Fandom We Fight to Forge a {connection} | A MHA RP

[Genkai]

Shaking her head, "No, my friend made most of it I'm afraid...but she's a great cook. I'm much more into the sweeter side of things hahaha." She laughed. She did okay with cooking but a bento? That was not something she was comfortable with but maybe Ruka could teach her one of these days. Regarding his comment about flying but being unable to, Mela parted her lips, about to say something. So he did have a quirk? Maybe he couldn't use it because it was used too much? Or maybe it was just because he was working? Leave it to UA to hire a janitor who could just fly around and take care of things more easily! But then again, with the boxes from last week, surely flying would have saved him time. It was a curious thing she'd have to ask him about.

"Sure, go right ahead." She nodded, more than happy to share with Yagi. "I'm so glad, my friend will be happy to know that." She said but then stopped herself. Maybe not. Ruka might not be happy to think Mela wasn't with her peers but with the third mystery man sharing Ruka's food with him. Maybe Mela would just keep this to herself though she hated to keep things from Ruka. Even not saying anything about Aizawa-sensei and her shopping trip was nagging at her. As Yagi spoke of his hard work and the flowers around them and how they could be a good metaphor for people, she ate and laughed. "That's a very cute way of looking at it." She replied. Sometimes it was nice to think of things in such an easy manner. It was hard to grow surrounded by shade and zero nutrients.

"You did a great job, Yagi-san. Thank you for all your hard work around here." She assured him. "Spring is a magical time of year!" Mela paused in her eating when asked if things were okay. She fell silent for a moment. There were some things troubling her. But they seemed so silly compared the rest of the world and its problems. "I...I'm just..." How could she best say this without sounding like a typical high schooler? Sighing, she decided it could be best to just keep it more general if she couldn't find the right words. "I'm just thinking about relationships. You know, guys and the like." She said. Of course she was more talking about Ruka and how she had two possible boyfriends who were about to fight to death for her. Maybe not the death...but Mela wouldn't cry too much if they both KO'ed one another and neither bested the other.

Whoever won today's fight would probably feel like they had an edge over the other, and could make a move for Ruka, feeling invincible. Maybe she should just watch and wait. But she couldn't help thinking how fun it had been to scare Kaminari but doing the same to Todoroki might be prove more difficult. "It's so hard to figure out someone's feelings when they feel so far away." She sighed. "But I'll figure it out." She smiled. She would find a way to make sure if Shoto won Ruka's heart, to never damage it in any way. They spent the rest of the time eating and chatting, Mela talking about how excited she was for the upcoming events and how nervous she was to go against Iida-san. So many challenges to face, so little time.

Getting up, she brushed off some of the stray cherry blossoms and looked to Yagi, "Oh don't apologize! I love spending time with you!" She grinned. He was so much easier to talk to thank the other two guys though there was something about Yagi that also made her a little nervous. But she couldn't classify it yet. All Might made her nervous but then she was also happy and a bit more hyper than usual. And Aizawa made her nervous but more in the sense she had to do her very best. But with Yagi? She was nervous but much less so, it felt more natural. Probably because he wasn't one of her idols. At his kind words, her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you so much, I'll do my best!" She gave him a thumbs up back, feeling a lot better than when she had this morning. "See ya, Yagi-saaaaan~" Mela headed off to rejoin the rest of her class,

Smiling to Ruka as they all got changed, Mela's ears perked up at the idea of their hero costumes. "Ooooh? I can't wait! I picked out something super cute! So cute that no one would dare think about hitting me!" She laughed, it was a plan that was bound to work. But then again, whatever the company decided, was what they got. Mela had even put in a request for some fancy new arrows as well as some small explosives and smoke screens, figuring they could help give her an edge in battle. But it sounded like they'd need to wait a bit longer. "I want them noooow, Rukie-chan. I wanna practice in them and make sure it's perfect." Mela spun around as they headed out into the gym to see a basic arena in the middle of the gym. It was nothing fancy but it allowed all of them to fight on an even playing field but it also meant Mela was a bit limited in her tricks. And still no equipment. Her brow arched at Aizawa before he tried to lure someone out to go first. No thanks.

It didn't surprise Mela though, that at the idea of extra credit, that Kaminari jumped up and waved his hand, an uncomfortable Todoroki sitting beside him. The two headed to the raised platform and stood on opposite ends. Denki looked like he was ready but Shoto looked a little less so, maybe he was confident and didn't show it? Mela leaned over to Ruka, "Aww they're fighting over you." She teased lightly. "Which one will you cheer for?" She wondered aloud. Whoever won would be so happy but who lost? They'd be devastated. And then Ruka might be torn between which guy to approach first. Mela did feel for Ruka, knowing this might not be a fun fight for her to watch. Mela, she would enjoy every second of it though. As the fight kicked off, Mela grabbed onto Ruka's hand. Even though she didn't like either boy, she did want to support Ruka first and foremost. "They'll be fine." She assured Ruka with a gentle smile.

Mela looked to Ruka when it was finally over, it took less than three minutes. Shoto was really strong. Maybe Ruka should be with someone like that? She tilted her head thoughtfully, unable to help feeling back for Denki though. She could tell he was really upset with the result but then again these battles would all have one winner and one loser and you just had to make sure you weren't the loser. Mela squeezed Ruka's hand lightly as it sounded like Bakugo had been fired up by that display and ended up marching up to the arena. Mela let go of Ruka's hand, hoping she would be okay against the guy who seemed ready to murder anyone and everyone around him. What kind of hero was that anyway? She pushed her way over to Aizawa-sensei, almost angry for him to put Ruka and Bakugo together. "You better stop the match when it gets to be too much." She said to Aizawa, not mincing words. "Or I'm going in there myself." She would never be able to refrain from jumping in to save Ruka if need be. She was also worried for Bakugo's sake but she wouldn't admit that. This was about to get insane.

- - -

He had clearly surprised her. He only wished he had taken a picture of Ruka looking like a deer caught in headlights, as he figured it didn't happen very often. He stifled a chuckle as he looked at her, trying to finish her shrimp but also collect her composure. Her face was blending in quite well with that wild hair of hers. He couldn't help but enjoy how cute she looked. Not many things stood out as cute for Shoto Todoroki but at the moment, a surprised looking Ruka Kurotsuki looked quite cute, without question. He knew how she valued her privacy and her outward appearance, if she was like him anyway. Shoto put a lot of effort into looking as neat and well polished. Just because they were teenagers didn't mean they had to go around with baggy pants or stains on their shirts. But Ruka seemed to put value in her ability to react or hide her reactions, as it were.

But there was really no hiding the way she looked right now and he was quite happy to see another side of her, even if she might find it unattractive, he did not and it made him all the more interested in getting to know all the sides that made up Ruka Kurotsuki. He reached over and grabbed a fried shrimp and dipped it before eating it. "You're a woman of many talents, Kurotsuki-san." He noted once he finished the shrimp and grabbed a vegetable. Normally he wouldn't just help himself to someone's lunch, nor would he want it done to himself. But he had told Ruka the price of his silence was something to eat. And with food this delightfully prepared, how could just have one or two things and then excuse himself? "Your bento skills are very good. Uede-san better know how lucky she is to have someone taking such good care of her eating habits." He noted.

"What brings me here?" He repeated her question. Wasn't it obvious? He smiled as he flashed her the book she had just lent him. "I too am feeling a little impatient though...I must confess, I overhead you mention to Uede-san you'd be up here and while I do like my privacy when I read, I thought it might be nice to read together." Shoto said, glancing down for a moment, surprised that he had admitted such a thing. it sounded crazy and a bit like something Kaminari would do. When she unwrapped the book, he relaxed his shoulders, quite glad to know it was something she would devour. "I make it a habit of finding a lot of rare and old books. I find history to be very important to our future." He didn't want to repeat his father's history, that was for sure. "I am very glad to hear you approve of my selection, Kurotsuki-san. I know how hard it is to give a book to someone, it's as if you're giving them a part of you and hoping they do not reject it."

Shoto nodded as he watched her take a look, almost losing herself in it. It was one of his most treasured books, one he wouldn't even let Momo get her hands on but he felt with Ruka, she would treat it well. That's not say Momo wouldn't, but Shoto just felt more comfortable with sharing it with Ruka. He didn't know what the difference was though. His muscles tensed as Ruka then pulled out the comics given to her by the blond dimwit. He went back to poking at her bento, eating a small rice ball, distracting himself with the wonderful flavors. "No I don't read comics or anything like that but I do hope it provides you with some relaxed reading." He highly doubted those comics offered much when it came to story or conflict. To him, they were for children. He held up the book she had asked about, "I read a few pages but not much else, it looks very interesting so I hope to finish it before the weekend." He informed her. He was a quick reader and likely would be done by tomorrow or Wednesday at the very latest.

Shoto rose and put his book back, not getting any reading done as intended but he felt he had enjoyed his time with Kurotsuki and was all the more eager to get into the ring with his buffon of a rival. "I enjoyed our talk as much as the last few we've had." He told her. "I do hope I wasn't a bother to you, I know we both intended to dive deeper into our reading and yet I feel I responsible for neither of us doing so. That said, I am very thankful for your generosity and attention, Kurotsuki-san." He smiled to her, tempted to reach out and touch her arm but he resisted, instead walking with her back to the elevator and down to the practice fields where they could change. Their arena seemed to be in an open field with just a platform to keep the battles up and out of the way of those who stood around and watched. He waved to Ruka as he headed to the boys locker room and began to change.

Back in the classroom, bits of laughter roused Denki up but by the time he ran to the cafeteria, lunch had ended. There were small black smudges from where he had fallen asleep on his notes. He washed his face and headed off to meet with the other guys from 3-A, almost forgotten who he was up against until he came face to face with Todoroki who had just finished changing into their UA P.E uniform. "Kaminari-san, I won't lose." Shoto said, standing toe to toe to the blond. Shoto was referring both to the battle about to begin but also to that of winning Ruka. "What?" Denki flinched, unable to look away from the cold look in Shoto's mismatched eyes. One was on fire but the other was as cold as ice. "I won't lose to you." Shoto said again. Denki gulped and clenched his fists, "I'm not gonna lose to you either." Denki shot back, now eyes were all on them as even Bakugo watched their standoff. "I believe you will, Kaminari-san." Shoto said before walking outside.

Denki let out a 'tch' before he brushed out his hair and followed Shoto outside. Eijiro could tell Denki was pissed now. The other guys headed out and gathered around their teacher as he began to look for people to go first. No one really wanted to go first but a hero had to be the first one to leap into action. Denki raised his hand, "We'll go first, Aizawa-sensei!" He said, waving his hand. Shoto rolled his eyes as he followed Denki up to the raise concrete platform, much like the one they had used during their sport festival days. The class began to talk amongst themselves as Denki held out his hands, static and electric charge very visible. Shoto just stood there, not needing to show off his power. It spoke for itself. Once the match began, Denki knew what Shoto would do, he led with a wall of ice usually so Denki ran for him, "Haah!" Denki raised a hand, intending to get close to Shoto and shock him into oblivion.

Shoto scoffed as he blocked Denki's head on attack with a wave of ice that then jetted out at Denki but the blond jumped on top of it, almost flipping off before he slung a wave of volts down at Shoto who would appear cornered. Shoto placed his hands out and quickly melted the ice with his fire, Denki landed hard on his back. Denki was being reckless and thoughtless in his tactics. While it hadn't been his intend to rile his opponent, Shoto was fine with the result. Shoto looked over at Ruka to see how she was handling this, knowing this might not be a good predicament to be in. She was friends with them both. Rolling over, Denki grabbed onto Shoto's arm while he had been distracted by Ruka. "I'm over here!" Denki barked, clamping down as he sent volts through his body. It had only been a few seconds and yet Denki had managed to grab him while he had been distracted. How embarassing.

Clenching his teeth, Shoto forced himself to endure the pain as he used his fire to send a few light blasts, not fully powered by any means, at Denki as his whole body was exposed as he held onto Shoto. The fire was hot and caused him to fall back, breaking the physical connection he had with Todoroki. Denki staggered backwards as he then recharged himself, he could still fight. He would still fight. Not giving Denki time to recover, Shoto used his ice to slid him to where Denki had retreated to, his hand grabbing onto Denki's forehead. "Your tricks don't amuse me, Kaminari-san." He said low enough so no one else could hear him. Shoto felt oddly conflicted. He didn't want to hurt the boy and upset Ruka but he didn't want to lose either. But it was clear that Denki was more determined to prove himself, giving his less than acceptable ranking in the class. Shoto summoned his ice as it began to freeze and take hold of Denki who was now encased in ice.

Battle over.

As soon as it as, Shoto melted the ice with ease, steam filling the arena as it faded into the bright sky up above. Denki coughed as he held his. So hot and so cold. He gritted his teeth, feeling like he had just been punched in the gut. He lost. He could feel eyes on them as Shoto smoothly walked down the steps, standing back with their peers. Denki couldn't look as heartbroken as he felt. He laughed and rubbed his neck. "I'll get you next time, Todoroki-san. Heh." He headed down and stood by Eijiro, not having the heart to see what Ruka looked like. Shoto had won. Denki looked down at the grass under his feet as Eijiro patted his friend's back, knowing that one had to hurt pretty bad. Mostly his ego if anything but Eijiro though he did pretty good, considering who he had been pitted against. Denki hoped there would be some kind of rematch in the future. He wouldn't lose again.

At Bakugo's sudden volunteering, Shoto kept his eyes on Ruka, knowing this would be a tough one for her as well as Bakugo. Their power levels were pretty darn close but Bakugo lacked his equipment though so did Ruka. One might think this was an even match but Shoto wasn't sure yet, in his mind figuring it would be Ruka could comes out on top. If Ruka was smart, she would play some mental games with Bakugo, throw him off his game. Then again an angry Bakugo might be even more deadly. Shoto caught Denki out of the corner of his eye, still looked quite shaken. He decided to voice his support for Ruka if Denki wasn't going to. "You've got this, Kurotsuki-san." Shoto smirked at her. He was sure the rest of the class would be watching with unwavering attention.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Deep blue eyes looked left and right as he peered around the corner of the gym. Since Mela was so kind enough to tell him what the afternoon heroics classes would be doing, Yagi felt the sudden urge to come by and take a peek. Of course, he was hiding since he was sure Aizawa-kun would throw him into the mix or even worse kick him out. Looking out at the platform, Yagi noted the matches were already starting. If he was correct, this would be a sparring match that would first evaluate where each student is at while being pitted against one similar to their own quirk or something disadvantageous for them. He watched in silent anticipation as he silently cheered on for all his students.

Shota watched as one of them fell for his trap. He smirked lightly before letting Kaminari and Todoroki go first. He could already guess the result of this, but still, he wanted to see if Kaminari will prove him wrong. As the fight began, Shota kept an eye on the two as he noted there seemed to be something else sparking their motivation. He lifted a brow, wondering what that could be. The fight was over in less than five minutes, an obvious win for Todoroki, but he will admit, Kaminari did put up quite the fight. Shota wrote a few notes down onto the clipboard before looking around for any more volunteers.

He would be lying if he said he was surprised by Bakugou marching his way down to the stage. Obviously, by seeing Todoroki fight with ease, Shota expected Bakugou to get fired up and well it played out exactly as he hoped. He looked about for a fire extinguisher, unsure if they will need it or not. Just as he was looking about, Uede came over to his side to which Shota looked over at her. Hm? What was this? As she spoke up, Shota glanced over to see Kurotsuki standing across from Bakugou, saying something that seemed to have caused the blonde to get even more fired up. He glanced back at Uede as he answered her, "I'll simply stop you with my scarf if you do that...but either way I was going to call them first."

Pausing, Shota watched the fight commence as he honestly told Uede, "who do you think will win?" He wasn't sure, to be honest. Bakugou and Kurotsuki were rivaling each other power level wise, but Bakugou may have more combat instincts than Kurotsuki might have. Then again things can just get really heated to the point he will have to stop them. Looking over at the worried Uede, Shota let out a sigh as he said while placing his hand on top of her head lightly, "I can use my quirk to stop them if it seems to be getting out of hand. So stop making such a sour face..." He kept his eyes glued onto the stage where the fight started. He kept a hold on Uede's arm, making sure she won't go running out when Bakugou landed quite a hit onto Kurotsuki's back. The fight took a good ten minutes before the result was out. One that he was not expecting. Shota will have to say he is impressed by both. Walking forward, Shota called out to the two down at the stage, "that's enough, it's a tie for you two." He looked over at the rest and asked, "who's next?"

- - - -

Ruka entered the gym nervously. She wondered what's going to happen and who will go first. Ruka was surprised to hear Kaminari and Todoroki volunteering first. She gave them a slight smile and wave as she lightly nudged Mela who teased her, "what are you talking about Mel?" Ruka lifted a brow at her friend's odd words but simply brushed it off. Mela said silly things at times. Ruka looked quite troubled when Mela asked who she will be cheering for. Who will she be cheering for now that she thought about it...looking back and forth at Kaminari and Todoroki, Ruka answered honestly, "both of them of course. This is a match to help us improve so whether they win or lose, they still did a good job." Yes...that was the right answer, though Ruka has already seen Todoroki's power and according to his chart, he was one of the top offensive combatant around in their class. She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried for Kaminari, but at the same time Ruka also knows how dangerous his volts can be and so she was worried for Todoroki as well. Oh how conflicted her heart was at the moment.

As the fight commenced, Ruka watched with baited breath, holding on tightly to Mela's hand for comfort as she watched the fight unfold before her eyes. It was over in a matter of minutes, but for Ruka it felt like an hour at the least. When Todoroki got electrocuted, Ruka frowned slightly and when she saw Kaminari encased in ice, well that made her quite worried. She was tempted to use her flames to melt the ice, but it seems like Todoroki got it covered. As the two exited the stage and came back to where the rest were all watching, Ruka wanted to go and congratulate the both of them, but was unable to do so for as soon as she stood up, Bakugou was already making his way down to the stage. Ruka looked over at Bakugou slightly irritated, but she followed him as she gave Mela a small smile and looked over at Todoroki and Kaminari one last time. Ruka nodded her head in acknowledgement to Todoroki's kind words as she went to stand across from Bakugou.

Bakugou smirked at her, "I don't care if you're a girl or not, I'm going to crush you, pinky." Ruka stared unphased at him as she responded back with her own little taunt, "oh? Well don't mind if I do the same. As much as I'm against hurting a dog, I think it's unavoidable for this round." Bakugou bristled slightly as Ruka corrected herself, "oh my bad, I meant porcupine. Sorry, you just barked like a dog." She smirked lightly as Bakugou seemed quite pissed. Maybe she shouldn't have done that...oh well too late now. As the fight commenced, Bakugou was the first to make the move as he ran headfirst towards Ruka with an explosive fist directed straight for her face.

Sidestepping at the last second, Ruka placed her hand onto his arm, throwing herself over his body and landing a kick onto his back. Making a flip like one she saw Mela do many times, Ruka created some distance between the two as she brought out her own flames. Bakugou was quick to react as he turned around to fly over to Ruka's side in a second with the usage of his explosive. Ruka didn't have time to react as Bakugou brought his fist down onto her with a rather loud explosion. Smoke covered the stage for a brief moment before clearing up to show Bakugou straddling Ruka down with his fist on her arm and face, keeping her down but it seemed to have backfired for a moment later Bakugou was seen jumping away from her while nursing a hand. The arm which Bakugou was holding down was covered in her black flames as Ruka smirked over at him, "is that all you got spiky?" This was a different side to Ruka as she was usually not one to taunt others...unless they ask for it of course.

Bakugou gritted his teeth as he began to create mini-explosions until a smoke screen was made. Ruka couldn't see quite well and so she had to rely on sound for now. Though a moment later a surprised gasp escaped her lips as she heard him right behind her all of a sudden. Ruka let out a pained grunt as he landed an explosion onto her back. She flew forward a few feet, tumbling as she tried to get a footing. Turning around in time, Ruka jumped to the side last second as Bakugou landed an explosion right where she was just seconds ago. Gritting her teeth, Ruka glared over at Bakugou as he yelled at her, "come on! Show me what you can really do Pinky!" Letting out a sigh, Ruka stood up as she glared over at him, "fine then. Suit yourself." Hands covered in flames, Ruka began to throw multiple fireballs towards Bakugou who dodged them with ease.

Bakugou smirked at her as he said, "let's finish this once and for all!" Ruka smirked back as she knew exactly what was coming. The final explosion. Knowing that she won't be able to dodge it, Ruka created her own blast of dark flames to counter Bakugou's large explosion before the entire stage was lit up in flames and smoke. The stage cleared up with Ruka's flames still alive and having completely devoured Bakugou's explosive while the two were at a standstill with his hand gripped tightly around her neck while she had her flaming hand by his face. The two stared at each other, obviously at a tie. Bakugou let out an annoyed tsk as he walked off the stage once Aizawa declared a tie on the two while Ruka walked back a bit more slowly. The burns didn't really bother her as she was used to it, but her body still felt sore from all the hits she received from Bakugou. Though he probably was worse off with that nasty burn on his arm. She frowned slightly, knowing she'll have to apologize to him for that.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Even if Aizawa would try to stop her, she would still try if it meant helping Ruka. She wasn't too worried about some burns if it meant Ruk would be safe. "Ruka." She said without hesitation when asked who would win. Ruka would win, she could feel it. Ruka wasn't going to lose to that guy, no way. No how. Mela watched closely as the fight began, "Yeah Ruka!" She felt a bit proud in seeing Ruka use one of her own evasive moves to get behind Bakugo and deliver a kick. As they continued, Mela kept her hands clenched as she watched, worried for both of them. She could even feel the flames from where she stood. Feeling Aizawa-sensei's hand on her head, she crumpled up her face even more. Being a hero meant seeing horrible things but it didn't make the fight any less hard to watch, mostly because she wanted to get in there and help Ruka but she wasn't allowed. So she had to trust Ruka would get the job done.

By the time the battle ended, Mela's whole body hurt from being so tense. Her muscles were already sore and she hadn't done anything except what a crazy boy attack her best friend. Mela tried to relax, knowing she needed to be flexible or she was already done for. When Ruka came off, she hurried over to her, making quite the tearful face. "My poor Ruka." She hugged her friend gently. She glanced to see Bakugo not saying another word. "You did so well. I really wanted to get in there with you." Mela smiled. She was impressed Bakugo had held his own against Ruka, not many people could do that but she also knew Ruka had to be holding back or Bakugo wouldn't have been able to walk away as well as he had. Hopefully the burn could be healed by Healing Girl later. She knew Ruka would feel bad about that but they were fighting each other, injuries would happen no matter how careful you wanted to be.

The next pair went and then another. Mela had done enough stretching to feel a bit more like herself but seeing Ruka's fight had done a number on her physical well-being. It was like she had been in the fight with them. Tenya raised his hand to go and Mela followed after him. She knew his quirk by now and she wasn't too worried about it. He was quick but that was about it. And he was a bit taller and more broad shouldered but Mela didn't see him as a big threat. She faced bigger guys at her old school. Standing on the stage, she once again felt useless without her items. But she new Tenya had a costume too with some extra tricks so she was sure he felt the same way. The battle soon began, Tenya ran forward, not yet using his quirk. She figured he'd wait to use it in order to knock her out and off of the arena. Fine, she wouldn't run either. If Aizawa-sensei wanted her to fight, fine!

Tenya aimed a few punches at Mela who managed to shift her body to dodge them, also raising her forearms to block them. Waiting for an opening, Mela found one and aimed a hard right hook into his face but he swung back to dodge it. Using that new space, Mela reeled her left leg back and threw a high kick to his head but Tenya managed to grab onto her and activated his quirk. Crap. She moved quick, jumping up onto him as Tenya propelled himself toward the edge. Since he held onto her leg, Mela had been able to crawl up and over. He stopped right before the edge of the arena, realizing he couldn't throw her own when she had attached herself to him. Mela jumped and kicked off of him, landing back in the middle of the arena as Tenya turned and faced her. "You're like a bug." He muttered, mostly in awe. "But your balance lets you hold on and not worry about falling off." He frowned.

"A bug?!" Mela whined.

Tenya covered his mouth, not having meant to insult the girl. Mela glared and moved backwards toward the end of the arena as she then jumped forward, landing several front flips as she came for Tenya, intending to just knock him out of the arena. Tenya used his quirk to quickly evade but Mela bounced up and did a few cartwheels to counter, both of them dodging and evading one another, only connecting to try to land a few hits. Tenya managed to lange a hard kick which knocked Mela back down on the concrete. She gritted her teeth as she rolled back and got up to her feet. That hurt. She wasn't used to throwing punches and taking them for this long. But she also knew Tenya couldn't keep using that quirk, he was getting slower and slower, no longer able to effortlessly glide around. Breathing slowly, Mela tried to figure out what to do but she was worried a direct attack would allow him to just throw her out. he was bigger than her and she couldn't find a way to surprise him in such an open field.

In all honestly, Mela didn't think she could throw out anymore punches, she was also a little worried she might slip soon. The battle had been going on for almost ten minutes now. Normally she'd do a few trick and take out an enemy from afar. Tenya moved forward and Mela clenched her teeth as she planted her right foot and turned on her left, kicking him with her left as he stumbled, his quirk pittering out as he got to his feet. Mela lunged forward and aimed another kick at his head, hitting his jaw as he fell backwards. Mela was breathing much heavier now as she ran forward and decided to finish this stupid fight. Tenya pushed himself out of the way as Mela skidded off the edge but quickly clung onto the side, not letting her feet touch the ground. She felt her grip strength waning as she quickly got up to the arena as Tenya got to his feet. Both of them looked pretty drained.

As if hit by the same idea, the pair rushed forward, deciding to end it with one final attack. The dark haired boy rallied his strength as he landed a punch to Mela who tried to dodge but found a kick come out of nowhere. So he had anticipated his punch to miss? Mela was knocked backwards, taking a few tumbles before Tenya was decided the winner, the battle had gone on for almost 15 minutes and both of them seemed evenly matched though it was clear Tenya had a slight advantage with his physical form. He held out a hand to help Mela get up as she wiped some blood from her mouth. "A bug? Seriously?" She laughed at Tenya as they headed down to see the next fight. He assured her he meant no offense but Mela just laughed tiredly and sat down by Ruka's feet to rest. "I'll get you next time, Iida-san." She stuck her tongue out, shaking a playful fist as the next time went.

Soon it was time to call it a day. Mela whined for Ruka to carry her but her request was denied. So Mela got up and headed in to get changed. She showered quickly and got back into her blouse and skirt, her arms were killing her, she could barely lift them so she got Ruka to help button up her blouse and help her back into her blaze. "I was so close to beating Iida-san." She smiled sadly. She felt disappointed by her showing but she hoped she had done enough to make Aizawa eat his own words. She walked over to where he was, folding her arms, expecting him to say something. "So? What did you think?" She asked him. Maybe now would be a good time to tell him she wasn't just a fan of All Might?

- - -

The fight against Bakugo could go either way, Denki decided. He knew what the crazed blond was capable of and he wanted to think Bakugo wouldn't really hurt Ruka. But he thought back to Bakugo against Ochako and figured he didn't care if his enemy was male or female. Denki fidgeted, no longer upset about his performance, just focused on how Ruka would fare. Denki watched as Ruka maneuvered around, finding her movements to be quite beautiful. Almost like a dance. He could see Shoto was just as mesmerized by the fight. Damn, Todoroki. Though with all the explosions, Denki was finding it a tough battle to keep track of. He had no idea who's fire was winning. It was agonizing to just stand there and wait for the smoke to clear.

When Bakugo had Ruka pinned, Denki took a step forward, thinking about stepping in himself but before he could even exhale the breath he had been unknowingly holding, Bakugo hastily retreated. Denki noted the flames and recognized what was Ruka's best attack was also a great defense. She was amazing! "Yeah Kurotsuki!" He called out, dropping the honorific without meaning to. He had almost wanted to call her Ruka but thankfully that didn't spill out. Bakugo kept on coming as they both showed what they could do. Most of the students were kept in quiet suspense, even Uede couldn't offer much encouragement. It was a very close battle and could tip either way.

Denki almost fell over when the battle kept on raging, Ruka was really tough. Not many would go so hard against Bakugo. More smoke and flames followed as the battle came to a close, a tie. How odd. Unexpected. There were sounds of uncertainty as both left the stage. Denki made he way over but Mela had beaten him to her. Denki gave Ruka a small smile, mostly hoping to know whether or not she as okay after all of that. He saw Midoriya try to offer Bakugo some words of encouragement but Bakugo wouldn't listen. "That was really something." Denki could only say to Ruka. "Really, you did great. No one could take their eyes off of you. I--I mean the f-fight." He cleared his throat awkwardly. He placed a hand on Ruka's shoulder. "Every time I see that blazin' quirk of yours, it gets me so pumped! Hey, Aizawa-sensei, can I get a do-over?" He called out.

Of course not.

Todoroki had been watching Ruka with just as much intensity as the others but he didn't show it as Kaminari did. He was sure both were holding something back. But at the same time, Shoto could safely assume both Bakugo and Kurotsuki were still giving it their all out there. It wasn't often Bakugo could be challenged and have someone go against him without backing down. If anything, it was Ruka's undeterred resolve that made Shoto find himself all the more invested in getting to know her. It was more than her quirk. He hoped this tie would push Bakugo to consider how he handled himself in battle. If an enemy could just taunt him and exploit his ego and anger, the world would be doomed. Bakugo wouldn't save anyone. After Mela and Denki expressed their feelings, Shoto slowly made his way over as another battle kicked off. He didn't pay it a smuch mind as Ruka's though.

"You're not hurt are you?" Shoto asked Ruka. She looked okay but he gave her a quick check, knowing if anyone needed attention, it had to be the brat sulking. Still, he was glad to see she wasn't too badly banged up. "I hope you don't start to think our school is full of sadistic people, Kurotsuki-san." He smiled a little to her as they all began to watch another battle, somewhat apologizing for the rudeness of Bakugo. Soon it was Iida and Uede's turn. Both people relied on quick movement and other items to enhance their skills so Shoto was intrigued to see the outcome. A tie was very likely had it not been for Tenya's height and weight advantages. Still, Mela put up a better fight than many had expected, given her lack of combat in the first showing last week.

Mela and Tenya traded attacks and moved all over the arena, people were beginning to get a little restless as it seemed like neither was going to come out on top but in the end, Mela's lack of strength ended up becoming her undoing. But Shoto believed the battle could have gone another way, had Mela been a bit more aggressive. His eyes narrowed as he had to wonder if her bubbly personality made it difficult to take her enemy seriously. She could be treating this all as some kind of a game. But he hoped that wasn't the case, surely as a transfer student she knew how lucky she was to be at UA and that maybe she'd polish up those offensive skills of hers. While she wouldn't be anywhere as tough as the others, she would have a better chance at staying in battle for longer periods of time. Shoto offered her a nod as she and Tenya were done. Shoto noted there seemed to be no ill-will against the other, so perhaps her positivity helped her in other ways.

The rest of the fights continued. There was only one other tie and the rest were pretty decisive victories. Soon everyone was dismissed to go get showered and changed back into their uniforms. Shoto glanced to Denki who caught his eye and gave him a nasty look right back. Shoto didn't like rivalries, he found them pointless and a waste of energy but he was getting the feeling Kaminari wasn't going to back down. He showered and got dressed quickly, heading out into the sunny grassy field. The others looked a bit drained after another tough class. Shoto assumed these weekly bouts would only increase as they moved through their final year. Battling was becoming a bigger part of their education as graduation loomed. They could use all of the experience they could get. Running a hand through his damp hair, he sent some fire to his hand to help dry his hair off as he turned to see Ruka and Mela coming out, though their hair not dry.

Mela diverted to see their teacher. Odd but he wasn't complaining. He headed over to Ruka, holding out his hand, "I could help." He said and moved in close, leaning around her to run his hand through her long hair, drying it as he gently combed through it. While he should have waited for her permission, he had to hope that it was okay he did something that required him to be so close to her. Shoto couldn't help but note she smelled refreshing, almost like a mixture of cherry blossoms and stawberries. Once he was satisfied with his work, he took a step back, his warmth fading from his hand. "I hope you don't mind." He said.

As Denki and Eijiro made their way out, Eijiro nudged the blond as Shoto was running his hands through Ruka's hair. Denki made a face and was about to storm over but Eijiro held him back, not wanting the guy to make a scene. Denki pushed Eijiro off of him as he headed over to them, eyeing Shoto while Ruka's back was to the blond. Shoto looked off. "Hey." Denki said as he looked to them. "That was a crazy afternoon huh?" He didn't think he'd get her fight against Bakugo out of his head. If only he had been recording it. "I'm glad that you're okay, Kurotsuki-san." Denki said, giving her a thumbs up. "If he did anything to you--"

"What would you have done, Kaminari-san?" Shoto cut him off, doubting Denki would have done anything, nor could have done anything in the event Ruka was hurt or put in danger. Denki pouted and glanced off. "We have teachers supervising us so that nothing happens to us." Shoto continued. He was tired of Denki thinking blind optimism was going to win a fight. It wasn't. Denki wouldn't have done much to stop Bakugo, even if he hadn't just fought only minutes ago. Shoto pocketed his hands, enjoying the sun. He hadn't exerted much of his energy at all so he felt quite fine but he was sure people like Ruka, Mela, Tenya, even Ochako, probably felt drained. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the park after school. Maybe we can get some reading done?" He asked her. Denki kept on a smile but he was fuming inside. Why was Shoto being suddenly so sociable? Denki leaned over and placed a hand on Shoto's back, pretending to pat the guy on the back.

"Huh. Sounds like fun you guys." Denki just laughed, sending a few light shocks through his arm.

Shoto's eye twitched.

Did Kaminari really want to start something he couldn't finish?

"You're welcome to join us." Shoto gave the male beside him an innocent look as another shock was sent through him. Shoto sent some cold along his back, prompting Denki to yank his hand away, his fingers almost getting frostbite. He clutched his frozen fingers and shot Denki a look before looking back to Ruka.

"We could always go see another movie." Denki suggested. Shoto hid his surprise. Another movie? "I'm sure Uede-san would enjoy that too." He added. His idea was way more inclusive and way more interesting than sitting in a park. Both waited to see what was on Ruka's mind.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Shota let out a sigh as the fight between Bakugou and Kurotsuki was finally over. He wondered if he really will have to stop Uede, at times she made a face as if she was going to jump in at any moment. It kept Shota on edge as he had to keep one eye on the fight while the other he would glance at Uede to make sure she stayed put. As each pair stepped forward to get their spar done with, Shota would note a few things the two needed to work on. For example, Bakugou needed to learn not to fall for provocation and to use other means to fight if a close combat was not working. Not everything can be solved with pure strength. Then there was Kurotsuki who needed to know that sometimes she can't just hold herself back that and to learn more defensive strategies. She can use her flames to protect herself, but what if someone can counter that? She was as good as dead. Kaminari needed to learn how to be quicker while Todorki...well there was always something everyone needed to work on.

As Iida raised his hand, Shota watched Uede stride in after Iida towards the stage. Now then....he watched with silent interest as he wondered what Uede had to show him today. How will she find a solution against Iida? What will she need to work on? With curiosity piqued more than with the other students, Shota watched the fight play out in front of him. He had to admit that Uede was agile and her quirk helped her to stay within bounds, but her physical state? It was quite clear to Shota how she lacked physical strength and overall stamina as well it seemed like. Writing down a few notes, Shota declared a tie between the two. He was impressed to see both transfer students do quite well for all assessments so far. They even went head to head with some of the more higher ranked students of his and still tied. Shota was quite excited to see how they grow. Especially Uede, her quirk was unique and something he found interest of.

Realizing his train of thoughts, Shota coughed into his hand lightly as he wrote down the notes for the rest of the teams. Of course Shota didn't even take notice of a certain bulky hero hiding in the corner, peeking out to witness Uede's fight as well. All Might was quite impressed with how evasive Uede was and her strategy wasn't bad either. He noted her lack of physical strength, perhaps he can speak to Aizawa-kun and see if he can help her in some way. But would Aizawa-kun accept is the problem. All Might sneaked his way out before the entire class took notice of him, as he sort of bulked up when he saw Uede get hit. He was ready to jump in to stop if needed but it seemed like there was no need for that. He quickly left the area before Aizawa-kun took notice. It would be bad if he got scolded by Aizawa-kun...again. Looking about, All Might decided that he will once again need to clear out the storage unit.

Shota dismissed the class with a few comments about what each should work on and that for the remainder of this week, everyone will stay in their pairs to work on improving together. Afterward, Shota was looking over his notes as he leaned against a tree, hiding under its shade while enjoying the soft breezes. Class was over and now he can relax...or so he hoped. He'll have to put these into the system later and update the charts as well. Shota held back a sigh as he wondered why he chose this life again. Hearing a voice nearby, Shota glanced over to see Uede. He stared down at the brunette before answering her, "you lack a lot in the physical department..." he paused for a moment as he wanted to see her reaction to it before continuing with a slight smirk dancing across his lips, "but you did well against Iida. You kept up to his pace and even used his quirk against himself. Agile and quick reactions, you did well overall I suppose." He lifted a strand of her damp hair as he said, "you'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair up." He couldn't help but wonder why she even went out of her way to ask him of his opinion. Did she want to know her grade or something?

Shota lifted a brow as he asked her rather bluntly, "why are you asking me this hm? If you want to find out your grade, you'll have to wait like the rest...but if you want to know how I thought of it..." Shota smirked as he seemed to have hit the spot as he reached a hand out and poked her forehead while saying, "you did a good job. Did you want ice cream or something?" He teased out, recalling how All Might treated everyone to ice cream after their first assessment. He was joking but of course if she really wanted a treat, he supposed he can give her one.

- - -

As Ruka walked back, she held back from flinching when Mela hugged her. She cracked a small smile, poking Mela's cheek as she said, "thanks, but I'm fine Mel...now stop making such a face. You need to get ready for your match hehe." She wanted Mela to be ready, not to be so worried about her. Ruka turned her attention to Kaminari as she smiled lightly, "ah thank you...you did a really great job in your match as well. I couldn't take my eyes off the fight either hehe." Ruka smiled over at Kaminari as she walked over. She could literally feel Bakugou's anger radiating off of him, but thankfully Aizawa sent Bakugou to get his arm healed up by Recovery Girl. Hearing Todoroki's voice, Ruka snapped out of her thoughts as she looked over at him, "ah yes, I'm alright. Just a few minor burns, nothing serious really." Maybe her back being sore and possibly burnt, well she supposed it was only fair as she did burn Bakugou pretty badly as well.

Ruka turned her attention to the stage as she commented lightly, "no, I just think U.A has a lot of talented people..." it was the truth. Everyone's quirks were just amazing and honestly Ruka wasn't sure if she can even keep up with them. Most seemed to have quite a good grasp on their quirk, while Ruka...she still had to keep a tight grip on her's. She can't let loose as much as everyone else in fear of actually hurting someone. That just wouldn't do. When Mela's partner went forward, Ruka gave her friend a light nudge as she said, "good luck Mel, I know you can do it." Ruka smiled encouragingly over at her friend as she turned her entire attention to the fight. She wasn't sure how Mela would do against a quirk like Iida's, but it seemed like it worked in Mela's favor as the two was at quite a stand still. The fight ended in a tie and Ruka was proud of Mela though at one point she was more than ready to send a black ball of flames towards Iida for hitting her dear Mela like that.

After the fights were over, Ruka walked back to the locker rooms with Mela. She gave her friend a pointed look when Mela asked for a piggyback ride, of course denied as Ruka had her own reasons, one mainly being that her back hurt way too much thanks to a certain explosive boy. As they were changing, Ruka helped Mela get dressed as she smiled over at her friend, "I think you did a really good job Mela...hey I didn't win either so I guess we both have to do our best next time, right?" Ruka turned her back to Mela as she asked, "it's not too bad, right?" her back was beginning to show a bruise and it was slightly pink due to the explosions. Just because she had a flame quirk does not make her immune to flames except for her own and even that was to an extent.

After having showered and changed, Ruka walked out of the changing room with her hair down and wet. She was too tired to dry it plus it took forever with her long hair. Ruka waved to Mela as she watched her friend go bouncing off to Aizawa. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the two before she heard a voice. Turning, Ruka noted it to be Todoroki. She opened her mouth to ask him what he could help with when she felt a rather warm sensation combing through her hair. Ruka blinked a few moments as she stared up at Todoroki who was quite close to her. Her mouth opened then closed before she closed her eyes, unconsciously leaning into his touch as it just felt wonderful. At times Mela would run her hand through Ruka's hair after dinner and those were the times Ruka enjoyed the most. For some reason, Ruka enjoyed her hair being pet, maybe it was because it felt like such a loving gesture and mostly due to it feeling so comforting and relaxing.

Snapping out of her little moment, Ruka blinked up at Todoroki before murmuring out softly, "ah...no..um thank you." She turned around to see Kaminari and she smiled over at him. "Yeah, that was quite the exercise today..." Ruka looked back and forth at the two as they seemed to be in a disagreement. Ruka blinked as she had no say for a moment until they both turned to her. Huh? She stared over at them, unsure of what to say or do for a moment before Ruka said, "um maybe we can do both? But I'm not sure if Mela is down for a movie..." Ruka trailed off as she looked over at Mela who seemed quite busy at the moment. She smiled over at the two as she said, "um well...I was thinking maybe getting some crepes and relaxing in the park...." Ruka looked off to the side a bit embarrassed. Okay so maybe she was craving something sweet and honestly she could use some relaxing with a book or two.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Aizawa-sensei's comment about her lack of physical wasn't a surprise. She didn't even respond to it as she just eyed him, blinking with the same curious wide-eyed look. He could go on. She already knew that. Maybe All Might could help train her? Though she was sure he was busy. She hardly got to see him these days it seemed. The biggest perk about attending the school was that she could bask in All Might's greatness and hope that one day she'd get a tiny bit of said awesome power and charm. But she hadn't gotten a chance to ask him earlier in the morning and now she supposed she'd have to wait another day or two before tracking down the number one hero. "Thanks!" She grinned as he gave her a fairly positive review of her fight. She was glad to know he was watching. Of course it was his job but she was glad to know he was thinking about her, even in just a pure academic sense. It made her feel rather special.

"Oh...it'll probably just dry on its own in the sunshine." She replied, not too worried or keen on taking ten minutes to dry her hair when it could dry all on its own. She glanced over and saw Ruka's hair now dry. How did she do it that fast?! Ruka's hair had to take even longer to dry because it was so long! Mela shook her head before she looked back to the dark haired teacher. While a grade would be nice to have and ease some of her troubles, she was just curious as to what he thought, not just as a teacher either. Mela made a face when he poked her forehead. "Be careful or I might bite." She joked. Sort of. She had been known to bite people if they didn't heed her warnings. One time back in middle school a boy was touching her and despite four warnings to stop, she ended up grabbing his hand and biting, breaking the skin. Needless to say he didn't do that ever again.

Some of their fellow students were still mulling around as Aizawa offered her some ice cream. Mela thought for a moment, unsure if he was serious or not. Jokes on him, she'd take him up on the offer. "Okay, thanks!" Who could say no to ice cream? Mela pulled out her phone and sent a message to her friend: "Nice up out there girl, I'm gonna grab ice cream with Aizawa-sensei xD I'll be back before dark, make sure you are too! Love you~" She sent it as she headed off with Aizawa back to the cafeteria. The silence was a little annoying but Mela decided she could use this time to tell Aizawa what was on her mind. "You know how much of a fan I am of All Might's right?" She started to say as they headed inside, the cool air quite refreshing though now her ears were a bit cold.

"I'm not just a fan of his." She told him, staying near the door for the moment. "What I mean is...when I found out you'd be our homeroom teacher, I was so excited." He could even ask Ruka if he wanted to double check that statement. "You may not think you have a lot of fans but you do and I'm one of them." She said proudly. Why he didn't see why he was so great was unfathomable to her though. Part of her was worried in telling him this, he'd just roll his eyes or laugh at her or even not want her to hang out with him anymore. But she couldn't let him go around thinking he was so unloved. "So...that's why I care what you think. I'm sure you think I'm stupid for saying so but you're really cool and despite not wanting to let anyone know, you're pretty nice too." She said, her eyes now sparkling the same as when she addressed All Might. "I just couldn't stand you thinking you didn't have people looking up to you." Mela glanced off, not even daring to look at him now.

Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. But she couldn't take it back now.

"You can laugh at me but it doesn't change the fact that to me, you are a great hero."

- - -

Shoto was still unsure if Ruka was really okay with what he did. He had invaded her personal space which he didn't like others doing to him. But if she said she was okay with it, he would take her words at face value and not fret too much about her slightly dazed look. Ruka decided she would like to go for crepes. It was an odd suggestion but one he could comply with without any issue. Shoto gave her a nod, "Crepes it is." He agreed to her, not really one to cause a stir. And he enjoyed crepes on special occasions so why not indulge a bit for today? He also hadn't eaten much of the wonderful bento Ruka had painstakingly constructed so he was feeling a bit hungry. But he also didn't like the idea of a third wheel, aka Kaminari, tagging along. He wished Ruka had just selected the park but her heart was too kind to turn down even an annoying fly like Kaminari. So Shoto figured his company would have to be further tollerated for a bit longer.

Already, Denki was doing an imaginary victory dance because there was no way, no way that Ruka would want to go sit in a boring park. And read boring books! No way, she and the gang could go watch something fun and kick back and relax. But his heart deflated when Ruka suggested they all go out and do something. What? No! Denki looked to Shoto, both locking eyes. Who would back down and give the other some alone time with Kurotsuki? Neither looked like they were content to forgo being the third wheel to just leave the other with Ruka in a nice, school-free settings. Denki looked to Ruka, still wearing an awkward smile. "That sounds nice. Sure." He heard the words leave his mouth before he had a lot of time to dwell on how unromantic it would be with Shoto tagging along.

Suddenly strong arms picked up Denki from behind. "Wooo, we gotta get going, Denki!" Eijiro declared as he began to carry off a struggling Denki. "Sorry, we got some studying to do, see you guys later!" Eijiro yelled as he carried Denki in a bear-hug back to the dorms. "Wait, put me down you idiot!" Denki yelled. Once out of ear shot, he put his friend down. "You can't go off when you have a cat in your closet." Eijiro lectured him. "You have to take care of it or re-home it." Eijiro said. Denki frowned, arms crossed. He knew his friend was right but why couldn't he take him aside another time and point out the obvious? "And stop smuggling it cafeteria fish sticks. I can smell them in my room." Eijiro complained as they headed off to the store on campus to shop for Piichi. Denki hated to think about what Ruka and Shoto were up to. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch and it was driving him crazy!

Letting out a sigh of relief, Shoto looked to Ruka, glad that Eijiro had gotten rid of his problem for him. Shoto would make sure to do something kind in return for Kirishima. "So I guess it's just going to be the two of us." Shoto noted. "I think I know of a crepe place downtown." He mused aloud as they headed off to go grab a bus down into the heart of the city. Shoto was still a little concerned about Ruka's physical state. She seemed a little worse for wear earlier and he had to hope she'd be okay downtown. If need be, he'd be happy to carry her if it would help but he seriously doubted it would come to that. "I am sure the class will agree they were impressed by your determination this afternoon." He said though he understood she may not want to dwell on the afternoon's combat training.

Once on the bus, Shoto stared out the window, thinking back to what his mother said. He wanted him to not close himself off to the chance at finding happiness. What was happiness to him exactly? He enjoyed quiet and books, as well as nature. But those things also made him feel safe and comfortable. So what brought true happiness? It was something he was still trying to decipher. He smiled to Ruka, noticing how he didn't often smile, not until a week or so ago. He placed a hand on her lower back when it was their stop. He hopped off the bus and walked with her to one of the crepe venues that he knew of though there were only two in the city, each specializing in either savory or sweet. If you wanted both you had to go to each, unfortunately. Why they did that, he'll never know.

Once outside, he looked to Ruka, "This shop sells a lot of sweet crepes. Actually that's all they sell. I hope that's alright. We can go to the other if you'd prefer. I just assumed you had your heart set on something sweet." He explained. Shoto glanced back to the door of the sop, it was very cute looking and he almost felt out of place. It was clearly the kind of store more women went into than men but Shoto didn't really mind being seen in such a place. He had a feeling Denki might but Shoto certainly didn't. He held open the door for Ruka, letting her in first. While she could have probably asked Uede to make her crepes, the boy was glad she didn't and instead they could go out together. "I know this may be a sudden question, Kurotsuki-san and I understand you not wanting to tell me but...what makes you happy? How do you quantify it?" He asked her, looking for some perspective.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Shota watched the various expressions crossing Uede's face by the second. It was quite entertaining to see so many emotions fly by so quickly. That was quite a feat of its own he supposed. He eyed the damp hair for a moment longer before dropping the subject. If she said its fine, then its fine. Plus if she gets sick, well that's a lesson she will learn the hard way. After joking about treating her to ice cream, Shota was slightly surprised to hear her agree so quickly. Surely she wouldn't want to hang around the teacher for more than necessary? Shota knew how many of her classmates would kindly refuse the offer and scurry off in fear that he'll just turn around and throw a pop quiz at them or something. Okay so maybe he was at fault for that since he did kind of just drop them off for training suddenly. From dropping them off to random mountainsides to just throwing them into assessments, no one in his class could ever predict what he was planning next. Though if he had to be honest...he quite enjoyed keeping everyone on their toes. It was an entertaining sight, one that he could never get bored of.

Though there seemed to be a new addition to his small list of entertainment. Shota walked beside the happy brunette as the two began to head towards the cafeteria for some ice cream. Just as they were about to enter the building, she suddenly spoke up. Shota couldn't quite catch what she said at first as he could hear the rush of the air conditioner hit him from within the building. Turning around, Shota looked down at Uede in silent question as he listened to her patiently. His brows furrowed slightly as he held back a sigh, he didn't invite her along just to hear about All Might again. What did she have to say about him this time...? Though the more she spoke, the more Shota realized what she was trying to say.

He blinked a few times over at Uede in complete surprise. She was a fan of his? But why? He was the complete opposite of All Might, if All Might was considered the sun then Shota would probably be the moon if anything. They were completely different yet at the same time both were heroes. Even so...it made no sense as to why she would even be a fan of his. Maybe she was just saying these things because he's her homeroom teacher? As soon as his doubts were raised, Uede easily shut it down as she continued to ramble about how much of a fan she was of his. He stared into her shining eyes as he understood what she was trying to say. If Mela was doing her best to get him to understand, then he understood quite clearly so now.

As she looked off to the side, Shota lifted a brow. Did she think he would laugh at her for this? Perhaps...but what he was really feeling was something a bit different. Realizing now why she was so entertaining, Shota lifted a hand and placed it atop her head, ruffling her hair gently but this time he let it trail down to her cheek, making her face him once more as he gave her one of his rare genuine smiles, "thanks Uede." It wasn't much nor did he express himself, but that was his own way of thanking her. Letting her know that her words have reached him and he was quite happy with them. Realizing what he was doing, Shota stopped caressing her cheek to instead pinching it lightly as his usually stoic face returned, "now enough rambling, the ice cream will melt by the time we get there if I let you continue to ramble..." plus it was dangerous. The more she rambled, the more he felt embarrassed and touched. It was strange and Shota has already felt enough things today...no more was needed.

Walking into the cafeteria, Shota stood beside Mela in line as he looked over at the variety of flavors the school offered for ice cream. Why there were so many flavors, to begin with? Shota would never know, he could never understand Principal Nezu and his ideas. Not really caring which flavor to get, Shota turned to Uede and simply said, "you can order whatever you want...and get me something too." Shota waved his hand lightly at her as he walked off to grab a table. He was tired. Taking a seat, Shota watched Uede order the ice cream before something caught his attention from the doorway to the cafeteria. Shota lifted a brow as he noted it to be All Might. What was the idiot doing now? As Shota watched, he saw All Might was looking over at Uede, but before he can even step foot into the cafeteria, the blonde hero was seen walking off or rather getting pulled away? He shook his head lightly, not wanting to know what was going on. It wasn't his problem.

Turning his attention to Uede, Shota looked up at her as he commented, "that was quick, don't tell me you just got me the same thing as yours?" Now that would just be boring. Though he was teasing her of course since he knew she'd probably have gotten creative that or spiteful. He noticed she can be a fiesty girl when she wanted to be. Watching her enjoy her ice cream, Shota looked over at her in slight doubt as he said, "it can't taste that good..." without another word, Shota reached over and took a scoop of her ice cream with his spoon. He looked up in thought as he licked the spoon clean before smirking over at her, "not a bad choice I suppose." He then continued to eat his own ice cream, acting as if he just didn't steal a bite of Uede's ice cream. Maybe just for now, he can forget about his duties as a teacher and more importantly grading. Yes...those paperwork can wait for now.

Yagi was making his way through the halls towards the teachers' office in order to grab the remaining boxes that needed to be placed into the storage unit. He cleaned it up well last week and it was already a mess. Yagi couldn't help but wonder if Principal Nezu just let loose in there or something...as if he expected Yagi to clean it up again this week. Not wanting to fall for the Principal's plans, Yagi made his way...only to stop and backtrack as he caught sight of something strange...again. Peering into the cafeteria, Yagi noted Uede Shoujo was there alone, but why did it feel like she wasn't? He saw her make two orders of ice cream, but for who? If it was for Kurotsuki Shoujo, Yagi was certain the pink haired girl would be standing right next to Uede Shoujo. Looking about the cafeteria to get some sort of clue, Yagi held back a gasp as he saw Aizawa-kun sitting at one of the tables. But what really got Yagi nervous was the way Aizawa-kun was looking over at Uede Shoujo. It can't be...is it? Was Uede Shoujo enjoying something sweet with Aizawa-kun!? Yagi took a step forward so as to speak with Uede Shoujo when he was suddenly pulled back and away from the cafeteria by someone.

Craning his neck back, Yagi let out a surprised sound as he noted it to be Principal Nezu!? "P-principal Nezu! U-uh how may I help you?" Yagi began only to find himself suddenly seated on a plush couch in the teachers' lounge with Principal Nezu pouring him some tea. Wait..what? Yagi can only stare down at the white mouse in silent confusion as Nezu spoke up lightly, "All Might, you've been working too hard again, haven't you? Why don't you just relax and take it easy for now? Here, have some tea and we can go over what else needs to be done for U.A." Yagi tried to speak up but was unable to do so. He can only smile nervously as he sat there, listening to the Principal speak. Once Nezu began to speak, the little mouse can take quite a long time until he was done speaking...if he ever gets done that is. Yagi had a feeling that this would take some time. The question continued to nag at the back of his mind as he wondered what Uede Shoujo and Aizawa-kun were doing together...?

- - - -

What compelled her to say crepes? Even Ruka didn't know. She just knew that on random occasions she would get a sudden craving for something sweet and the moment she mentions it to Mela, it was made for her. So maybe that was where her random cravings appeared from, either way, Ruka looked between Denki and Shoto, unsure if the two were fond of the little suggestion she made. Of course, if the two did not like her idea, she was fine with doing something else as well. Seeing as both did not seem opposed to it, Ruka smiled in relief. Smiling up at the two, Ruka opened her mouth to ask if the two knew of any good crepe stores when suddenly Denki was lifted into the air by someone from behind. Ruka watched as Eijiro sneaked up behind Denki and carried the blonde away. Feeling her phone buzz, Ruka glanced down to see a message from Mela. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she re-read it. What? Ruka's head snapped up as she looked for Mela only to see that her friend was long gone along with that teacher of theirs. She sent Mela a message back: alright...be careful. I'm probably going to get some crepes with Todoroki-san...and I think Kaminari-san, but I'm not sure about Kaminari-san now...I'll tell you more later. See you later

She blinked a few times as she can only wave to Denki in slight confusion. She turned to look over at Todoroki, what just happened? She nodded her head as she said, "yeah, it seems like so. Kaminari-san sure studies a lot huh..." Ruka mused aloud before following Todoroki to the crepe store. She smiled over at him slight excitement as they headed off to the bus stop. Ruka knew people would mention her fight with Bakugou so she wasn't all that surprised when Todoroki comment about it. She looked up at the sky as she replied back, "oh well thank you..." but was she really that determined? All she had in mind was how to take him down without hurting him fatally. Ruka looked back at Todoroki as she said, "though I think everyone is more impressed with your fight. You seem like quite the formidable opponent, ah but Kaminari-san is also one not to mess with..." Ruka looked thoughtful as she said, "I don't think I would like to fight either of you two, to be honest. I'll be sure to lose." She grinned up at him before entering the bus as it arrived.

During the ride to the downtown, the two didn't speak much, but rather they were both lost in their own thoughts. Ruka was simply spacing out as she leaned back into her seat, silently thinking back to her fight with Bakugou. She could have done so much better, but like Aizawa pointed out she was awful at self-defense and her only retaliation if one came too close to her was to use her flames. That wasn't enough. She needed to know how to block and avoid hits, not just take it and return it two-fold. She would never last if that was her only way of defending herself. Recalling Shoto's words, Ruka wondered exactly what sort of impression she left on the rest of her classmates. She knew for a certain fact that most if not all of her classmates viewed Bakugou to be an intimidating person who had quite the power to back up his haughty words. To be on a near equal ground with Bakugou...Ruka can only imagine that others would see her as a rival or something. Hopefully nothing too bad though.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ruka got off the bus, a bit surprised by his sudden gesture with the hand on her back, but Ruka didn't complain. It was almost comforting his warm hand on her back...plus soothing to that darn bruise and soreness she was feeling. Thankfully her back wasn't hurting as much as it looked like it would. She'll have to thank Bakugou for this tomorrow with a nicely placed kick on his back or maybe a little lick of her flames won't hurt him? What can't kill will only make one stronger, right? Putting aside her payback ideas for Bakugou to the back of her mind, Ruka followed Todoroki to the crepe shop.

As the two arrived, Ruka stared up at it awe. It was cute, so very cute! She turned to Todoroki and beamed a smile up at him, "I actually was wanting something sweet! How did you know?" Ruka chuckled slightly as she wondered if she was just that obvious for her love of food and well mainly strawberries. Walking in first, Ruka looked around. If the outside of the shop was cute, then the interior was even cuter! Ruka's eyes shined as she looked at all the different types of crepes that the store offered but her eyes caught sight of the custom crepe one can order. She looked back at the strawberry selections, trying to decide whether she wanted to make a custom or just order one of the store specials crepes. "Hmm may I please have the strawberry deluxe crepe? With extra whip cream please!" Ruka made her order and turned to Todoroki, silently asking him what he would like to order. After having paid for their crepes, Ruka walked out of the store and towards the park where they can enjoy their crepes underneath a cherry blossom tree.

Taking a seat, Ruka happily began to munch on her sweet treat, a bit taken aback when Todoroki suddenly asked her a question. What makes her happy? Ruka stared up at Todoroki, a bit surprised before staring down at her crepe. What does make her truly happy...? Recalling the moments that brought a smile to her lips, Ruka answered him, "I'm not sure if I have the best answer to that, but right now...what makes me happy is quite simple..." Ruka paused as she wondered if it really was the right answer, "I suppose it has to do with making others smile...like I am very happy to see Mel happy. I suppose when those around me are smiling and not....afraid...yeah that makes me happy, oh but I also like to say that strawberries make me very happy hehe." Ruka took a bite of her said favorite fruit getting some whip cream on her nose before glancing over at Todoroki.

Ruka scrunched her nose up as she thought back to her answer. Maybe that was a bit too vague. "Um say like when you see something you like, you get a warm feeling in your chest right? And a strange bubbly sensation and you just can't help but smile?" As she spoke, Ruka was happily staring down at the strawberries as this was her example of her being happy, but what truly made her happy...? "Oh but I suppose its different for each person...like I'm sure some would like acknowledgment from others to be happy while others would like to overcome personal obstacles in order to be happy...but do we really need to achieve something to be happy...?" Ruka questioned the last part more to herself than to answer Todoroki. She knew she tried to achieve goals and worked hard in controlling her quirk in order to be happy, but was that really the right way? Unsure of her answer, Ruka turned to Todoroki and tilting her head to the side, Ruka asked him, "um did that answer your question by any chance...? Sorry if it didn't hehe..."

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

In her mind, she was already thinking of a way to get herself out of this corner she had trapped herself in, not wanting Aizawa to think any different or less of her now. In all likelihood, Aizawa probably didn't have much interest in fans but that didn't change how much she admired him. She probably should have kept her thoughts to herself but it was probably too late now. Maybe she could just say she was joking? Yes, this was a joke ha ha. Before she could say something in an attempt to downplay what she had just confessed, she felt a hand rest on her head before it slipped down to rest on the side of her face. All thoughts suddenly spilled out of her mind, her gaze redirected back at Aizawa-sensei. Now this was new...

It was a simple thanks but what accompanied it was a very rare treat and proved he had understood her. He looked all the more handsome when he smiled like that. Her heart jumped as she noticed that his hand hadn't yet left her cheek. Though if she began to pur or lean into his touch, he would likely stop so she resisted all the urges to hug him or begin purring and enjoyed the affectionate gesture. Much to her disappointment, it seemed Aizawa noticed this fact as well as he pinched her cheek. "H-heeey." She glared lightly, her smile still managing to sneak through her attempt to scold him. Why did he have to ruin such a nice moment? Well one or two reasons came to mind but they didn't really matter. Mela couldn't help but wonder how many other lucky individuals he had smiled at. She had to guess not many so she would treasure that smile, deciding to be a little selfish, hoping to keep that moment all to herself.

"Okay!" She headed off to stand in line once Aizawa gave up on deciding. As she stood waiting behind a group of giggling first years, Mela was already returning to that smile Aizawa gave her. Sure, he acted aloof and too cool for hero promotional stuff but she was sure he had been even just a little bit pleased to hear he had someone looking up to him. Being a pro hero was tough and she knew All Might was always busy but he made time for his fans. But Aizawa? He did a bit more teaching and probably more hero work but it often went unseen. She had to wonder if Aizawa felt a little lonely or unappreciated. It wasn't hard for Mela to imagine how isolated he might feel after a long night out saving people. She had read the message boards, people had seen some creepy guy in black running around the city at 3 in the morning saving some drunk who almost got hit by a train. Of course it was Eraserhead but so few knew that.

People like All Might loved the spotlight it seemed but for those like Aizawa, they still needed their time in to spotlight too. So Mela hoped she had shone some kind light on him. He wasn't alone! After the group ahead of her was done, it was Mela's turn but she couldn't help but feel someone was watching her. She shrugged it off as she got the two cups and hurried back to where Aizawa was waiting. "Here." She slid his towards him as she sat across from him, quite happy with her selections. Mela had gotten a marshmallow vanilla ice cream for herself, it was topped with graham cracker bits and hot fudge. It was like a s'more minus the charring. And for Aizawa, she got him a scoop of coffee and a scoop of caramel so he could have something bitter and something sweet. Plus the coffee might help him stay up if he had more work to do. She smirked lightly as she dug into hers though she swatted at him with her spoon when he so casually took some of hers. "Awww so rude." She huffed, leaning over to grab some of his now.

"Ha." She winked at him, sucking off the contents of her spoon. Mela continued to eat, though she guarded her ice cream a little bit better, though he had a longer reach than her which wasn't fair. She enjoyed her ice cream and she could tell Aizawa enjoyed what she had picked out for him. She had to wonder if she'd ever be able to help either Eraserhead or All Might someday in the heat of battle. She knew she had a long way to go though. There was so much she had to improve upon. She wanted to get strong enough to protect Ruka and everyone else she cared about. Even those she didn't know or who might hate her, she would save them too. But being a hero meant not everyone was going to get out alive. Sometimes there were unavoidable casualties and sometimes heroes were killed. But Mela needed to be strong enough to be able to try her hardest.

"I'm gonna get stronger." She said as she finished her ice cream. Strong enough so Aizawa and All Might didn't have to work so hard. Strong enough so that Ruka didn't have to fear her own quirk. She was already learning so much at UA. Not just about herself but the heroes around her. She thought back to Iida and how fun it had been to face him head on. Next time things would be different though, next time she'd be the winner. "And when I do get do, I'd like to fight you, Eraserhead." While 3-A had rivalries against one another, Mela set her sights on much bigger targets like that of the men she looked up to. She knew all about them but then again both of them would know all about her own fighting too. Mela was fired up picturing it. She wanted to be the one others looked up to and knew would keep them safe, keep them smiling. If she was strong enough someday to go against Aizawa or All Might then perhaps she could be strong enough to protect them. "UA is already pushing me so hard, it's only fair I push right back." She grinned.

"I should have won today." Maybe she had only been giving 98 or 99 percent, Mela wasn't sure now that she thought about it. But Tenya was skilled and she couldn't keep treating these exercises like they were that, she had to pretend they were real. That Tenya was someone who was putting other lives in danger. At their old school they sparred but it was never this intense. "Next time I will." Mela smiled lightly as she got up to throw out her trash, grabbing Aizawa's since he was done as well. Once she returned, she stood leaning against the table, looking down to Aizawa-sensei. She had to embody the idea of plus ultra. It had been an odd concept as a stranger looking in on UA High School but now she was one of them and she belonged in the hero's course. "By the way," She placed a hand on his head. "you've got a really nice smile." She said, finding it cute to be the one doting on him for a change. "I know it's not something someone like you does often but I like it." Then again she enjoyed those sadist smirks of his too. Mela ruffled his hair, laughing lightly, finally removing her hand from his head.

"Anyway I better get home. See you tomorrow!" A hot shower sounded sooo nice. And with that, Mela waved before heading out to catch the bus downtown. "On my way home now, bring me back a crepe please! Banana and nutella or whatever looks like it'll give me the most cavities. If you're already gone, don't worry about it." She sent a text to Ruka. Mela settled on the bus as she thought about how she needed to train more. As much as she didn't like the idea she figured she could go to the gym. Tomorrow after school. Today she needed to rest, her arms were killing her. After getting off at her bus stop, Mela walked the rest of the way back to their apartment, not flinging herself up the outside but instead going the normal route, fearing if she tried any flips, she'd just end up falling and breaking something. Once inside, she took a long hot shower and massaged her back and arms, some small bruising present. She then spent the rest of the afternoon watching a K-Drama called You're Beautiful while she surfed online.

- - -

If anyone had been paying attention, they would figure out Ruka Kurotsuki enjoyed sweets, mostly those made by Uede, but also strawberries. Shoto wasn't sure if she smelled of them because of a perfume or if she had eaten so many in her lifetime that she had begun to absorb their sweet summery smell. He lingered outside the door before following Ruka inside. The decorations were frilly and cute, too cute. Shoto saw most of the people inside were girls, snapping photos of the wonderful creations they had just purchased. There was a light upbeat melody that played in the background, it wasn't pop, no, it was more of song one might hear going around a carousel. Sweets weren't his thing but he decided he could go with something with blueberries. Blueberries and peaches with a creme anglaise sounded good to him with a touch of lemon zest. He made his order and they paid before heading back out into the world, it too nice to be cooped up inside.

Walking carefully as to not drop nor disturb their crepes, they found a nice spot in the park to settle and dig in. Shoto eyed the large crepe, really unsure how to best attack it. He was sure it was going to get all over his face no matter where he came in from. The left? The right? The bottom?! Shoto glanced to Ruka, figuring she could lead by example. It looked good so he took a tentative bite and licked his lips. It was a great mixture of tart and sweet. Not too sweet but nowhere near savory either. He decided he may have to bring his mother one of these when he visited her next. It was hard to find time between school and working out and chores but he knew she'd like to try a crepe.

When Ruka explained what made her happy, Shoto hung on to every word, finding her to be an easy subject to observe. What made her happy were the smile of others? That was a noble thing to find pleasure in. There was so much in the world to be fearful or angry about. Politics, human trafficking, villains, child abuse, liars...and yet to be able to want to bring some calming joy to all of that chaos...it was something Shoto could agree with. The world needed more reasons to smile. And of course strawberries. He wondered if it may be out of season to grow some strawberries of his own. He leaned over when he noted some whip cream on her nose. He reached over with his finger and wiped it off of her nose. He didn't have a napkin handy so he glanced around. He couldn't wipe it on his clothes. With no other real polite option, he stuck the finger in his mouth, licking it quickly, hoping perhaps she hadn't seen him do that, though how could she not?

He continued to listen as she looked down at her dessert as she considered what happiness could be to others and how it may not have to be something tangible. He reached forward with his free hand, "Yes Kurotsuki-san that does answer my question." He replied to her, not wanting her to think he had been tuning her out. Not at all. Shoto enjoyed her ideas on happiness as it helped him figure out what his own feelings were. He hadn't gone after a girl before, always needing to focus on his training. He never wanted to bring someone into his own issues with his family. He didn't think he had a whole lot to offer other people. Even now he wasn't sure if becoming friends with Ruka was wise. He didn't want her to be burdened by his own expectations of himself. He and his father were on better terms now but he still wanted his son to become strong enough to bring down All Might and to carry on his legacy.

But Shoto didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps, he wanted to be his own hero, almost hating the fact he was his father's son. While he didn't know the hardships of Ruka's own family, he was worried he'd be adding more stress to her own life. And yet here he was, sitting with her in a park. His thoughts weren't on working out or studying, but on enjoying the present. And shouldn't a hero be able to have time to themselves? "Thank you for your insights. I don't often think about things like happiness but I was having trouble describing this feeling I have." He explained to her as he went back to eating his crepe, having given up on trying to spare his face a mess. These kind of elaborate delights would be messy, no matter what. He thought about how he spent time with Bakugo and Deku and the others and how he enjoyed their company but their company didn't cause him to question himself this much.

He soon finished his crepe and they found a restroom nearby so they could wash their hands and faces properly. They sat back under the tree as they returned to relax under the pink glow of the trees. "My father is Endeavor." He said out of nowhere. If he was going to try to get closer to Ruka, he thought she should know a bit more about him, in case she didn't want to associate with him. "He married my mother due to her quirk...it wasn't love. He would hurt her and in time she'd come to see me as she saw him." He said. "She's the one who gave me this scar. I don't blame her for what she did...she was in a terrible situation. They weren't soulmates." He glanced down. "My father needs me to be strong enough to take on All Might but also my fellow peers. When he's not out doing hero work, he and I are working out together. Most days I barely feel human...more like a robot." He explained.

"So it's not often I can have time to myself to think. I suppose there isn't much happiness in my life." Only when he visited his mother did he feel truly accepted and loved. But with Kurotsuki entering his life, that had changed. He felt a connection to her and he had to wonder if perhaps they might be soulmates? But he didn't think it would be right to ask her about her mark, knowing some people put too much of an emphasis on them while others laughed and tried to get them surgically removed or hidden. It was a strange concept just like quirks. "But in spending time with you," And perhaps bothering Kaminari. "has given me a lot to think about." Shoto said.

Looking up, he now turned his eyes to the cherry blossoms. They probably had a week or two left before they would be gone, another year to wait for something so beautiful to come out for such a short period of time. He then looked to Ruka, "I'm sorry if that all came out of nowhere. I just didn't want someone else telling you." He told her. Of course that wasn't his only reason, he wanted to gauge her reaction and see if she could understand where he was coming from. Poetry and books did offer him an escape but also a means of looking at his own life through another colored lense. Shoto knew no life was perfect and that Ruka had to have some demons, given how dangerous her quirk appeared. "If you do need someone to talk to, I am always...happy," Yes that was the word. "to listen to you, Kurotsuki-san." He told her with a smile. There was something about her that made him feel more at ease. He felt a warmth spread over him but he was sure it wasn't his quirk but actual happiness, just as Ruka had described.

Back at UA, Eijiro and Denki had just gotten back from the store, carrying a bag of items and sneaking them into Denki's dorm room. Denki picked up many of the clothes scattered on the floor. "If you ever wanna get Kurotsuki back here, you gotta clean up." Eijiro laughed as he helped his friend make his bed. "What makes you think I want that?" Denki scoffed, was it that obvious? "Because you couldn't take your eyes off her from the moment she joined our class. You got it bad, man. I've never seen you this girl crazy before." Eijiro commented. Denki huffed as he picked up Piichi and cuddled the little guy. Sure Denki had fawned over other girls but he seemed rather stuck on Miss Kurotsuki. It was a bit funny for Eijiro to watch. "Then why do you keep dragging me away from her?" Denki whined. "It's fun?" Eijiro laughed, holding his hands out. What else could he say? Denki glared and smacked his friend in the back of the head but Eijiro was quick to use his quirk so that Denki ended up hurting himself. "Ow, damnit!" Denki moaned.

He dropped the cat on the bed as Eijiro started to open up a box of dry cat food. Denki moved to the window and hoped it would rain or something, anything to make Shoto and Ruka cut their little outing short. He grumbled and knew he'd have to do a lot better if he was going to really impress Ruka. Why did his partner have to be Todoroki of all people? Aizawa-sensei was a sick bastard. He turned back to his friend who was petting Piichi. "You should show her this little guy, girls love cats." He told Denki as he got up, ready to get back to his own dorm room so he could hit the books and maybe play some video games before dinner time rolled around. Denki saw Eijiro out and shut the door behind him, sitting on his bed as he grabbed a random comic book, hoping that Shoto was as boring as he was strong. Damn him.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Shota can only blink as a hand reached out and quickly took a scoop of his ice cream. He looked over to see Uede happily eating the ice cream she just stole from him as he honestly couldn't care less. He merely let out a small sound as he looked more amused than annoyed. She really was a bundle of energy in his opinion. As they were done with their little treat, Shota just sat there, enjoying not having to do any work for once. He turned his attention onto Uede when she spoke up. She's going to get stronger did she say? Hearing her declare that she wants to fight him, Shota turned a taunting smirk towards her as he spoke up, "oh? Well, I'm sure eventually you'll get the chance to fight me...I hope you have improved by then." He knew she'll have progressed by then and he knew she would impress him. So far, Uede and even Kurotsuki have shown rapid improvements and its only their second week here. He was sure their arrival has caused quite a storm among his students, something which he hoped would push them all to go further. Plus Ultra basically.

Hearing her determination, Shota closed his eyes as he commented lightly, "it's not always about winning...sometimes you win when you lose...but that's in real life situations I suppose." Shota explained to her as he looked over at her. She may not understand it now, but he was sure a time will come when she learns what really matters in life and what is an actual win. To some, it may not seem like a win, but to heroes...well she'll learn over time. What happened next caught Shota completely off guard as he stared bewildered up at Uede as she came to stand beside him only to mimic the actions he has done to her so many times now.

A scowl appeared on his lips as he simply sat there, letting her pet his hair as if he was some sort of cat. He'll let her go for today...but to think she would openly express her opinion about his smile...he looked off to the side, the scowl still in place as he was hoping she didn't notice his smile. Perhaps he'll have to be more cautious about his expressions from now on, but somehow always around Uede his mask cracks. Shota stood up to his full height as he looked down at Uede, "watch it, Uede." He warned her lightly though there was no anger behind his words as he simply called out to her as she left, "don't forget your homework and don't go causing trouble now." He smirked lightly at her as he then left to finish up some work. Hopefully, there wasn't a lot to grade...then he also had to get some fish for Mi on his way home. Shota held back a sigh as he went to get things done with.

- A little hop to Thursday -

It's been nearly half a week since this strange training regimen has started. Glasses perched on his nose, Tenya's eyes were focused on the board as one of the many teachers were teaching. It was on science and Tenya was dutifully taking notes until the bell rang signaling the start of lunch. Standing up, Tenya was about to go and eat with Izuku and Ochako like always, but today was slightly different. Actually, since Monday things have been a bit different in schedule for Tenya. Turning towards his desk neighbor, Tenya looked over at Uede as he gave her a polite smile, "Uede-kun, would you like to have lunch with me today?" He wanted to discuss a few things with her before the afternoon lessons. They were partners this week after all and so he wanted to get the most out of it. Surely she wouldn't mind?

As they sat down to eat, Tenya spoke up, "your reflexes and flexibility is just top notch Uede-kun!" His arms were moving wildly as he gestured with every word spoken, "I must say that Aizawa-sensei truly thought out each pairing and it is for our own improvements! U.A has always shown me that they always think a few steps ahead, something I must truly admire them for. As expected of the number one hero school!" Realizing he was babbling, Tenya turned to Uede with a small smile as he asked her, "what do you think so far of the exercises?" The two been working hard together since Monday's battle and he found her company to be quite pleasant. Ochako has been teasing him saying that he should just ask her out, but they are working together! That is just not appropriate!...right?

- - -

Ruka was a bit surprised and embarrassed when he poked at her nose. Huh? Though she soon noticed a bit of cream on the tip of his finger which was soon gone into his mouth. Ruka blinked a few moments, her thoughts processing before she turned down to look at her crepe. That didn't just happen...yeah she'll go with that. Pushing down the heat from her cheeks, Ruka listened to Shoto as he began to speak about himself. Now that she thought about it...this would probably be the first time he spoke about himself. She didn't really know him or actually anyone from her class to this level of depth. Then again no one really knew her besides Mela as well...would she one day be able to tell them about herself?

She listened patiently until the end before smiling softly over at him. She could relate on many levels with a few things that he's said. Unable to help herself, Ruka reached a hand out and poked his cheek gently much like she's done with Mela on many occasions before gently gliding her hand over his head, almost in a comforting manner before pulling back. She then spoke up as she stared up at the cherry blossoms falling about them, "thank you for sharing that with me Todoroki-san..." Ruka paused as she was hesitant to tell him about herself, but he told her so much...perhaps she should return the favor? Maybe a little he can know...

"I don't think you're a robot...we all go through something right? But here we are alive and breathing, there must be a reason to that..." she glanced briefly over at him before continuing, "I...to be honest, I never really knew what family was either." Ruka caught a petal on her hand as she twirled it in between her fingers, "after a few years of awakening my quirk, I was placed to live in a different home from the rest of my family...but I honestly can't blame them. Who would want to stay around a child with an uncontrollable dangerous quirk?" Ruka smiled wryly as she explained, "I had a really hard time controlling my quirk and I ended up hurting my mother one day..." Smiling back at him, she quickly explained, "but it's alright! I'm fine as you can tell plus I had Mel to keep me company...but I understand Todoroki-san....so if you ever wish to speak with someone, you can always come to me!" Ruka beamed a smile at him before chatting about the books. He didn't need to know she didn't even know who her father was...no he didn't...not yet at least.

Once home from her little outing, Ruka demanded answers from Mela about what happened between her and Aizawa as the girls hanged out that evening, eating dinner and chatting like always. Ruka went to sleep that night...well after reading a few comics and parts of the book. She'll definitely have to let them know that they were both amazing and that she can now say she likes comic books as well.

- Jump Skip Hop -

Ruka stretched lightly as the last morning class was finally over with. Now it was lunchtime and she can finally enjoy the bento that she made! She looked over to see if Mela was busy today when she overheard Iida asking Mela to join him for lunch. Ruka blinked a few times but soon a smile was on her face as she was obviously approving of this. Hopping over to Mela and dragging her out of earshot from Iida, Ruka didn't mean to stand right beside Aizawa as she spoke happily to Mela, "you can go and get lunch with Iida-san Mel! It seems like he fancies you hehe." Ruka grinned hoping her little message was sent to Aizawa without Mela noticing.

After waving to Mela, Ruka went to go get her own lunch, hopefully, a certain blonde explosion boy would not bother her today. Since Monday the blonde has been bugging Ruka nonstop. Annoying her quite well. She was certain he was just trying to piss her off with every little comment that he makes. Though surprisingly the two have been progressing rather well in their training, though it was more filled with insults and who can burn the other more than actual combat, they were still training properly! It's just as each day passes, the more holes and burns Ruka would come out with. There was even a little bandage on her cheek today due to someone's punch from yesterday's afternoon class. She wondered when her costume would come in as she felt bad for her uniform. There was only so much her clothes can take! Though Ruka will only admit to herself, Bakugou was actually considerate and nice...deep deep down inside. He was nice to her on some rare occasion...though he usually ruined it with an insult.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Upon Ruka's arrival back home, they shared a meal as usual and Mela assured Ruka it was just ice cream and nothing had really happened. Though she hadn't yet said she had also met up with him at a store and paid for his food. And there was no way she'd tell Ruka about how lovely Aizawa's smile was. No no, that was just her smile. No one else's! Over the past few days, their class time had been divided up for students to have time to train and discuss with this week's partner. Mela had enjoyed talking strategy with Iida, he was pretty quick and that quirk was fun to try and keep up with. Plus he was a lot more mature than the others, save for Todoroki who Mela was a tiny bit scared of. Still, Tenya was a nice guy, he seemed to have goals in life which was a great trait Mela went after, which was parly why she hunted for people older than herself. They had life together, they had been through things, they had accomplishments and interests. To her, guys her own age were aimless and perverted. Not a good combo there.

When it was time go go eat, Mela was hoping to go sit with Ruka but Tenya suggested they eat together today. Before she could mull over the idea, she was pulled away, her heels dragging against the polished floor. "Wha-what? Fancies me? What are you, Jane Eyre?" She muttered, face turning red. Of course Ruka would want her to go off with Tenya if it meant ensuring she wasn't off drooling over All Might or Aizawa...she looked to her left to see him quite close. Maybe he didn't hear Ruka? She sighed. "Fine, I'll go." She shrugged. It was just lunch. Besides, the more she got to know Iida, the better chance she had at beating him in a few days. "Iida-kun doesn't think I cause any trouble or anything! He's a total gentleman." She said a bit loudly, mostly for Aizawa's consideration.

Mela grabbed her things and headed off with Iida to eat, still wishing she could talk to All Might. She had been going to the gym more but she didn't think it was doing that much but it was pretty early to see any kind of a result. Though she had also hoped to run into All Might working out. But alas, they didn't cross paths. It was liking working out was for nothing. Returning her focus to the taller student, she sat down with him in the cafeteria, no one else at their table as they ate. "You're too kind, Iida-kun." Mela waved a hand. "It was so fun to fight you, I'm really looking forward to our rematch." She said, her eyes sparkling. She ate some of her fried chicken and looked up to Tenya.

"By the way, help yourself. Rukie-chan makes huge lunches so I often have leftovers when I come home." Or she would like to feed a certain stray janitor if possible. Though said leftovers didn't last more than hour upon coming back to her apartment. Mela combed her fingers through her bangs as she went back to eating. "I heard through Midoriya-san that your brother was Turbo Hero Ingenium. That's so cool to have a pro hero in the family." Or former pro as it were. She heard an attacked caused him to retire but at least he was alive and well. "My family doesn't really like what I'm doing, they think its a phase." They also were hoping her dating older boys was a phase. They did support her though, they just weren't too happy about her putting herself in dangerous situations. "I guess given my quirk they'd want me to like, take up dancing or something." How would dancing help anyone? "Your whole family supports you though, that's gotta be an amazing feeling. If you weren't going to go pro, what do you think you'd be doing instead?" She asked Tenya.

- - -

It had been a very good outing with Kurotsuki-san, Todoroki concluded. He had confided in her some personal things and she didn't seem to judge him any less. In fact, she ended up sharing her own thoughts and inner obstacles she was working through. She had her own family history that was by no means perfect. He felt sad thinking about her hardships but at the same time, they seemed to have made her into a strong capable hero-in-training. Her quirk was surely seen as a burden or a curse at times and that was something Shoto could certainly relate to as well. It was interesting how alike they seemed. As lunch sounded, Shoto placed a hand where she had poked him Monday afternoon under the cherry trees. His thoughts of wistful contemplation were interrupted by Kaminiari who was looking rather amped. "What?"

"I overheard Bakugo say he was going to have lunch with Kurotsuki, wanna go check it out?"

"You mean spy on them...?" Shoto rolled his eyes.

Denki made a face and Shoto got up, deciding it wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure those two were behaving. The part called a temporary truce and headed off to the roof where Bakugo was sometimes known to feast. Denki glanced to Shoto who just focused on the elevator dings that took them higher into the sky. Once at the final floor, they took the stairs to the roof and peered through the window of the door leading outside. It was a good place to be if a fire did start. It was contained and no one else would likely get hurt. Denki nudged Shoto who had his elbow lodged in Denki's ribs. Shoto pushed Denki back as they tried to see what they were doing. Talking? Training? Surely nothing else.

When class ended, Bakugo got up, ready to get his legs moving. He hated how long the mornings felt. He also had to listen to Deku's annoying nerdy questions too. Didn't that kid learn to shut up and just wait? Bakugo also had another new source of his headaches: Ruka Kurotsuki. Her quirk was powerful and he was going to face it head on. No way was he going to beaten by a transfer student. He didn't care if she was a girl or not, she was a new rival, someone he could test himself against. Bakugo grabbed his own lunch and found Kurotsuki about ready to leave. "Hey, let's go." He said in his usual raspy voice. "You. Me. Roof. Now." He huffed.

On the roof they could have privacy and trade blows if needed. But he also liked the view and that no one seemed to bother him. He waited for Ruka to come along before he silently walked off to catch the elevator. Over the past few days, they had done their fair amount of fire throwing and insult throwing. It was kind of fun for the blond. The other girls in 3-A didn't really have the guts to speak out against him so he enjoyed trading jabs with someone who could take what he dished out. He had rivalries with mainly Deku, Todoroki and even Kirishima but he was glad to add another to the list: Kurotsuki.

To him, having someone to go up against always gave you a new bar to reach and surpass. Bakugo wanted to the best and in order to do so, he had to beat the best. He looked up to All Might almost as much as that nerd Deku did. But Bakugo wasn't going to put that guy on a pedestal and pretend he was infalible. No. Bakugo was going to beat him someday and all the others. His path to being a hero was more volatile than most but he knew he was on the right path, doing things his own way. He pulled open the door leading out to the roof and held it open briefly with his toe before he kept walking, only sitting down once he had reached a bench that was nailed into the ground.

He rummaged through his lunch and pulled out a can of soda, cracking it open. "Hurry up and sit down already." He snapped to her. He wanted them to hurry up and eat so they could get another few minutes of practice. Sure, they would have time after lunch but he wanted to make the most of his time and not waste it standing around. Taking a few angry chugs, he pulled out a rice ball and began to dig in. "So why come to UA now anyway Ruka?" He asked her. It was clear she had talent. Why wait until the last year? "I would have loved to murder you much sooner." He grinned as he took a drink before finishing off the rest of his rice ball. "I'm guessing some family issues?" He looked to her. Sure she liked to look put together but Bakugo was sure there were some cracks running through her. Everyone had their issues. No matter how hard they tried to hide or fill them in. "Or were you just scared?" Bakugo was sure that wasn't the case though.

From the other side, Shoto stepped back, so far there wasn't anything to spy on. They were just talking. He shot Denki a glare for making him come up and act like some creep. Denki waved a hand to keep Shoto quiet as he kept looking, still worried about Bakugo and Ruka together. What could they ever be talking about?

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Before lunch, Shota came to class 3-A to make the usual announcement of what would happen after lunch. After stating that they will continue with their training until the rematch on Saturday, he looked over a few notes he had when he overheard Kurotsuki speak to Uede rather loudly right next to him. He lifted a brow at this as the pinkette wasn't known to speak so loudly, so why now? As he listened, Shota could feel his interest piqued even more as he leaned further to listen to the two's conversation. Did she just say Iida likes Uede? Somehow that made him annoyed. He glanced briefly to glare at the back of Kurotsuki's head, his eyes briefly meeting Uede's. He heard her comment as well, but it did nothing to lessen his glare directed at Kurotsuki.

Heading back to the teachers' lounge, Shota barely heard what Hizashi was even saying to him as he kept thinking back on what Kurotsuki and Uede were talking about. Letting out a slight huff, Shota took a bite of his bread as he decided that it was nothing to worry about. He half-heartedly listened to Hizashi talking about the English papers he received from class 3-A, something about half being rubbish. Well, they weren't here to ace the general studies, Shota wouldn't blame them much.

As Tenya took a bite of his lunch, he marveled at the large amount that Uede's lunch box contained. He was a bit surprised to hear that Kurotsuki made all that, but at the same time he wasn't surprised that the pinkette made lunch for Uede judging from how close the two seemed to be. He tensed slightly when she mentioned his older brother, but soon a proud smile was on his lips as his glasses gleamed, "yes! He is indeed my older brother! I like to think of him as one of the best heroes around." Sure his brother retired from being a hero due to various reasons, but Tenya still looked up to him as the best hero. For him, his brother Igenium was the best.

He blinked in surprise to hear that Uede's family was against her becoming a hero, "but why? I can see you becoming quite the hero Uede-san, your family should be proud." Tenya understood that each family may have their own problems, but he liked to think that being a hero was an honorable thing. He nodded his head, "yes, my family line has heroes all the way to my grandfather, it seems like almost a must that we become heroes in my family...but I suppose if I were to not be a hero, I would choose perhaps some sort of business?" Tenya placed his hand under his chin as he thought about it seriously. Smiling over at Uede, he asked her curiously, "what about you?"

- - -

Ruka looked up in time to see Bakugou standing in front of her. She rolled her eyes briefly before grabbing her bento and following him to the elevators. By now she was used to him bugging her and dragging her off to eat lunch or well to spar and poke at her she supposed. The rooftop was his favorite it seems like, not like Ruka was complaining. The view was wonderful and the fresh air was more needed when around the stuffy explosive boy. As they arrived at the rooftop, Ruka took her time to sit beside the blonde as she simply replied back, "calm down Porcupine-kun, the bench isn't going to run away."

Taking a seat, Ruka began to eat her meal, savoring each bit and taking her sweet time. She learned that he can be quite impatient at times and would often try to push his buttons in that way. Though at times Ruka noticed he actually has been observing everyone and would ask her random questions. Hearing his question of the day, Ruka lifted up a brow as she replied back, "what? You like my company that much? It is a first for me to befriend a porcupine...I have to say it's interesting." She smirked lightly as she munched on a piece of fried chicken.

Ruka rolled her eyes as she simply explained, "I used to live in another city, plus they had a hero school there. My family thought I wasn't being serious and just enrolled me in there, though after a few years they finally realized I actually meant what I said...and so they decided that for the Kurotsuki family only the best of the best." She didn't know why, but around Bakugou she can be quite honest and know he won't say much back. It was nice knowing that she can say whatever without a repercussion, though an insult here and there was a given.

Looking over at Bakugou, Ruka couldn't help but ask as she tossed him a piece of her chicken, "and why would I be scared? Scared of you? Please, I'd never be scared of a Porcupine." She smiled lightly as she asked him, "so why did you choose to be a hero? Hasn't anyone ever told you that you're more fitting to be a villain?" Of course, Ruka heard this many times herself...so hearing another person's opinion on it wouldn't hurt, plus it was Bakugou, no harm here. "By the way, do you know when the hero costumes are coming in? I'm quite tired of you burning holes into my clothes." She glared lightly at him as last time he got a bit too close to her chest. Ruka let out a small whine as she noted he drank up all his drink, "eh...I was thirsty too you know..." she was kidding, but she knew it'll bother him. Heh.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Mela had to think how cool it could be to be part of a heroic family that supported one another and all knew the struggles of putting one's live on the line. But it was a risk to know your family was in danger more so than the average one. She was impressed by Iida and his clan, knowing he'd make a good hero just like his brother. Hopefully he'd have his own name and spotlight, not needing that of his older brother to find success. She continued to eat as Tenya commented she'd make a good hero. "Oh well..." She shrugged, not sure if someone like Tenya could understand that her family just wanted a normal daughter, someone who would live a long time and not be plagued by danger and life threatening situations. "They just want me to do something safer is all, they don't really think my quirk is...that heroic. But I'm gonna make it work." She said.

Her parents would support her either way but she was sure they discussed her career choice behind closed doors. Mela hated to make them worry but...she firmly believed she was doing what she was supposed. How could she live such an ordinary life without helping others? If she could save just one life, she would consider all of this struggle now to be well worth it. "Plus back where I'm from, my family is pretty noteworthy and would prefer I just focus on our own family business." She said. When Iida mentioned he might do something with business, she nodded. That would suit him. "Maybe finance or architecture?" She suggested.

Though her imagining not being a hero was a little easier it seemed. "I'd probably just be back home taking care of our shrine and still teaching people archery. Kind of boring but it's our legacy I guess." Mela laughed while picking up some lightly salted and steamed vegetables to nibble on. With all the talk of home, Mela was hoping to visit perhaps when they had a small break. It would only take an hour or two by train to get back to Tokyo. She checked in once a week but a phone call was never the same as seeing your loved ones face to face. Maybe when she got her hero costume she could take a picture and show them herself, as opposed to texting them.

There had to be some way to let her parents know she wasn't just abandoning her heritage and their family's responsibilities but so far, Mela could only come up with archery as a weapon of choice. Someday she'd have to be enough for them and not feel like such a black sheep. Despite that one issue, Mela was quite loved and had a very good childhood, it was a strict upbringing in some regards to the shrine and spiritual side of things but Mela's parents adored her and always encouraged her to help others. Becoming a hero was just another way of doing that. Was embracing the hero trend such a bad thing? Mela shook her head, Maybe Iida had some good stories about All Might? If anyone would it sounded like Deku would though, he claimed to be his number one fan. Mela disagreed there. Ahem. "Maybe when we graduate, we could team up for a bit. I feel like we'd be really good together!" Mela grinned, not really aware she may be leading the poor boy on.

- - -

"What?! No, I don't like your damn company, I tolerate it." He snapped back. Ruka was being too generous and then she liked to go and twist his words. Women hah. He had on a scowl as she prattled on about her life growing up. It sounded so hard coming from such a privileged home. Of course he liked to judge books by their covers. He thought interning with Best Jeanist was going to be great during their first year at UA after everything that had happened. He won the sport's festival as he so declared he would. And yet that was the best he could be offered. Still, Bakugo thought a pro could still provide him with ways of getting stronger but all it did for him was mess up his hair for a few days and annoy the crap out of him. What a waste of time.

And of course Deku of all people ends up coming out it all the more stronger. Bakugo had been burned having made rash judgements of those around him. Still, he didn't get why Ruka wasn't taken more seriously by her family with her powerful quirk. She clearly needed more time to get a grip on it. "Huh...well UA is the best." He agreed. "Better late than never I guess." He shrugged, not caring one way or the other. If she hadn't shown up, he would be feeling a lot more comfortable in 3-A but since she arrived, he's had to stay on his toes and deal with another threat to his claim to being the number one student and soon to be, hero.

"Hey!" He caught the chicken in his mouth as it was flung towards him. He was fuming, now realizing how much of a stupid dog he must have looked like. "Don't even say it." He warned her. "If you're smart, you've be scared." He warned her with a growl. "What?! I am not a villain damnit. Why do people keep saying that?!" He yelled. A few other profanities were grumbled as he looked off. Why was he so misunderstood? Whenever he was around any underclassmen, they just ran the other way. Whatever. So what if he was a bit high strung? He still wanted to do good, even if it meant yelling. "I just...I get so frustrated." He muttered. "I know how strong I am and how far I can be pushed. I want to be the very best hero and I can't waste time worrying about making friends." If he made connections, like with Deku then maybe one day...they would come back to haunt him. Bakugo scoffed lightly, "I take UA seriously and it pissed me off when others don't."

He shook his head at her, "Are costumes all you girls think about?" He thought back to Uraraka and her annoying costume designs she was showing off to the class yesterday. Still, he couldn't deny he was curious about what Ruka and Uede had picked out. Something cute or flashy. When Ruka complained about him finishing his drink, he let out a sigh. Her nagging was annoying but something he had somewhat come to anticipate. "Here, take it and shut up, pinkie. I bought it for after school so don't get any lame ass idea that it was for you okay?" Bakugo glared at her. While he had brought it for after he worked out, he somewhat expected Ruka might try to steal his drink so he had a back up just in case. The blond grabbed some chips from his lunch and began to angrily eat them. "And maybe I wouldn't burn up your clothes if you knew how to dodge quicker." He smirked lightly as he munched on his chips. "You're still too slow." He pointed out.

Shoto kept watching, seeing how they were getting alone. It was...strange. Very strange. Shoto quickly excused himself, deciding he didn't want to see anymore than that. His heat ached and he suddenly felt sick, like he was no longer hungry. Instead he was confused and a bit...jealous. Was that it? He headed down the stairs and Denki crawled behind him, having a much different reaction. "What if she's his soulmate, Todoroki?" Denki whined, still making his way down the stairs as a slug's pace. All energy had been drained from him.

"He's not." Shoto huffed. That would be impossible. Right? Shoto didn't bother to wait for Denki as he just went back to the library, finding himself suddenly very angry while Denki finally got to his feet and dusted himself off with a sigh. Shoto seemed sure but Denki wasn't. It felt like he and Ruka hadn't hung out in ages. He decided he'd have to keep training hard and maybe that would be enough to win her back.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Tenya's ears perked up at the mention of a shrine. He looked thoughtful before nodding his head as he finally recalled why that sounded so familiar, "oh yes! I remember now, the Uede family is known for the shrine that they maintain in Tokyo, am I correct?" He smiled as he continued, "to think their daughter is aiming to become a pro-hero, they must be proud!" Remembering how she just mentioned how her family would rather her not be a hero, Tenya added hastily, "oh but I'm sure that your parents would want you to be what you really wish...plus a little hard work and they will be bound to see you!" Tenya understood how it felt to have to prove to others, he remembered how he nearly lost his footing when his brother was hurt. To hear a villain claim that he was just a fake and how he knew what was being said is true...that was hard. He now had more resolve to show the world that he is going to be a hero that will save everyone, not just for his own selfish reasons.

Hearing Mela's excited talk about teaming up after graduation, Tenya could feel his cheeks pinken slightly as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Somehow that thought made him happy. He gave her a smile as he nodded his head, "yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea! I'm sure you and I would make a great team together!" Secretly he couldn't help but wonder what her soul mark was. Just then the bell rang, thankfully saving Tenya from saying anything more embarrassing. He stood up hastily as he pushed his glasses back up onto his nose as he said, "ah we must hurry Uede-kun! Aizawa-sensei will be calling roll before we are split up for our various trainings!"

Tenya hurried off, unaware that a pair of dark eyes was watching the two from the hallway. Shota let out a small sigh as he scratched his head, wondering what was wrong with him. As the afternoon classes rolled around, Tenya stood by Mela as Aizawa-sensei called roll before saying, "I'll be coming around to spectate each team...you guys are free to watch your classmates as well if you really want...that is another form of practice, watch and learning I guess." Shota wasn't in the best of moods and so he kept his words short. His eyes remained locked on Uede and Tenya's form as the pair moved off to their training area. Shota decided to watch those two first.

Walking towards the training area, Tenya asked Mela, "so Uede-kun, what did you want to work on today? Perhaps some physical activity? I-I didn't mean anything improper! I was merely stating that we can work on some hand to hand combat without using our quirks!" His cheeks were red as his words sounded like something more inappropriate for a moment. Shota's eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned against the nearby wall, staying silent as he watched the pair from a distance.

- - -

Ruka giggled slightly as she watched Bakugou catch the food with his mouth. He really seemed like an animal to her. As she heard his answer, Ruka waved a hand while saying, "ah no no, I'm not saying you're a villain...if anything you'd be a weak one." Her eyes shined slightly as she continued while throwing another piece of chicken at him to keep his mouth shut, "plus it's not like I can't understand you...I've been told many times the same thing...but hey we all do what we want, right?" So why should it matter if they called her and Bakugou villains? It only matters if they fell for that or not, right?

Happily Ruka accepted the drink, a smile dancing on her lips as she cracked the top open while saying, "uh huh...whatever you say~ I hope you're going to have more for later after our training is done." Poking at Bakugou and seeing if he'll actually comply to her words was entertaining. He was like a gruff dog who actually listened to their master, only growling but never biting. Ruka's eyes narrowed in slight warning at his words, "hey, I'm working on it. You need to work on using other methods instead of just pure strength. Like that's going to help you everytime." Ruka shot back with ease as she finished off her lunch before the bell rang.

After changing into her p.e uniform, Ruka walked out along with Mela as she whined lightly to her friend, "I hope that Porcupine doesn't burn my clothes today, I don't think the school would be willing to fix it anymore!" She looked ahead to see Todoroki and Kaminari, she smiled at the two and waved before getting dragged off by Bakugou, "ah hey!" Ruka let out in annoyance before following the fuming blonde to their training area which was of course flame proof to an extent.

As she stood across from Bakugou, Ruka stretched lightly as she asked him, "so, what are we going to do today?" To test how she felt, Ruka brought out some of her flames onto the tips of her fingers, watching the black flame dance across her skin creating a soft tingling sensation. She glanced over at Bakugou, wondering what he had in store for her today. Ruka held up her hand which was covered in her black flame as she lightly warned the blonde, "don't you dare burn my clothes today. Or else." Her eyes narrowed in warning.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Even though she didn't know Iida-san too well, it was nice talking to someone about her past. Ruka already knew about it and All Might nor Yagi or even Aizawa asked about her. Probably because they didn't really care to know so she was happy to talk to Tenya who seemed nice and supportive. Unlike a certain long haired grouch who would remain nameless. "Awww you're so nice to say that." She grinned. Maybe if she buttered him up, he'd regale her with some stories about All Might. Even though she thought she and Tenya could make a fun pair, she would still prefer to back up Ruka or All Might but Tenya would be fun too. Who knows what options they'd have come post-graduation but that felt like it would in another lifetime. She jumped slightly when Tenya noted how lunch was already over.

He ran off and she stood up calmly, figuring Aizawa would probably mark her tardy or absent even if she got to class on time. She put her things in the trash as she headed back up to class, checking her phone as she did so. Nothing of interest online. She browsed reddit and saw a few posts about Aizawa in their local subreddit. That guy never knew when to quit huh? She got back to class and was glad to see Ruka had made it back okay. She and Ruka caught up as they got changed. "I hope he doesn't bite you or something...he looks feral." She muttered to Ruka. If Bakugo did anything to her Ruka, Mela would tear him apart. Before she could consider the idea of Ruka's clothes falling apart, Bakugo once again abducted her friend.

"Hey, take care of her! Or else!" She yelled at Bakugo who just flipped her off. She looked back to Tenya as they headed off, though she glanced over her shoulder to see someone following them. She giggled at Tenya's words. "Oooh~?" She let out a sing song-y hum. "Sure, I'd like that." She told Tenya as she tossed a glance at the teacher. Was he sulking? No he was just his usual surly self. Mela shook her head. "Iida-kuuuun, don't worry about me, I'm quite flexible so feel free to make this a hard match." Now that was a loaded comment which she was very well aware of. She had to let out a few giggles at herself, quite proud of that comment of hers, especially since it was a bit inappropriate. She just couldn't help herself. Tenya was so sweet and innocent and he set himself up after his own blunder.

She charged for him and dove over him, her hands grabbing hold of his shoulders. "Believe it or not I'm not using my quirk!" She laughed. She barely stayed balanced as she swung down, locked her legs around Tenya and pinned him to the ground, pressing his chest against the floor, her legs pinning him down, resting on either side of his hips. "I used my own speed and momentum there." She explained. Mela locked his arms behind him. "A perfect move to take down any enemy." She glanced to Aizawa, smirking. She patted his back and got off of Tenya, helping him back up to his feet. "Hope I didn't knock too much wind outta ya! Now you wanna try coming at me but I would advise not trying to to do a handstand on me."

- - -

He let out a 'pfffft' at her saying he'd be a weak villain. Hell no, he'd be the best bad guy ever! But no, despite what everyone else thought, he had morals okay? He knew right from wrong. But that didn't stop him from yelling at his classmates, mostly Deku. But Deku and his stupid nerdy dopey face was asking for it. Who writes that many notes? It was really weird and annoying. That kid was weirdly smart. What was up with that anyway? Nerd. "You're hardly a villain, don't listen to what anyone else tells you. Who cares what anyone else but you thinks huh?" He looked to her. He tried to imagine a situation where he and Ruka may be villains. Maybe in another world. Hah. Maybe. It was a strange thing to picture, them getting payback for all the crap they were given. He shook his head. No, they were heroes, in this world and all the others damnit.

"Hah, my strength is always gonna be what it takes to win!" He shouted, clenching his fists. He was already looking forward to lunch being over and thankfully it was. He tipped the bag of chips back and finished off the rest before he threw his trash away. He followed Ruka back to class so they could get things rolling. He caught a few stares as he stomped back to 3-A. Whatever. Bakugo glanced to everyone as Aizawa talked about what they'd be doing. He didn't care to hear Aizawa drone on and on so thankfully he kept it short and sweet. "Let's go. Now!" He pulled Ruka away towards their own room in the gym where they could practice. The gym had many private training rooms, all padded and had protection against the elements and most wear and tear.

He crackled his knuckles and eyed his prey. "Tch, or else what? You gonna sick your little friend on me? Like I'm worried about her." Nor was he worried about Ruka for that matter. "You gotta work on moving faster." He told her once again. "Your quirk is useless if you can't get out of the way when I'm about to kick you in the face." He grinned slightly at the image. He decided he could throw some explosions her way and see just how slow she was. "How about this, pinkie? You try dodging what I got and since you think I can't rely on power..." He trailed off. "...What should I work on?" He found himself asking her. In his mind, he was skilled in every area of battle possible. Ruka would have to look pretty darn hard if she wanted to find fault with him, at least that's what he thought. She claimed he couldn't rely on his power but what else did that leave him? Power is what mattered most in battle.

Bakugo didn't even wait for her to answer as he stepped back and began to fire at her. The attacks were very minimal and controlled, not nearly as frantic as they used to be back in his first year. He had learned to manage their size and impact. He made sure to not lead her into a corner, at least not until she warmed up. Heh. Meanwhile, Shoto and Denki already knew where they were going. The paired followed Bakugo and Ruka, letting themselves in to watch what was happening. Shoto remained rather stoic as he stood by the door, arms folded while Denki on the other hand....was cheering loudly for Ruka though Shoto quietly told him to shut up and let her focus. Denki pouted and put his hands on his hips, noticing some of the stray flames from Bakugo were getting dangerously close to her clothes. Denki glanced away for a moment, wondering if he was pervert just by looking. Somehow this felt a little wrong. Shoto wasn't just there to watch Bakugo and Ruka train, he was also there to try and figure out why he found it appealing to want to keep an eye on Ruka. She was capable, she could take care of herself. So why was he so stressed?

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Shota watched the interaction between Uede and Iida with silent watchful eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly when Iida fumbled with his words, seemingly looking embarrassed while Uede giggled while she responded back with just as playful words. Were they flirting? Really? Shota wasn't dull nor innocent for that matter and so those underlying words were as clear as day for the dark-haired male. Perhaps Iida didn't mean to say it, but Uede seemed quite sure of what she was saying. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, Shota crossed his arms across his chest while leaning back. Why was he so annoyed with two students flirting with each other? He didn't want to think about why honestly. Two young adolescents flirting with each other was nothing out of the ordinary, yet somehow it was irritating Shota very much.

It didn't help when Uede charged straight at Iida only to flip him and straddle him to the ground. Seeing Uede look up at him, Shota wasn't sure what she was expecting. He merely stared without any emotions passing through his face as he wrote a few things down on the clipboard in his hand. He watched for a while longer as Iida made his retaliation before he turned and walked off. Somehow watching Iida get so close to Uede...it brought a weird storm brewing within him. Knowing it won't end well for anyone, Shota walked off to spectate the other teams. He did have a job to do after all.

Tenya looked even more flustered when Mela joked right back at him. Her giggles told him that she was well aware of what she was saying. Cheeks turning a darker shade of red, Tenya was a flustered mess and he didn't have enough time to react when she suddenly charged straight towards him. The world flipped upside down for a moment before he was pushed to the ground suddenly. The crash and the sudden weight on his back was more than enough to snap him out of his stupor. He struggled against the grasp she had on his hand before she released him. Standing back up, Tenya gave Mela a smirk as he said, "that was a very neat trick Uede-kun, now it is my turn!" With that Tenya rushed forward, running as fast as he could without the usage of his quirk and was quick to use his height and weight against Mela as he attacked her with various punches and kicks. He smiled as he was enjoying himself. He was glad to know that Mela was his first partner and was fortunate to not have received the likes of Bakugou.

After training was over with for that day, Tenya has just exited the changing rooms and was heading towards the library to get some books when he ran into Izuku and Ochako. Ochako smiled coyly over at the taller male as she asked him, "soooo, did you ask her yet?" Tenya blinked a few times as he repeated back in confusion, "I'm sorry? Ask who what?" Ochako let out an exasperated sigh as she placed her hands on her hips while saying, "I'm talking about Uede-san! I'm asking if you asked her out on a date yet?" Realization slowly crept through Tenya as his face exploded into a red shade as he waved his arms about him while saying, "w-what nonsense are you talking about!? W-why would I do that?!" Izuku and Ochako exchanged a glance before Izuku said rather gently, "um Iida-kun, we noticed you seem quite happy around Uede-san...I mean if you like her, it doesn't hurt to ask her out?" With a few more words, the two left a red-faced Tenya in their wake.

Staring at the floor, Tenya began to mutter aloud to himself, "ask Uede-kun out on a date...?" he, of course, did not know that a certain dark-haired pro hero overheard everything as the older male stood against the wall nearby, hiding so to speak. A sudden voice caught Tenya off guard, "I approve if you're going to ask her out." Surprised, Tenya turned around to see Kurotsuki standing behind him with a rather blank look on her face. "K-kurotsuki-kun! H-how long have you been standing there for?" Kurotsuki merely shrugged her shoulders as she replied back calmly, "not too long, but long enough to know what you're mumbling to yourself for..." her eyes averted off to the side briefly before a small smile was found on her lips as she looked back at Tenya, "anyways, I approve of you asking her out...but remember one thing..." stepping forward, Kurotsuki whispered to Tenya, "make her cry or hurt her once and I'll melt you until even your bones aren't left..." stepping back, Kurotsuki gave him one more smile before walking off with a slight wave, "I suggest you wait until Saturday to ask her. Mel will be easier to approach after the rematch." Tenya stared after Kurotsuki as he felt a shiver run down his spine. He wasn't sure if it was due to her hanging around Bakugou so much or not...but she was quite..." scary..."

Shota glared at the retreating back of Kurotsuki as he heard everything. He even felt her glance over to where he was as if she knew he was there. Just what sort of game was she playing at that she would openly show her favoritism towards which guy can get close to Uede or not? Feeling annoyed once more, Shota walked off while stuffing his hands into his pockets...he wasn't sure if the given date was either a warning to him or a time limit he was given. Either way, Shota knew he'll have to distract Uede through any means...his eyes narrowed as he will not let Kurotsuki have her way. With that in mind, Shota arrived at the teachers' lounge where he walked straight up to where All Might was sitting, drinking tea as if nothing was going wrong.

Yagi nearly jumped in surprise as he looked up with wide blue eyes at Aizawa. Why did he look angry...? Yagi can only feel himself sweat slightly as he felt himself becoming smaller and smaller underneath the furious gaze of Aizawa-kun. Just what or who made the dark-haired hero so angry? "Um Aizawa-kun...how can I help y--"
"Saturday, the first gym, 7 am sharp. Don't be late." What? Yagi can only watch as Aizawa-kun then stormed off without another word. What just happened...? Yagi blinked a few times before he realized that he was invited to somewhere on Saturday, for what? Well, he wasn't entirely sure, but guess he'll just find out when Saturday comes.

~Skip skip Saturday~

Standing in front of the gym that they will be using for today's rematch, Shota spoke up as he gestured to the many shining silver boxes beside him, "alright for today we're going to do the same thing we did Monday. Each pair will have fifteen minutes to defeat the other. Let's see how well you improved over this week...also one more thing...today we finally got everyone's hero costumes in and so you are allowed to wear it for today's match. Your custom gear and weapons are also allowed though if anything becomes too out of line, either me or him will stop you guys." At this Shota pointed at an approaching figure. The class turned around in time to see All Might come forth as he waved at the group of students, "what a wonderful morning it is for a fight! I can't wait to see everyone's progress!" He gave them a thumbs up as he went to stand beside Aizawa-kun. So this was what Aizawa-kun wanted him to come to? He was quite touched, but somehow he felt like Aizawa-kun had something else in mind when inviting him. For today All Might decided to wear a Hawaiian shirt and some shorts, it was Saturday casual day after all.

Ignoring All Might's curious stare, Shota spoke up to the class, "hurry up and get changed. We'll be waiting inside."

- - - -

Watching the flames dance about her hand, Ruka recalled what Bakugou said to her during lunch. That he can't see her as a villain? She held back a laugh as she smiled instead. It may come off as an insult, but Ruka understood he was just trying to reassure her to not believe in such lies. She did say the same thing to him as well...in the words of an insult of course. Ruka glanced up in time to see Bakugou more than ready to begin. She held back a sigh, knowing that once he was fired up...well he will literally be on fire. Ruka glared lightly at him when he mentioned Mela. If Mela really wanted to, Ruka was sure Mela can beat Bakugou up easily!

Despite feeling annoyed at his prodding, Ruka knew what he was saying was true. She was a bit slow in reacting plus she always just relied on her flames to protect her or well to just deflect things, but she can't always rely on that alone. As Bakugou began to throw explosives towards her way, Ruka began to dodge them one after the other as best as she could. At times his flames reached her body so close that she could literally feel the flames nipping at her clothes. Oh not this time! Ruka rolled to the side but a part of her shoulder got burned thus slowly a hole opened up on it. Ruka glanced at it and held back a groan. Not again!

Standing up, Ruka looked quite annoyed. What else did he need to work on? A lot of things! First would definitely be his ego! Flames covering her fists, Ruka began to throw her own fair share of flames towards Bakugou as she spoke up, "hah? Like what you say? Well for one, you need to get a better look of your surroundings!" Just then, Ruka aimed a fireball straight towards Bakugou but it went up instead of directly at him. Instead, it burned off a piece of the ceiling which protruded slightly outwards. Her dark flames easily broke the object apart and straight down to Bakugou. Gathering a large ball of fire in her hands, Ruka threw that at Bakugou, covering the blonde in her flames briefly before she dispersed it. Walking over to Bakugou, Ruka grinned down at him as she noted that half his shirt was now charred and slowly crumbling away, "I told you not to burn my clothes--hey!" Ruka let out a sound as she felt something warm against her side before a cool breeze flew by. She glared at the blonde while covering her side with a hand. Maybe she can ask for a few extra spares of her uniform...?

After a long afternoon of training relentlessly with Bakugou, Ruka was walking out of the locker room to head home for the day when she ran into Iida. Overhearing his rather loud mumbles, Ruka's ears perked up as he mentioned her best friend. Oh? What did he want with Mela? Walking over, Ruka heard him speak to himself and well she couldn't help but interject as she openly showed her approval of the glasses boy. She rather have Iida over Aizawa hanging around her Mela any day! At least Iida seemed mature and good-natured while Aizawa...Ruka still couldn't quite get a good grasp on him. After giving Iida a warning, Ruka went home to cook dinner. Maybe she can get Mela to go out with Iida...? Her mind was whirling with ideas as she cooked up some pasta for the night.

~ Come come Saturday ~

As Saturday stumbled upon them, Ruka held back a yawn as she stood next to Mela, hearing what Aizawa had to say and what were those shiny boxes next to him anyway? As he spoke, mentioning how the costumes have finally arrived, Ruka's eyes opened up as she looked excitedly over at Mela. She's been waiting for this day to come! Finally, she can use her quirk without worrying about burning her clothes off! Plus she had this designed with the help of her brother, she was certain it'll look wonderful! Ruka was clearly excited but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder how Shoto and Denki's costumes were like. She was certain they'll look cool in it. Over the week, Ruka has been texting Denki time and again. It first started with her texting him that the comics he lent her were really interesting and that she is enjoying them very much. Unfortunately, due to Bakugou being a brat, Ruka hasn't been able to speak or hang out with either boy too much.

Getting her suitcase, Ruka hugged it tightly to her chest as she headed towards the changing room with Mela. "I can't wait to see how it turned out~! I'm sure it's going to be great! Ah, I can finally not worry about my clothes getting burnt!" Ruka was happily chatting with Mela as she opened her suitcase up. As her eyes landed on the soft material inside. Her words died in her throat as Ruka stared at the clothes. Ochako who was standing nearby peered inside, curious as to why Ruka suddenly went quiet before letting out cheerfully, "oh my gosh Kurotsuki-san! That's so cute!" Ruka blinked a few more times before she pulled out the costume, her face blanking slightly as she noticed it was missing quite a lot of...parts.

She stared at it in silence before glancing over at Mela's. It was different too...Ruka would know as she's seen Mela's original design. A certain honey-eyed brunette came to mind as Ruka glared at nothing in particular. It had to be his doing...holding back a sigh, Ruka read the note that was attached to the case, "fireproof all the way...go all out." Ruka mumbled out before letting out a sigh. She had no other choice. If she really wanted to beat Bakugou this time around...then she'll have to wear something that won't burn off. Making a mental note to call him later tonight, Ruka changed into her new costume. Would they allow her to change the design....?

Giving Mela a warning look, Ruka lightly told her while attempting to cover her bare stomach, "don't say anything." Knowing she can't hide in a hole forever, Ruka walked out along with the rest of the girls and Mela to the gym where everyone else was waiting. Ruka kept her gaze down at the ground before arriving. Slowly looking up, she couldn't help but look for Kaminari and Todoroki as she was curious as to how they looked with their hero outfit on. Fiddling with her navy and golden gloves, Ruka looked about. Noticing the two up ahead, Ruka walked forward, trying to ignore the breeze against her skin as she smiled tentatively up at the two, "hey guys...we finally got our costumes huh...um you two look great in them! Very hero-like and cool!" Ruka pushed back a stray strand of her hair as she was nervous. Hopefully, they won't get the wrong idea of her by how her outfit was.

Ruka's outfit was in the colors of navy, white and gold. A very regal looking appearance with black tights underneath a white pleated skirt that was outlined by a longer pair of a navy and golden cloth that wrapped around her hips with matching white knee-high boots with navy and gold accents on it. Of course, as it moved higher up her body, it turned slightly less noble in her opinion as her top consisted of a white corset that wrapped tightly around her chest with gold buttons marking it and an open shoulder navy jacket over it but the best part of all? That it cut off right below her chest, revealing quite a large portion of her midriff and a teasing view of her hips as well. She won't deny that the material felt so soft and despite all the compliments she received from the girls...Ruka was not happy. Her clothes did nothing to hide her creamy skin from the world and the designer was so kind enough to know her exact measurements that the clothing hugged her curves quite nicely so. Ruka hid her frown as she will get in touch with the designer one way or another...damn him.

Spoiler: Ruka's Lovely Outfit

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

While it was fun sparring with Tenya, she had no idea he viewed her as a potential date or girlfriend. While she'd be flattered, he wasn't her type. He was close...but not quite right. And it wasn't like he could change anything about that. Besides, she had a lot of fun with Aizawa and All Might, the only people she'd be open to dating would be one of them but that was pretty unlikely. Perhaps Yagi even. Ruka's meddling was sure to not go unpunished. Mela hoped Aizawa-sensei had gotten her message as she had pinned and straddled her partner. She had half a mind to summon Aizawa so she could show him how it was done but she was doubtful he was in nearly as much of a playful mood. He looked quite unsettled, well more than usual. Mela had no idea why hehe. Boys were astonishingly easy to poke and prod. They weren't all that complicated and deep down, neither were woman, at least from Mela's perspective. All she wanted was to be pet, praised and fed and Aizawa did that just fine, as did All Might. She doubted any of her classmates could really entice her.

Though in Ruka's defense the last and well first, guy Mela dated was kind of a jerk. He would be nice and charming one minute but he'd go off and say the exact opposite to someone else. She hated people like that. The guy also ended up monopolizing her time and energy and took her out to clubs to drink and dance. Mela thought it was so much fun at the time but looking back, she could kind of see Ruka's point. The guy really had been just using her and stringing her along. He was about ten years older, a healer and someone Mela still couldn't help but adore. He was the first one to ever catch her heart. But still, she knew she could do better than him. But could she really catch the eye of Shota Aizawa? Surely not. But still, a girl could dream. If not All Might then Aizawa would be a fine lover and companion. But Mela was also trying to tell herself despite how fun it was to bother Aizawa and to hold his attention, he didn't really like her. He was just messing with her. As boys often did with poor innocent girls...

When Saturday rolled around, Mela was sure it was gonna be a good day. She'd beat Iida and prove Aizawa wrong, that she was a winner! Once at school, Mela's eyes lit up at the silver boxes. Yes! Were those what she thought they were?! She gave a jump for joy but when All Might appeared, she couldn't help but let out a "yaaaay~" feeling all the more happy if that was possible. Might she explode? Possibly. She had her costume and All Might?! This was a great day! Win or lose. But no, she would win. All Might was watching and she was going to show him how good she was with her bow and arrow but then she thought back to Tenya's older brother and how Tenya may have the same kind of fancy armor. Oh nooo! The one time she could use her arrows, it was against someone who might be totally covered and protected?! She unpacked her box, hoping it would have some tricks up its sleeves. Ah, no sleeves. Or pants?

"Ruuuukaaaaa. I don't have any paaaants." She started to cry. How was this outfit going to protect her exactly? Although it was so cute! She looked over to Ruka, seeing she was having the same bad luck. Her eyes lit up at how revealing the top half way. She blushed, "Oh my..." She swallowed. "Maybe our costumes got mixed up...?" Mela quickly got dressed. It didn't take long given how little she had. She saw her special bow and arrow. It was encased in a pink fiberglass shell so it didn't snap in half on the battlefield. She had her eight arrows and a note saying there was a small black pouch behind her waist that contained some small explosives and smokescreens along with interchangeable tips to give her arrows poison or paralysis but both would be temporary and non-lethal. Aw man. "You look good though, Rukie-chan." She tried to say though she found herself unable to say it with much confidence. "I know who will be super happy to see you!" She stuck her tongue out as they headed out. Mela hoped Kaminari, Bakugo and Todoroki didn't get any funny ideas now!

Mela's outfit was rather cute, aside from the lack of pants, she loved it. She had a purple set of tights which started at her mid thigh and went down to meet her pink boots, which deadly cute with ribbons on them. She had a white tank top with purple detailing and over that, a pink sleeveless jacket. It was soft fabric but Mela had to hope there was more to it than that. It flared out to resemble cherry blossoms which Mela adored. So cute. So pink. So spring-y! She also had on dark purple leather gloves but they were thin enough to allow her to properly shoot but stay protected. There were light pink ribbons around her biceps and to top it all off, her light pink jacket came with a hood which had two white cat ears at the top. Mela spun around in circles, watching the bottom of her outfit spin and spin and spin. Around her waist was a small purple pouch where she had some extra goodies but behind her was a mounted quiver which had her arrows in it, her bow could also attach to it so it was out of the way.

"Doesn't she look hot?!" Mela yelled out from the distance as she waved to Shoto and Denki, almost missing them. She watched them for a moment to see their reactions before she found Iida in his suit. Crap. This was going to be a real challenge wasn't it? Mela focused on how cute she was and just waved as she walked over to Aizawa and All Might who didn't look too deep into conversation. Mela grinned as she pulled up her hood to properly complete her outfit. "Don't I look super cuuuute~?" She smiled to them. She still would like some pants or something more durable but it would be easy to move around in and she could do her flips without too much trouble, save for the cute hood. But Mela was pretty happy with what she had and she was dying to know what the two pros had to say. Any feedback would be totally welcome. Bringing up a hand, she played with one of her cat ears. "I suppose my quirk is kind of cat related." Though if she didn't know any better, she'd say a certain someone added these just to be funny. "Anyway, um what do you think...?" She hoped Aizawa didn't say anything mean, she had a weapon now!

- - -

After having seen Ruka and Bakugo clash, Shoto found his worries not at all quelled nor soothed. He saw how well they worked together despite Bakugo's...er personality. He noted how his and Denki's presence hadn't even been acknowledged. It was like he was invisible. Shoto hated that feeling. He thought back to his mother when growing up, sometimes looking right through him. Wishing he wasn't there as a reminder of her regrets. Shoto saw himself out, unable to take anymore of it. He went home that day feeling all the more isolated. While Denki could text with Ruka, he felt all the more lost. Set adrift. Ruka looked so caught up in her fight with Bakugo, which was to be understandable but still...she was lost in her own world when it came to Bakugo. Maybe they were suited for each other? Maybe Kaminari was right? Could she and Bakugo be soulmates? It was unlikely, he once thought but given their quirks now he wasn't so sure. It was unsettling and made him begin to dread going to UA knowing they'd be off together, training and talking.

Unlike Todoroki, Denki lingered, amazed by the fight. It was fun to watch but it also somehow took his mind off of missing Ruka. But he was proud of her for standing up to the likes of Bakugo. Still, he couldn't help but notice how focused Ruka was, how his cheers seemed to fall on deaf ears. He was glad they could text on and off. He was happy to hear she was enjoying her comics. He still had to break through the first chapter of the book she lent him. He'd get further along...eventually. Denki eventually went back to spar with his partner, though if he didn't know any better, Shoto's attacks were just a little more powerful than usual. Thankfully the day ended and Denki headed back to his own safe haven, his heart feeling oddly heavy. He wished he could be the one helping Ruka get stronger but he felt like an outsider which wasn't a common feeling for the blond. He wound up doing more homework, anything to keep his mind distracted from being jealous of that Bakugo.

When their rematch arrived, Denki was still feeling torn, he glanced to Ruka, glad this week would be over so Bakugo could stop stealing her away. But then Mela would surely go back to keeping Ruka all to herself. Denki's face lit up when he saw their boxes. Yes! He felt a bit more confident as he headed off to change with the guys, all of them chatting about their final fight or their plans for after this was over. Denki opened his, already knowing what was inside. He pulled out his leather pants with white lightening bolts on the bottom and put them on, setting his jeans aside in his locker. He kept on his white tee shirt but put on his hero leather jacket. They were also used to their new costumes, having used them last year. It felt like coming home as he put on his white metal sharpshooting gear and put in some of his pointers. He was going to light it up! He also had his earpiece, and a small visor he could use. All in all, he felt much better about going up against Todoroki. Now he had his gadgets and he was really to play.

Shoto's attire was much less flashy. He had on a blue jumpsuit which had been designed to cool him down or heat him up as required whenever he used his quirk. He also had a belt with some medical supplies, just in case. Shoto boots also had spikes on the bottom to allow him to move better along his ice creations without slipping. He felt confident as he strode out. Kaminari would be finished in an ever quicker time. He and his partner were out earlier given how easy it was to put on their costumes. Shoto was the first to look and see the girls coming out. His eyes traveled to Ruka, noticing the bits of gold first. His eyes trailed along her arms and then to her torso. Her jaw tightening slightly. He wouldn't have expected someone so reserved to wear something so revealing. He tried to keep his composure, so much so that his jaw was beginning to hurt from having to lock in his place or risk looking as slackjawed as the blond beside him. His brain found it difficult to really put together a well thought-out compliment for the pink haired girl.

"I see..." Shoto forced himself to say, noticing Ruka was trying to sound more confident than she was. He could tell she was nervous. Though likely due to her costume than her impending fight against Bakugo. From what he had seen, she would be fine. Bakugo was the one who likely had to worry. "Y-you look...very nice." Shoto said, unable to stop staring at her. While he prided himself on being a gentleman and one who was in control of his own emotions, he was struggling to keep his eyes focused on her face. The outfit brought attention to her curves and the boy found himself a bit envious of Bakugo getting to see the outfit up close, then again, Bakugo could be set on fire so it was a fair trade, he supposed. Shoto smiled to her, shyly reaching out to place a hand on her bare shoulder, trying to offer support. If she fought as well as she looked, she would come out victorious. "The colors look very good on you, Kurotsuki-san." He said, trying to keep his compliments as tasteful as possible but his brain was struggling to come up with ones he actually felt comfortable voicing. "And I would honored to be rescued by you." He said. Oy. That was terrible. And cheesy, his face was already red and now it felt like it was on fire so with that, he excused himself, hoping Kaminari would say something even more stupid so she'd forget about that comment. Why was he so flustered? Well it was obvious and now he he wasn't sure how well he'd fight now.

While Shoto tried to keep his comments more appropriate, Denki blurted out the first thing that came to mind once Shoto excused himself, looking suddenly very uneasy. "You look amazing! So amazing! You look like a badass queen of fire or something!" Denki exclaimed, thinking back to some of the anime and comics he had seen. He circled around her, getting the full look of her costume. It was so unexpected. He was still grinning as he heard Mela call something out before he nodded. Yes, yes she did look hot. Denki could tell she was a bit uncertain but he was hoping she'd get used to it. "Todoroki-san is right for once, those colors really do suit you. Though I can't imagine you looking bad in any color." He laughed a little, scratching his chin with his finger. He felt so ordinary compared to her now. But he did like how casual his hero costume was. "But seriously, you look really good, bad guys are gonna think twice about messing with you!" He said. Though it was possible this costume could attract unwanted attention. He hadn't considered that.

Soon they headed off to gather around as Aizawa-sensei explained they'd go in the order they had first one on Monday. Denki and Shoto were up first then. The two headed up onto the platform and Shoto took one last glance at Ruka before the fight kicked off. Denki ran at Shoto who began the fight with his ice wall, this time it circled around Denki, trapping him inside, not giving him much room to move. He then jumped up and ran along the curved inside, his boots ensuring the boy had traction to do so. Denki threw a series of pointers and used his gear to aim a large electrical charge which was now even more intensified. Shoto was blown back as the ice enclosure shattered. Shoto then summoned his fire, it swirling around his arm as he began to fling flames at Denki who jumped back and kept firing at Shoto, the fire and volts meeting and causing small explosions.

This match seemed much more even now but Shoto wasn't going to let Denki get any crazy ideas that he could win somehow. Denki ran forward as smoke cleared and sent another wave of volts his way, not wanting to get too close and risk getting burned. Failing to jump back in time, the charge captured Shoto as he sank to his knees. He looked up to see Kaminari wearing that annoying goofy smirk. Shoto quickly covered himself in ice, hoping to stop the charge. His suit ensured he could stay like this for a few minutes before he'd freeze to death. He had to wait it out. Seeing the armor of ice, Denki only added more charge. "Come on!" He cried out. He couldn't lose again. It wasn't long before Denki felt his mind slipping away. He was almost as his limit. Shoto quickly thawed himself out as he ran forward and landed a hard kick, sending him backward. Denki struggled to get to his feet as a wave of fire was thrown at him, putting a barrier between himself and Todoroki.

Denki refused to give up as he staggered to his feet. He stumbled forward and Shoto sighed. "Fine." Shoto muttered as he ran to meet Denki, landing a hard punch. While he could have used ice or fire for an extra boost, he didn't, feeling sorry for the guy. He was simply out of his league and Shoto was tired of playing around. Denki was knocked out but Shoto caught the boy by his jacket before he hit the ground. Shoto was once again the winner. Shoto picked up the blond and walked calmly back to the grassy area and set the boy down. He was close and had improved a little, he supposed. He glanced to Ruka, knowing how worried she'd be. He slapped Denki's face lightly. "You're gonna miss Kurotsuki's fight." He muttered. Denki's eyes shot open as he had on a rather goofy grin. Yes, he had reached his limit. Shoto looked to Ruka. "Do your best." He smiled to her, knowing she would.

Meanwhile, Denki was busy giggling, unaware he had even lost. He gave Ruka a friendly wave as he sat where he was, finding this all very amusing. Mela shook her head at Denki but had to say she was impressed by Shoto. He was always so confident and aware of his body and his quirk. He looked so natural out there. She stayed near Aizawa and All Might though, interested to see what Bakugo and Ruka would do now that they both had their gear with him. She knew Ruka would be a lot more dangerous and she had a feeling this one wouldn't end in a tie. Both were too stubborn to let that happen. Mela had her arms folded over her chest. Like before, she had total confidence in Ruka and her ability to be the winner. Hopefully they had trained and not just insulted each other back and forth. "Go Ruka." She said, though it was more of a statement than a cheer, her usual bubbliness had already turned into fired up competitiveness much like how she felt back at the USJ. She was ready to get in there soon.

Spoiler: Mela's cute outfit

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Shota waited inside the gym as everyone went to get changed into their hero costume. He kept his eyes closed as he stayed silent, patiently waiting while All Might stood next to the silent male. Glancing over at Aizawa, All Might spoke up, "um Aizawa-kun...so uh what did you mean by me helping out as well...?" Shota opened his eyes, glancing over at All Might as he simply said, "it's as what I said. You'll be helping me out with today's assessment. Did I not explain it to you simply enough?" Shota lifted a brow in question towards All Might while the number one hero can only let out a slight laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, "ah of course! Thank you for the explanation Aizawa-kun, oh look here comes some of them already! Don't they look like great heroes?" Shota turned his gaze to the door to see most of the males come walking in, dressed in their hero costumes. He wasn't particularly interested in them nor was it anything new.

Hearing more voices and giggles accompanying it, Shota looked over to see the girls coming in. His eyes immediately locked onto the brown head of Uede as his eyes then trailed down to see her hero costume. Shota could feel himself tensing as he noted just how short her outfit was. Stopping himself from trailing his eyes further down, Shota coughed lightly in his hand as he then elbowed All Might rather roughly in the ribs as he noted that All Might seemed a bit spaced out. Shota sent All Might a warning glare before turning his attention to the one causing such tormenting thoughts in his mind. Uede.

The moment she pulled up her hood, Shota's eyes were transfixed on the car ears propped upon her head, his jaw clenching slightly. Did she know...? Was this on purpose? Tearing his gaze away from her hood to her face, Shota stared silently into her eyes for a moment before speaking up, his voice a little hoarse due to having not spoken for so long...not for other reasons, of course not. "I don't think cats flip crazily like you....and they definitely don't ramble as much." He looked off to the side as he hid his face from her. She didn't need to know how much her appearance is affecting him. Coughing into his hand, Shota faced the class, once again elbowing All Might as he spoke up, "alright, we're going to go in the same order as Monday...so Todoroki and Kaminari, you two are up." As the two went down to fight, Shota looked over at Mela occasionally, resisting the strong urge to stroke the cat ears...instead he kept the younger males in class under control as he sent them all a warning glare. Seriously...why was her outfit so damn short?

As the girls came entering the gym, All Might noted the varying reactions of the male students. He nodded his head silently to himself as he understood. Ah, young love...what a great sight to see. Though upon landing his eyes on a certain brunette bouncing her way over to where he and Aizawa-kun stood, All Might looked quite shocked. His mouth hung open slightly for a moment as he could not believe what he was seeing. Where were the pants!? Before he could even try to figure out if Uede Shoujo was wearing any pants, a sudden painful jab to his ribs brought him to his senses. Glancing to his side, All Might immediately averted his gaze away from Uede Shoujo and Aizawa-kun as Aizawa-kun's glare looked quite menacing....he could feel the painful promise embedded in that glare.

He watched Uede Shoujo spin around quite cutely as he smiled down at her, "yes, you look lovely Uede Shoujo! What a wonderful hero costume you are wearing!" Before he can even go questioning whether she was wearing pants or not, another jab stopped him from speaking any further. Aizawa-kun was right just this once...what a dangerous costume it was indeed. All Might chuckled slightly at her own kitty comment as he cast a glance to Aizawa-kun, oh if she only knew what she was doing to the dark-haired hero. All Might smiled widely over at Uede Shoujo as he said, "very cat-like indeed! I am excited to see your progress today Uede Shoujo, don't you agree Aizawa-kun?" All Might couldn't help but jab back at Aizawa-kun, knowing fully well that the other pro-hero was not in the mood. Or rather, could he even speak right now? Shota glared lightly at All Might before tugging Uede to the side, purposely jabbing All Might on the way.

As he pulled her to the side, Shota looked down at Uede in silence for a moment before pulling her hood down. Looking off to the side, Shota mumbled out loud enough for only her to hear, "don't go showing yourself off like that...and keep that hood down." He didn't say why nor did he even explain himself. He just didn't like the looks some of the guys are giving her and he most certainly was not liking how her partner, Iida was looking at her. Shota let out a sigh while ruffling her hair, "be careful or you'll get in trouble." He then walked off to watch the match, he did his best to focus on the ears--the match he meant.

As Kurotsuki and Bakugou began their match, Shota kept an eye on Uede as he told her at the start of the match, "don't go jumping in to save her...you should know better than that.." and that he was afraid to even see what would happen when she jumped. Her skirt or dress or whatever it was is already short enough...he couldn't even imagine how it would be if raised up...lightly biting the inside of his cheek, Shota berated himself mentally for even thinking such things about a student of his. Yes...she was just another student of his...yet somehow he wasn't affected in the slightest by the revealing outfits of Kurotsuki or Yaoyorozu. As the battle commenced, Shota nearly went in to stop the pair when All Might stopped him. What was he thinking? Shota glared over at All Might before jumping in and using his quirk when he saw blood dribbling down Kurotsuki's face. He wasn't sure why All Might didn't even intervene, but Shota did just in time it seemed like. After announcing the winner, Shota brought Kurotsuki back to the grass before calling forth the next pair. He glanced over at Uede, hoping the brunette won't go picking a fight with Bakugou. "Can someone take Kurotsuki and Bakugou to Recover Girl?" Shota called out, placing a hand onto Mela's shoulder, holding her back from volunteering. He was specifically looking at Todoroki and Kaminari as those two were already done with their fight. "You're staying here with me." Shota whispered out to Mela before turning his attention to the next fight. He probably won't have to intervene any further...he sort of expected this once the costumes came in. He was sure there were fewer restraints on both Bakugou and Kurotsuki once they had their gear and he was quite right.

- - -

This was beyond embarrassing. Ruka rubbed the side of her arm as she looked up shyly at Todoroki and Kaminari. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she knew for one that she did not want them to think lowly of her just because of how revealing her outfit is. Hearing Todoroki speak up, Ruka looked up at him, her own cheeks flaring slightly as she ducked her head murmuring out softly, "ah thank you...you look very good yourself Todoroki-san." She finally smiled up at him, but as he said his next set of words, Ruka could feel her face heating up more as she was at a loss of what to say. What did he mean by that? Before Ruka can say something back, Todoroki excused himself and then she was suddenly faced with Kaminari.

Ruka can only stand there helplessly as Kaminari began to circle around her. Ruka cracked a small smile at Kaminari's words. A queen? Her? Nah. Still, it was nice of him to say. "Thank you Kaminari-san...but you look really nice too! I love the jacket." She smiled over at him before waving as he walked off to join Todoroki at the stage. They were up first. Ruka let out a small sigh, that was nerve-wracking for some reason. Maybe she should have explained herself first...tell them that it wasn't her idea of the design, that someone messed with her original costume and somehow ended up with this...but would anyone believe that aside from Mela? Ruka shook her head, focusing on the match instead.

It was a rather close match, completely different from the first match between the two. Ruka could see how much more they have improved and it seemed like for both, their hero costumes were made to help them out even more. Ruka admired the way Shoto would be gliding across the ice while Denki seemed quite shocking. Ruka smiled lightly, completely forgetting about her own little mess and battle that would be after theirs. A frown marred her face when she saw Todoroki knock Kaminari out. Ruka restrained herself from rushing towards the two when Todoroki brought Kaminari back after the fight was over. Blinking slightly, Ruka noted Kaminari to have on that same goofy smile from before, which caused a smile to appear on her lips. Hearing a sudden shout from the stage, Ruka looked up to see Bakugou already down there and ready to start. She waved to Kaminari and Todoroki before heading towards the stage.

As she came to stand across from Bakugou, the blonde looked at her silently. Unnerved by his silent stare, Ruka snapped at him, "what are you looking at?" Bakugou smirked as he answered her, "you look rather hot, was my explosives too much for you?" Ruka glared at him as his comment could have come off as inappropriate, yet she knew he was provoking her and he did quite the good job on that. Rolling her eyes, Ruka crossed her arms as she replied back, "enough yapping Porcupine. What's with that mask anyway? Hiding the burn on your face or what?" She smirked as that seemed to have ticked the blonde off. Without another word, Bakugou was starting to fire out explosives towards her.

Dodging the flames, Ruka's arms began to glow as it exploded with her black flames. Her gloves weren't burning and if anything it helped to keep her skin protected for a while longer meaning she can last longer. Hmph, so he actually thought that much when designing this for her? Guess she'll thank him for the fireproof protection. As she began to aim her flame balls, she created a circle around them, giving no room for escape for Bakugou. Ruka smirked as she tossed a flame ball in her hand, "caught you." Bakugou could no longer attack her with long ranged attacks. He smirked as he began to dash forward all the while yelling out, "that's your mistake! Don't forget what you suck at, Pinky!" Ruka was more than ready for his incoming close ranged attacks. After all, she made the circle of flames in order to lure him in closer.

Covering her both her arms with her flames, Ruka blocked Bakugou's punches, his explosions causing quite the smoke to rise up. Thanks to training with him for an entire week, Ruka knew his habits by now. Ducking under, Ruka swept out her leg to bring him down to the ground before aiming a kick to his face with a flame-covered boot. She let out a small sound when he moved his head to the side last minute and instead grabbed hold of her foot, ignoring the burn as he pulled her down suddenly. Falling, Ruka did a handstand to avoid falling into his chest but that backfired on her as he simply kicked her stomach, causing Ruka to fall hard on the ground. Letting out a gasp, Ruka brought her hands up in time as a loud explosion was heard before the stage was covered in flames and smoke. Soon the smoke cleared to reveal Ruka gripping onto Bakugou's hand, his face grimacing as her hand was covered in her own flames.

Using his own weight against him, Ruka threw Bakugou over her shoulder but it seemed like he didn't let go for she was soon following him. Her eyes went wide as he was just crazy! Her flames would cause a more severe burn than normal flames would! Letting go of his hand, Ruka struggled against his grip as he wrapped his arm around her waist, trapping her against him on the ground, "what are you doing stupid!" Ruka ground out, struggling against him. Bakugou smirked as he tightened his hold on her while saying, "don't struggle too much Ruka, it won't do you any good." Ruka's eyes went wide as he let out a series of small explosions on her exposed skin. Letting out a pained cry, Ruka did something she hasn't done in a while. Her entire body lit aflame as Bakugou threw her away from him. Rolling on the ground, Ruka stood up her eyes glaring as she was ready to light him up completely with her flames. Bakugou seemed to have noticed as he held up a gauntlet, ready to strike. Aizawa stepped forward as he noted things to be getting quite out of hand when All Might stopped him. Was he crazy!? Before Shota can even yell at All Might, a sudden explosion rocked the entire area as Bakugou released one of his stored up gauntlet.

As the smoke receded, Ruka was standing there with her flames creating a barrier around her as Bakugou smirked wildly, "bring it on Ruka!" He yelled out as he ran towards her, relying on physical strength if he can't beat her with his explosions. Ruka ran forward as well, bring her own fiery fist towards him except at the last minute, Ruka hooked her arm onto his incoming fist while sending a kick towards his face. Bakugou's seemed to have seen this coming as his other fist went straight for her face. As Bakugou flew back onto the ground, Ruka struggled to remain standing as she coughed slightly. Her eyes were bleeding as she glared over at Bakugou though before Ruka can even light the blonde on fire, Aizawa stepped in using his quirk and just in time for a brief second dark flames began to appear on Bakugou's body.

Ruka let out a sound as she wobbled back for a moment, a hand nursing the burn on her side as Shota spoke up, "I think that's about enough...the winner is Kurotsuki..." Bakugou struggled to stand up as he glared over at Aizawa, but he didn't complain despite the anger glowing beneath his fiery orbs as he knew the outcome the moment Ruka brought out the flames. Standing up, Bakugou let out a huff before glancing over at Ruka, "I'll beat you next time Ruka...until then you better remember our fight...with that mark." He gave her a smirk, not letting his anger get the best of him unlike how he was in his first year before walking off. Ruka glanced down at her side to see that indeed he left his handprint on her side. It was a burn, but a handprint no less. Ruka let out a huff before slowly walking over to the grassy area though in the end, Aizawa had to carry her over.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Mela let out a disappointed hum at Aizawa-sensei. "Hm. I guess." She didn't pick out the cat ears! She had to wonder why it even had cat ears. It didn't do anything. It was cute though. Mela just wished she had a tail too! She looked to All Might who seemed more approving of the outfit, which was a relief. "Thank you." She gave a purposeful smile to All Might, grateful to have some assurance. Aizawa moved her out of the way and she let out a small whine. He really didn't like her costume did he? Was it the color? Or the lack of pants? It couldn't be something as minor as cat ears! Mela made a face and folded her arms when he then pulled her hood from off of her head. She blushed at his warning. "Oh?" She glanced around. Mineta was looking far too pleased in her direction. Hrm. "Maybe I like trouble." Mela smirked when he ruffled her hair. Even if he wasn't a fan of the costume, she was glad All Might approved.

With the fight between Ruka and Bakugo beginning, Mela let out an uneasy sigh. She glanced to Aizawa, even though she understood she'd only be getting in the way, she really couldn't make any promises. She could very well jump in without even thinking. Would Aizawa really have to interfere though? She watched as it seemed like Ruka had the fight under control. She knew who she was up against and was predicting his moves but it seemed Bakugo had learned a fair amount from Ruka as well. Her stomach was in knots as the pair continued to fight. Mela glanced to the two pros, wondering why they were letting this go on. One of them was going to be seriously hurt. She ran over to where Ruka was. "Ruka!" She cried out, her attention torn between seeing if her friend was okay and how many arrows it would take to reach Bakugo's black hole of a heart. She was also a little ticked off at both All Might and Aizawa. Sure, they wanted to push the students. But this was too much.

Mela placed a hand against Ruka's forehead, she was rather warm from all of that fire fighting. She was about to go with Ruka but Aizawa stopped her. Who cares about her fight? She shrugged his arm off of her, sending a glare in Bakugo's direction. He was reckless. They were both reckless. She wanted to go with Ruka so she could yell at them both for scaring her. But Todoroki and Kaminari headed off to help get Bakugo and Ruka back to the nurse's office, Bakugo behind carried by Shoto and Denki taking hold of the smaller Ruka. Mela gritted her teeth. She was in no mood to fight now. How could she fight when Ruka was injured? She paced around a bit, keeping her distance from both teachers. She didn't want to be around anyone right now. She was so angry she was shaking. Mela knew Ruka had earned that victory though, no doubt there. And she was sure neither intentionally wanted to hurt the other but it still happened. Hopefully Medical Girl could do something.

The next two fights passed with similar results and now it was time for her to shine. Though she still felt distracted, still wondering how Ruka was doing. She still wasn’t sure what she could do about Iida-kun’s costume. It was pretty much armor! But if it was similar to that of his older brother, Mela at least felt she knew what Tenya was capable of. Not to mention they had been training all week so in that time, she had an inkling his own costume would be like his older brother’s. It was annoying though, there was no way her arrows would make a scratch. There had to be some weakness somewhere. She had to guess her best chance was to aim for those exposed pipes of his but she didn’t want to cause permanent injury by just shooting an arrow in there. So she tried to think of another way.

Perhaps she could do something about that helmet of his. Maybe in a physical close combat situation, she find a way to remove some part of him. At the moment, she was running a few situations in mind. Her mind kept circling back to the exhaust pipes of his. If she didn’t use an arrow, she’d have to use something a bit bigger as to prevent injury with a sharp object. She glanced around, there wasn’t really anything she could use. Tenya meanwhile, was also considering what to do. He was quick but he also knew it was possible Mela could dodge his bursts of speed and he would then be left without much power behind his quirk. He decided he’d have to rely on physical strength and outlast her as he had done once before.

With both now standing on opposite ends, the fight began. Tenya wasted no time propelling himself over to her, perhaps hoping to end it quickly by simply pushing her out of the arena. Mela glared as she leaned back slightly, standing on her toes. She lunged left and did a series of cartwheels around the arena. She could tell she wasn't exactly focused on this fight. She was angry, worried and annoyed. She flipped back to her feet as he came at her again. She missed Ruka but she knew Ruka would want her to forget about her for the time being and do her best to win. Mela had a plan but she only had one shot at it so she had to make it count. Tenya kept trying to get in close but Mela was quick to get out of his way, needing to keep as much distance as possible between them, knowing if his punches hurt before, they'd be even more painful with those gloves of his. With her refusal to engage in close combat, Tenya was becoming increasingly frustrated by her, "Why won't you fight me?" He called out.

"I understand Kurotsuki's condition has to be weighing you down but we were looking forward to this rematch right?" He lingered on the opposite side as her, staring her down. "I want a real fight, Uede-san." It wasn't his place to say but so far all she was doing was evading. Mela knew he was right but she also knew getting in close would only complicate things. "Don't worry about me! I'm going to beat you without laying a hand on you!" Mela declared. Nor would she let him lay a hand on her. Tenya knew her reason for keeping her distance now that he had his suit but he decided to increase his speed, she'd have to get tired eventually. And when she did, he'd be there. For the next few minutes, he kept trying to grab onto her or land a punch but she kept using her flips and spins to get out of harms way. In a way, he was impressed, partly due to her costume but also due to her stubbornness. Mela reached behind her and took out one of the smoke bombs and detonated it by clicking the small button before she threw it, rolling it into the middle of the arena. This was it.

Mela reached back for her arrow and quickly grabbed the two cream colored ribbons off of her arms and quickly bound them around the tip of her arrow. Now it was padded enough to not harm Tenya but also wide enough to clog a pipe. She nocked her arrow, reaching back as the smoke cleared. Tenya was coming right for her. Mela bent her knees and ran at him, jumping up, she did an aerial front flip, using her head to push off his own head before landing behind him. Spinning on her heel, she jumped back a few feet and aimed her arrow for one of his lower exhaust pipes coming out of his calf. She breathed in and closed her eyes, releasing. Yes. Tenya turned just as it lodged itself in. Opening her eyes, she then clicked her bow back in place and ran towards him, his ability to dodge or speed away now hampered. Now how many people could make that shot with their eyes closed? She knew this was her only chance to have any sort of advantage. Mela did two front flips, timing her spacing so the second flip allowed her boots to connect to the top his helmet, Tenya's head slamming down on the ground. Damn you Bakugo! All of her anger was felt through her kick downwards.

With the force of her momentum with her weight, it had been enough to knock Tenya out cold. If he had been a little quicker and less flustered, Mela knew the battle would have gone on much longer, requiring her to actually shoot arrows at his pipes which she was trying to avoid. Mela didn't want to win without doing more but Iida's suit had put a wrinkle in her plans and she did her best she thought. "I told you, I wouldn't need to lay a hand on you Iida-san." She said proudly. An arrow and tips of her feet was all it took. It wasn't as flashy as she wanted it to be but what could she do? Kirishima and Aizawa helped removed Iida from the arena as Mela headed down, making sure her top was covering her butt. She couldn't be sure how much everyone had seen but it was too late to worry now. Whoever her opponent was next week, they would have some actual injuries to deal with. She just couldn't bring herself to really hurt Tenya. He was such a nice boy.

- - -

Most of 3-A were very interested to see the outcome of Bakugo and Kurotsuki's battle. Most were still betting on Bakugo but Shoto knew better than to pick a winner right from the very start. He folded his arms and watched along with everyone else. There was a slight twitch of his eye when Bakugo commented on Ruka's clothes. Thankfully he had to expect that Bakugo and Ruka would leave each other alone now that this week's partnerships were about to be dissolved. Come Monday they'd have someone need to face off against. The work seemed neverending. Shoto kept watching, barely blinking as he observed Ruka. Her reflexes were impressive. She could think several moves ahead and anticipate her enemy's moves. Of course in a real battle, that would be tough to do because you could never know an enemy you've never faced before. Either way, this was a way to adjust your fighting style after tweaking it. So far, Shoto had to think Ruka may have this one in the bag.

The blond still felt himself in a dopey haze. He looked around, not sure where he was or why he was there. He toyed with the grass under him, his fingers tugging and pulling at the thin sweet smelling blades. They tickled. He saw a few explosions in front of him. Those were pretty heheh. Denki heard some yelling and it was only until he heard Ruka herself cry out in pain that he felt his senses return to him. He struggled to get to his feet as he saw black flames cover Ruka's body. What was happening? He looked to Shoto, wanting some kind of explanation. Denki stared as Bakugo and Ruka were now squaring off. A large explosion followed and Denki almost fell over. What the hell was going on?! He was so confused. Who was winning?

It looked like they were gearing up for another collision when the fight ended. Denki still felt bewildered. He didn't remember the fight even starting. All he had managed to catch was the final few minutes. He felt rather mad at himself, not having really been there to support Ruka like he intended. He could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that it had been quite a battle to behold. Denki hurried over to where Ruka had been dropped off by Aizawa, giving their teacher a look before Mela rushed over as well, clearly worried about the state Ruka was in. Denki looked her over, noticing the mark on her exposed flesh. He couldn't imagine why she'd want so much of a vulnerability but he hoped it was something that could be fixed. If she had been covered, he had to bet Ruka could have kept on going. Still, she looked like she was in pain, almost with Bakugo. Denki felt bad for them both. They tried really hard. At least Ruka came out the winner this time.

Shoto, like Mela, had ideas of storming the stage at least once. Unlike her, he'd probably make it out alive. But he knew this was her fight to either lose or win. Shoto knew if his father was in attendance, he would have loved the sight of two hot blooded young heroes clashing. Shot was still concerned for Ruka though it wasn't her ability he doubted, it was the fact both her and Bakugo appeared to be determined to prove themselves to the other. He thought back to what he had seen during training on Thursday. Was there something more to this than just a rivalry? Were Ruka and Bakugo bound by something else? Something more permanent? He frowned, not liking the idea of them being soulmates. It was a threatening concept that lingered in his mind. If only that moron, Kaminari hadn't gotten the idea into Todoroki's head. He tried to focus on something else, perhaps how lovely Ruka looked in her costume. It was a bit impractical but it did allow him to enjoy her body without having to wait until they headed off to the school pool or local beach.

The battle continued as both clashed, flames sparking from both sides. Even though Todoroki had just fought, he was a bit envious of Bakugo. For a number of reasons. He kept quiet as he tried to focus on the tactics and less on the way Ruka's hips moved. Though the fight itself was thankfully over when Aizawa-sensei finally stepped in. Shoto was a bit annoyed by their reluctance to do anything because now both students were left rather battered. At the request of someone helping the two wounded warriors to the nurse's office, both boys raised their hands, not even hesitating. Shoto grabbed hold of Bakugo who tried to push him away. Shoto's grip was firm and he even used some of his to give the guy some relief as he marched Bakugo off to the nurse's office while Denki put his arm around Ruka and helped her walk behind Shoto and her new found rival. Denki brushed his head against hers lightly. "That was really incredible." He said, not sure what to say to what he had just saw. He had only seen a fraction but he was still amazed. "Are you okay?" He asked, hoping he wasn't hurting her. Denki was being sure not to graze where she had been attacked. He glared ahead at Bakugo. Denki was very tempted to send a few shocks his way and if they happened to hit Todoroki too...oh well. But he didn't. He didn't have a death wish, not when he got to hold Ruka so close. Eheh.

The pair let themselves into the nurse's office. Medical Girl was expecting them, already suspecting this kind of thing would happen. Denki and Shoto waited, their nerves not very well hidden as they watched the old woman get to work on their friend. And Bakugo. "You were something else." Shoto smiled, eyes on Ruka as she was healed. "You handled Bakugo rather well." He continued, not really caring that the guy was in the bed next to her. There was still a knot in his stomach as he worried she may have overexerted herself. He walked over, sitting down on the end of the bed. Did he dare admit he was worried? He swallowed, wrestling with his thoughts as he stared at her, his eyes moving to the mark on her midriff. He looked to Medical Girl and then to Ruka before he summoned a touch of cooling ice to his fingers as he hoovered his hand above her burn that was being treated. "How does that feel?" Shoto asked her, wanting to make sure it was okay with her. If he could somehow bring her some relief with his quirk, he would do whatever he could for her.

Watching the two, Denki suddenly felt like a third wheel despite there being four of them in the room. Medical Girl seemed to quickly fix the burns but she informed both Bakugo and Ruka they had to be careful and keep an eye on them to watch for any chance of infection. Denki made a face at Shoto who could just summon cooling ice like it was no big deal. He hoovered by Ruka, trying to seem helpful even though he felt utterly useless. "Do you think you can walk?" He asked her. "I could carry you back, you know if you wanted." Denki offered Ruka, crossing his fingers that she would take him up on that offer. He was sure she wanted to get back to cheer on Mela who looked rather distressed when they last saw her. He wondered if Tenya would be okay taking the brunt of Mela's aggression.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Watching Uede from the corner of his eyes, Shota knew she was pissed. Kurotsuki was a blank canvas while Uede was an open book, at least to Shota she was. Watching her pace a bit away from where he stood next to All Might, Shota announced the next fight before looking over at All Might. He gave a stern glare at the taller hero while asking him, "why did you stop me?" He was more than ready to jump in the moment he noticed the gauntlet coming out and then Kurotsuki's flames were getting larger. He could easily sense the danger and even then All Might stopped him. He better have a damn good reason to place not only Bakugou and Kurotsuki in danger but also the rest of the students as well. The heat radiating from the stage was so hot, he noticed half the students backing away slightly due to the excess heat.

All Might looked a bit apologetic as he rubbed the back of his head, "I'm sorry Aizawa-kun...it's just..." pausing he watched the students fight each other with everything they got, "I wanted them to learn and to improve...but you are right, it was wrong of me to let it continue when one could have been seriously injured." Shota snapped as he told the blonde hero, "it's already too late. One or both are already injured." He hated seeing his students hurt, somehow he felt responsible for the pain the students received. Glancing over at the upset Uede, Shota let out a sigh as he nudged All Might towards the brunette, "your words would work better on her than mine."

All Might opened his mouth to interject, but seeing the glare Aizawa-kun sent him, he can only nod his head while walking off to Uede Shoujo's side. He was partly to blame for her friend's injury he supposed. Clearing his throat lightly, All Might spoke up, "um Uede Shoujo?" Hearing no response at first, All Might continued to speak, "I am sorry about not stopping the fight before it got to such a point...but there was so much potential for the two! So much room to grow!...." pausing, All Might realized those were not the words she needed to hear right now. He glanced back at Aizawa-kun, wondering what the dark-haired hero would say in situations like these. Only negative harsh words came to mind, which would certainly not help the situation. Bowing his head slightly, All Might simply said, "I'm sorry Uede Shoujo...but you must have faith in your friend! Kurotsuki Shoujo is a strong young girl! I'm sure she is fine." He smiled down at her while gently placing a hand on her shoulder, "now don't go making such a face, your cute costume would be ruined!" He gave her a playful smile, hoping that'll do the trick of cheering her up.

As Uede's fight with Iida began, Shota watched with careful eyes, his gaze never leaving Uede's form. He was impressed with her increase in speed and it seems like her training with Iida has paid off. Though as the battle progressed, it almost seemed identical to that of Monday's except for their costume and gear. Shota's eyes narrowed in slight annoyance as he briefly wondered if Iida was getting distracted by something else...something like Uede's rather short attire. Letting out a small huff, Shota stayed silent, holding himself and All Might back from jumping down to the stage to cover Uede up. Literally, Shota was placing a hand on All Might, pushing the blonde back as the taller hero kept muttering about how Uede Shoujo was doing FLIPS while wearing no pants. Shota did not need to be reminded of such sinful acts..not now. He has to focus on her skills...not elsewhere damn it.

Once Uede's match was over, Shota walked over to the edge so as to block her from view of everyone else, specifically Mineta who was inching closer and closer. If Mineta wasn't a student of his, he'd kick the younger male away without so much as a blink of an eye. Good thing he told All Might to call forth the next students while giving an 'encouragement speech' to them while he's at it. Sometimes the blonde was good for things like this. After dragging Iida over to the grass, Shota turned to face Mela. He looked down at her before letting out a small sigh while poking her forehead while the other students were distracted by All Might, "you did a good job, a huge improvement from Monday...though I must ask Uede..." he paused as he wasn't sure if he should even ask her, "nevermind, good job." He'll refrain from asking her why she chose a costume with no pants for someone who did many flips.

- - - -

Her entire body was burning as the flames beneath her skin was writhing in agony. Ruka gritted her teeth as she let Aizawa take her to the grass. Just this once she'll thank the teacher, just this once. Ruka cracked a small smile to Mela before being supported by Denki to head to the infirmary. She glanced ahead to see Shoto was with Bakugou before feeling something brush against her head. Ruka craned her neck to look over at Denki as she heard his comment. Looking down at the ground, Ruka spoke up in a soft voice, "thank you...though I'm sure it wasn't a pleasant one..." she felt ashamed for trying to burn Bakugou down at the end, she was glad Aizawa came in and stopped her for she was sure to regret her actions later otherwise. Ruka closed her eyes taking in a breath before smiling over at Denki, "I'm alright...thank you for your concern though..." though in truth Bakugou's mark wasn't what was really hurting her.

As they entered the infirmary, Ruka was placed on the bed gently while Recovery Girl worked first on Bakugou. His burns were quite severe and it littered his hands and arms. Ruka watched Bakugou let out a hiss in pain from her bed before closing her eyes, trying to breathe and ignore the stings coursing through her body. A soothing feeling began to rush within her as Recovery Girl healed her wounds. She felt quite exhausted, but that was nothing compared to how she was feeling earlier. She gave a small thanks to Recovery Girl before looking up at the ceiling. Sure she was able to heal her burn wounds, but no one would be able to take away the painful stabs she felt within. It was the repercussion of having such a powerful quirk, a powerful setback.

It wasn't called the cursed flames for no reason. It literally was a curse as it would cause self-harm to the owner of the quirk as well. Honestly, she never learned how to deal with this as it was her father who gave her this curse. Ruka's eyes fluttered shut as she felt a cooling sensation against the handprint on her side. "Mmm...thank you..." Ruka murmured out as she knew it to be Todoroki's ice. A scoff could be heard from the bed next to her so Ruka knew Bakugou heard them, but she didn't care. Opening her eyes, Ruka ignored the screaming ache as she looked over at Kaminari. Smiling, Ruka nodded her head, she did want to get back no matter what. She needed to be there when Mela was done with her match...she had to be there.

"I am feeling quite exhausted...but otherthan that I'm fine..." Ruka paused as she gave a sheepish smile to Kaminari, "are you sure about that though...? I like to think I'm quite heavy." Bakugou snorted as he sat up, commenting while he left the room, "she's a twig, if you can't pick her up then you're just weak. Enjoy my mark Ruka." Bakugou left with a huff as he was eager to see the other matches. He'll get his revenge sooner or later. Ruka rolled her eyes at his words, knowing he was only provoking her. Like hell she'd enjoy it. It burned if anything! Him calling her by her name was another irritating thing to add to the list called Bakugou in her dictionary. That boy will one day regret poking her so much.

Ruka turned to Denki and with a small smile she asked him, "if you don't mind...then I probably would need help..." after arriving back at the main area, Ruka scanned the crowd for Mela and soon saw her friend walking up the steps. Getting off of Denki's back, Ruka called out to Mela, "Mel!" She ignored the pain in her body, knowing she'll regret it later...but not now. Smiling over at Mela, Ruka spoke up, "Mel! Are you alright and congrats!" She didn't even need to ask her friend if she won. Ruka knew Mela would win no matter what.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Even though All Might had attempted to offer some words of comfort, she was still upset. She couldn't help glaring at him, tempted to give a few hisses as well. She knew Ruka had tons of potential, that was a fact she couldn't dispute. But putting her and Bakugo together was dangerous. She not only blamed All Might's hesitation but also Aizawa's choice to pair them together. Bakugo and Ruka together...it was like adding fuel to a fire that wouldn't dare go out. It would just grow and grow and grow. Not to mention she was worried this might continue even into the weeks to come. She didn't want Ruka putting herself in such situations and hurting herself in the process. Bakugo clearly knew how to get under Ruka's skin and Mela was rightfully worried that they'd just be blinded by their new found rivalry.

If she had a fire quirk, it would surely be blazing at the moment. Mela glanced off, still fuming even though he had placed his hand on her shoulder and tried to cheer her up. If he wasn't careful, she would turn her own arrow on him. Maybe even Aizawa too. Never did she think she could be mad at both of them and yet here she was. Ruka was important to her and while Mela understood she had to accept Ruka would get hurt and may hurt others unintentionally, she didn't have to like it. She was thankful her fight with Tenya allowed her to get some of her frustrations out but even after it had concluded, she was still annoyed with both pro heroes.

Once Ruka returned, Mela's mood quickly evened out. Thank goodness she was okay! Or okay enough to move. Mela looked to Ruka, almost afraid to touch her. She fidgeted, eyeing the pink haired girl, whining softly. "Aww, Rukie-chan. Are you okay?" Even with Ruka's insistance, Mela looked woefully unconvinced. "Are you sure? Are you really sure?" She tugged lightly on her friend's hair and tapped her forehead against hers. "Don't scare me like that!" She pouted. Though she was sure Ruka had been scared herself. But it was good they had both won though Mela would have rather lost if it somehow meant Ruka wouldn't have gotten hurt. That damn Bakugo, she could bake him something. And then poison him! Yes. Excellent. She should do that.

Aizawa then approached her and seemed impressed by her fight though Mela glanced over to Iida-san. Urgh. She hoped he didn't have some kind of injury from that attack. He was kind of an innocent bystander in all of this and she knew she couldn't let her anger get the better of her again. Not when she was fighting another student. "Yeah. Thanks." She sighed, eyeing him. Was he looking to lose a finger because that's how he would lose a finger! Right now, she was in no mood to deal with him and whatever was on his mind. Mela walked off without another word, quickly returning to Ruka, only feeling better when she was doting on Ruka. She looked okay but Mela knew Ruka often tried to put up a tough front. Mela would have to make sure her friend took it easy. Maybe tomorrow they could just stay in and watch tv and pig out on take out?

The rest of the battles continued, with Mela sticking by Ruka's side, giving her worried looks every minute or so. From time to time, she'd give a glare towards the teachers. Yes, in a way she understood their reasonsings. All Might wanted them to push themselves. Plus ultra and the like. And Aizawa wanted them to learn from each other and they were likely able to handle one another's fiery quirk without too much issue. Still, she wasn't happy with either of them and it would take some time for her to get over it. After a quick word from the teachers, everyone went off to get out of their costumes and back into their casual attire. Mela helped Ruka with her costume and clothes, unable to stop whining and moaning at Ruka. Bakugo had to be careful if she was paired with him!

Heading out of the locker room, she wandered back over the grassy field, now in a white pleated skirt and a black tank top. She also had on on knee high white socks with black polka dots. She slung her backpack around her shoulder as she waited around, knowing Tenya had come around right before the final battle. He had gone off to change with all the others and she was worried. She glanced to Ruka, hoping she could treat Ruka to something sweet. Something to make this stupid day a little bit better. Mela was hungry and thinking crepes would be good, if Ruka was interested. Mela waved to Momo who was off, mentioning something about going shopping. Momo had done well in her fight so she supposed that was one way to celebrate a victory.

- - -

"Are you sure?" Shoto asked Ruka, she wanted to go back but perhaps it was best she stay under the care of Medical Girl for a bit longer. "I'm sure Mela would understand you resting more, I'm sure she'd insist up it." Shoto frowned. He glanced to Denki. He ignored Bakugo for the moment. That guy was insufferable. Shoto had half a mind to blast some icy sense into the hot head and get him to cool off once and for all. But he couldn't attack another student, no matter how appealing it sounded. Though if Ruka stayed put, Shoto would be happy to keep her company and use his ice as much as she needed. But deep down, the image of Denki carrying Ruka off was rather...unsettling to say the least. Not to mention, he didn't want Ruka continuing to use up her energy trying to entertain Denki and Mela. "I really think you should reconsider, Ruk-Kurotsuki-san." He said, pausing for a moment. "But you know your body better than I do." He said, trying not to blush at that.

"Shut up, Bakugo!" Denki snapped, glaring at the other blond in the room. If Shoto wanted to lash out, Denki would be glad to join him but Denki would never follow through with it. Even though he was angry at Bakugo, he wasn't too surprised at how mouthy Bakugo was, even in his condition. Bakugo was strong and stubborn. He had to think all the more highly of Ruka for taking him on twice now. And she had won! "You're just mad cause you lost." Denki snorted. "Now you're no longer the hottest fire user in our class!" Denki taunted him before he realized what exactly he had said. He sweatdropped. "Uhh I mean like, with fire...it being h-hot. Ye-yeah." Denki stammered.

Bakugo left and Denki shook his head. That guy... "Huh? No of course I don't mind!" He grinned. Shoto noted he sounded a bit too happy. With care, he lifted her up and they headed off towards the training grounds. Shoto stuck close, half expecting the guy to drop Ruka. Denki wasn't the most muscular one in the class. Once back, Denki put Ruka down as Mela ran over to check on her friend. Shoto and Denki exchanged looks. Not even a 'thank you' from Uede? Denki had to admit though, they were very close friends and he caught Eijiro's eye. Would his friend be upset if he had been hurt? Haha probably not the same way. Denki watched the rest of the fights, his eye on Bakugo as they continued to go down the list of the remaining pairs. They weren't too interesting but there was at least one switch that had Tsuyu coming out a winner.

Both boys headed off when everything had run its course. Denki slipped into his jeans and his dark blue tee shirt. It had gold lettering on it that had UA's initials. What could he say? He liked to show off that yes, he was attending UA. Watch out. Denki tied up his boots and headed back out, one of the first again as usual. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a lot better in knowing Ruka would be okay. He wondered if he'd be able to snag her away and treat her to lunch to celebrate her win but he didn't think Mela would be letting Ruka out of her sight anytime soon. He glanced to Bakugo who seemed to leave without saying anything to anyone. Sometimes Denki couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy but it often didn't last long. Bakugo was kinda of a dick. But maybe in some twisted...funny way Bakugo could call Ruka a friend. Though Denki wouldn't like that and hoped he never had to see the two alone in a room together. It made his stomach turn.

Shoto on the other hand, took his time getting changed. He thought about the fights he had seen. His classmates were getting stronger and their teachers were beginning to them off their leashes, so to speak. He combed through his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. He too found relief in knowing he might have Ruka's company back now that Bakugo won't be monopolizing it anymore. He closed his locker and the case that held his hero clothes. He wouldn't need them for a while he figured. Not for a week at least. Shoto thought back to the costume Ruka wore. Should he say something about it needing to be altered? He blushed slightly, deciding it may not be his place. Not that he was complaining. The view offered was very nice. Very entrancing. But he didn't like some of the looks other guys were giving her and Mela.

Once outside, Shoto looked to see Denki lingering, likely waiting for Ruka who may take a bit longer getting changed this time. Once he spotted the girls come out, Shoto was quick to beat Denki to it as he looked at Ruka up and down, almost able to visualize her costume on her again. He shook his head. No, Shoto, be respectful. Of course he couldn't help but think about her in said attire even just by looking at her now. It was an image he was happy to have burned into his mind. "I hope you're feeling okay." Shoto said. Denki caught up to them, noticing Mela wasn't running off to Aizawa-sensei as she often had made a habit of doing. This could be a problem for the boys. "Do you think you'd be up for getting a bite to eat?" Denki asked Ruka, a bit too eagerly Shoto noted silently. Mela was giving them both an odd look, though it looked like she was looking for someone but who? "I would love to take you out, you know for uh winning." Denki quickly suggested. "I think I should take her out then, it would be a proper winners lunch." Shoto smirked lightly.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Somehow her words were rather curt and well...unhappy. Shota can literally feel her anger bubbling against him and All Might. He eyed Mela with a blank gaze before letting out a sigh. He'll just let her simmer and hopefully, she'll cool off, or at least let All Might take the brunt of her anger. He wanted to jump in right away, but All Might stopped him. He wondered if Mela even knew that...probably not. Watching as Mela ran back to Ruka's side, he cast All Might an annoyed glare. All Might looked a bit nervously as he felt Aizawa-kun's angry stare on him, "um...I'm sorry?" All Might muttered out as he wasn't sure what he did to invoke Aizawa-kun's anger like so. Was it because he stopped Aizawa-kun earlier? But even Aizawa-kun should have seen how the two were going at it. Who would want to stop such a fight? It was definitely one of the few that made an impression on him.

As Shota dismissed the class once everyone participated, Shota looked down at his notes before walking out with All Might in tow. He looked up to see Mela emerge with the pinkette beside her, but she seemed to be ignoring him and All Might. Shota lifted a brow at this. Was she really that mad? All Might seemed to have noticed something going on as he looked between Mela and Aizawa-kun. Why did he feel like he's been missing out on something? It's been only a few days since he last saw Uede Shoujo yet it feels like a lot has happened between her and Aizawa-kun. What? Well, he wasn't sure, but he was certain Aizawa-kun is currently not in the best of moods. All Might opened his mouth to ask Aizawa-kun what was bothering him when he noticed the other male tense up. Curious, All Might followed Aizawa-kun's gaze to see Iida Shounen approaching the small group consisting of Uede, Kurotsuki, Todoroki and Kaminari. Oh, what's this? Were they forming a study group?

Tenya was out for most of the matches, something which he was both impressed for and embarrassed about. He was quite impressed with what Uede-kun showed him today and so he must congratulate her on that, but at the same time, he was upset that he couldn't witness the other fights between his other classmates. Though at least he did not miss out on Bakugou and Kurotsuki's fight. That was quite something alright. After changing, Tenya walked out to see Uede and a few others standing about. Walking over, Tenya recalled the words of his friends Izuku and Ochako, a slight blush tinging his cheeks. Might as well ask her now he supposed.

As he approached them, Tenya looked over at the group, bowing slightly as he spoke up, "um Uede-kun! May I have a moment of your time please?" He looked up at her and with the soft nudging from Kurotsuki to Uede, Tenya was able to get some time to speak to her. Turning to face her, Tenya blushed before bowing and asking her in a slightly loud voice, "w-would you like to go for lunch with me?!" He wanted to say date...but he fumbled and well he was nervous. He most certainly was not aware that a piercing stare was directed towards the back of his head by two pro-heroes or well one and the other looked well...shocked.

- - -

Ruka smiled over at Todoroki and Kaminari, "yeah...I'm sure. I need to go see her." There was no room for negotiations with the pinkette. She was going to be there to congratulate Mela one way or another. If they weren't going to help her get there, she'll drag herself over there. That was how important it was to Ruka. She tilted her head as Todoroki seemed to have stuttered over his words, wondering what he was going to say though her attention was soon on Kaminari. She smiled in amusement at his words before taking up his offer to get back to where everyone was. Thanking Kaminari, Ruka approached Mela and simply nuzzled against her friend's cheek while murmuring out, "I'm alright...Iida didn't hurt you, did he?" Ruka lifted a brow at Mela, a silent promise of a slow death for Iida if he dared hurt Mela in any way possible. Once the class was dismissed, Ruka allowed Mela to dote on her and to help her change as her body was still sore...so very sore.

Ruka changed into a red plaid skirt with a sleeveless black turtleneck on top and some thigh high black socks. Struggling with putting on her knee-length leather brown boots, Ruka had to ask Mela for help with that too. Oh, how glad she was to be covered up once again. Once done, the pair headed out only to be met with Todoroki and soon Kaminari as well. Ruka greeted the two with a smile. She nodded her head, lying through her teeth with practiced ease, "yes, I'm fine now, sorry if I worried you two." Ruka glanced over at Mela, wondering if her friend was down to get some food, but before she can answer, a new voice entered their conversation.

Looking over, Ruka noted it to be Iida. She lifted a brow in question as he directed his question to Mela and Mela only. Looking between the two for a moment, Ruka remembered the words she's told Iida and so with a slight nudge to Mela, Ruka said with a smile, "go on Mel...I'll be fine, alright?" Ruka hoped that was enough to make Mela go and talk to Iida. Ruka can only hope Iida would be able to woo Mela. Hearing Iida's loud voice from where she stood, Ruka blinked a few times before smiling over at Kaminari and Todoroki, "I suppose it'll just be us three for lunch hehe." Her eyes were shining with slight amusement, well a straightforward person may be good for Mela she supposed. As Ruka was about to ask where they should get lunch, another voice entered their conversation though this time it was accompanied by a strong arm wrapping around Kaminari's shoulders. "Oi Denki! Don't tell me you forgot!?" Eijiro complained loudly as he greeted Todoroki and Ruka with a smile before pulling Denki while saying, "sorry guys, he has a date with me today~!"

Ruka blinked a few times as she watched Denki get dragged away...once again. She can only give him a small wave before she turned to Todoroki. A small smile appeared on her lips as she said, "well it looks like it's going to be us unless you also had a date?" Ruka teased out, but she hoped he wouldn't say yes. For some reason, Ruka didn't want to hear his answer. Closing her eyes, Ruka took in a breath, she was still a little warm from the battle...maybe it was a slight fever? It wasn't uncommon for her to get a fever after exerting herself with her quirk. She really wanted something cool now...a sudden idea came to mind, sudden and random...but it'll be nice. Ruka blinked up at Todoroki with flushed cheeks due to her embarrassment and slight fever, "um Todoroki-san...I know it may sound sudden but...can you cool me down?" She just wanted his cold hands on her forehead or something. Averting her gaze, Ruka continued hastily, "y-you don't have to if you don't want to! Sorry for asking, um anyways, where should we go eat?" Great job Ruka, great job.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Mela was thankful Iida-san had sought her out. She turned to him, "Oh? Of course, I was hoping to talk to you this afternoon." She quickly nodded, not at all able to imagine what he was going to ask her. "I'm so sorry about your head, I hope you're okay! I didn't mean to hit you that hard." She frowned, trying to see if he was okay. He had a bruise but he looked okay otherwise. Mela glanced to Ruka before Tenya blurted out the idea of going to lunch together. Like...a date? Whaaaat? Huh? What the hell was he talking about? No no no. That was impossible. Her face went red. This was the biggest surprise of the day! Mela's mouth hung slightly open as she tried to figure out where this had come from. Maybe he just meant as friends? Yeah. Maybe?

She glanced to Ruka who seemed fine, or so she said. Iida-san had hit his head. He had nooo idea what he was talking about. Mela weighed her options. Go with Ruka and make sure she was okay or go with Iida and make sure he was okay. What to do? What to do? At this point, she had forgotten about the pro heroes lingering nearby. She rubbed her head. "Well ummm~?" She really had no idea what to say. "Sure, that's a very sweet offer." She found herself saying finally. Mela looked over to Ruka, making sure it was really okay with her before she gave Iida a light smile though she would have to ask him the context of this outing. Lunch with a friend or...? Mela decided either way, Tenya was nice, though a tad strange at times. Why not give him a chance either way?

"I hope there's sweets involved somehow!" Mela laughed a little. She could use something with sugar to put some pep back in her step. In all honesty, Mela had truly forgotten about how angry she was at the two in the moment, too surprised by Iida-san's inquiry but when she passed them to head off campus, she quickly panicked. Wait! Nooo! No no no! She now wished Aizawa or All Might had asked her but then again, she was mad at them but as quickly as it had flared, her anger had already begun to die down. And now she sort of regretted her choice to go out with Iida-san but she didn't think it'd have lasting consequences. She highly doubted either of them really cared about her social life or anything. All they cared about was training. Ah yes, anger was back again. There it was.

Mela knew she'd need a good night's sleep to gain actual perspective and put the issues she had with All Might and Aizawa behind her. Still, she already flipped back to internally sulking about her choice. Why did it matter if they heard his proposal? No, it didn't bother her. Yes it did. It bothered her a lot. But she still felt bad about knocking Iida-san out so maybe this was a way to repay him? Sure, as friends. She looked to Tenya as they headed downtown. But this felt a little different than back at the UA cafeteria. She rubbed her neck slightly, "Say Iida-san...Did Ruka happen to point you in my direction?" She couldn't help but voice her theory as they walked, hoping to find a good place to eat. In her mind, she felt kind of bad for being so cold to All Might and Aizawa...maybe she should apologize Monday. And like that, she was already seeing things a tad more clearly. For now.

- - -

With the sudden and dramatic request brought to you by Tenya Iida, Shoto and Denki both felt rather glad that he'd be taking the protective Uede away from Ruka. Though it was possible turned him down. From what Shoto had silently witnessed, she was more enthralled with the likes of the pro heroes. One was gawking a bit, the other looked a bit murderous. Interesting. Shoto listened as Mela replied, giving in. Phew. Denki let out a similar sigh of relief as well. So now all Shoto or Denki had to do was banish the other male now. Shoto could do with a second miracle now and he held his breath. "Oh, Kurotsuki-san, you don't need to apologize for worrying us." Shoto assured her gently. It was hardly any trouble. He just wished there was more he could do for her. "Yeah, we like worrying about you!" Denki said, lacking a bit of tact. Shoto let out a snort. Moron.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere, Todoroki-san? Like helping your father?" Denki started to say but suddenly Eijiro appeared. Oh no. No. Not now. Not again. Denki cringed. Couldn't Eijiro leave him alone just this once?! "Go away, damnit!" Denki yelled but found himself being pulled away. Why wouldn't anyone help him? Denki kicked his legs, he was about to use his quirk to zap some common sense into his best friend but knew using his quirk in front of his teachers would land him in even hotter water. He gritted his teeth, watching as Shoto took a step closer to Ruka. Urgh. His heart. Denki got out of Eijiro's grasp. "I think we should see other people." He muttered. Why was it so impossible to get some time with her? He shook his head and pulled out his phone. "Kurotsuki, we gotta get together soon, I've got another comic for you to try." He sent to her. It was a lie, for the time being until he could get to the store. But it would at least get his foot in the door. Or so he hoped. Hopefully his text didn't sound as desparate as he felt.

A hidden smirk danced across Shoto's lips. Excellent work Kirishima. Shoto could not have Ruka's full attention. He smiled to her, already feeling like he could now relax and not have to worry about pests pestering them. He was about to say something when the woman beat him to it. He shook his head at her question. "No no, I am all yours." No dates to his knowledge. Of course he was sure a few women at UA would love to jump at the chance of being his date but he really didn't like to consider that a sociable option. At least until very recently. He was still worried about Ruka's physical well being though. She needed to rest if she was tired as she expressed back with Medical Girl. Thankfully she expressed needing him and the boy was more than happy to oblige. "Oh...?" He blushed, never thinking she's request such a thing.

He couldn't help but note how cute she looked. "You only need ask once." He replied, stepped closer as he placed his palm along the side of her face. She was very warm. He breathed out slowly as he carefully channeled his ice to flow from his hand at a very gentle pace, comparable to that of a light dusting of snow. "I believe I'll let you pick our destination." Shoto said smoothly, continuing to converse as he sent gentle waves of coolness through her body, his touch light, almost afraid if he used anymore pressure, he might hurt her. The boy eventually took her hands in his own, giving her a bit more of his quirk before he noted her temperature had returned to normal. "Perfect." He said softly as he gestured for them to get going if she ready. "If you cannot think of a place, I may suggest a venue known for its hot pot." Shoto finally felt a sense of peace and acceptance, something he had been lacking for a few days now and he had to assume that had something to do with the girl beside him. Yes, he was happy once again.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Why did it suddenly feel very tight? As if he could hardly breathe? All Might was slackjawed as he stared in shock. D-did Iida Shounen just do what he thought he did!? But wait, no it really felt hard to breathe. All Might turned his head stiffly as he choked out, "A-Aizawa-kun!" Shota snapped out of his fuming moment as he unknowingly began to wrap his scarf tightly around All Might. He blinked a few times as he did not look nor feel a bit of remorse for accidentally strangling his friend who also happened the be the symbol of peace, "oh..." was all he said before he turned around. Shota could not believe that Uede first went and threw a tantrum at them and now she does this? His eyes narrowed as he's seen how Iida has been looking at Uede. He couldn't be trusted.

Walking forth, Shota began to trail the pair with practiced ease. Being a hero who worked mainly during the night has definitely paid off. Shota left behind in his wake a shocked and confused All Might. Though just as quickly, All Might began to chase after the pair...only to hear a sudden all too familiar voice call out to him, "ah All Might! Perfect timing!" Wait...why did he feel suddenly a dark cloud looming ahead of his sunny Saturday afternoon? All Might froze in his tracks, gaze set on Aizawa-kun who was slowly becoming smaller as he disappeared over the horizon as Principal Nezu came walking over to where the tall hero stood. He cracked a small smile to the Principal as a feeling of deja vu suddenly hit him. "I need a hero's assistance in something...you don't mind helping me, right?" All Might couldn't say no to that and so he ended up trailing after Principal Nezu, nearly blanching at the sight of the large piles of books, "can you help me take these to the library? Oh you know, the one on the twentieth floor..." All Might looked over at Nezu, "sir, no offense, but can't you just use the elevator once and you'll be done?" Why did he have a really bad feeling? Nezu simply smiled as he said, "oh but it's currently going under maintenance! All Might, I'm counting on you then!"

Tenya stared nervously over at Uede, unsure of what she would say. Recalling the words of advice from Kurotsuki-kun, Uede-kun should be in a better mood and so would happily accept...right? He still wasn't sure if he should trust the words of Kurotsuki who openly threatened to murder him if he so much as hurt Uede-kun in any way possible, yet at the same time said she approves...women are definitely strange. He kept his head bowed until he heard Uede's answer to which brought a bright smile to his lips. Sweets she says? That can be arranged. Tenya nodded his head as he adjusted his glasses, "yes! We can definitely get something sweet!"

Walking alongside Uede, Tenya wasn't sure what to say or how to create a conversation. He nearly jumped in surprise at Uede's sharp intuition, though it wasn't entirely due to Kurotsuki's influence...maybe just a bit, okay so a lot was due to the pinkette's influence. He looked ahead while answering her without a stutter, "no, what makes you think that?" He was glad to have appeared quite smooth there. Feeling more confident in himself, Tenya asked Uede, "your archery skills are top notch, very impressive! I was honored to be able to witness it first-hand." Tenya smiled over at her as he continued, "I agree with your idea from a few days ago, we definitely would make a wonderful pair--er I mean team! Ahaha...anyways, was there anywhere specific you would like to eat Uede-kun? If not, I know of a delicious Italian restaurant nearby!" He beamed a smile down at the shorter brunette.

- - - -

Ruka was slowly starting to panic internally as she regretted asking Shoto such a request! He'd probably think of her as weird or something! But what happened next instantly eased Ruka and completely stopped all thoughts from processing in her head. She felt relieved overall. Not only did he just deny that there was no dates for him, a relieving thought for the pink haired girl for some odd reason, but he also complied to her selfish request of cooling her down. Closing her eyes, Ruka leaned into his cool yet gentle touch, enjoying the cool waves that traveled from her face to the rest of her body. Ah, that definitely hits the spot. Her fever was slowly going away as the icy touch was cooling her boiling blood. She definitely needed Shoto's ice or something whenever her body would act up from using her quirk too much. She'll think of the how later though, for now, she'll just enjoy this moment.

She barely registered the cool hand moving to hold her own pair of hands as she kept her eyes closed, enjoying the soft caress of the cold touch. Somehow it felt like she was in a winter world with soft snow falling on her...it was a nice image. Feeling much better than earlier, Ruka opened her eyes upon hearing Shoto's voice nearby. Slowly blinking up at him in a slight daze, Ruka smiled up at him, "yeah that felt really nice...thank you Todoroki-san." Her eyes slowly lit up at the mention of hot pot. After such a chilling moment, a hot pot sounded delicious to her! Eagerly she nodded her head, hair swaying along with her movements as she said, "oh hot pot sounds delicious! I would definitely love to try that!" Then maybe after they can get some dessert too. Ruka was quite excited for lunch, her sore body was pushed to the back of her mind as her stomach took over her thoughts and decisions.

Before going, Ruka felt her phone ring, curious she took a peek to see a text from Kaminari. Tilting her head, Ruka read it before smiling slightly as she replied back, 'sure! That sounds wonderful! Ah, have fun on your date with Kirishima-san! Tell me all about it later!' Ruka snickered lightly as she sent that message to Denki before turning her attention to Shoto. Tugging lightly on his hand, Ruka said rather eagerly, "let's get going then Todoroki-san?" She gave him a small shy smile, suddenly feeling more conscious of herself as the word date rang through her mind. Maybe it was because Iida was taking Mela out on a date and then there was Kirishima who just showed up and announced a date with Denki...maybe that was why she felt more self-conscious?

Ignoring the odd butterflies in her stomach, Ruka spoke up as they began to head down to downtown, "your quirk is really interesting Todoroki-san. I can't help but marvel at it everytime I see it." She let out a small laugh as her eyes shined as she recalled her initial impression when she first saw his flames, "when I first saw your quirk, I couldn't help but think of how lovely your flames shined...and then your ice is also very cool hehe." She smiled over at him before she continued, "oh right, I have been meaning to ask you, but how do you find the book so far? The one I lent you?" She's been wanting to talk about this with both Shoto and Denki, but this whole week a certain hothead kept bugging her nonstop. Hopefully, it'll end with this week, but for some reason, Ruka can see herself bugging him from time and time again...especially during lunch at the rooftop. The only good thing about him was his choice in drinks, that much Ruka will acknowledge of Bakugou.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Oh dear. Tenya was so sweet. Sweet and terribly misguided. She knew this whole scheme had Ruka written all over it. Why else would shy yet so uptight Iida-san ask her out? Why couldn't Ruka use her skills for justice and make Aizawa or All Might appear right now? Surely Ruka knew only those two would really make her happy. She wasn't sure what to do with Tenya now. She wanted to have a good time anyway and forget about the one trying to pull the strings. "Ah well I'm just curious is all heheh." She replied quickly to Tenya's comment that Ruka didn't have anything to do with this outing they were on. Mela wasn't sure what to do with that girl sometimes.

"Awww thank you." He was so polite. He knew how to talk to a woman and not just poke and prod her like some little kid. Of course Mela wouldn't admit that she liked the attention and the teasing. No no, she couldn't admit that it made her heart jump two miles outside of her body. She had her pride to think about. Then again, she had just jumped around in an outfit which lacked pants. She giggled, enjoying the praise. Someone noticed her skills. Haha. At the mention of them teaming up, she smiled. Oh boy, he probably wanted this to be a date. That much was becoming all the more clear to her. Gosh, what could she say to that? Did she have to say something?

Thankfully Iida mentioned food. "Oh that sounds so--" The only word to come to mind happened to the word she shouldn't be using, "r-roman-tic." But it just slipped out. She blushed and glanced off. Why did it feel like someone was following them? She glanced behind them but shook her head. Maybe she was imagining things. She followed along with Tenya, bouncing a bit more to keep up with him. If only she was truly interested in Tenya. She couldn't let him pay for her lunch. Now she felt bad that she may be leading him on but then again, it was all Ruka's fault. Mela glanced behind her again. "So Iida-san, do you um have any stories about All Might by any chance?" Could anyone blame her for asking?

The pair was soon seated by the window. Mela felt a little awkward. She wanted a romantic setting but the person sitting in front of her was a bit wrong. She thought about what Ruka may be up to, hoping it wasn't this intimate. She tried to focus on platonic things. Yes. School. All Might. Baking. Ruka. All Might. Their horribly cruel homeroom teacher. UA. All Might. Mela took a drink of water, feeling a bit nervous despite not having that much romantic interest in Iida. She wasn't sure why he wanted someone like her. She and Iida didn't have a whole lot in common. But maybe they did. Maybe...they were soulmates? Anything was possible. "By the way, your suit is really tough, that why I didn't wanna go anywhere near it haha." She teased.

- - -

Although her thanks as always pleasant to hear ringing in his ears, it was never necessary. If he could help in any way, he would. He was a hero, yes. But he also took a personal interest in making sure Ruka was feeling better. He was sure she'd be reflecting upon her battle in the next few days. She had a lot to learn from it, as did Bakugo. As did all of 3-A. It was a fight for the books, that was certain. But he didn't wish to dwell on that right now. Now they could go off and enjoy the rest of the day stretching out before them. He had no Uede, no Kaminari, no Bakugo. If things went wrong now, Shoto had only himself to blame. "Hot pot it is." He nodded to her, glad she was open to it. It was a place he had gone to twice before and he was hoping his third venture would be his most memorable. Somehow.

He watched with mild curiosity as Ruka pulled out her phone. Likely Uede, checking in. He had no reason to think Denki may have her personal phone number. Impossible. "Yes, let's." He nodded once again. He recalled what he had read about in his book. It told him to relax and to be more open and inviting. To be less short with his words. Shoto wasn't very talkative so that would be one of his biggest hurdles. But he thought back to the park. In that setting he had been quite open and honest. He smiled lightly, wondering if they would be able to recreate that magic. He would like that very much. "You're too kind, Kurotsuki-san." He replied to her. Really, she could seem to find beauty in many things. It was a talent he wished he had.

They walked along though Ruka seemed to continue, still in awe of him. It was beginning to make him blush now. He didn't often take such compliments to heart. But coming from her, he would find great comfort in them. "Thank you." He said, for a moment tempted to take her hand or perhaps her arm but he forced himself to keep things more open, more conversational. He feared if he reached out for her hand, all words would fail him. And like Ruka, the idea of a date was beginning to circle his head. Of course this wasn't a date but wouldn't it be nice if it was? "I have already devoured the book. It only took me two days." He told her, thankful that she had steered the topic to something he could better contribute to. She really was amazing. "I would love to get the second one from you when you're free. Monday morning?" He asked, feeling as though the scene sounded familiar. It did. Would it ever be possible to exchange books and words of thought so regularly?

They soon arrived at the restaurant in question and he held open the door for her. "I would love to hear your thoughts on the central character and their relation to their parents. I found it quite compelling." He said before a woman came to sit them down in a booth together. Shoto slid in and looked across from Ruka. Suddenly it dawned on him...this was very different than all their past outings. It really was beginning to resemble that of a date. He blinked a few times, a strange flutter rattling around inside of his chest. No, they had to discuss something other than books, yes? "I was actually wondering, Kurotsuki-san...where do you see yourself upon graduation? Would you stick around here or...go somewhere else?" The self-help book suggested finding common goals or long term plans and seeing if they matched up. He would be quite sad if she did relocate but he had to hope, she'd at least stick to this region of Japan.

AiAi

 

[AiAi]

Tenya smiled widely when she agreed to go out for Italian food. Yes! He must thank Uraraka-kun later tonight as her suggestion was quite the hit! Just like she said it would be. He nodded his head, cheeks slightly flushing as she mentioned how romantic that was. "O-oh yes...Italian food is just delicious, right?" He noticed her blushing and somehow that made him more self-conscious and now he was blushing like a ripe tomato. Glasses gleaming under the sunlight, Tenya looked ahead, walking a bit more rigidly than usual. Just stay calm and be cool...be cool like..like what? Like Todoroki-kun's ice? Somehow that image did not help him in the slightest. Though thankfully Uede-kun asked him a sudden question. One that he was not expecting. Tenya blinked a few times over at Ude, tilting his head slightly in thought, "a story about All Might...?" He closed his eyes in thought, surely there was many as it is his third year here, but perhaps Izuku would be more suited for this? Not wanting to lose to his friend and rival, Tenya shook his head as he thought hard of what he can share.

Taking a seat from across Uede, he smiled at her compliment, his glasses shining in pride of his suit. "Ah, yes, I actually modeled it after my brother's suit! It is truly a magnificent piece of work!" He stopped himself from rambling on about what his suit was made out of and instead coughed lightly in his hand. Picking up the menu, Tenya mentioned to her lightly, "I suggest the fettuccine pasta here, it is delicious, but almost everything on the menu is great." He smiled over at her, hoping that his knowledge on the menu was impressing her. To be honest, he wondered when this all began. Since the first day of this school year, Tenya found himself looking at Uede-kun more than Kurotsuki. Maybe it was due to Kurotsuki's rather dangerous quirk, but Uede had a more unique quirk and then her smiles...Uede-kun's smile was always dazzling in his opinion. Before he even realized it, Tenya found himself watching Uede-kun from afar, of course, he was beyond ecstatic when he found out he was partners with her and well the little push he got from his friends gave him the courage to ask her out and now here he is.

Smiling, Tenya spoke up after ordering the food, "you wished to hear stories of All Might correct? I'm assuming you are quite the fan of his? Well, Izuku is also a big fan so I've heard many stories. I think the most memorable one was for our first-year final exam. You see for our final, we had to go against one of the pro-heroes. Guess who ended up going against All Might? It was Izuku and Bakugou-kun. The fight was rather impressive and I must say All Might played quite the villain in his role." Tenya spoke fondly of the memory as he then mentioned how Izuku nearly broke his back permanently due to All Might not knowing how to hold back, "but then again, it is a wonderful as I can see just how seriously All Might took us, his students! It was truly a wonderful fight." Tenya smiled over at her before continuing, "ah enough about me, please tell me more about yourself Uede-kun."

A shadow loomed behind the pair as Shota watched the two with careful eyes. Pulling his scarf up a bit higher to cover the lower half of his face, Shota continued following the two until he paused as he saw them enter a restaurant. His eye twitched slightly as he noted it to be Italian...he was positive Iida was some rich boy. Shaking his head, Shota decided to take a seat across from the restaurant at a cafe. He noted the pair to be seated by a window, good. He blinked for a few moments, realizing what he was even doing. Scowling he ordered himself a cup of coffee as he wondered what the hell he was doing following a pair of high schoolers on an obvious date.

- - - -

As they walked to the restaurant, Ruka happily rambled on about how wonderful his quirk was. It really was just so marveling to watch though she will admit that Denki's electric volts were also quite dazzling in its own way. She noted that many of her classmates had an interesting quirk...minus Mineta...that one she did not even want to indulge in the thought of. Hearing that he already finished the book, Ruka's smile widened if that was even possible. She was happy to know that he liked the book, but also happy that she now had someone to talk about the book! Mela would probably be glad for her too. She nodded her head eagerly, "oh yes, I'll be more than happy to provide you with the next one! I have all the books for the series." She happily explained to him.

As they entered the restaurant, Ruka looked around as it was slightly different from other restaurants she's been to. It was probably due to the need of placing a steaming pot in the center so they can cook the meat and vegetables in it. Something that Ruka was looking forward to. She was eager to discuss the book and was more than happy when he brought forth a question that she's thought of so many times before...until he suddenly changed his question? Ruka tilted her head but she looked up in thought before answering him honestly, "honestly I'd probably be sticking to Japan? I mean an occasional trip to other countries sounds really fun, but only as a trip really. I rather work together with my friends." Ruka smiled as she always talked with Mela about working together once the two graduated.

Tilting her head to the side, Ruka couldn't help but ask him back, "but why do you ask me that suddenly?" She tried to think of various reasons as to why he would ask her that when Ruka asked him with a slight frown marring her face as she just jumped to conclusions on her own, "don't tell me you're moving?" Blinking slightly at her outburst, Ruka looked away a bit embarrassed as she continued, "um sorry about that...it's just..." just what? She looked over at Todoroki as she honestly told him, "I would be quite sad if you moved away." She was just getting to know him and he was really fun to talk with...Ruka will definitely be lonely and sad. Pushing aside her thoughts, Ruka changed the topic, "I was wondering, but what compelled you to want to become a hero?" Ruka smiled over at him in question.

She always did wonder how others came to such a conclusion. It wasn't as if out of nowhere a person decides to become a hero and attend U.A of all hero schools. No, one must have quite the motivation to aim for U.A like so. She also wondered if others have ever went through the situation of being told that a villain would be more perfect for them...such as herself and Bakugou. As their food arrived, Ruka marveled at the amount of food before beginning to eat it happily. Food was definitely one way to her heart along with books...and strawberries. Speaking of which..."by the way Todoroki-san...can we get some dessert after this?" Ruka grinned over at him, her nerves no longer evident as she was now enjoying her time with him. Somehow hanging out with Todoroki always proved to be interesting and well fun.

Genkai

 

[Genkai]

Mela's stomach rumbled. Oh food, yes any food would do but his suggestion would be one she'd have to try. Mela had been to Italy a few times in the past and every time, she fell in love with their galeto and everything sweet they had to offer. She even enjoyed the history and she had spotted a few pro heroes in the area too! She would feel horrible to know even Uraraka-san had pushed Iida into asking her out. She didn't think she was much. Ruka was the one who had to beat off guys with a stick, a flaming stick. Mela brushed some hair behind her ear, not knowing how much Iida had admired her. It would make melt into the floor to hear such praise coming from such a nice and sensible guy. If only he was older and a bit wiser. Yes, he was not her type, but he was close and she was sure he'd make some other girl very happy.

They placed their order, Mela taking Tenya's advice. Though she made a note to make sure they could split the bill. She didn't want him wasting his money on her. "Oh yes!" She nodded when he pressed her about her interest in All Might. "I lov--I er, yes, I am a fan of his." She giggled, catching herself before she said something super embarrassing. Her secret was still safe, though she didn't do much to hide it either. Mela listened intently as Iida mentioned their final for their first year. "No way! All Might a villian?!" She swooned. For some reason. Ahem. "I wish I had seen it for myself~!" Now she was imagining herself as the hero to make him change his ways. Oooh or maybe she was the villain and he could capture her? Ah yes, there were ways of making her talk.

Suddenly realizing how much she was spacing out, she came back to the present, nervously hoping she hadn't been making any strange sounds. "Ehhh heh...about meee?" She sighed. What was she supposed to say? There wasn't a lot of interesting things she could tell Iida. His heroic history was far greater than her own. "Well umm I love to bake, obviously. Um I love all animals. Even the creepy ones." She smiled. "And um oh funny story, I was once watching a tv show but I wound up laughing so I punched myself in the face." She grinned, oddly proud of that though it didn't end there. "I wound up giving myself a bloody nose. It was so funny." She laughed, at least she found it funny. Mela found it to be quite random but a pretty good personal summary for herself and her outlook on life, trying to take it all in stride.

Though she realized that wasn't proper dining conversation. If her mother and father heard her now, she'd be in a bit of trouble. She had been taught all the ways of carrying one's self but it was so boring. Besides, Iida was a friend and with a friend, you should truly be yourself. Mela couldn't stand people who lied or sought to deceive her. Their food soon arrived as she tried to think of something interesting about her but all she could think of were facts about Eraserhead or All Might. She looked out the window for a moment, squinting her eyes before she began to eat. "This is very good, Iida-san. Your suggestion was excellent." She smiled. Mela still felt a bit nervous but she told herself to relax, this wasn't a date. "Um I was wondering if you don't mind...what is your soulmate mark?" Surely they weren't...maybe this was the way of letting him down easy?

- - -

It didn't surprise him that Ruka had the entire series and was ready to give him the second one. Surely he could go check out the book himself or find it online but he took great pleasure and privilege in fostering a connection with Kurotsuki. Shoto knew few others could likely provided the same intellectual stimulation that he could. Yes, that was it, no other reason for him needing to seek Ruka's aid out right? Shoto gave her yet another thankful smile. "You're truly a wonderfully, generous person." He said. He was lucky to have encountered her. He wouldn't take it for granted. While at first he wished to dive into the book and its themes and allegories, he would rather get to something personal. Too much family talk and he was worried it would bring up bad memories for them both. No, this was meant to be a happy outing, hopefully...one of many.

Shoto relaxed as she said Japan. That was good. He didn't think he'd enjoy her traveling. But the world was big and full of wonder and if it was for but a short period, he hoped she could enjoy other places and other heroes. Not other villains of course. She prattled off a bit as she explained what she would do but then began to try and dissect the reason he'd ask such a thing. He couldn't stop her before she gave a small cry, accusing him of moving. No no, she was quite far from the truth. He had been worried she might move. Shoto found himself smiling at the common misunderstanding. "On the contrary, I don't foresee myself moving." He told her warmly. He didn't want to work too closely with his father but Ruka would be a compelling reason for him to stay in the area and make it on his own.

"I just asked because well...I was worried...you might move." He said. Her outburst had indeed struck a chord within his very heart. He was touched at how displeasing the thought of him moving was to her. Perhaps there was hope for him? And her? There it was again, that warm flutter. It felt like home. In a way. "I'm touched, but neither of us should feel sad." He smiled. Neither were planning on going anywhere, thankfully. "I...my father is a pro hero." He said. "He wants me to undertake his legacy and defeat All Might. I want to be a hero so I can help people, so I can become someone that isn't in the shadow of my father. I want to help those who might otherwise be unable to help themselves." He told her.

Soon they were able to dig into their food. It was quite...fun being able to cook one's own food. He looked to her when she asked about dessert. He stayed quiet, playfully giving it some thought. "I suppose we could. You did so well today." He teased her lightly, deciding to see if she might respond to that. Shoto was quite glad to treat Ruka to the lunch but then also insisted he pay for their dessert as well. While it may not be a real date, Shoto wouldn't let Ruka pay. Instead, he told her, "Next time it'll be on you." Maybe that way, they'd have to do this again sometime. Hopefully soon. Shoto and Ruka left the hot pot and began to venture through the streets of the city, trying to find a good place to sate her cravings. He kept an eye on her though, making sure she was okay. After all, she did just walk away from quite a fight. He would hate to have her exert herself on his account. But if she did happen to stumble or fall, he'd be there to catch her.

AiAi