Humiliation was not something new for Ryoga.
He had suffered more than his fair share of utter shame through the years, and that was long, long before his curse.
As he sat in the corner of the Tendo Dojo though, lifting a several hundred kilo weight with one arm, up and down, the reality of his curse… Hit him in a way that even all his pig related horror experiences rarely had.
His mother had struck a blow against his pride, being and selfassuredness, in the way only one's family could.
He'd been forgetting about the reality of it since he came to this Dojo… Since meeting Akane and finally putting aside his revenge on Izuku.
The reality that his Pig form… Was a shame, a disgrace, and a dangerous and horrific liability that nothing he could do would be able to fix.
It was, and would continue to be something horrific he was stuck with for the rest of his life.
He had become an utter joke…
His mother was right.
Pigs were only fit to be eaten and consumed, nothing else.
They were weak, ugly, disgusting, pathetic creatures at the best of times.
How in the world could he ever reveal the reality of his condition to his family?
The sheer thought of their disappointed, disgusted faces as he was revealed as such a disgrace to their family name that stretched back over a thousand years.
Over one millennia of Hibiki's had come and gone through the ages, stretching all the way back to the 1200's… And yet certainly, he was with no doubts in his mind, the greatest, and most pathetic joke in a family that had been cursed with the worst directional sense known to man.
What… What was he going to do with his life?
He had a goal now, beyond just surpassing Izuku… But then what?
His dream was to capture Akane's heart… Then go home with her and… Retire? Have adorable children?
He blushed just thinking about it, but the question remained.
Marry Akane, and Surpass Izuku. Then what?
You have nothing else you can achieve. Not with this curse hanging over your head.
He might become an effective Hero in his own right… But any respect or adoration the public might have for him would vanish once they discovered he was cursed to be a worthless, filthy little pig.
They would laugh, and judge him…
He would have to be satisfied with his goals as they stood now.
The greater heights… Will have to be done by the next generation.
It was… A strange way to come to the realization that he had hit a limit that he never could overcome.
His mother had talked about it to him before when he was younger.
Her own limit.
The day she realized she never was going to reach the final stretch, and hit the very peak of the human condition… The day she realized she was only going to get weaker from then on with age.
"The next leap will have to be done by you Ryoga! YOU shall have to improve the Hibiki Survival Arts and make it the strongest under the heavens!"
She had always spoken about it, and her expectations of him with such pride… Even as she put him through the most grueling training regiments imaginable.
It was such a melancholic realization that he couldn't do it.
Oh he could get stronger… Definitly improve on their family's martial art and make it greater than it had been in his mother's day… But he could never achieve her dream, the great goal of the entire Hibiki clan for near on 1000 years.
To make their art unrivaled underneath on the Earth.
It was… Weird.
He'd not thought about it like that for literal years now.
That had, in theory, been one of his goals when setting out chasing Izuku… But he would be lying to himself if he claimed it had been an actual reason for him chasing Izuku through the continents.
He'd chased him because Izuku was his goal.
That defeating him was a good goal in and out of itself for the road to the peak, had not truly crossed his mind.
His goals and his family's goals were not two different directions… But they were not quite the same.
And now… He would get stronger. Strong enough to defeat Izuku. He had no plans of ever giving up on that.
But he understood in a way he had not before, that he could not become unrivaled under the heavens the way his mother, his grandfather, his great grandmother, his great, great grandfather and so on, and so on had all tried to become.
Not when just fumbling his glass could render him powerless… As it had earlier today.
The bitter and humiliating reunion with his mother though, had also taken the bite out of another reality check from earlier.
Something that now that his mother had left, he was forced to consider.
There was… Something unimaginably cosmically cruel and ironic… That after finally, finally having committed himself to winning Akane's heart… His first act as her confidant, had been to cheer her up after having made her own horrible mistake in her relationship with his romantic and eternal rival Izuku.
That hurt deeply… But also made him question how things actually stood here.
He… Did not know what the hell to make of it.
After spending his time here, he had come to the realization that his assessment of Kasumi being Izuku's true love had been right on the money.
The fact was all 3 parents, and Nabiki had in separate conversations told him as much.
Izuku was fond of Akane… But he did not love her the way Ryoga did.
A part of him felt genuine, burning anger at that… Akane deserved someone who was willing to dedicate his entire heart and sou to her very being in all ways!
…But truthfully, he also understood that this WAS an arranged marriage.
It was not a love match.
It, like the matches between Izuku and Kasumi and Nabiki(Though he still wasn't entirely sure about how 2 became all 3) had been arranged to carry on the Tendo line and skills.
It was anything but unheard off in the martial arts world, where your dating pool was rather limited if you truly wanted to continue on your arts.
His parents had never suggested such a match for him… But he knew that all the 3 generations before his mother had been such. Arranged Unions.
He wanted no such thing for himself under ANY circumstances… But he understood how they worked.
If there blossomed love as it clearly had with Izuku and Kasumi, that was great! …But it was not expected or a guarantee.
The question that haunted him right now… Was what in the world Akane's feelings towards Izuku were.
He had… Begun to peg it as a sibling like dynamic… Not like his and Yoiko's relationship of course, but one of the other kind he'd seen over the years on his travels.
Akane was also fond of him… But she did not like the relationship she'd been forced into.
There was some… Invisible thing in their relationship that was there, which Ryoga had a hard to time to explain, but he had seen for himself.
Akane could be affectionate with Izuku… But she could be very annoyed, and snap at him.
Again, a sibling-like dynamic.
Or that was what he had thought…
The feelings Akane had shown when he'd comforted her had been something much, much more deep and intimate.
It had also shown him very, very harshly, that Izuku was not merely his rival in love because of an arranged marriage.
He was an actual, genuine challenger for Akane's heart, not just the boy her father had promised her hand to.
He would need to actually defeat him in the great battle for Akane's heart, not merely win Akane's love himself.
That would be his great goal in life.
He had no idea how he was going to go about it in the long run… But he was sure that this was what his heart and soul wanted.
The great goal that would be his great endeavor! Maybe he could not in the end become the strongest man in the world… Maybe he would forever be cursed by the Pig… Maybe he would be forced to one day return home in utter disgrace and become the great shame of his family…
But as long as he did so hand in hand with Akane, he would do even that, with his head held high, and his heart beating with pride and joy!
One thing was for sure though… The first step on his journey forward… Was helping Akane win this battle.
It would be his utter, and disgraceful shame if he failed in this regard.
He WOULD see her win.
"Not quite how I expected to meet your mother again."
He was shaken out of his stupor and thought by Izuku, who threw him a bag of snacks, before sitting down opposite of him with his own bag.
Ryoga felt a pang of further utter humiliation thinking about how he had been manhandled by his mother, but before he could reply Izuku continued.
"Your mom… Was she always able to hide her Ki so completely?"
"What?"
"Ah you… Probably didn't notice that… I mean since you were… Anyway, she completely hid her Ki as she was here."
Ryoga considered that.
"That… That does not sound like my mom."
Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, I thought the same. I just wanted to ask, since you would probably know better than me."
"...I haven't seen my mother since before I set out for the Americas Izuku."
"Really? So that was your first meeting in… Wow that is sad…"
He felt a pang of anger.
"No need to rub it in damnit! I don't need YOU to tell me how damn humiliating and disgraceful that was… And of course she had to see my clothing lying about…"
He growled, but Izuku focused on something else.
"It… Might be that sword then… If she hasn't learned some new technique…"
"Her sword? What about it?"
Izuku suddenly stared at him, blankly.
Then, with an annoyed tone he said:
"It, and the sheath was that jerk's Totosai's work. You HAVE to have felt that, right? I sure did."
That took him completely aback.
Down below, an old wound began to ache at the mention of Totusai.
"Really? Mom commissioned something from him?"
"Given the age and tear… I think it's far more likely she probably found it on her travels. That has to be more than 6 years old."
Ryoga nodded.
Now THAT sounded way more like his mom, killing some Demon and just picking up his sword on the way.
She'd brought home a lot of weird and dangerous artifacts that way.
"So… it's a stealth sword then?"
"Probably… Though it could also be the scabbard's powers… Regardless, if it was made by that… Asshole, it's probably really strong."
That much was true, something both Izuku and Ryoga, who had both apprenticed under said Demonic blacksmith during their travels through West Africa could contest to.
The tone, and expression on Izuku's face as he spoke about their old sensei also bespoke of just how well he recalled their master… And the last time they had meet him… On that fateful day in Poland.
"Still sore about your old sword huh?"
"Yes."
Izuku's voice revealed a venom that the greenhaired boy reserved for very, very few people… But inside, Ryoga would be lying if he made the claim he was particularly sad to have seen that particular blade go.
I
Akane roared, as she raised the ribbon and brought it crashing down, not like a whip, but a long, heavy chain, with a ball attached to it, kinda hanging from it.
It was a move she'd used some 347 times the last 3 days, with varying degrees of success.
For once, she managed it, without breaking the ball.
When she tried to repeat it though, the Ki… Just didn't flow.
She felt the sweat on her entire body pour down as pangs of annoyance pulsed through her head.
"Out of Ki."
Izuku said, confirming what Akane knew already.
He clapped her on the back gently with an encouraging smile.
"It's good you're finally managing to reach the bottom withouth just crashing into it. That means you're starting to finally get the hang of it without just using up all your Ki immediately in one go!"
Akane nodded slowly, as she felt the familiar sense of wear and… Utter sluggishness set in again.
He was right.
She WAS making progress.
The problem… Was that despite her finally getting some hang of this technique… She was still nowhere near able to use this move consistently… But at least it was something.
"I'm… Heading to clean up… Then to bed.
Izuku nodded.
"Be sure to be up at 05.00. We'll manage the next round in the morning before school."
That was also something that bothered her.
The fact that rather than taking longer, the training sessions were actually getting shorter and shorter.
As she became better at this technique… The amount of time she actually spent using it, ironically decreased sharply.
Akane nodded, then with a wave to Ryoga, who was now sporting a black eye from her only successful full powered strike with the ribbon and ball, she headed over to the bath.
On the way though she eventually stopped on the sidewalk of the house and looked up at the sky.
The moon shone so brightly, and powerfully, the heavens clear with not a cloud at all to hide it.
The air was cold… But right now, her body actually appreciated that.
In the moon… She saw Kodachi's smug, beautiful face, looking down at her, and making a sly smile, as if to mock her progress.
She grit her teeth.
"I'm not gonna lose to Kodachi!"
She declared, as she always did at various points in the day.
The feelings that came with those words managed to once more reignite the flame in her heart.
She REFUSED to consider the idea of losing to her.
Both on the logical, and the emotional!
She refused the idea she would need to tell her dad that-
"Ah, still up my girl!"
She almost tripped forward over the wooden edge, as her father(Who she had not in any way noticed) walked up to her, with a cheerfull grin.
"You're losing the ability feel things through your sixth sense, as you use up all your Ki."
He noted cheerfully as he stepped up besides her.
Akane stared blankly at him.
"You're really happy about that."
"It shows that you have FINALLY found a goal to drive my girl!"
He reached forward and affectionately ruffled her hair, something he generally did not do, preferring large, big, dramatic hugs as he did.
"I have felt like that many times… But it was that first time with Hisashi that really set me on the course that was my life!"
He leaned down, and closer to her face.
"You finally found it didn't you sweetie? A GOAL to bet your pride on!"
He laughed as Akane's guts suddenly felt like they were tied in knots.
"Y-yeah… I… suppose that's one way to put it."
"Excelent my dear! Keep a hold of that feeling. THAT is how you finally, genuinely grow. You finally managed to reach a point where you managed to bring out all of your Ki! It's a long way between that and harnessing it to temper your body in full… But it IS the great turning point of your life! This coming battle will be something you will look back on forever!"
She sure hoped not.
"Do you want me to come watch you? Give my cheers and su-"
"NOOO!"
Her father, surprisingly enough was not taken aback by her tone.
"Ah, you don't want me to come distract you, is it? Very well Akane… Come home with victory and we shall celebrate here in style instead!"
He chuckled to himself, but as he gave her a supporting wave, and walked off, she just felt…
She realized as she began walking to the bath, her skin still stained with sweat… That her father had, in his own way, finally recognized her as a martial artist.
Clearly he was impressed with her efforts… And progress as it was.
At any other time, she would have felt so proud… But not now.
It did solidify in her though, the cold, iron resolution that she had to win.
I
"Wait, so you DIDN'T actually bet your engagement to Izuku? Just his hand?"
Yuka sounded genuinely surprised, and had an expression shared by the other three of Alkane's friends.
It was the first time in several days she'd been able to just sit and talk with them at lunch, as today Izuku was seeking out the advice of their schools immortal store owner… Which meant the would either return with something great, or absolute nonsense.
There was no in-between with that guy.
Sayuri though, compared to her friends had an expression of something suddenly making sense in her head.
"Huh… That explains why Izuku wasn't that worried about marrying Kodachi."
"Thanks for reminding me."
Akane said dryly to Sayuri's words.
"I just saying as it is. He came off as such a jerk… But he wasn't, he was just oblivious to what everyone else thought."
Akane nodded, but didn't say anything. She hadn't said anything that Akane herself hadn't already thought.
It was Asami who actually spoke next.
"So… This might actually be worse. I mean… We all figured out that even if you lost, your dad would probably do something about it."
The other 3 nodded.
"He's put way too much into this whole thing to let your engagement go like this… But If the bets about Kodachi instead becoming a another wife…"
Akane hadn't considered that… But she knew exactly what her friend was suggesting.
"It means it's a question of Honor, but not one where Akane's engagement is on the line. He'll probably feel far more honorbound to let it happen than letting Akane's engagement go."
Akane had to agree.
"I CAN'T let that happen…"
"Yeah… Damn that would be a nightmare. I mean… I kinda get what Izuku meant. Imagine having to live with the Kuno's. Nevermind having to treat them as… In-laws?"
Asami turned to the others.
"What WOULD they be to Akane?"
"Hell if I know."
"A headache, a problem, a pain in the ass, weirdos, take your pick. They're gonna be a thorn in Akane's side forever if she loses… Hence she HAS to win."
It was at this point, Izuku finally came back.
"Oh hi Izuku. What's the word from old Toramasa?"
Her fiancee's face suggested that whatever it was, it wasn't exactly encouraging, though Akane had not really expected it to be anything else.
Izuku sat down besides them before he replied.
"Well… According to him, Akane will be represented by a whale in the upcoming match, against Kodachi's rose."
All the girls stared at him, to which he shrugged.
"I know… But that's what he said. According to his predictions, Akane would be represented in the match as a whale."
That was… About what she could have expected from the insane old codger.
But…
"I don't even know how to swim."
Izuku shrugged.
"Again, I know. I… Don't get it either."
I
Akane swirled the ribbon around in a circular motion, hard, strong, powerful…
As she smashed it forward, she managed to hit two of the 5 targets Izuku threw up with the attached ball.
As he threw up another set of targets, small, leather bags, just big enough to fit into one's hand, she repeated it again, this time hitting 4.
On the next time though, the hold slipped.
Izuku and Ryoga didn't chime in with a commentary, instead Izuku kicked the ball into the air, and let her catch it with a whip strike.
She was already beginning to sweat profusely, but they still had a long way to go before they were ready.
"Wouldn't it be better… With something more heavy at the end?"
As she brought the makeshift morning star forward though, this time she lost her concentration from the voice behind, and the ball flew off the leash midair, leaving the targets to sail uninterrupted and land around her feet.
She turned as Ryoga went to gather up the fallen target pieces, to where Kasumi was standing in the entranceway.
Akane took, deep, deep breaths.
"Heavier?"
She didn't understand what Kasumi meant.
Izuku did though as he walked up to her, and replied.
"You're not wrong… This technique does work better with something heavy, rather than light… Unfortunately… That's not really an option."
"Oh? I thought you had quite the amount of options for what to use."
"Yeah…"
Izuku said sardonically.
"That's what I thought too… Until I actually got to read the rulebook."
He fished out said rulebook from inside his sleeve, and opened it, and then held it up in front of Kasumi's face.
"There used to be a heck of a lot of things you were allowed to use. Basically, if it isn't mentioned here as forbidden, you can use it as a secondary item thrown into the ring by your second. Unfortunately…"
He flipped the pages.
15 in total.
There has been A LOT of things banned from this category of acceptable secondary items. People have used A LOT of things that for their match were not against the rules, but were patched in immediately after."
Akane nodded, then walked up besides him.
"The dumbest was that technically, you could have more than one second… So there was one case where the entire gymnastic team was categorized as such, and moved the ring from underneath using brute strength and coordination."
That was by all accounts the dumbest "technically not cheating" in her mind… But it was far from the only one.
"Kettles of boiling water… Using the buildings emergency water hose, spiked clubs, hoops with sharpened ends… The list of now banned secondary items is astonishing."
Kasumi nodded, taking it in strides as she usually did with most things.
"Sounds like a lot of the new superpowered sports. Legal loopholes are patched very often… That they are not, is generally a sign that it's not very popular… Or one individual or team dominates the entire sport."
Akane, who didn't care much for superpowered sports, shrugged, but Izuku nodded, as he lowered the book.
"Yeah… Unfortunately, I checked the limit of that. You need it to be roughly in the 20 kilos or above to get the effect you're talking about. The rules though makes it abundantly clear that you are not allowed to bring anything that weighs over 10 Kilos, regardless of whether it is specifically mentioned or not."
Kasumi nodded.
"Hmmm… That means Akane will have to actually master the technique in full, rather than be able to use a shortcut."
Akane felt… A bit off as they talked.
It should not be much… But the casualness of the way they just laid out the strengths and weaknesses and inner workings of this technique was… It made her feel awkward.
Outside of the conversation.
She was an outsider listening in on two masters, not their peer.
She'd felt like that before… But not with Izuku.
It was… Not a feeling she cared for.
"At least she can use this technique just fine on the arena itself. It weighs substantially more than 20 kilos. That means she'll have great leverage and footing if she needs it."
A hand appeared on her shoulder, and she turned to see Ryoga, motioning for them to continue Iron cloth training.
She got the message immediately.
They could continue training while Izuku and Kadumi talked.
The less spiritually stressful part at that.
I
Kasumi and Izuku kept talking for the entire rest of her training session.
It was… A blessings in some ways, a curse in others.
On the good hand, it meant she was able to devote the entire nightly training to Iron cloth which… Came much easier than usual surprisingly.
It was nothing compared to Ryoga and Izuku's, but compared to how it had been at day one, it was astonishing how much she had grown.
The feeling of actually getting it made her feel great…
On the bad hand…
Ryoga was a good teacher, and she trusted him, for which he rewarded her with great timing for exercises.
But he wasn't Izuku.
Izuku had a… Rythm in his training, regardless of what it was, that Ryoga just did not, regardless of how well, he tried to get her whip strikes to move in tact with his for the various katas.
That wasn't necessarily bad all around, as Ryoga's katas didn't demand perfection… But it did feel a bit off.
The big difference though… Was seeing her with him.
Just smiling, and small talk and discussing this and that, and her and the match and Kodachi.
The casualness both of them had with each other, the way… The way both of them just seemed to meld into the other's presscence as if they were one of a pair.
It was such a contrast between her and Izuku's relationship… And not just because theirs could be stormy.
Even when it was great, it had never come even close to being something like this.
Eventually though, her phone told her the training was over for tonight, even though she still had a lot of ki.
It was time to head to the bath, then to bed to get her rest.
Rest was an important part of training after all.
After saying goodbye to both Izuku and Ryoga though… Her plans were somewhat derailed as Kasumi motioned for her to follow her, with a serious expression.
She immediately felt her stomach sink.
Had Kasumi learned of the bet?
Had she told father and now the hammer was about to drop!?
As it turned out, the "hammer" in this question was a bit of cacao in the kitchen.
Kasumi seated herself opposite of Akane, and looked her over as she drank, kinda awkwardly.
It was good stuff though. Which was not surprising, given it was Kasumi who had made it.
"You're picking up iron cloth rather well. Much, much better than the other technique."
That was… Kinda backhanded, but Akane chose to focus on the first part.
"Really? Izuku and Ryoga both say so, but…"
Kasumi smiled.
"I heard Izuku's assessment, yes. You are no prodigy… But you are making rapid progress. This fight REALLY matters to you, doesn't it Akane?"
"I… Yeah… It does."
Kasumi nodded.
"Good. I… Don't think the other technique will work out that well for you in the long run… At least not in any unorthodox manner different from the way any other martial artist uses it… But the Iron Cloth is a different story. Once this is over… You should figure out something that works for your style using that… But don't try to copy Ryoga and Izuku. They use it in a particular way that… Does not play to your strengths. Literarily in this case."
"You… Are you saying this Ki technique is a dead end?"
"Not at all. The strategy Izuku has laid out is a sound one… And you have the strength to see it done. But after this fight… You really should focus more on Iron Cloth."
She then reached up, and out of the hem of her neck, she began pulling something out.
Something golden.
"More speciffically… Once you're done with this match… I want you to try to master this."
It was… A rope.
A golden colored rope.
"What's… What's this thing?"
"A rope. It's just thick enough to easily infuse with Ki… And yet also thin enough you can modify it easily. A weight at the end, a taser that shocks what it hits, or something magical to use as the main crux."
Akane took the long, golden threaded thing, letting it glide through her hand.
"What did… Did you use this thing for?"
"Binding my enemies."
Well it… It was one way to use it she supposed. The more mundane one.
"The important thing about this dear… Is that it's a very cheap, yet effective, and very replacable weapon. Many and more fighting styles rely on one, specific weapon. A sword, spear, and so on. And if it's destroyed… Well… And yet this rope… If destroyed, you can easily pull out more."
That… Again, it was one way to consider it.
She… Would need to think more about this later.
AFTER she had beaten Kodachi.
"I… Thanks sis."
"Don't meantion it Akane… Now then… I believe it is time for your bath, and then off to bed. Get a good night's sleep… You'll need it for the morning training."
I
Kodachi Kuno hummed to herself as she jotted down more words on her notepad, already full of information after several days of deep, deep introspection on her prey.
That was a great part of the road to victory after all.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Sun Tzu's old warnings had proven true enough during her first visit to Tendo Dojo… Which was why she had been far, far more caustic with every subsequent visit, where she generally kept a more firm distance and observed more through her spyglass.
She knew herself, she knew her sport… But she had not known Akane Tendo well enough.
Hence her defeat.
She had then, as Sun predicted, obtained a Victory in their next meeting, immediately understanding and reading Akane's character right to get her to foolishly bet the only prize Kodachi now truly wanted.
One loss, one victory.
It was now the final clash that would determine the end, and final outcome of their rivalry.
If she did not come to learn Akane, all the way to the bottom, there was in theory a 50/50 chance she would lose.
She had no intentions of the final clash being anything of the sort.
She WAS going to WIN this match and her beloved Izuku-Sama's hand!
She refused to consider the possibility of a future where she did not stand on the altar in a dress and him in a groom's outfit.
The very thought made her blush furiously, her lips curled in a girly smile at the fantasy of giving herself to him for all to see!
To achieve that though, she needed to know everything there was to know of her opponent, her strengths, her weaknesses, her openings.
Just by watching, she had through glimpses past doors opened briefly, learned her fighting style, how she intended to combine iron cloth and her other, unnamed technique.
Yes, she was a frightening woman indeed.
Her great battle to claim her spot at the Altar, her grand test, was not going to be anything but a big, dramatic, grand climax.
However… She had weaknesses as well.
One of them in particular just walked right out in the night.
He was about Izuku-Sama's height… But he lacked everything that made Izuku such a stud.
He was boring and macho, where Izuku was charming, boyish and beautiful, and that was just their looks.
Looking down on him from her hiding spot in the great, faraway tower that let her survey Tendo Dojo's actual training hall, Kodachi thought to herself that if her brother symbolized everything about Japanese men that made them so stuffy and boring, Ryoga Hibiki symbolized the same for almost all other men.
Yes, her Izuku-Sama truly was something far out of the ordinary.
He was the weakness though.
The big opening that Kodachi had discovered.
The hole in Akane's armor that would lead her to ruin.
It was ironic.
If her brother had not thrown out every single factoid about her darling in an attempt to convince her to give up on her love, she would probably not have connected the dots regarding the boy and the pig.
But knowing it now… And getting a nice, thorough look and study of Akane Tendo from all her spying and information gathering… She understood what the boy represented.
And also how to use the rules and what they actually said to fully capitalize on this glaring weakness!
Yes indeed! Victory would be hers! Oh Ho Ho Ho!
I
Kasumi sighed as she leaned herself over the balcony railing besides Izuku, handing over a bottle of soda to her fiancee.
It was the same balcony as where they had once discussed Kuno and Nabiki's past, only now they were actually dressed a bit more ready for the cold final nights of September.
Kasumi took her own bottle, and after opening it, took a drought in her usual, proper style.
She was so… Proper, Izuku mused.
Not that he was complaining in any way.
He liked that part of her. A lot.
It was just… It wasn't an act.
At all.
It was just the way she was.
It was… What he had in many ways always tried to be… Only to generally fall short at.
"Akane is… So straightforward… It's actually bindboogling sometimes how easy she is to read."
Izuku… Didn't quite agree.
He had seen plenty of sides of Akane that he didn't find straightforward at all… But in this regard he had to agree.
He didn't just come out and say that though.
"She… Likes a straight road, that's for sure."
"Indeed. Which is why it astonishes me how long it has taken me to try to steer her into using a weapon."
"A… Weapon?"
"Yes. Akane actually is trained in Japanese swords of all kinds, Kanabos, Naginatas, Bisento's, bow and arrow, Jitte, Mallets, staffs, Kama, Nunchaku, Sais, Tonfas, Bokkens, Kabutowaris, Sasumata and Tsukubos."
That…
"That's quite the array of weapon skills…"
"Yes. By any account… She has a great talent for weapons, even if she has never been good at imbuing them with Ki."
"Why… Why doesn't she use that then?"
He didn't generally use weapons… But that was mostly because barehanded combat worked just fine for him, and would continue to do so in his work as a Hero… And the one blade he had actually wanted to use… Well it wasn't around anymore.
His former sensei had seen to that.
But if his weapon skills had been the only thing he had going for him…
Kasumi sighed.
"I do believe dear… That I once told you, that Akane tries far, far too hard to be me… And father."
Izuku stared at her.
A less intelligent person might have needed a vit of prodding, but Izuku realized exactly what she was trying to say immediately.
"Are you telling me Akane doesn't use weapons because you and Sound don't?"
Kasumi smiled at that, once more giving him that oh so knowing smile.
"I suppose I am. I have been trying to get her to shift her focus to weapons, for ages and years now. Sometimes softly, and other times blunt as a brick. It has never worked."
"That… Explains a lot regarding why you were so exasperated with her as a potential Hero."
"Yes. As I said… She'll have to become something else. Because she certainly will never be able to become me."
She looked from Izuku, up at the moon, and her eyes hardened a bit, though they did not become cold.
"I made some real progress with that tonight… Thanks to your teaching her. She really needed this."
That… He did not agree with. At all.
But he did not say that, or the reasoning behind his opinion out loud.
He really, really hoped he would not need to.
Ever.
"This duel has really lit a fire under her. Sometimes…"
She looked down, her gaze towards on the garden below, her eyes turning really, really sad.
"We need that spark… The kick to get us going."
Her voice was suddenly… So melancholic.
Izuku… Did not know what exactly motivated him to do what he did next.
It was just… Her suddenly sad, sad expression as she looked down on the well tended garden below, made him feel…
He stepped a bit closer to her… And laid an arm around her waist, before pulling her gently closer to him.
Kasumi stiffened, but… She did not resist, instead leaning into it… Though her cheeks suddenly became quite red.
So did his, once he realized just what he had done.
Holy crap… That was…
She didn't say anything for a while, and neither did he.
They just… stood there. Feeling the others warmth.
Finally though, it was Izuku who broke the silence.
"I… I remember what it was for me. The spark I mean."
Kasumi turned her head and looked at him.
"It was… Not long after I was declared Quirkless… It… Was the prospect of having to live Quirkless, withouth power… With everything that came with it… It brought me down, hard… My absolutely lowest, even as young as I was… Then… My dad offered me a solution. The third option. The way out. Ki."
Kasumi nodded slowly.
"That's why you agreed to it. To us. To me."
"...Yeah. It was."
Kasumi seemed to consider that, her eyes going down… Then she looked back up again, and he saw in her eyes that she had decided something.
"When I was… In my final middle school year… I had very little martial arts training at all. I had absolutely spectacular Ki reserves… But very little training…."
She stopped… Then took a deep breath, obviously to calm her nerves, in a manner so unlike her general demeanor.
"Then… Mother died. Everything changed. I… Had to keep my family together… Because no one else could… But I also needed power. I learned the hard way… What happens to those without, when those who have it come knocking."
This time, his motion was not the kind of spontaneous thing from before.
He knew exactly why he did it, and as he leaned forward, and put his still free arm around Kasumi's neck, and pulled her close to him, he felt none of that previous embarrassment.
This was what he had to do.
What he wanted to do.
Kasumi… Just melted into it, her own arms closing around his neck.
They stood like that, hugging each other for quite a while.
No more words needed to be said that night.