Maika Nagumo
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"Come and catch me if you can, but don't expect the path to be as straight as you think it is. For his sake. I'm willing to take on any challenge. Like hell do I care how strong Stormwatch is. Let my Squad Leader go."
- Maika Nagumo to the Stormwatch Brigade
Maika Nagumo was a Contingency Initiative Operative serving under Elimination Squad Four for Matthew "The Mirage" Lam. Her codename was The Refractor prior to her death to The Transplant. Maika was the first member to join Squad Four after Matt, making her his first subordinate, and the member who had known him the longest out of everyone in the Elimination Squad. Despite being the oldest member of Squad Four, Maika also became one of the most notorious, as out of every member in the Elimination Squad, Maika was seen partying, drinking, and doing drugs the most to the point where other members of the Contingency Initiative dubbed her as the "Squad Four Party Girl".
Having demonstrated incredible mastery over her ability to distort space around her body, Maika was commonly referred to as Squad Four's Illusionist. Adding onto her power of illusion, Maika possesses impressive mastery over the katana, frequently combining her skills as a former kunoichi assassin to her evo to be one of the most cunning hand to hand fighters, falling only slightly short to Mirage's Senkaku Style.
Contents
Appearance
Maika was a young woman with straight medium length blonde hair that fell below shoulder level, and purple eyes. Described by Taras Pax to be "very beautiful and mature", Maika, especially in her early days in the Contingency Initiative, was jokingly referred to as "Mirage's Wife", due to being the only other member of Matt's Squad Four other than Matt himself. As a former kunoichi, then later, as a Squad Four Operative, Maika was very fit, and this was evident through her physical build, which is depicted to be slender, but voluptuous and well developed due to her innate athleticism required for her former occupation. For Japanese standards, Maika was considered to be above average in height, standing at 5 foot 9 inches, giving her an impression similar to that of a model. Due to her attractive appearance, Matt's Level 1 Dogma often triggered whenever Maika blushed or became flustered at her Squad Leader's caring side, implying that Matt harboured romantic feelings to some degree at his Squad Member.
Although Maika often changed her outfits depending on her mood and occasion, her uniform in Squad Four remained consistent, which consisted of grey and black combat kevlar, with the Squad Four insignia defined across the chest area, separating the various regions of her suit with different shades of dark grey. Maika typically had her suit unzipped halfway down at the front, which partially displayed her breasts, as she claimed that she needed to cool herself off whenever she stressed her body in combat. Around her waist, was a steel combat utility belt which holstered her late husband's katana, and several smoke grenades for evasive manoeuvres. The uniform was completed with a pair of black leggings and tactical sleek armoured boots, in the form factor of heels. When Maika wore these heels, her overall height became similar to Matt's, standing at 5 foot 10 inches.
Personality
"Don't get me wrong. I want to kill you, in the worst, most gruesome way possible. You killed my little sister, my parents, and my son before he could even leave my womb and see the world with his own eyes. But right now... you don't come even close to my priority. I have to go to him, because he needs me. My Squad Leader needs me. You don't matter anymore to me, Kintaro-san. The only person on my mind right now, is Matt."
- Maika to her zombified husband on her loyalty to Squad Leader Matt
Maika was a very dedicated individual, having developed a fierce work ethic from raising her younger sister alone, to training to become a kunoichi for her sake. Even after having suffered the trauma of seeing her sister die, a miscarriage, and a physical thrashing from her own husband, Maika refused to sleep and tried to hone down her illusionary powers for the sake of Matt, believing she owed him for saving her life. However, her work ethic was often criticized by her Squad Leader as being "self destructive", to the point where Matt had to verbally reprimand his Squad Member and force her to get some rest. Although Maika was aware of her self destructive behaviour, she believed it was a norm and necessary, as "karoshi" was a norm in her country.
In addition to her high effort mindset, Maika displayed contempt towards how New Ulysses, and in extension, society as a whole, often presented false ideals, brainwashing their people. This was to the point where Maika even held contempt towards herself for being a former kunoichi, and to manifest powers of illusion, which she refers as "deception". This contempt for deception first started when Maika was betrayed by her husband, Ito Kintaro, who was revealed to be the reason why her sister and consequently, Maika herself, was forced into a life of murder and assassination as a kunoichi. Since then, Maika's trauma only manifested through an escalation in her anger towards to the world, which was ultimately what caused her to fully dedicate her life to the Contingency Initiative.
Maika cared extremely deeply for Matt, seeing him as her saviour, but also recognized that to some degree, she could not be too dependent on her Squad Leader, after Matt had told her that the main driving force towards improving her life was her own effort, not his. Grateful for his words of advice, Maika loyally followed Matt, who, initially was irritated by her presence, eventually warmed up to her due to her dedication towards him. Matt would act as her mentor and best friend, frequently giving her advice not just on being a Contingency Initiative, but also lessons on life and independence. This loyalty intensified when Maika decided to fight The Stormwatch Brigade for his sake, despite knowing that the Brigade was the strongest Brigade in the Realmwatch Collective. This loyalty later became justified even further when Maika begged for tutelage from Matt's original teacher, Vicki Harriet, on mastering Kintaro's Katana, which she was originally reluctant to wield due to her trauma. This act of loyalty shocked even Matt, who had stressed to Maika about how strict and fierce of a teacher Vicki was. This loyalty later manifested into romantic feelings, as Maika slowly realized she had fallen in love with Matt. However, Maika refrained from fully confessing her feelings, as she had discovered that Matt's Level 1 Dogma Bargain did not permit him to find love.
As more members began to join Squad Four, Maika took on a maternal role in the Squad, having been pregnant with a child in the past, Maika had a psychological obligation to ensure that the younger members did not live without some maternal figure even if they were operatives to CI. These maternal tendencies often manifested whenever Maika would interact with Yeling Mah, as Yeling, like Maika, was considered a foreigner in New Ulysses, and thus was subjected to the same racial discrimination she went through. To a lesser degree, Maika also displayed affection towards Lewis and Whitney, however, unlike Yeling, Lewis and Whitney were more problematic in the sense that Lewis exhibited incel qualities, and Whitney found Maika annoying, rather spending her time flirting and hooking up with men. Maika and Flint got along more like siblings, as the two were of similar age. Since Maika had experienced relationships through her past marriage with Kintaro, Maika understood Flint's relationship with his girlfriend, and the hardships he went through, much to Flint's gratefulness.
Despite these qualities, Maika is not without flaw. Due to having been restrained from the party lifestyle in the past, Maika, when exposed to alcohol and parties, manifested a "party girl side" similar to her sister, which caused Maika to go days without rest: partying, drinking, and doing drugs non-stop to the point of addiction. Though Maika would reprimand herself after, these "episodes" would almost inevitably happen again whenever Matt gave her time off and the opportunity arose. This addiction was often looked down on by most in Squad Four, and later, when word got out in the Contingency Initiative, Maika was given the alias "Squad Four Party Girl".
Biography
"I know about your past. You were a kunoichi in Fukuoka trying to pay your younger sister's debt. You were married to a man called Ito Kintaro who you trusted for eight years, until he betrayed both you and your sister and had her killed for spare change. And now you can't trust men ever again. It's a sad story, but if you joined my Squad hoping for something different, then you're sorely mistaken. Stop waiting for your Prince Charming to enter your life and hoping it would turn around miraculously. If you want things to change it's up to you to change it. Not others. And certainly not me."
- Matthew Lam to Maika Nagumo
Early Years
Not much of Maika's childhood is known, aside from the fact that Maika spent a majority of her early years living in a residence along with her younger sister. Because of the absence of their parents, who were out of country, Maika acted as a maternal figure to her younger sister, carrying the burden of taking care of the household. Due to the lack of parental figures, Maika's younger sister, aged 13, despised Maika's stern personality, claiming she, aged 14, was not her mother, and often left the house and partake in rebellious activities. On one fateful night, Maika and her sister entered a heated argument, where the younger sister claimed that she wished their parents had died and never given birth to the two girls, so that she wouldn't have to live with such a strict sister. Enraged, Maika slapped her sister, causing her to run out of the house and not return for three days.
Terrified and worried, Maika chased after her sister, and discovered that her sister had gotten involved with a criminal organization disguised as a street gang, where she had been drugged with an illegal compound known as Kira by her boyfriend. Maika's sister, frantic and desperate, begged her older sister to save her. In a desperate attempt to save her sister, Maika was offered a deal to save her sister's life; work as a kunoichi for the organization and earn enough money to pay off the debt her sister had accumulated.
Nagumo agreed, and joined the underground assassin organization Scarlet Rose at the age of 14, working as a kunoichi and partaking in numerous assassinations to pay off her younger sister's debt. The job was both gruesome and taxing, as Maika was forced to endure the violence of not just killing her victims, but manipulating and seducing them despite being only a teenager.
Maika would secretly work as a kunoichi throughout her school years, balancing her assassin life with her school life. Throughout middle school, Maika dated Ito Kintaro, the son of a wealthy merchant who became attracted to her after witnessing Maika outperform the upper years during a sports festival due to her heightened physical conditioning as a kunoichi.
The Return of Scarlet Rose
After graduation, Maika married Kintaro as well as finally clearing her younger sister's debt. Earning enough money for a plane ticket, Maika, now aged 18 flew her younger sister back to their parents, and lived a peaceful life free from assassination with her husband.
During one night, Maika and her husband attempted to conceive, but Kintaro discovered that Maika had lied about being a virgin. Enraged, Kintaro demanded why Maika had not disclosed any of her past relationships with him, and Maika, attempting to hide her past pleasuring assassination targets as a kunoichi, lied that she had several lovers before Kintaro, greatly straining the relationship. Despite this, Kintaro proceeded reluctantly, and Maika became pregnant with Kintaro's child.
A few months later, while Kintaro was away, Maika received a distressing call from her sister, who claimed that several "shadowy figures" were after her. Maika's sister had revealed Maika's past with Scarlet Rose to their parents, who flew back to Fukuoka and retrieve Maika and flee. Maika, in a panic, rushed to the airport to find her family, but was too late, as by the time she reached the airport, the entire building was in flames. Pushing through the hordes of evacuating travellers, Maika found her sister alive, but to her horror, the burnt bodies of her parents by her sister's side. Grabbing her sister, Maika began to flee the airport, stealing and hijacking several cars with a number of Scarlet Rose assassins pursuing the sisters.
While in hiding, Maika berated her sister, demanding why she had revealed something so important to her parents without even thinking about the consequences. Maika's sister, in a frenzy, screamed at her sister, telling her it was all her fault for being so strict when they had lived together, and that if Maika had only been less strict, she wouldn't have caused her to party so much and leave the home often. Before Maika could retaliate, the sisters were spotted and ambushed by numerous shinobi. Maika attempted to fend them off to allow her sister to escape, but quickly realized her pregnancy had greatly reduced her mobility. Maika and her sister were then saved by Kintaro, who drove the sisters into a faraway town.
Kintaro's Family
Maika, Kintaro, and the younger Nagumo stayed in an abandoned shack for several weeks, where Maika began to develop a fever. Concerned for his baby and wife, Kintaro attempted to treat Maika, but was unsuccessful. Realizing the pain her older sister was going through, the younger sister apologized profusely to Maika for everything she had done, from leaving home, getting involved with the gangs, doing drugs, and going against Maika's ways. Maika forgave her sister, and the two made up. However, Kintaro became distressed, and stepped out of the house for several hours. While alone, Maika and her sister cried for their parents, the grief finally hitting them now that they were free from the Scarlet Rose.
The next morning, Maika awoke to see Kintaro sitting across from her. Maika's sister was nowhere to be found, but Kintaro ensured her that she was safe. Maika, sensing something was off, asked Kintaro where he had been during those hours. Kintaro ignored her question and asked her about the Scarlet Rose, which Maika quickly denies. Kintaro continues pushing questions, until finally linking her claims about her previous lovers, her lost virginity, along with her incredible physical prowess to be that akin to a kunoichi. Desperately trying to convince her husband otherwise, Maika was suddenly apprehended by numerous Scarlet Rose shinobi. Kintaro then revealed, to Maika's horror, that the Ito family was responsible for the fabrication and distribution of Kira to the black market. The capitalization of Kira was what made the Ito family so wealthy.
Stricken by disbelief, horror, grief, and rage, Maika violently retaliated, yelling at her husband for deceiving her all this time, but collapsed from a kick to her pregnant belly by Kintaro, who angrily shouted at his wife that she had betrayed his trust first by not telling him of her second life. Maika retorted that doing so would have been impossible as the Scarlet Rose would have hunted him too, but Kintaro replied by saying that the Scarlet Rose belonged to the Ito Family, and that he had suspected her sister ever since saving the two at the airport. Struggling, Maika lost consciousness.
Maika Awakens Her Evo
Maika awakened in a dark cell, where across from her, her sister was bound and gagged. Maika attempted to struggle, when a man entered the cell, who revealed himself to be Kintaro. Enraged, Maika screamed at her husband, but Kintaro replied saying the only reason why she was still alive was because she was the first woman he had intercourse with, meaning she held a special place in his heart. Sickened by Kintaro's depraved mind, Maika vowed to kill her husband and that the child she would give birth to will grow up to never know its father. Greatly offended, Kintaro walked up to her sister and placed a knife against her throat. Maika, realizing the carelessness of her words, hysterically begged her husband to put the blade down, but it was too late, as Kintaro killed her sister before her very eyes. Screaming in grief, Maika struggled in her cell as Kintaro left her alone with the corpse of her sister.
Several hours passed, and Maika was awoken to strong contractions and pain. Realizing her water had broken, Maika entered labor. Throughout the childbirth process, Maika made a choice. If the baby survived, she would escape the cell and raise her child free from hatred and rage. She would give up her life as a kunoichi for good and she would become an ideal mother. If the baby died, she would see it as a sign and would proceed on her path to vengeance.
After a few more hours, Maika gave birth to a stillborn, which caused her to cry in grief. During this time, the Pax Incident occured, causing the energies of the explosion to flood her body giving Maika the ability to generate illusions. Maika discovered this power, upon seemingly holding her newborn baby in her arms, only to realize it was simply an illusion she had created. Escaping the cell, Maika used her powers to deceive and assassinate every single member of the Scarlet Rose in the base, until finally facing off against Kintaro.
Maika Nagumo meets Matthew Lam
Maika, using her powers, charged her husband, but was intercepted by more shinobi. Depleted and tired from having recently gave birth, Maika began to show signs of fatigue and was beaten bloody by her former colleagues. Kintaro ordered the Scarlet Rose to back off, and proceeded to beat Maika relentlessly, frantically claiming it was her fault that his first child died in her womb, and that his family was about to kill him for impregnating one of the Ito Assassination Group's kunoichi. Maika, enraged, attempted to fight back, but was powerless, as she watched her husband unsheathe his katana, ready to finish her off. However, before he could, an explosion interrupted Kintaro, who was then met face to face with Matthew "The Mirage" Lam. Maika watched in disbelief as Mirage easily defeated the shinobi of the Scarlet Rose, and proceeded to overpower Kintaro, taking his katana and killing her husband before her very eyes.
Recovering from her beating, Maika asked Mirage who he was, but the Contingency Initiative operative refused to answer. Maika, realizing everything she had left was gone; her parents, her sister, her baby, and now her husband were all dead, concluded that her life was no longer worth living, and attempted to kill Mirage for taking away the one thing she had left: the satisfaction of killing Kintaro. However, Mirage quickly defeated her and told her that his Elimination Operation was only to kill the Ito Family, and that Ito Kintaro was the one remaining family member alive, which was why he had eliminated him along with the rest of the Scarlet Rose. Crying and hysterical at her own weakness, Maika begged Mirage to take her with him, to let her find another purpose in life. However, Mirage refused, telling her to go to a mental hospital instead, and that if she wanted a change in life, she needed to ultimately find the strength in herself to do so, rather than wishing for her "Prince Charming" to miraculously arrive and save her. However, before Mirage could finish his sentence, Contingency Initiative leader Taras Pax appeared, and recognized Maika's drive for power. Taras explained that the hatred she had for this world's deception, starting with her sister's boyfriend, then the criminal organization, and finally her own husband, would never go away. But as someone who's powers were just that; the ability to deceive, she would become one of the greatest assets, by blending in with a fake world, to the Contingency Initiative in their march to creating a new world. Taras then recruited Maika to the Contingency Initiative, giving her Kintaro's katana and instructing that her trauma from Kintaro could be weaponized through the sword. Maika would be reporting under Mirage, much to Matt's disapproval.
