applauded Yuki, Weiss could only roll her eyes during this history lesson.
"I could have answered that easily." Weiss mutters to herself.
"Despite Altas being the greatest military power in the world, North Ambria was able to hold their ground against them using their guerilla tactics and cunning strategies. But many lives were lost between both sides, and many believe that the war would just go on forever. But that's until a young huntsman had arrived to end this conflict, and his name was…" Oobleck said.
But as he was going on, Nagisa barely paid attention as he just spun his pencil between his fingers. Oobleck notices them before he zooms in front of him which snaps Nagisa out of his train of thought as his pencil falls to the floor.
"Mister Midoriya. Care to explain who ended the Northern War?" Oobleck asked.
"Huh? I…ahhh…I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?" Nagisa asked, and most of the students chuckled to hear that.
Oobleck then shook his head in disappointment.
"Tsk. Tsk. I expected more out of you, young man. But it appears you need a refresher about this moment in history. I expect a full detailed report about the Northern War from you tomorrow." Oobleck said, and Nagisa was surprised.
"But I…" Nagisa said, and Oobleck gave him a stern look as a sparkle appeared on his glasses, forcing Nagisa to sigh. "Yes, sir."
"Good. Now onto the rest!" Oobleck said before he zooms back to the board to write down the rest of the details.
Hitoshi, Yuki and Page look at Nagisa as he once again spun his pencil between his fingers.
"Something's a bit off. It's not like Nagisa to just space out during class." Hitoshi said, and the Chidori sisters nodded in agreement.
"I agree. He may not be an honored student, but he's able to pay some attention during class." Yuki said.
After Oobleck's class, the students were now having training matches overseen by Glynda. On the training floor were Nagisa and Jaune as they clashed weapons.
Nagisa then throws a reverse spin kick at Jaune, and he blocks it with his shield before it back and slashes at Nagisa several times and he manage to parry and block Jaune's attack before they bring their weapons in a lock.
On their seats, Hitoshi and the others were deeply impressed as they could tell that Jaune's skills had improved.
"Looks like Jaune combat skills are starting to improve." Hitoshi said.
"Yeah. I notice it too." Ruby nodded in agreement.
Yuki turns to Pyrrha.
"This wouldn't happen to involve those private meetings you two have been having lately, would it?" Yuki asked, but Pyrrha only shrugged.
"I can't confirm or deny that." Pyrrha replied.
Then both Nagisa and Jaune pushed each other back, they then began to circle each other waiting for an opening before Nagisa spoke out.
"Have to say, Jaune, you really come a long way since you got here." Nagisa said.
"Thanks. But I did have some help along the way." Jaune said before he looked at Pyrrha who gave him a supporting smile.
"I could see that. But…" Nagisa uses this chance to charge at Jaune to attack while he is distracted. "You shouldn't leave yourself open like that!"
"Oh crap!" Jaune said it was too late to dodge or block it.
Nagisa then swung his weapon at him, but in that moment, he could see himself in Jaune's place, Nagisa's eyes widened as he suddenly froze for a moment.
Jaune blinks to see Nagisa stopping for a moment, but he uses this chance to kick Nagisa on the stomach forcing him to stumble back, Jaune roars as he charges at him and bashes his shield in front of Nagisa knocking him to the ground.
Glynda then stops the match by raising her hand.
"End of match. Winner, Jaune Arc." Glynda declared.
The members of Jaune's team applaud their leader's victory while Hitoshi, Yuki and Page look at Nagisa in concern.
"Now I know something's not right. Even if this was a training match, Nagisa wouldn't freeze like that." Hitoshi said.
"Indeed. We should probably talk to him during lunch." Yuki said.
Nagisa then sat up and rubbed the back of his head, that's when he noticed that Jaune was standing close to him before he reached out his hand to him.
"You okay?" Jaune asked.
Nagisa looks at his hand before he chuckles and grabs onto Jaune's hand as he helps him stand back up.
"Yeah. But I have to say, that was nice work. I guess that help really paid off." Nagisa said.
Jaune nervously chuckles as he rubs the back of his head.
"I wouldn't say that. I was only lucky." Jaune said before Nagisa patted him on the back.
"Come on. No reason to be modest, a win's a win." Nagisa said with a smile before he turned away and left. "Anyway, we should change and get ready for lunch."
"Okay…?" Jaune said.
As he was walking away, Nagisa then had a saddened and disappointed look on his face.
In the cafeteria, Team HYPN, RWBY, and JNPR were seated on the same table having lunch together while talking.
"I have to admit, Jaune, you really stood your ground during that match." Yang said, and Jaune chuckles to hear that.
"Thanks. But like I said, I only got lucky." Jaune said before Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, luck had nothing to do with it. You earn that victory through your hard work, and don't you dare say otherwise." Pyrrha told him.
"Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune said.
Hitoshi then coughs to get their attention.
"Well, I do admit that your hard work is starting to pay off, but you only manage to win when Nagisa suddenly froze." Hitoshi said.
"Yeah. I notice that too." Jaune said.
"Care to explain about that?" Hitoshi said before he and the others turned to Nagisa.
But he barely paid attention to what they were saying as he just stirred his food with his fork.
"Nagisa. Nagisa!" Hitoshi calls out before he shakes his shoulder to get his attention.
"Huh? What? What's wrong?" Nagisa asked.
"We were talking about you." Blake told him, and Nagisa blinks to hear that.
"You were?" Nagisa said.
That's when they notice that he barely ate his food.
"I see that you hadn't touched your food." Hitoshi pointed out.
"Oh…Yeah, I'm not that hungry right now." Nagisa told them.
"Now that's strange. You usually eat a lot." Yuki said.
"I quite agree. I think your appetite is about as big as Nora's." Ren said and Nora blinked as he was stuffing her face with pie.
"Look guys, I'm fine, okay. I was just having an off day. I mean doesn't anyone get those?" Nagisa told them.
"True. But the way that you're acting man, I can't help but worry. You're not yourself lately." Hitoshi stated.
"I have to agree with Hitoshi. Not to mention you've been like this since last night." Yuki said, and Nagisa flinched before he turned away from them but that gave them the answer they needed. "I knew it. It had something to do with that letter, didn't it?"
"N-No. It's not that." Nagisa answered, but they weren't convinced.
"Come on, we know that's not true. It really got to you." Hitoshi said before he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Nagisa, just tell us what it was and we'll help you."
"Just…Just leave me alone!" Nagisa exclaimed as he removed Hitoshi's hand and stood up. "This…This is my problem."
Nagisa then quickly leaves.
"Nagisa." Hitoshi calls out, but he just ignores him. "We have to go after him."
"Right." Yuki said before she and the others stood up along with Team RWBY and JNPR.
"We'll help you look for him." Ruby said.
"Thanks." Hitoshi said before they set out to look for Nagisa.
In their search for Nagisa, Hitoshi and the others decided to split up. Hitoshi and Ruby check the former's dorm room to look for him but see that he hasn't returned to the room.
They then left the building to look for Nagisa once again.
"Sorry you had to help look for Nagisa, Ruby." Hitoshi said.
"Hey, it's fine. Nagisa's my friend too, so I'm more than willing to help. But still, I can't help but worry. I've never seen him like this. Did you?" Ruby asked.
Hitoshi hummed as he thought about it.
"It's the same for…" Hitoshi said before he remembered something about Nagisa's family and remembered the look he had sometimes when he first visited his home years ago. "Actually, I did. In fact he normally acts like that because of his sis…Oh, now I know what's wrong."
Ruby blinks to hear that.
Weiss was walking on the pathway that leads to Beacon as she searches for Nagisa, but she was at least annoyed by this.
"Honestly. Why do I have to help my rival's teammate like this?" Weiss questions herself.
She then heard a faint trace of a song from afar. Weiss blinked before she followed the song by listening to it and she could tell she was getting closer.
Weiss then stops and hides behind a tree, she looks and spotted Nagisa was seated on a bench singing a song while playing his guitar.
(Cue: Kimi Dake O Mamoritai by Tsuruno Takeshi)
"Aozora ga aru kagiri, Kaze wa toki wo hakobu yo."
"Yuuki ga aru kagiri, Yume wa kanarazaru kanao yo."
"Namida ga afureru mama, Hey. Hey. Hashiridase."
"Akai chiheisen no kanata, Ashita ga aru no sa."
"Dare yori mo naniyori mo, Kimi dake wo mamoritai."
"Itsu made mo doko made mo, Kimi dake wo mamoritai."
"Wow Wow Wow sakebou, Sekai wa owaranai."
"Kanashimi ga aru kagiri, Hito wa yoru ni mayou yo."
"Akiramenai kagiri, Yume wa soba ni aru yo."
(End of song)
As Weiss listened to his song, she felt a warm and calm sensation in her chest and felt nostalgic about it despite that it was her first time hearing it.
Naigsa then took a moment to stop before he placed his thumb and finger on his eyes and Weiss could tell that he was trying to hold back his tears.
Weiss then took a step back, she accidentally stepped on a branch which broke and Nagisa heard before he turned to her as Weiss quickly hid behind the tree.
"Who's there?" Nagisa calls out.
Weiss ponders on what to do before she makes the decision to step out of her hiding spot and reveal herself to him.
"It's just me." Weiss said.
"Rich girl?" Nagisa blinks to see her and Weiss places her hands on her hips.
"Hey! I told you not to call me that." Weiss said, and Nagisa rolled his eyes.
"Jeez. Sorry." Nagisa said before he turned away from her and made some adjustments to his guitar.
"But…Care to tell me what you were doing?" Weiss questions him.
"Nothing. I was just testing out some adjustments to my weapon." Nagisa told her, but Weiss wasn't convinced by that.
"Oh really? Then was the song really necessary?" Weiss asked, Nagisa's hand flinches but continues to work on his weapon.
"No, but I just felt like singing. Is that really so wrong?" Nagisa asked.
"There isn't. But I couldn't help but feel that something was off about that song of yours." Weiss answered. Nagisa scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Oh please. Like you're somehow an expert to singing." Nagisa said.
Weiss huffed as she smiled and flicked her hair.
"Well, not to brag or anything but I had won multiple singing competitions and I would often be chosen to perform in several charity events." Weiss told him, but Nagisa once again rolled his eyes.
"Sounds like bragging to me." He said.
Weiss flinches before she coughs in her hand.
"What I'm trying to say is, I may not be familiar with that song, but I can tell it was made by someone who loves to sing and put a lot of heart into it." Weiss said.
"Thanks. But I didn't make that song." Nagisa told her.
"That's what I thought. Because the other thing I can tell is that you were singing in some sadness." Weiss said, and Nagisa's hand flinched to hear that.
"Wh-What makes you think that?" Nagisa asked.
"Nothing, really. It's not like I can read your mind or anything." Weiss said.
"Then I don't see how it's your problem." Nagisa said.
"It is my problem because you're my rival's teammate." Weiss said.
"And does Yuki have to do it?" Nagisa asked.
"Because I want to prove that Team RWBY is better than Team HYPN. But I can't exactly prove that, if the members aren't at their best. I won't be satisfied by such an easy win." Weiss answered, and Nagisa chuckled to hear that.
"That's a fancy way of saying that you're worried about me like the others." Nagisa rolled his eyes, and Weiss blushed before she coughed in her hand.
"In any case…I'm not going anywhere, not until you tell me what's wrong." Weiss said before she moved and sat down beside him. "So, you shouldn't bother trying to worm your way out of this. If you can't talk to the others about it, then talk to me."
Nagisa thought about it before he sighed and placed his Ongekigen beside him.
"Can…Can you at least promise me that you won't tell anyone about this?" Nagisa asked, and Weiss then pulled an imaginary zipper across her lips.
"My lips are sealed. So, how should we begin?" Weiss asked.
"I guess with this." Nagisa said before he went into his jacket and pulled out his letter and gave it to Weiss.
After Weiss accepts the letter, she looks at it.
"What is this?" Weiss asked, Nagisa turned away from her but answered her question.
"It's a letter from my big sis." Weiss turned to him as she was surprised by this.
"Wait…You have a sister? I didn't know about that." Weiss said.
"Yeah, well there's a lot of things you don't know about me." Nagisa told her.
Weiss narrows her eyes at him before she looks at the letter that Nagisa's sister had sent him, which he notices before he sighed.
"If you're curious about it, you can go ahead and read it if you want." Nagisa said.
"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, and Nagisa nodded.
"It's no skin off my bones either way." Nagisa stated.
Weiss then thought about it before she opened the letter to read the written message from Nagisa's sister.
"Dear Nagisa, I hope you're doing well. I heard from Mom and Dad, that you've made a lot of friends in Beacon. I also know you're doing well balancing your life as a student and an Oni."
"But try not to overwork yourself too much. I know this role was forced upon because of me, but you shouldn't blame yourself for it. You should be proud of what you've accomplished. I'm…I'm just sorry that I can't do much for you. But you don't worry too much about it. I'm doing better, doctors said I still need some time, but they said I'll make a full recovery soon. Just try the best that you can and most importantly believe in yourself."
"From your Big Sis, Nao." Weiss said as she finished reading the letter, she then realized about Nagisa's sister before she turned to him. "Wait. Is she…?"
"Yeah." Nagisa nodded. "She's been sick for almost ten years now. I heard she was slowly recovering, but the doctors aren't sure she'll be able to fight even after that."
"I see. I'm…I'm sorry to hear that." Weiss said. "But there's another part here I don't understand. She said, you were forced to accept this role? How?"
"Well…That's a bit of a long story." Nagisa said.
"I'll listen to it. I mean I already read this letter." Weiss said.
Nagisa thought about it before he sighed and looked at his Ongekigen before he looked down at his Henshin Kigen.
"My sister is ten years my senior. She was also the Todoroki before me." Nagisa told her, and Weiss was surprised to hear that.
"Really?" Weiss said, and Nagisa nodded.
"Yeah. Our dad would often teach and train her on how to fight along with Sound Arts. In fact she was more talented and better at it than I was." Nagisa told her.
"I see. Then what was the reason for your behavior today? Do you resent your family or something?" Weiss asked.
"What? No, of course not. I get along with my parents really well. Same with my Sis." Nagisa told her.
"Then what's wrong?" Weiss asked once again.
Nagisa then lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, believe it or not…I used to be a bit of a crybaby back when I was a kid." Nagisa said, and Weiss was surprised but couldn't believe it considering his personality.
"Really? A Crybaby? You?" Weiss questions.
"Like I said…There's a lot of things you don't know about me." Nagisa mutters before he rests his arms on his legs. "But because of that, most of the kids in my hometown would often tease me. There were often times that most would tease me because my name sounds like a girl's."
Nagisa then remembers a certain memory with his sister, one that would change the course of his life forever.
(Flashback: 10 years ago)
Seated by the garden of his home and close to a tree, a seven-year-old Nagisa was seen crying with his arms on his face. He often comes here whenever the other kids would bully or tease him.
"Whenever I was upset or sad about something, I would often cry around my mom's garden. It's the only place that made me feel at ease, along with a certain someone." Nagisa said.
"Nagisa?" Said a young woman, and Nagisa turns to her.
Nagisa's sister is in her late teens with long green hair tied in a braid and has green eyes. She was wearing a black shirt with a dark green jacket along with jeans with ripped openings on the knees along with boots. She was wearing the Henshin Kigen on her wrist, showing she was the previous Todoroki.
This is Nao Midoriya.
"My big sis was my rock for as long as I could remember. She's always been there for me whenever I was sad or upset."
Nao then knelt down to her little brother.
"What's wrong?" Nao asked, but Nagisa wasn't able to respond as he continued to sniffle.
"She would often sing that song to me whenever I was crying."
"Was she the one who made it?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah."
Both Nagisa and Nao were seated on the engawa of their house. Nao was singing the Kimi Dake O Mamoritai song with the Ongekigen to cheer her brother up, which worked as he sang along with her.
"Kanashimi ga aru kagiri, Hito wa yoru ni mayou yo."
"Akiramenai kagiri, Yume wa soba ni aru yo."
After finishing the song, the Midoriya siblings then laugh together before Nao hugs her brother.
But then, Nao began to cough several times and felt a sharp pain on her chest.
"Sis? Sis, what's wrong?" Nagisa asked.
Not long after that, Nagisa's parents had brought Nao to a hospital where she was resting on the bed but still had trouble breathing.
"Thankfully, the doctors were able to treat the worst of her illness but unfortunately, she had to be hospitalized until she could make a full recovery. That's when I was chosen to take her place as the next Todoroki." Nagisa said.
The young Nagisa was seated beside his sister's bed side before he looked at the Henshin Kigen that was now on his wrist.
Nao then sat up as she was crying in sadness that her brother is the next Todoroki.
"I'm so sorry, Nagisa…Because of me, you'll be in so much danger! I'm so sorry!" Nao cries out before she hugs her brother and despite her crying, Nagisa acts calm and holds back his tears.
"I choose not to cry. Because I couldn't afford to be weak anymore." Nagisa said.
(End of flashback)
"Not after that, my dad would often drill all of his combat techniques along with the basics of sound arts and about how to be an Oni and how to battle Makamou." Nagisa said before he sighed and leaned back. "And there you have it. That's my life story."
Weiss was a bit surprised by this, she never thought that Nagisa had a sad past like that since he's always been so happy and confident even if he can act like a clown sometimes.
"I-I had no idea…" Weiss said. Nagisa sighed once again before he turned away from her.
"Yeah. Well, now you know." Nagisa said.
Nagisa then turns to his Ongekigen before he rubs his hand on the back of it.
"But sometimes I wonder if I cheated my own sister into being here. I mean, she's the one who should be here, not me. Along with that, I also wonder if I'll ever be good enough to take her place." Nagisa said.
Weiss then thought about her life back in her home and how she didn't live a warm lifestyle, and how her own sister left their home to follow her own path.
"I…I can sort of relate to that." Weiss said, but Nagisa just rolled his eyes as he wasn't convinced by that.
"Oh, please. Like the heiress of a major corporation could possibly understand my past." Nagisa said.
"Well…There are things you don't know about me." Weiss quotes.
"Really? How so?" Nagisa asked.
Weiss then took a deep breath and exhaled, she then explained about her own past with Nagisa.
"Despite the lifestyle I live with my family, I wouldn't call it warm or cheery like yours. My father would often be busy with work, my mother mostly wastes her time drinking, and don't even get me started about my brother. So I often spend most of my life alone in my own home."
"You don't say." Nagisa said.
"Yeah. But the only one who would often spend time with me, was my older sister, Winter. But after she graduated from Altas Academy, she decided to join the military. So I rarely see her." Weiss said before she turned to Beacon Academy. "Part of the reason why I decided to enroll at Beacon is because I want to follow my own path. But maybe deep down, I was trying to get away from my own family. So that's my life story."
Nagisa nodded and hummed in some understanding.
"That must have been tough for you." Nagisa said, and Weiss just sighed.
"Yeah. But don't get me started about all those mirage interviews and all those parties that my father would often force me to do. I really couldn't stand listening to those people talk." Weiss told him.
Nagisa chuckles before he gives Weiss a cheeky grin on his face.
"Oh really? So the little miss rich girl is complaining about her easy and carefree life among the Atlas elite." He said before he rubs his elbow on her, and Weiss smacks it away.
"Oh please. Like you ever been there." Weiss rolled her eyes, and Nagisa hummed before he shrugged.
"No, but I did hear that the place is filled with snobby elitists who think they're better than everyone else." Nagisa said and Weiss was offended by that.
"Well…Okay, I won't deny that." Weiss admitted.
Nagisa chuckles before he sighed in relief as he leaned back.
"But still, thanks. I think I needed this. Someone to talk to." Nagisa said, and Weiss chuckles.
"Well, in anycase, you're welcome." Weiss said before she and Nagisa smile and chuckle at each other.
Unknown to them is that a spycam was secretly watching them afar along with listening to their conversation as it was sending a live transmission from a far location.
Inside of an abandoned warehouse, Kabuki was watching Nagisa using the spycam and listened to his conversation with Weiss.
After learning about his past, Kabuki smiles as this gave him the perfect plan.
(Later)
After hours of searching, it was now night. Hitoshi, Yuki and Page had returned to their dorm room waiting for Nagisa to return.
"He's been gone for a while. I'm starting to worry." Page said.
"Don't worry, Page. I'm sure he'll be back after he calms down." Yuki assured her sister.
That's when they heard the door opening and saw Nagisa had entered the room.
"Hey, guys…" Nagisa nervously greeted his friends and teammates.
"Hey, Nagisa. Have you cooled off your head?" Hitoshi asked, and Nagisa nodded.
"I did." Nagisa said before he rubbed the back of his head. "Look…About my behavior…"
That's when they heard something tapping on the window, they looked and saw it was the Akane Taka Disk Animal, which meant one thing for the Oni Riders.
"Looks like we'll have to save it for another time." Hitoshi said before he moves to the window to open it and the Disk Animal enters the room and changes into its disk form as it falls onto Hitoshi's hand.
"Yeah. Seems like it." Nagisa said before Hitoshi played the recording within the Disk Animal.
(Next day)
Team HYPN were seen riding on their motorcycles and had arrived at a river that was in the outskirts from the town. The message they received from the Akane Taka, a group of Makamou were seen and managed to kidnap groups of people.
They soon stood off the bikes and headed to the river while looking for the Makamou.
"Do you really think that report was accurate? Because I don't see anything." Nagisa said.
"No, they're here alright. They're just hiding, you just need to know…" Hitoshi said before he notices some water plants in the river. "To look for them."
Hitoshi then picks up a small rock and throws it at the plants and it hits something. It cried out and stood up which revealed itself to be a Makamou.
The Makamou resembles a snapping turtle with a green body and yellow eyes along with having fur that resembles moss and seaweed.
This is the Kappa Makamou.
"A Kappa. I should've known." Yuki said.
Then the Kappa Makamou roared and appearing from the river were other Kappa Makamou before they surrounded Team HYPN.
"And of course, it has friends." Nagisa said.
Then Hitoshi, Yuki and Nagisa bring out their Henshin devices and use them to transform into their Oni forms and bring out their weapons and Yuki does the same.
They soon charge at the Kappa Makamous and battle them.
Hibiki attacks them with his Rekka before he dodges two Kappas attacks and counters by kicking one on the chest and slams both of his Rekka on the other one.
Ibuki is seen dodging several Kappas' attacks as she moves back, she then charges at the Makamous before she jumps over them and fires her gun at them destroying them before she lands on the ground.
Page was attacking a group of Kappa Makamous that was around her with her chainswords.
Todoroki punches one Kappa on the head before he attacks two with his weapon, he then notices one that was charging behind him and he kicks it to the ground. He then blocks another Kappa's attack with his weapon before he pushes it back and slashes on its chest.
"Yeah~! These ugly freaks have nothing on us." Todoroki said.
"Then how about I change things up."
"Huh?" Todoroki said before he turned around and saw someone jumping at him and landed a kick on his chest which forced Todoroki to stumble back.
Everyone then saw it was Kabuki in his Oni form.
"Kabuki!" Team HYPN said.
That's when Kabuki brings out his sword and approaches Todoroki.
"Todoroki. Your life is mine!" Kabuki said before he charged at Todoroki.
"Huh?" Todoroki said in some confusion.
But he didn't have time to think about it as Kabuki swung his sword at him, and Todoroki blocked it with his weapon.
"What's with you? I thought you wanted Hibiki." Todoroki said.
"Don't worry. After I'm done with you, I'll settle my score with him!" Kabuki said before he pushed Todoroki's weapon and slash on his chest twice followed by a punch on his face.
"Oh no, Nagisa!" Hibiki said as he was about to move in and help him.
But then three Kappa Makamou move in front of him and shoot out gunk from their mouths at Hibiki. Hibiki blocks it with his forearms, but as they land and cover his arms, the gunk soon crystallizes which entraps Hibiki's arms.
Hibiki then tries to break his arms free, but it was too hard.
"Now this is just great…Whoa!" Hibiki said as he dodges an incoming attack from a Kappa Makamou.
Ibuki notices that as she kicks one Kappa away.
"Hitoshi!" Ibuki said.
That's when another group of Kappa Makamou shot their gunk at Ibuki, and it was too late to dodge it as it landed on her right arm and crystallized around it.
"Oh no." Ibuki said before she avoids more of their gunk.
Page saw this as she cut down one Kappa with her sword.
"Sister!" Page said in worry before she avoided more Kappa Makamous' gunk that was heading towards her.
Todoroki and Kabuki clash weapons while avoiding attacks before they bring their weapons a lock, but Kabuki wasn't impressed by his fighting skills.
"Weak! Are all of the Oni in this era really this weak?!" Kabuki exclaimed before he smiled underneath his mask. "But I presume your sister would prove more of a challenge for me."
Todoroki was shocked that he knew that.
"What? How do you…?" Todoroki said.
Kabuki then uses this chance to push Todoroki's weapon back and slashes on his chest and Todoroki stumbles back.
Todoroki stops as he grits his teeth and swings his Ongekigen at him, but Kabuki easily parries it and slashes on Todoroki once again before he grabs him by the neck and brings his face close to his.
"Your sister is more talented and better than you, right? She should've been the current Todoroki. She should be the one in Beacon Academy, training to be a Huntress. But her illness got the better of her, so you were forced to take her place. But you're nothing but a pathetic weakling, unworthy of the Oni name. That's what you're thinking, right?" Kabuki asked to mock him.
"I…I…" Todoroki mutters before Kabuki slams his knee onto his stomach and punches him in the face.
Hibiki heard what he was saying as he was dodging the Kappa Makamous' attacks.
"Nagisa, don't listen to him!" Hibiki told him before dodging another attack.
Todoroki attacks Kabuki several times but he dodges his attacks with ease.
"Just face it no matter how much effort you put into your training, you'll always be second to your sister." Kabuki said.
"Shut up!" Todoroki exclaimed as he punched Kabuki, but he caught it with his hand.
"You'll always be in your sister's shadow. Always falling behind her and even behind your friends. Hibiki got stronger, but you'll never compared to him. You'll never be like your sister." Kabuki told him.
"I…I…" Todoroki said.
Kabuki then lands an uppercut right under his chin, sending Todoroki rolling before he ends up in the river.
Todoroki then stood up on his hands and knees before he looked up and saw Kabuki approaching him. He was about to stand up to fight him, but that's when Kabuki's words echoed in his head.
"Your sister is more talented and better than you, right? She should've been the current Todoroki."
"You're nothing but a pathetic weakling, unworthy of the Oni name."
"You'll always be in your sister's shadow."
"You'll never be like your sister."
Todoroki then remembers the training he did with his father, and how he earned his approval of him being the current successor to the Oni's name. But despite that, he knows that he'll never come close to his sister, if it wasn't for her illness, she should've been the current Todoroki, not him.
If Nao was in his place right now, she would put up more of a fight against Kabuki and would be an even match against Hibiki in his Kurenai form.
Todoroki then lowered his head as Kabuki continued to approach him. His friends/teammates then look at him in worry.
"Nagisa…" Hibiki said.
"Oh, no…" Ibuki said.
Kabuki then stops in front of him, he then slowly raises his sword to finish Todoroki.
Todoroki then remembers the memories he made during his time in Beacon, how he became friends with Team JNPR and RWBY, he then remembers his conversation with Weiss, on how she had a complicated history with her own family and about her own sister.
Todoroki blinks to remember that he tightly holds his Ongekigen and remembers how her sister would sing her song when he was a child.
"Any last words?" Kabuki asked, and soon got his answer.
"You're right…I can never be like my sis." Todoroki admitted.
Kabuki chuckles.
"Oh, please. Like I need you to tell me that!" Kabuki said before he swung his sword down at Todoroki, but he stopped it by grabbing onto his arm. "What?!"
Kabuki tries to pull his arm free, but Todoroki refuses to let go before he raises his head and stands up.
"I know for a fact I'll never be like her. I know I'll never come close to her level. But…" Todoroki tightly clenches his other hand to form a fist as electricity appears around it. "That is why…I'll follow my own path as an Oni! I'll be strong in my own way!"
Todoroki lands his electric enhanced punch right into Kabuki's face which sends him skidding back before he manages to stop and glares at Todoroki who was now on his foot and faced him with a strong resolve in his heart.
"Because I'm me! Nagisa Midoriya! The current inheritor of the Oni, Todoroki! And don't you forget it!" Todoroki shouted.
"Damn you…" Kabuki said before he and Todoroki charged at each other and fought as they clashed weapons.
Hibiki, Ibuki and Page smile to see that.
"Well said, Nagisa." Ibuki said before she fired at a group of charging Kappa Makamou.
"Agreed." Hibiki nodded before he turned to another group of Kappa. "Alright…I have enough of this!"
Hibiki then brought his entrap arms to his face before he roared and channeled heat and flames around his body, as a result the crystals around his arms began to crack before Hibiki shattered it as he transformed to his Kurenai form.
With his arms now free, Hibiki spun his Rekka as he faced the Kappa Makamous.
"Now…Are you ready for round two?" Hibiki asked.
The Kappas roared as they charged at Hibiki to attack him.
"Ongekida Shakunetsushinku no Kata!" Hibiki said.
(音撃打・灼熱真紅の型. Sound Attack Stroke: The Scorching True Crimson Style)
Hibiki then charges at the Kappa Makamous and attacks each of them with his Rekka creating a flaming oni symbol as it appears on their bodies which paralyzes them.
After paralyzing the last Kappa, Hibiki then stops and turns at them, he then ignites his Rekka and throws fireballs at the Kappa Makmous destroying them as they explode.
Todoroki and Kabuki continue to clash weapons, Todoroki then manages to parry one of Kabuki's sword slashes and lands a slash on his chest followed by a punch which forces Kabuki to stumble back.
Todoroki then charges at Kabuki before he pulls out and attaches the Ongekishin Raigou to his Ongekigen to change it to its Ongeki Mode.
Kabuki swung his sword at Todoroki, and he dodges it and stabs his weapon at his stomach, Kabuki then looks down at it in worry as he knows what's going to come next.
"I hope you're ready for a…Ongekizan Raidengekishin~!" Todoroki said before he played his guitar to send vibrations into Kabuki's body.
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah~!" Todoroki shouted before an explosion appeared between him and Kabuki.
Kabuki is seen rolling on the ground as he reverts to his human form, Todoroki turns to him before he strokes his guitar once again.
"Yeah~!"
Hibiki, Ibuki and Page joined his side as they faced Kabuki as he slowly stood back up.
"Damn it…How is this possible? You're nothing but a weakling, just a shadow of your sister." Kabuki said.
"That's where you're wrong." Hibiki said. "You might be right about that, but Nagisa is himself and right now he's the current Todoroki."
"That's right." Ibuki nodded. "While you think having family or bonds is a weakness, it's what makes us strong."
Kabuki could only click his teeth with their words.
"Guess Hibiki isn't the only one I underestimated. It appears I may have to be on edge against the rest of you." Kabuki said before he threw a smoke bomb to the ground as it exploded.
When the smoke cleared, Team HYPN saw that Kabuki was now gone.
"And with that he's gone again." Todoroki commented in annoyance.
After the battle, Hitoshi, Yuki and Nagisa change back to their civilian forms. Nagisa took a moment to stare at the river with Hitoshi standing by his side.
"Feeling better now?" Hitoshi asked, and Nagisa nodded.
"A bit. Look, Hitoshi, I'm sorry for how I acted before. It's just these past few days…" Nagisa said before Hitoshi stops him by placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's alright. I pretty much figure you were thinking about your sister. So, I'm sorry too." Hitoshi told him.
"Thanks. But I'm going to stop worrying about it anymore." Nagisa said before he looked at his hand. "I just need to accept that I'll never be like Sis. That's why I'm going to be the best me I can be. To be strong my own way."
"That's good to hear. Just remember, you'll always have me, Yuki and Page to lean on whenever you're in trouble. That's what friends are for." Hitoshi told him.
Nagisa stares at him before he turns to the Chidori sisters as they give him a supporting smile. Nagisa turns away from them before he wipes his forearm on his eyes to wipe away some tears.
After that, Nagisa lowered his arm before he took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
Hitoshi, Yuki and Page were surprised by that before Nagisa took a moment to inhale and exhale to calm himself and soon slapped on his cheeks. He then turns to his friends/teammates with a smile on his face.
"Sorry that I startled you. I just needed to scream. Plus, you were right, we should always depend on each other." Nagisa said, and Hitoshi smiled before he patted him on the back.
"Now there's the Nagisa that I know. Come on, let's head back. Dinner will be on me." Hitoshi said before he headed to the bikes.
"Sounds good to me." Nagisa said before he along with Yuki and Page followed him.
Nagisa then stops for a moment and looks at his Henshin Kigen. He then remembers a certain memory with his sister.
(Flashback)
In his home, Nagisa was seen sniffling in his room while his sister was treating some wounds on his face after some bullies were picking on him once again.
"There, that should do it." Nao said before she applied the bandage on his face.
"Th-Thanks, Sis…" Nagisa sniffles.
"Honestly, Nagisa, you know I won't always be there for you. One of these days you need to learn to stand up for yourself." Nao told him.
"I-I know…But I'll never be like you, Sis. I'm nothing but a crybaby. But Dad chose you to be Todoroki. Not to mention you'll be enrolling in Beacon soon. I'll never be as strong as you." Nagisa said.
But to his surprise, Nao pets him on the head before he turns to her as she gives her brother a smile.
"And that's fine. You don't have to be like me." Nao said.
"Really?" Nagisa asked, and Nao nodded.
"That's right. Never forget, Nagisa. Everyone has their own path to follow, and that includes me, Dad and even you. So you just need to follow your own path and find your own way of becoming strong." She told him.
"My own path…" Nagisa said.
(End of flashback)
Nagisa smiles after remembering that and gently rubs his thumb on the Henshin Kigen.
"You were right, Sis. I don't need to be like you, I just need to be me. Following my own path and believing in my own strength. But most of all, I believe in my friends." Nagisa said to himself
Now having renewed determination and confidence in himself, Nagisa once again follows his friends while making a mental note of writing back to his parents and to his sister.
To Be Continued…
There you have it, hope you like it. Review to tell me what you think of the story.