It was a good day, no, really, it was indeed a good day, after the "incident" the school closed for a week in order to discuss certain subjects about Quirk usage.
Kai, didn't visit none of his friends since he thought it was a good idea for everyone to have some time to spend with their respective parents until this whole thing blew over, during which, Kai decided to play a toddler's favorite game: What's inside the parent's room.
'Hm…I'm bored and home-alone so…let's see if I can find something interesting.' Kai.
Yeah, today's a resting day (don't overwork you try-hard-s) so he's just wasting time the most child-like he could, fooling around finding whatever "treasures" reside where his mom and dad sleep, there's only around 40% chance that he'd find something that would make this regrettable.
Fortunately, all Kai's found so far has been just some boring things like sewing kits, photo albums, and for some reason a mouth guard made of metal. Did his father practiced boxing? Questions for another day.
Just as Kai was about to call it a day and binge some TV, he saw a small shoe box under his parent's bed.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here~" Kai smiled as he grabbed the box.
Opening it, he found a small plushie, it was a dude with light blue hair, eyes and a set of blue clothes and a brown jacket, it also had a pair of goggles above its head and was on top of a cloud and has a quarterstaff strapped to its back.
"What's this?" Kai wondered as he looked at the plushie closely, it was a bit dusted but not dirty by any means.
'Is it my mother's plush?' Kai wondered as he took out the plushie.
Looking at it, he found a name written in the quarterstaff of its back: Oboro Shirakumo.
"Oboro Shirakumo…is it the name of some famous hero?" Kai guessed as he took the plushie and left the room.
He then went to the washing machine and shoved it inside to clean it; in the meantime, he went to the computer and searched for the name in the hero database.
"Shirazumo, Shiramiko, Sumihiko, there's nothing here about this Oboro guy…" Kai kept browsing until he found an old report. "Ah, let's see…"
Young hero of UA dies tragically after saving a group of daycare children and a worker…
Kai read the old news and tsk-ed, a hero dying wasn't anything new, if anything is something that happens at least once a year, but the fact that it was a youngster… yeah, that left a bitter taste in Kai's mouth.
"Why would mom have a plushie of him then?" Kai questioned as the washing machine completed its cycle and he took the wet plushie out to dry.
*CLANG*
Just then, the doors opened and Kai's parents arrived.
"Kai, we're home." Masaru cheerfully greeted him.
"We bought groceries and your favorite ice cream." Kaia added.
"Oh yeah!" Kai arrived and helped his parents carry the groceries.
"I'll be back in a moment; I have to organize my makeup." Kaia commented as she took a bag and left the kitchen.
'Did I place everything back?' Kai tried to remember.
"Daimon Kai! Get in here right now!" Kaia's voice was as loud as it could get with angry women.
'Nope, I did not' Kai sighed and left the kitchen.
(After a few minutes of reprimanding.)
"Just don't do this again, Kai." Masaru pinched the bridge of his nose as Kai kept organizing what he shuffled around.
"I promise dad, I won't do it again." Kai apologized as he placed a pair of shoes in a basket.
Kaia, however, was looking at the doll with a melancholy expression, Kai noticed it and decided to pop the question.
"Mom…why do you have that plushie?" Kai asked.
Kaia just smiled a little as she looked at the plushie.
"He's, my hero." Kaia admitted.
Kai was confused and intrigued. "Your hero?"
She looked at the doll and he smile softened. "It happened years ago; you were barely 2 years old when that incident happened." Kaia started telling the story.
(Kaia starts to narrate the story)
It was when I left the house to stroll a little around the city, a little hobby I picked up after your birth, and that's when it happened...
A villain attacked the place I was walking by, destruction everywhere, people were screaming, crying, panicking, everything was complete and utter chaos…but then he appeared…
Loud Cloud.
"OORYAH!!!" A teen wearing a blue set of clothes and a brown jacket smacked the villain with his quarterstaff.
Even though everyone was afraid, he arrived with such a smile that…it just made things feel better.
"Come on, villain, focus on Loud Cloud here!" Shirakumo, or rather Loud Cloud, agro the attention of the villain.
His hair was waving around like flames…which was ironic since his Quirk was cloud-related.
The battle prolongs, and with the mistake made from another student, the entire area was destroyed by the villain's Quirk, at that moment, I was stunned from the blast and couldn't move right and I was losing consciousness, a large rock was about to crush me when a cloud was formed on top of me and deflected the rock, saving my life.
All I could see before I lost consciousness was that kid, his face had a trace of blood as he smiled at me…to this day I don't know why he smiled.
Afterwards, your father brought you to the hospital I resided in. You are such a heavy sleeper that you slept through it all, hehe.
I was so happy to be alive and felt indebted to the student that I decided to gift him the plushie as a way to thank him...but…when I arrived at UA and asked for someone with a cloud quirk...…
(Narration ends)
Kaia was crying a little as her husband comforted her.
"He wasn't there anymore, was he?" Kai finished the sentence.
Kaia nodded as she wiped a tear. "Yes, Oboro Shirakumo, the Hero Loud Cloud, died that same day he rescued me, I was so focused on making the plush that I didn't hear the news, I felt so sad that day."
Kai looked at his mother cry, and he lowered his head as he finished organizing.
"Afterwards, I never had the courage to give this plush to his parents and ended up storing it in the shoebox." Kaia finished her retelling as Kai rested his head in her lap.
"Kai." Masaru started speaking "You're smart, mature and hardworking way above the kids your age, which is why I'm telling you this." He looked serious but gave him a kind smile.
"This is what heroes must give if it means to save someone else, I know being a hero is your dream, and I respect your dreams, however, promise us that you'll come back to us...please." Masaru hugged Kai with Kaia.
"I promise…" Kai hugged his parents tightly.
The family of three kept hugging for a long time, none wanted to break out of the hug. After the emotional talk, Kai was sitting in the shade of the tree, he wanted and needed sort some things out.
'I've died…' Was Kai's first thoughts.
'We all die...the one undeniable fact of all of us is that death awaits us at the end of the road. And all that remains are our achievements after we die, he gave his life to save my mom, even if he knew that he would put himself at risk, just like I did when I decided to fight those armed thugs.'
'But the difference lies in that I didn't necessarily had to step in, they would've stolen some things bit it would've been better than losing their lives, right? I wanted to do something…and I paid the price for it.'
'True selflessness, knowing that something bad may happen to you and do it regardless for the sake of others, yet he's only remembered as a tragedy by many…his parents included most likely.'
'I don't want that, someone as grand as Loud Cloud shouldn't have his name remembered like that as a tragedy, he was a hero, a great hero may I add. But how do you inherit the will of those you didn't know? How can I homage his memory?' Kai monologued in his mind as he closed his eyes and unconsciously shifted his breathing to Wind Breathing.
'I've always lived my life helping others and repaying those who were nice to me, I just can't leave this debt forgotten forever.' Kai got up from the tree and went to the laundry room.
He picked a broom and took off the brush before returning to his training grounds. Kai stepped in front of the training dummy, the weight of the wooden staff unfamiliar, yet… right.
'Loud Cloud used a quarterstaff…' He tightened his grip. 'Clouds don't look strong, he thought. They drift, scatter, vanish without resistance. And yet… they block the sun, carry storms, soften the fall of rain.'
Kai inhaled slowly as his breathing rhythm started to change.
'When thinking about strength, many think that it needs to be destructive, powerful and loud. A clash. A stand. But sometimes real strength is knowing when to yield… and still remain.'
The air filled his lungs, cool and steady.
'Clouds are born from water, shaped by wind, and driven by heat. They are never one thing. They change, adapt, move on. Just like people.'
He exhaled, body loosening as the breath guided his stance instead of force.
'Loud Cloud smiled even while bleeding. Not because he didn't feel fear… but because he chose to fight it as well whilst he was saving others.'
Kai's eyes narrowed, focus sharpening.
'Since death is inevitable, I can't allow myself to doubt any further, I'll steel my resolve and honor the ones who've helped me, just like I've always done!'
He stepped forward. The staff moved—not with brute strength, but with flow. A horizontal swing, light yet precise.
*CLANG*
The impact rang clear.
'Clouds carry rain, snow, ice, thunder. They bring destruction… but also life. They shield others, even as they're torn apart.'
Kai took another breath.
'If I am to carry Shirakumo's will… then I won't do it by copying him. I'll let it pass through me. Change me. And become something new.'
Kai's movements began to link together, steps guided by rhythm, breath by intention. Everything he was doing felt unique and new and a manner he never believed could be possible.
'I don't want him to be remembered as a tragedy. I want him to be remembered as the hero he always was.'
The staff cut through the air once more, lighter than before, yet heavier, with meaning.
'If clouds can bear the weight of the sky…Then so can I! I'll carry from now on those who have helped me forever in my heart!'
Kai exhaled, his breathing completely different than Wind Breathing as he dashed towards the dummy, he puts all his weight into smashing the "staff" in a downwards motion aiming to hit the dummy.
'Cloud Breathing: Loud Cloud!'
Kai slammed the "staff" on the dummy's head, the wooden head got smashed into oblivion alongside the broom staff, Kai kept his breathing stiff and imperfect as he just realized what he had done, he created a new breathing style.
Suddenly, the doors opened as Masaru was drawn by the loud sound from the backyard.
"What happened?! Kai, are you okay?!" Masaru asked his son.
Kai just stood there, unmoving before smiling at his father.
"I'm more than okay, dad!" Kai smiled as he sat on the ground and then looked at the sky.
Storm clouds were arriving, indicating the warn of a storm, yet, as odd as it may be, the sun kept shining through them, all of those rays shining on Kai's figure before the clouds completely blocked off the sun.
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Not dead! I have a couple of news about this fanfic.
Right now, it's in the top priority so, I'll be updating this one constantly.
The bad news, I'll do it in my PATREON since my parents are breathing down my neck, for anyone who wants updated chapters check it out, it's only 5 dollars and I'll leave the updates chapter there for I dunno, 3-4 months before updating here.
Sorry but I really need money and I've been flunking some subjects in college, so every bit's important, thanks.
This also means that I'll be doing the same with some of my fics like my Ben 10 one and the One Piece one as well. Sorry but at least you get this one for free, please subscribe ONLY when I've posted please, I don't want you doing it right now without me having any chapters in the making.
Patreon: Kazuto D Kaizo.