Soldier of Hope

by Fire Slash

(AU. Soldier Naegi! and Lucky Student Ikusaba). Makoto Naegi is desperate to flee from his past, one filled with nothing but death. However, upon being forced to participate in a twisted killing game, Naegi'll have to come to terms with his past to secure a future. Will he rise up to become the Soldier of Hope needed, or will the despair of his past and present swallow him whole?

1. Chapter 1: Maokto Naegi is Normal?

Author's Note: Hey everyone, Fire Slash here and welcome to the rewrite of Soldier of Hope. Man, it feels good writing for Danganronpa again. For those of you who've been following me, I just wanna apologize for the lack of updates. Life has been crazy around me. I plan on trying to update this fic at least once every one or two months, but I can't guarantee anything as my life is still hectic.

Now, there's some stuff I want to say in regards to this fic, but I'll leave that at the end of the chapter. Oh, and don't hesitate to follow me on IG at fire_slash_fanfiction. I post updates and answer DMs there.

Anyways, I'll bow out now so you start reading. Review and enjoy :-).

0000

Makoto Naegi.

If asked to describe the young boy, most would point out that he appeared to be a completely average individual, average to the point where it seemed as if he actively avoided the spotlight. His interests, personality, looks, they were all basic. The very few unique traits of his, such as his below average height, his ahoge, his kindness, and his optimism did little to set him apart from the normal teenager…

However, those closer to him would point out that there was far more to his story than meets the eye.

A little searching would reveal that, after the Naegi family took a trip to Europe, Makoto Naegi had been declared missing for seven years. The cause? The boy had been a victim of child trafficking. From the young age of five to the age of twelve, Makoto Naegi disappeared from the face of the Earth. Thought to be dead, the boy surprised the world by showing up to his family's doorstep, the whole family sobbing upon being reunited with one another.

So where was Naegi during those seven years? No one knew. Not even his family. Naegi's whereabouts was a secret the boy guarded with his life.

"Don't worry about that. I'm back now and we can make up for lost time. Please?" This was what he'd tell his family any time they asked, almost as if pleading with them to drop the subject altogether.

True to his words, upon his return, he began living a simple, ordinary life. It was almost as if those seven years of him missing had never happened. Almost.

Though his family didn't know what happened to him while he was gone, they knew that whatever he experienced during those years left an immense mark on the boy's psyche. There were too many nights to count where Naegi would wake up and suffer a panic attack caused by nightmares, so many to the point where he was put on medication to help deal with what was discovered to be PTSD. Though he did his best to hide it, whenever the Naegi family went somewhere, he always seemed to be on edge, almost as if expecting an ambush of some kind. Another strange quirk of his was that he always wore hoodies and fingerless gloves, even when at home and in bed. He would constantly fidget with them, like he was trying to hide something from the world. There was also the fact that Naegi always woke up at the crack of dawn to follow an exercise routine that would cause even a pro athlete to faint from its intensity, yet he was able to complete it every day without issue. Even when sick, he stuck to the program, acting as if missing one day would lead to some disastrous consequences. And for some reason, he did his best to avoid being the center of attention, content with others taking the stage.

While most dreamed of living more exciting lives, it was evident to all who knew Naegi that he wanted to live the most ordinary and uneventful life possible. For a while, the most exciting thing to happen to him upon his return was that he freed a crane trapped in his school's volleyball net. Well, there was also the fact that he went to school with Japan's most popular idol, Sayaka Maizono, but that was just a mere coincidence. The two never talked and Naegi highly doubted she even knew he existed, though he could've sworn that the girl occasionally shot glances his way…

Still, other than those two small details, his life upon his return was nothing special. He was an ordinary teenager living an ordinary, peaceful life.

However, despite his efforts to maintain such peace, it only took a single day for his life to spiral out of control once again…

0000

The day had started like any other; wake up, exercise, shower, eat, and then school. Nothing out of the ordinary. The only remotely unique thing that happened was that Naegi attended his weekly tutoring session after school. Seeing as the boy had been missing for seven years, he needed all the help he could get to catch up to his peers. The fact he was even allowed to attend school with those his age was a miracle. Thankfully, he barely managed to prove that there was no need for him to be held back. The tutoring was there so that he wouldn't be left in the dust.

Afterwards, the boy went to catch the bus, only to discover that the bus he'd normally take was out of service. As such, Naegi had to take a different bus, one further away from his school and having a longer commute than his usual route.

It was on this bus that his day shifted away from being yet another weekday.

Hopping on, Naegi began to worm his way to the back so he could grab a seat. Doing so, he accidentally kicked someone's bag. Had anyone been paying attention to said bag, they would've noticed how close it was to ripping open. Even the smallest scratch would've caused all of its contents to explode on the ground.

Naegi's kick did just that, causing a large mess to be made.

"Sor-" the boy began to turn around to apologize, only for the apology to get stuck in his throat upon seeing what had actually spilled out of his bag. 'Jewelry?'

Jewelry on its own wouldn't have fazed the boy, but the sheer amount of it scattered around sent off warning bells in his mind. Something bad was about to happen.

A hand on his shoulder and a knife to his neck would prove him right.

"No one moves! Or the boy gets it!"

Immediately everyone remained still, not wanting to be the cause of a child being killed.

Unknown to everyone on that bus, the man they were dealing with was no ordinary man. His name was Jutarō Akafuku and he was an accomplished robber, so much so that details of his crimes were well known in Japan. A man who works alone, he never took a job he didn't believe he could complete. Ironically, the reason for his success was because of his insane luck. Each time he found himself in trouble, a series of unlikely coincidences and accidents allowed him to escape with both his identity hidden and his stolen valuables intact.

Luck was the man's secret weapon, but due to his massive success, he forgot why one cannot rely solely upon being lucky. Everyone's luck fluctuates. Even the most lucky person has bad days.

Today so happened to be the day his lucky streak ended.

Having managed to rob a small jewelry shop, Akafuku took to dressing up as a regular everyday businessman. No one would think twice about looking his way, even if he was carrying several heavy bags. His plan had worked flawlessly until Naegi accidentally hit one of his bags, the one bag that had managed to get damaged earlier while he was booking it out of the store.

With his plan now ruined, the thief was banking on another lucky incident that would allow him to escape once more. Until then, he decided he was going to keep Naegi hostage and have the rest of the civilians pick up the mess.

"Pick up everything that fell and I promise you no one gets hurt."

Doing as they were told, the passengers began picking up the scattered jewels. Had anyone paid attention to Naegi, they would've noticed that he was far too calm for someone with a knife to their neck.

'His strength is nothing special,' the boy thought to himself. He then glanced at the knife. 'He's holding it right, but it's clear he hardly knows how to use it. It's too far from my neck.'

The boy continued analyzing his situation. 'His guard's open. He's not expecting anyone to fight back. A quick hit to his ribs and he'll be taken by surprise.'

He took a look at the people around him, paying specific attention to a man on his right. 'He's going to move to pick up that ring with the red gem soon. Once he does, I'll have plenty of space to move my legs.'

Not even a second passed since the man took him hostage and ordered everyone to clean his mess and Naegi was able to analyze his situation and create an escape plan. Now all he had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

It didn't take long to find it, for the man to his right quickly finished gathering the jewels near him and began crawling towards the ring, just as Naegi predicted.

"You, don't forget the-"

*BOOM!*

While ordering a civilian around, Akafuku didn't expect to get struck in his ribs by an elbow.

"GAH-AH!"

He most certainly didn't expect to be hit so hard that he struggled to breathe. It was as if Naegi had stabbed his liver with a knife.

Speaking of knives, the sheer force of the strike caused Akakfuku to drop his weapon and start kneeling over.

He had no time to process what had hit him, partly because Naegi made little movement indicating that he was going to strike, and partly because Naegi was already in the midst of attacking once more while he was still processing the pain.

Swinging his left leg towards the spot the man he eyed earlier moved from, the boy allowed his body to twist alongside the momentum of his leg, aiming a powerful left hook at the man's right jaw.

*BAM!*

If asked to describe how powerful that punch was, Akakfuku would've compared it to being hit by a cannonball. Granted, he's never been hit by one, but he wouldn't be surprised if it felt like this; a feeling akin to having his skull shattered shooting all throughout his head. He was thankful that he passed out before the pain really kicked in.

The civilians themselves couldn't help but wince. It sounded as if the boy had pelted a large rock at the thief instead of throwing a punch. The blow had also sent the man flying a considerable distance, with only a pole stopping his momentum. What transpired seemed like it could've come from an action movie.

Walking towards the man, Naegi gently shook him, wanting to make sure that the man was actually out cold. When he determined that he was, he then addressed his fellow passengers.

"Someone call the police!"

Everyone stiffened up. Compared to the shy and humble boy those who were familiar with him knew, Naegi's voice was now filled with authority, demanding everyone's attention and obedience. He sounded like a general speaking to the members of their unit. It contrasted heavily with his otherwise simple appearance, but so did him knocking out a guy that was decently older and taller than him.

"And bring me a belt so I can tie him up!"

A woman began dialing the police while a man handed Naegi his belt, the boy using it to make makeshift handcuffs.

Akakfuku's luck made it impossible for the ordinary person to catch him. However, his luck wasn't infallible, and as much as Naegi wished he was, he was no ordinary person. The boy's talent triumphed over the man's luck, and thus ended his crime spree.

0000

So how did stopping a criminal end Naegi's normal life?

It didn't.

The event happening on the same day was mere coincidence. However, it did mark the start of his day souring.

Being the one to capture Akafuku, the boy was the first person the police chose to question regarding the situation.

"… To make sure I've got the whole story straight, you accidentally kicked his bag, he took you hostage once it spilled open, and you knocked him out?"

Naegi rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah…"

The policeman nodded as he jotted away in his notepad. "While I commend you for taking action, you realize that you could've been hurt, right? You're lucky to have gotten out of there unharmed."

Naegi stood silent. He could've told the cop that the chances of him getting hurt was close to zero. He could've mentioned how he had actually been the one in control of the situation despite being the hostage. He even could've said that he's dealt with worse.

But he didn't. Instead he just nodded.

"So before we let you go, I just wanna make sure you're alright up there," the officer said, pointing his pen at his forehead. "Being held at knifepoint's a scary situation to be in. I wouldn't be surprised if it rattled you."

"A-ah, I'm fine, don't worry," Naegi said. He completely understood how such a situation could've scarred someone.

Not him though. He was different. A knife to his neck wasn't anything new…

If anything, he was glad to have been the one taken hostage because it meant no one got hurt.

"Alright." The cop closed his notepad. "You need a ride home? I could get someone to drop you off."

Naegi wasn't going to deny a free ride home. "Thank you."

Too bad the interview ate up a lot of his time. He had been hoping to have watched Maizono's concert on TV. Ever since his younger sister introduced him to the idol's music, Naegi's been hooked. As such, him missing the concert was another point towards his day being a bad one.

However, there was still one final surprise waiting for him, and it was waiting for him at home.

When he got home, Naegi had planned to go straight to his room and hopefully watch a recording of the concert he missed. Sure, the concert only ended an hour ago, but Maizono's super fans didn't play when it came to the idol. Most of her concerts were uploaded online mere minutes after they ended.

Before he could do so, the sight of his sister excitedly running down the stairs stopped him in his tracks.

"Makoto, is that you?"

Naegi smiled. Despite the fact she was only four when he disappeared and the fact that he wasn't around for seven years, the two siblings had a strong relationship. Sure, it was awkward at first, but it didn't take long for them to find their rhythm.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry for being late. Hey, do you know if-"

Naegi had planned on asking Komaru if there was a recording of Maizono's concert on the internet and if she wanted to watch it with him, but he couldn't even finish his sentence. The girl urgently shoved something into his hands.

"This came for you! It's from Hope's Peak!"

"Eh?"

Hope's Peak was a name Naegi was familiar with, and it was a name the entire world knew. Hope's Peak Academy was a school praised for being one of the best schools in the entire world. Receiving their funding from the Japanese government, the school prepares their students for the future with state of the art facilities and faculty members who have specialized experience with the subjects they teach.

The process of being accepted into this elite school was an extremely strict one. Sure, the Reserve Course only required above average grades and/or a large sum of cash to qualify for acceptance, but the Reserve Course wasn't what most people paid attention to. It was the Main Course that got all the buzz and it was the Main Course that got the full benefits the school had to offer.

To get accepted into the Main Course, there were two requirements one must achieve. First, the candidate must be entering high school. Second, they must be the best at what they do. These talented kids, known as 'Ultimates', were whom society saw as the future leaders of the world. Hope's Peak acknowledged various talents, ranging from the simple, such as dancing and cooking, to the completely bizarre, such as one of the current students being the heir of a Yakuza leader.

There was also one more way to get into the Main Course at Hope's Peak, one less known to the general public. Every year, the school held a raffle where they drew a name from the upcoming high school students. The name that is drawn gains admission to the school as the 'Ultimate Lucky Student'. The reason Naegi even knew about this is because his sister would gush about potentially being selected when it was time for her to go to high school, though she acknowledged that such a thing was only a dream and unlikely to happen in real life.

'What do they want from me?'

Naegi didn't apply to the Reserve Course; his grades weren't good enough to qualify for a scholarship and the monthly fee was too much for his parents to pay.

'Maybe they're just advertising.' It wasn't unheard of for a school to send a pamphlet or open house invitations to future high schoolers in hopes of boosting their numbers.

Glancing at the envelope immediately destroyed this theory. It was from the Main Course. The Main Course didn't need to be advertised, the students accepted were hand picked by scouts. It was either you were chosen or you weren't even glanced at.

Naegi's curiosity only grew.

'The main course? Did I win the raffle?'

This was where his mind went to next. Yes, the chances of someone winning the raffle were extremely low, so low that he had a better chance of getting struck by lightning twice or winning the lottery, but Naegi couldn't think of any other reason as to why Hope's Peak would write to him.

"Makoto! Open it already!"

His sister's excitement snapped him out of his thoughts, the girl bouncing off her heels. Naegi couldn't help but smile at her energy, excitement building up inside of him as well.

"Alright, alright, I'll open it."

Actually reading the letter was the only way he'd get the answer to his question after all.

Opening the envelope, Naegi began removing the letter from inside, only to stop. Another theory had burrowed its way into his head, a more obvious one, but one that his subconscious purposely avoided.

'No, it can't be…'

Suddenly, the envelope got heavier, much heavier. Sweat began to seep through his palms and his body began shaking uncontrollably, and not from excitement.

'Please tell me it isn't what I think it is…'

"Makoto?"

Her brother's sudden shift in behavior worried the younger Naegi sibling. Only moments ago was he almost as excited as she was, but now he looked absolutely terrified. His pupils were dilated, red, and tearing, and she could hear his gasping for breath as his body shook.

She knew what was happening: he was having a panic attack. Unfortunately she had no idea what to do or what was causing her brother's panic.

As she lamented her inability to help, Naegi's heart started to beat faster, begging to shoot out of his body like a rocket. His vision began to blur and distort, and nausea began consuming him. His breathing continued to speed up and it became increasingly more difficult for him to breathe, as if a constrictor snake was strangling his neck.

'They can't possibly know, right?'

Upon asking himself that question, the boy began to calm down.

'Yeah, they can't. I made sure of it.'

His vision and breathing began to return back to normal, but his body continued to shake.

'There's no reason to worry. I'm sure the letter's telling me I won the raffle or something.'

Such optimistic thinking helped the boy gain the courage to finally read the letter. Pulling it out of the envelope, Naegi began skimming its contents.

'Dear Makoto Naegi,

Every year, Hope's Peak scours the world in search of gifted youth with extraordinary talent in the hopes of helping them achieve their true potential as the leaders of a better world. It is our pleasure to announce that you have been selected to be a part of the 78th batch of students as the Ultimate Soldier. We look forward to hearing from you should you accept this nomination.'

Sincerely,

Hope's Peak Academy

*THUD!*

"MAKOTO!"

The effects of gravity suddenly multiplied as Naegi fell to his knees. The rapid beating of his heart, the nausea, blurriness, and the tightening of his neck returned tenfold. Accompanying his shivering was the pailing of his skin, as if he'd just hiked Mount Fuji with only a pair of shorts.

To say Komaru was scared was an understatement. She was outright terrified.

'Makoto's never had a panic attack this bad before…'

As for the boy himself, his mind was in disarray.

'I knew Hope's Peak had a lot of resources, but to find out… how did they do it?'

He could barely make out the outline of Komaru trying to call their parents, desperate to aid her brother in any way possible. However, his mind was in a much darker place to really pay attention to such details.

'I worked so hard to get out of there. I just wanted to live the rest of my life without being reminded of what I did… what I had to do.'

Makoto Naegi was not an ordinary person.

No ordinary person was a child soldier forced to fight a war they wanted no part in.

No ordinary person had become so good at warfare that they had a kill count of over three thousand people.

No ordinary person could take on entire armies and come out not only victorious, but without receiving even a single scratch.

No ordinary person's existence scared people so much that they became an urban legend.

And no ordinary person could've survived such a lifestyle just by clinging to the hope that they'd be able to see their family again.

Coyote, traitor, hero, monster… those were only some of the names given to Naegi while he lived a life he wanted to forget.

All he wanted was to live the rest of his life as an ordinary boy and not be reminded of the fact he was a killing machine…

Too bad that no matter how long someone tries to run from it, the past never dies.

Yet that didn't stop Naegi from making one last attempt at doing so…

0000

Dear Hope's Peak Academy,

While I am honored to have been invited to attend such a prestigious academy, I must reject the invitation. Someone like me is unfit to do so and I have no intentions of ever touching my 'talent' again. I believe the spot should be given to someone else more deserving than me.

Sincerely,

Makoto Naegi

0000

Dear Makoto Naegi,

You are not the first or the last to have negative feelings towards your talent. We have had several students in a similar position as you. Even if you wish to never use your talent, Hope's Peak Academy still wishes to have you as a student due to your immense talent. We have a proposition for you: you will be put under the 'Anonymous Talent' program. In this program, you will still be part of the Main Course, but you will not be obliged to share your talent with anyone other than the Headmaster, the Steering Committee, and our lead scout. This program was created for students like you, students who wish to keep their talents hidden. We strongly urge you to accept this offer of ours.

Sincerely, Hope's Peak Academy.

0000

"I still can't believe I'm doing this…" Naegi mumbled under his breath as he stared at Hope's Peak Academy.

Though hesitant at first, the offer to keep his talent a secret was enough to sway the boy into accepting the invitation. After all, anyone who graduates Hope's Peak Academy was set up for life, and that was an opportunity he did not want to pass up.

The reason he had been willing to pass said opportunity before is because if he was forced to show off his title, it would essentially be him broadcasting that he was a killer to the world. He'd have to kiss his dream of a peaceful life behind.

Now though, he didn't have to do so and he still got to enjoy the perks that came with attending Hope's Peak. It was a win-win.

'But do I really belong here?'

Having looked up his fellow classmates on the Hope's Peak Fan Forum, it didn't take him long to learn that he stuck out like a sore thumb. His other classmates had remarkable talents, talents that can be used to inspire. He didn't. Sure, there were also one or two students who also had shady talents, but said talents were nowhere near the level of Ultimate Soldier in that regard.

"Ugh, I gotta stop that…"

Shaking his head, the boy cleared away his negative thoughts. Now was not the time to be pessimistic. Here he was, making the first step towards his dream. This was a new chapter in his life, one where he had endless possibilities. Making new friends, experiencing new things, that was all waiting for him at Hope's Peak.

"Well, no time like the present…"

Filled with optimism, Naegi made his way to the school.

Unfortunately, such optimism would soon be crushed upon taking his first step into the school.

"Gah!"

The moment his foot touched the ground, his vision began swirling, all color being replaced with purple and black. The feeling of something ripping inside of his brain throbbed as the boy struggled to maintain consciousness. Sadly, despite his near inhuman constitution, he quickly succumbed to the darkness…

'What…?'

0000

Naegi was right to believe that new experiences were awaiting him at Hope's Peak. What he didn't know was that the journey ahead was not one of hope, but one of despair…

0000

Author's Note 2: As mentioned in the beginning of the chapter, there's some stuff I wanna go over real quick in regards to the changes I've made for the rewrite and the changes you should expect to see.

1. Backstory: I'm not sure how many of you read the original Soldier of Hope, but Naegi's backstory was, quite honestly, dumb. Naegi, being a dumb child obsessed with war, runs away with Fenrir. Yeah, that's it really XD. The idea of it was to have Naegi learn that war is far more complicated in real life than action movies, a theme that could work in another setting, but here, it made no sense. His new backstory now explains why someone like Naegi, a person who doesn't like violence, was involved in a war. As the story progresses, you'll learn more about the backstory I developed for him.

2. Themes: Honestly, the original version of this fic didn't really have any themes outside of the Hope vs Despair theme canon tackles. This time, I wanted to focus on some other subjects. PTSD, survivor's guilt, redemption, the beauty of life, and accepting the past are a few of those themes. Obviously I'm still aiming for Naegi to be the symbol of hope he is in canon, but the journey there will be different. Personality wise, I'm aiming to keep him similar to a canon Naegi, but due to his background, there's some parts about him that'll obviously be different.

3. Pairings: in the original fic, I asked the audience if they wanted to see Naegi x Maizono, Naegi x Ikusaba, or Naegi x Maizono x Ikusaba. I'll be asking the same thing here. Which pairing do you wanna see? Please let me know in the reviews. I'll be setting up a poll on my account that you can vote on as well.