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

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From where he was seated, Yagi couldn't quite see exactly what the two were doing but he could clearly hear them...thankfully. Somehow he ended up ordering a burger set with a vanilla milkshake on the side. He was sipping on his milkshake as he listened to the two speak. It made him flustered as he realized that the two were mainly speaking about All Might. They really were fans of his huh...somehow the thought of his students looking up to him made him all the more motivated to do better. To be a better hero! Plus ultra was definitely something he goes by! With happiness overflowing from his chest at the idea of being loved so much by his students, Yagi dug into his meal quite happily...and fiercely as he realized just how hungry he was.

So Mela wanted to go see a movie? Somehow Yagi felt bad for eavesdropping, but it was all for the safety of his students!... Is what he keeps repeating to himself so as to avoid the pang of guilt hitting him repeatedly. It made Yagi wonder why Midoriya Shounen was showing such interest in Mela all of a sudden. What happened to make him want to approach her...? And is that a date he was hearing!? Yagi nearly stood up from his seat when Midoriya Shounen offered to go see the movie with her. No no no! That was definitely sounding like a date more and more! As he was finishing up his meal, Yagi noticed the two leave, but somehow his body wouldn't move and so he sat there, dwelling on his thoughts. Well, it's no surprise if Mela agrees to go out with Midoriya Shounen...the two were more suited for each other as they were both students...right? But it felt so very wrong and somehow his heart was squeezing painfully.

Yagi had his head hanging low as he finished off his shake, though he did not expect to hear Mela's voice all of a sudden. Yagi nearly jumped in place when Mela approached him. W-w-what!? What was she doing back here? He was positive the two left...right? Or was he so lost in thought that he didn't notice Mela approaching him. "M-Mela-chan!...I-I can explain!" Wait...did she just call him Yagi? Oh right, he was not here as All Might but as Yagi. It was the perfect disguise except around Mela it seemed like. He cracked a smile as he looked over at her, "I just finished watering the plants at school and I was really hungry...so I came here haha...what a surprise meeting you here though. What were you doing? On a date?" He teased out though in all honesty Yagi just wanted to know if they really were on a date or not.

- - -

Walking in after Katsuki, Ruka looked around the rather cute cafe as she spoke up, "never have I thought that you of all people would like such a place..." she was amazed honestly. Katsuki snapped at Ruka as he simply replied back, "hah?! What's that supposed to mean!?...the paninis here are good..." he ended before walking over to order while snapping at Ruka over his shoulder, "I'm not ordering your shit! Buy it yourself Pinky!" Ruka blinked before waving a hand as she walked off to find them a table, "uh-huh, suuure~" She smiled slightly as she took a seat. A few minutes later Katsuki came over with a tray of a rather spicy looking panini and a strawberry parfait with a tea and a soda. Ruka grinned, "what was that about paying for myself?"

She laughed lightly before taking the parfait and tea, "thanks Katsuki. You even got me tea? How considerate for a Porcupine." She smirked lightly as she poured herself some tea while Katsuki grumbled under his breath about pink hair and being trouble before taking a bite out of his panini. Ruka eyed the red sandwich as she commented lightly, "you sure like spicy stuff...maybe that's what makes you so snappy?" She inquired in a way too sweet and oblivious tone that Katsuki didn't even bother answering her. She knew it wasn't related to that and he knew that too. Suddenly a familiar voice rang out, causing Ruka and Katsuki to look up to see Denki. "Kaminari-kun! What a surprise!" Ruka said in surprise while Katsuki eyed the other blonde suspiciously. It was obvious to Katsuki that the blonde idiot was not here by accident. He was too easy to read.

Ruka took a bite of her parfait before she smiled over at him, "oh no, you're not interrupting anything...right?" Ruka nudged Katsuki who simply looked off to the side. He didn't want others to know he liked coming to such places. Ruka snickered behind her hand as she took note of that before beaming over at Denki, "it's such a cute cafe right Kaminari-kun?" She saw Katsuki stiffen beside her for a moment. She grinned, this was fun. Ignoring Ruka's jabbing, Katsuki answered Denki's question rather gruffly, "crazy? You call that crazy? This is why you're second rate heh.--! What the hell Ruka!?" Ruka elbowed Katsuki in the side at such a rude comment. She simply looked over at him innocently as she replied back, "hm? What? Did I do something wrong Katsuki?" Ignoring Katsuki's grumbles, Ruka turned to Denki and her eyes seemed to shine at the mention of strawberries, "what? There's such a store around here!? Definitely! Let's go Kaminari-kun!" She turned a questioning gaze to Katsuki who merely stood up after eating, "why the hell should I go to such a place? I'm out of here." Ruka blinked as she simply waved at the brooding blonde before turning her attention to Denki. Leaning towards him eagerly, Ruka asked, "so? Where is this place? I'm excited hehe."

Genkai Genkai
 
"Oh..." His explanation seemed to check out though it was a bit odd for him to be a place, she and Izuku happened to be at. She really wasn't convinced he was telling the truth but she also had no reason to suspect why he'd lie to her to begin with. "Well you picked a good place to eat." She laughed slightly, tilting her head to the side, still finding it funny for them to cross paths. "I'm sorry you had to eat alone though, if I knew you were here, you could have joined us." She said. Though she was sure if All Might was around, she and Deku would love him to join them. But Yagi was also pretty fun to talk to too. At the mention of a date, she jumped. Why was everyone assuming she was on a date whenever she was alone with a guy? It was curious.

"Uhhh a date?" She squeaked. She made a thoughtful face. "I-I don't think so." But maybe she was? She glanced down, her heart fluttering. "Midoriya-san is pretty great." She had to admit. "He kind of reminds me of All Might. Sorta." Maybe he was a more likely candidate for her? No no, she couldn't date Deku and pretend he was someone else. That would be very dishonest. "I'd love to hang out with him again, he has so many good stories. And he agreed to help me get stronger. But...I don't think he's my type. Ultimately." Still too young, too immature. He was sweet though and she thought maybe there could be something there. Maybe. But it was unlikely. Like Tenya, Izuku was super nice and fun to spend time with but she didn't feel the same spark...not when she thought about Aizawa and All Might. And even Yagi-san.

But she would keep those thoughts to herself, if any of them knew how she felt, she'd die. There was no way any of them would consider her a viable girlfriend. "Anyway!" She quickly changed the subject, "Um you wanna walk me home?" She asked, she decided she could go shopping and see a movie tomorrow. Mela figured she could spend the rest of the day doing some cleaning and chores so she'd have more time to spend being free come tomorrow. Once Yagi paid, she headed out with him. "You work so hard, Yagi-san. I hope you get some time to yourself." She frowned. "I'm glad you're feeling better, make sure they don't give you too much to do. I don't want you getting sick again." She said. Though if she got to pet him, she wouldn't mind.

- - -

After waltzing in and grabbing a seat, he waved to them, not bothering to give Bakugo much to say on the matter. Denki kept his attention on Kurotsuki instead. If anything, Denki was being a great hero, saving her from Bakugo. He wasn't sure what Bakugo's aim had been to get Ruka alone. First shopping and now a cute cafe? Bakugo couldn't like Ruka too could he? Urgh why was the list of rivals getting longer? He didn't think Bakugo would show any interest but he didn't blame him for finding a connection in Ruka. She was amazing but he had to hope Ruka didn't think Bakugo in turn, was also amazing. He didn't want to dwell on that nightmare scenario. Instead he opened his bag of chips and offered them to his new lunch buddies. Bakugo seemed to clam right up which was just fine with the blond. Now how to get rid of him?

"Oh yeah, this place is real cute. Nice pick, Kurotsuki-chan." He grinned, not aware it was really Bakugo's. As Bakugo began to huff at Denki, Ruka stood up to him and Denki smiled. He could handle Bakugo's mad rants. He was very much used to them by now. But he was thankful that Ruka had found a good off-switch for the guy. Though he wondered why Bakugo let Ruka nudge him like that. Anyone else, even Uraraka-san, and he would have shoved them away pretty hard. Denki was still quite worried about the growing possibility of Bakugo and Ruka becoming a thing. No no no. They couldn't become a thing! Thankfully his bait had worked and Ruka was happy to go with him. And it even managed to push away Bakugo as well. Phew! He gave a friendly wave, pretending to miss the boy before he looked back to Ruka. "Yeah let's get outta here." He smirked.

Once he was done eating, he pulled out the chair for Ruka and they headed out. He had found a few places Ruka might enjoy and this was top of the list. "I'm sorry you guys didn't get to fight this week." He said. Even though her partner had been Mineta, she was sure it still would have been good practice. Somehow? Or the girls would be thankful someone was pummeling the perv with fiery kicks. "I wonder we'll get paired up with for next week. All these combat exercises are tiring me out though." He sighed as they arrived at the small shop. Inside it was very cool to allow for the chocolate to solidify more quickly but the three towering chocolate fountains were rich and flowing with warm molten chocolate. There was white, milk and dark. And the toppings ranged from various nuts to sprinkles and even cereal. Denki bought them each six strawberries to dip and enjoy. "This place is pretty neat huh? I knew you'd love it." He smiled as he reached out and got some chocolate on his finger and playfully poked Ruka's nose.

AiAi AiAi
 
Yagi smiled, feeling both relieved and happy when Mela said that. He was happy to know that he would always be welcomed so warmly and openly by Mela and relieved to know that if she would happily invite him, then it wasn't a date, right? Though as soon as his hope was building up that Mela and Midoriya were simply having lunch and nothing more was when he noticed Mela looked flustered. His heart sank slightly as he wondered what that could entail. He dreaded hearing what she had to say about Midoriya Shounen, but at the same time, his heroic side was quite proud that Midoriya Shounen was being looked upon so well by a fellow classmate of his. Why must his heart be so conflicting? He could only keep a smile on his lips as he listened to her speak about Midoriya, oh? Did she want to get stronger? As in physically? Hm, he didn't quite like the idea of her and Midoriya working out alone together and decided to find out when she will do such outings. Perhaps All Might can stop by and give them pointers...? Or was that just that just too obvious...?

As he was paying, Yagi was surprised to hear Mela's final conclusion after speaking so highly of Midoriya Shounen that she even compared him to All Might er himself! Smiling softly at her request which could have come off as a demand, Yagi followed her out the diner after paying for his meal, "sure thing Mela-chan, I would love to walk you home." As they began to walk side by side, Yagi let out a small chuckle as he looked down at Mela amused, "oh but I'm sure my nurse will heal me right back up if I'm ever sick, right Mela-chan?" He gave her a playful grin before turning to face forward once more. As they walked, Yagi asked her various questions that ranged from who she thought her next partner would be to what she planned to do tomorrow. Soon enough the two arrived at the front of her apartment complex if he was correct, Kurotsuki Shoujo lived next door to Mela's. He glanced up, a bit nervous if the pinkette would catch sight of him as he wasn't sure if she would catch on to him being All Might. Though fortunately, it seemed like she wasn't home.

Turning to Mela, Yagi gave her a small smile as he decided that now was the best time to ask her, better now than never. "Um say Mela-chan, I've been wondering, but what would be your ideal first date...?" He was hoping she'd tell him so he can plan accordingly and then ask her out properly, er he meant so that he can properly apologize to her and to also thank her for caring for him when sick. He was definitely not going to ask her out on an actual date or anything like that...no, nothing like that. Looking nervously over at Mela, Yagi let out a slight laugh as he looked off to the side, "ahaha, just kidding....well I guess my question is, what is your ideal outing if you were to go somewhere with All Might?" Yes! That was the right way to ask her! She'll just assume he was being the normal fan of All Might, not like he was planning that All Might may or may not just suddenly appear in front of her before taking her off to wherever. Smiling at her reply, Yagi wrapped an arm around Mela, giving her a quick yet gentle hug as he murmured out, "well I hope you have a nice day, I hope to see you soon Mela-chan!" With a wave, Yagi turned the corner and was quick to jump the nearest rooftop once he 'inflated' himself. Staring down at the buildings around him, Yagi wondered what he just did and said. Shaking his head, Yagi went off to deal with some villains as a form of distraction.

~ Sunday ~

Yagi let out a small groan as he opened his eyes. What day was today...? He recalled how yesterday he was speaking with Mela and then he went off to do some hero work as he felt ashamed of himself for following his students around downtown. Looking down at himself, Yagi let out a small sigh as he leaned back onto the bed. He was still clad in his hero outfit which can only mean he fell asleep in bed exhausted and without any recollection of what he did for the most part. Rolling onto his side, Yagi let out a sigh as he realized he won't be able to go and see Mela today. As much as he wanted to go and surprise her and invite her to see a movie...his body was sore. "I overdid myself again...argh." Yagi let out as he crawled out of the bed to take a long hot bath. Today was going to be a long day...he can feel it already.

Meanwhile for a certain raven-haired hero...it was quite the opposite. After the Saturday matchups, Shota left to go to the office, walking past Mela who seemed to be going on another date with another guy. He was annoyed at the thought of her going on another date, but it really wasn't his place to say anything and so Shota did just that, he said nothing. But now, Midoriya was on his list of top hated people as he had no clue what the green-haired boy saw in Mela. Heck, he wasn't even sure what the two were even talking about, just the way Midoriya looked nervous made Shota suspicious. He was certain that All Might followed the two...perhaps he could get the answer out from the number one hero? Shota was certain there were ways in which All Might will spit out the answer. But that never happened as Shota was busy with grabbing paperwork and dreading the work that he had to do. Holding back a sigh, Shota went home and spent the rest of Saturday doing paperwork.

It was now Sunday and Shota stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling. He spent all night working on the paperwork and he couldn't even go out to do some hero work...though there was news of All Might being spotted even during the evenings. What the blonde was thinking was beyond Shota, but hey at least someone was doing some work. Good, fewer worries for him then. Even if he didn't go spending the night out patrolling the town, he still ended up staying awake but for an entirely different matter...paperwork. Not wanting to think further about his torture session, Shota decided to head out to town. He needed a few things plus a bit of fresh air wouldn't hurt him once in a while. He was human too...and he liked to breathe the occasional fresh air...occasional.

As he was walking about, Shota stopped at the front of the movie theaters. He stared up at the board listing the current movies showing as he tried to recall when was the last time he even went to see a movie at a theater? He can't remember...Shota would rather choose to watch a movie at home than to go out of his way to some crowded place and pay to see a movie. Though he couldn't help but wonder what Mela would be into watching...probably something romantic Shota thought with a slight smirk.

- - -

Smiling back at Denki, Ruka finished up her parfait before following him out the cafe. She'll have to come back here with Mela next time, she was sure Mela would enjoy the sweets...that and she can casually let slip that the explosive Katsuki likes this place, it'll be interesting to see Mela's reaction to that. As they were walking, the two talked about various things which eventually led to the topic of the matchups that just happened earlier today. Ruka looked over at Denki before waving a hand, "I'm actually fine...though maybe letting a bit of my flames get onto Mineta-san wouldn't have hurt anyone hehe." So maybe that was the only thing she missed since it would have been quite torturous for her to have to deal with Mineta as her partner for a week...yeah okay so maybe she was glad she missed out. Ruka was certain she could not handle the grape boy for more than perhaps five minutes.

"Plus I was really exhausted from my last fight...though that should be no excuse and it just tells me how much more I need to work on..." her fight against Katsuki was tiring and it strained her quirk quite a lot, but that was more than a week ago. She can't go on saying that she's tired...no, that's just being weak! She needs to train more if that little fight with Porcupine was enough to bring her down so much. Keeping the conversation moving, Ruka laughed lightly at Denki's tired comment as she replied back, "hm, yeah it is quite tiring, but I actually quite like it!" Smiling, she continued, "I feel like with each fight, I learn a bit more about how to better use my quirk...and going against everyone is fun too! I wonder if you and I will be partners next?" Ruka glanced over at Denki, curious if they would ever go against each other. How would her flames be against his lightning?

Soon the two arrived at the store and Ruka was nearly jumping in joy as she stared at the large fountains of chocolate streaming in the room. "Wow...this is like a dream..." Ruka murmured out as she eyed the strawberries that Denki bought for them. Oh, she was so lost in staring at the strawberries and then the chocolate fountains that she let Denki pay. Ruka pouted slightly as she took the tray of strawberries as she told Denki, "next time I pay~" When Denki poked her, Ruka scrunched up her nose before she let out a small giggle, "hey, that tickles." She let out another giggle before dipping her own finger with chocolate and poked his cheek. She grinned over at him before rushing over to the chocolate fountains. Wanting to try everything, Ruka dipped two strawberries in the white chocolate, two in the milk and then two in the dark. She then rushed over to the toppings where she placed graham cracker crumbles on one, some chocolate chips on another and a few she drizzled other different chocolates on it.

Once having finished decorating her strawberries, Ruka took a seat next to Denki on a bench as she took a bite of the strawberries, "mmm! It's so good! How's yours?" Ruka asked Denki, peering at his plate before taking another bite. "It's so yummy! Thank you so much for bringing me here Kaminari-kun! I love it hehe." Ruka smiled over at Denki, a bit of chocolate staining her cheek as she was nibbling on a piece of strawberry. She might just come here more than she'd admit. It'll probably be her go-to dessert place when Mela doesn't make desserts though Ruka was sure that if she mentioned this place, Mela would probably make chocolate covered strawberries for her. Letting out a soft sigh, Ruka looked over at Denki as she asked him, "so what are your plans for tomorrow?" She wasn't sure what she would do, perhaps she can finally hang out with Mela? It feels like ages since the two were last able to hang out just by themselves. She'll have to ask Mela the plans for tomorrow.

After finishing eating, Ruka and Denki walked back to her place. Turning to Denki, Ruka smiled up at him as she said, "um, thank you for walking me home Kaminari-kun! It was really fun, let's go on another food adventure next time, okay?" Ruka gave Denki a quick hug before running up the stairs to her place. She waved at Denki before heading inside. Smiling happily, Ruka went to clean up her house before taking a shower. As she was exiting the bathroom, Ruka paused in wiping her hair dry as she mumbled out, "ah...didn't he want to say something to me earlier today..." before that stupid Katsuki dragged her off. Ruka reached for her phone and texted Denki, 'hey, sorry about earlier today. You were wanting to tell me something? What was it?' Once done with that, Ruka had dinner with Mela where the two decided on a nice brunch to start off the day for them. Afterward, well they can probably go and do whatever they wanted to. Ruka was more than pumped up about making some nice brunch for Mela tomorrow.

~ Sunday ~

After having a nice big brunch with Mela, Ruka headed off to the shopping district as she told Mela that there were some books that she's been meaning to check out. Ruka knew Mela wanted to go and see the new romance movie, but Ruka will have to pass on that. There was a different movie she's been wanting to see herself, but she didn't want to force Mela to go see it with her when there was something Mela wanted to watch. Changing from her oversized shirt of a PJ into a light blue denim dress with an elbow lengthed white shirt underneath. She wore a light tan cardigan over it as it stopped at her mid-thigh area. Wearing a pair of over the knee length leather boots, Ruka headed off to downtown.

Letting out a happy hum, Ruka walked towards the bookstore while making a mental list of what she needed to buy. She needed to buy a few notebooks for class and then perhaps some new pencils...a cute new pencil bag would be nice too and then there were the new astrology and myths book she's been wanting to buy, but all her thoughts flew out the window as her eyes landed on a familiar head of white and red. Ruka blinked a few times. Was that Shoto? Smiling to herself at the idea of meeting Shoto out in town, Ruka sneaked up behind him before placing her hands on his shoulders, peering around him as she exclaimed happily, "Boo~! Did I scare ya?" Pulling back, Ruka grinned up at him as she felt a bit happier now. Was it because she ran into Shoto? "Good afternoon Todoroki-kun! Fancy meeting you here hehe." She was quite happy, strangely enough...maybe it was just because she's had such a good morning spent with Mela? But somehow bumping into Shoto just made her happier. Looking over at Shoto, Ruka explained to him, "I was just out shopping, but I'm happy to bump into you! Ah er, I mean sorry if I bothered you on your day off ehe." Ruka rubbed the back of her head as she was a bit embarrassed her at her sudden exclamations. Though she was happy to see him.

Genkai Genkai
 
She would be quite happy to take care of Yagi if he was ever in need of any nursing. She wouldn't want it any other way. Once back in front of her apartment, she leaned back against the stone ledge as Yagi asked about her ideal first date. Her face lit up. Suddenly today's theme became all the more obvious. But..why would Yagi want to know about that? Maybe he wanted to ask her out? She was now kinda hoping that was the case but he quickly changed his question, relating it to All Might. "Oh...well um it probably does depend on the person." She said, thinking back to his first question, it being more broad in nature. She didn't think All Might would ever ask her out. That was pretty much an impossible situation, though not one she hadn't spent a fair amount of time day dreaming about. However for her own pride, Yagi didn't need to know any details heheh. "Ehh I doubt All Might would really take me out anywhere...I mean just some good company is all a girl really wants." She said, trying not to fumble her words.

If she went out with All Might, she was sure it would be something fun, maybe a bit competitive. With Aizawa-sensei, he'd probably prefer something quiet and low-key, probably with as little energy as possible. And Yagi? Maybe something quiet and intimate. But she didn't think he needed to hear her thoughts on the matter though she had to wonder why he wanted to ask her such a thing. Yagi then pulled her in for a light hug before he left. She watched him go, wishing he had been able to spend some more time with her but maybe that was her, being a little selfish. She headed inside, not sure if her answer really helped at all. Maybe next time she saw him, she'd be more prepared.

With the dawn of a new day, Ruka and Mela had a great brunch together, both looking forward to the start of another new school week. Mela was hoping she'd get Mineta so she could kick him across the school and get graded on it. Or maybe Izuku? He was really fun to be around and if she squinted really hard and maybe had a few drinks, she could pretend it was a younger All Might? Though she did prefer All Might as he was, but she had to bet in his younger days, he had to be equally handsome. Waving to Ruka, Mela headed off to the movies. She saw a lot of couples holding hands and exchanging kisses as she found her own seat. Mela glanced off, no need to remind her that she was going to die alone. The movie was rather sweet and sappy and got Mela to tear up three times. But she was happy to have seen it, it gave her some extra false hope that maybe there was someone out there for her.

Soulmate or not, she decided she had to keep trying. Maybe she really should give iida or Midoriya a chance? She heaed on out, the sunlight almost hurting her eyes. What time was it? 1 PM or 2 PM? She almost walked right into Aizawa, history almost repeating itself. "Aizawa-sensei." She stopped herself in time and took a small step back. Now this pattern was becoming rather interesting. "Good afternoon." She said, bowing her head. "You waiting for your date to show up~?" She teased him. Why else would he be outside a theater alone? "By the way...you looked extra grumpy yesterday...is everything okay?" She asked, her teasing grin slipping into some more sincere. "I do have something that'll cheer you up but you'll have to wait." She told him. It was a very good surprise, she was sure he would love it. "Awwwh~ I just saw the sweetest movie, I know happy endings are pretty rare these days but boy do they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!" She swooned, spinning around. Surely even a cynic like Aizawa didn't agree but she was sure there was someone out there for him too. Though Mela quietly hoped it was someone like her, he was quite fun to tease and he was dangerously handsome. "What do you think? About finding your perfect person? Your missing piece? You have faith it'll happen right?"

- - -

It did worry Denki to hear how draining it was for Ruka to use her quirk. She and Bakugo really had pushed themselves hard. He was worried to see how someone like Todoroki would handle Ruka. But the idea of Denki and Ruka going head to head was an interesting one. Would he really be able to pull a win over someone he found himself falling for? He didn't want to hurt her. But he also didn't want to get hurt either! He was hoping they'd get to spar but at the same time, it would be pretty tricky. As the pair began to prepare their strawberries, they got into a small chocolate-war. Denki grinned at her, sticking his tongue out. Eventually they stopped painting and dotting each other's faces and went back to their fruity treats. Denki did the same as Ruka, having two berries per chocolate flavoring. He looked over he took a napkin and dabbed it with his tongue before he leaned over and cleaned off her cheek. "Perfect." He smiled to her.

"I'm glad you approve. I'll be sure to take you to all sorts of other places I'm sure you'll love." It brought him great pleasure in knowing this had been such a great idea. If only it had been a date. "Tomorrow? Hmm no real plans." Homework did need his attention. "Why?" If she wanted to hang out, he'd be more than happy to push homework a bit further aside. It sounded like Ruka wanted a day with her and Mela though, which he understood. Maybe he could study with Izuku and the others on the same floor. He walked her home, glad to have some time with her and also glad to have gotten her away from Bakugo. He nodded to her as she said they should go out again. "Of course, I'm already looking forward to it." He said, giving her a mock salute. He made sure she got in okay before he headed back to UA, feeling pretty good. Though once he got back and was feeding Peachy, he got a message form Ruka. His heart jumped. "It's okay. It's something better said in-person. I'll talk to you about it another time. Don't worry! Have a good night. :)" He sent back before he looked back to Peachy who was purring, enjoying the attention.

For Shoto Todoroki, his Sunday was fairly typical. He woke up and made himself breakfast, avoiding his father as much as possible, who was often sleeping in after a long night spent doing hero work. He then headed into the city to check out various bookstores and cafes. He still had to wonder what Bakugo and Ruka had done yesterday. He should have just texted and asked to ease his worries. He hadn't gotten much sleep, though he wouldn't relate Ruka's outing with that. No no. But then there was the issue of Kaminari running off to hunt them down. Was the boy successful? Shoto liked to think so even though it was doubtful. He was sure Bakugo just wanted Ruka for something that wasn't at all romantic in nature. But still, he was worried. But he wouldn't tell anyone that. As he entered a bookstore, he decided to get lost in other worlds. Maybe that would help ease his mind? Unlikely but it was worth a shot.

Pulling out a new book on finding love, he found someone attack him from behind. Before he could react, he saw Ruka appear in front of him. He quickly shelved the book, hoping she wasn't looking at that. He relaxed and turned to her, a smile on his lips. "You better be careful or I could have retaliated in quite in unfriendly manner." He teased her. Though he was serious, his reflexes were quick and he'd hate to knock a friend back unintentionally. Even without his quirk, he was pretty good when it came to combat. He shook his head at her. "You do need to stop apologizing." He smirked to her, reaching out to poke her in the forehead this time. "You're not bothering me. You needn't think of yourself as such." He said before he looked around. "Please don't belittle your company, Kurotsuki-san, I find it very enjoyable." He said softly, moving finger up to ruffle her hair a bit. "I wish you'd think more highly of yourself." He smiled to her. "Now you mentioned shopping? It wouldn't mind accompanying you if you'd have me." He said. He was interested in hearing how she was today but also how yesterday had gone for her. But he wouldn't come out and ask her just yet. "I'm quite good at carrying shopping bags." He joked lightly. How could she turn him down with such an offer? "And we could also grab a snack or a drink when we're done. If you want." He suggested. Usually his Sundays were spent alone so company would be a change for him, a good change.

AiAi AiAi
 
Hearing an all too familiar voice from behind, Shota thought he was just hearing things. After all, what are the chances of running into Mela this many times out in town? He lost count honestly. Turning around, Shota decided it wouldn't hurt to check if he was being delusional or not, only to see Mela actually there. Huh. He stared down at her as he listened to her. He nodded his head in greeting though, at her first question, Shota lightly glared at her. What girlfriend? He barely went out to see his friends so what made her think he would have a girlfriend? Though Shota will leave that up to the air as he simply replied back, "I was just walking past it...I wasn't going to watch anything." He rather not if given the choice.

He'll just ignore her question about yesterday, he didn't even want to think about it. Shota shook his head lightly before looking past her head, almost as if expecting to see Midoriya or heck even Iida trailing behind her. But to his surprise, there was no one with her, not even her pink haired guardian. He was just about to ask Mela what she was doing out alone when she began to ramble about some movie that she just saw. He looked up behind her to the board to see that she indeed just watched a romance movie, go figure. Looking back down at her, Shota had to hold back a sigh as she began to fire questions towards him about love. Lifting a finger, he placed it against her lip to silence her for a moment. She was rambling on rather quickly there, he was certain it'll take him all day to answer all her questions if he let her continue.

Staring down at her, Shota finally answered her, "I really don't care...if I find them then that's that if I don't then there's that." It was simple to Shota, if he found his soulmate, he'd probably assess her and try to see how on earth this whole soulmate thing even worked, but if he didn't, then well he won't be complaining. Either way, Shota knew that love is difficult for a hero. Looking down at Mela, Shota wondered if he would be able to protect that smile...would he want to risk everything just to be closer to her...? Realizing his train of thoughts, Shota turned around to walk off. Looking back at Mela, he lifted a brow as he said, "are you coming or not? I'm starving..." it was about time for lunch, he supposed treating her out to lunch would be good. He's been meaning to do that anyways, "my treat, now come on." With that, Shota began to lead Mela to one of his favorite and probably only go-to restaurant, it was a homey old traditional restaurant located in the back alley of the busy streets. It was run down, but it's been his favorite place since high school. Placing a hand on Mela's shoulder, he nudged her inside before taking a seat.

- - -

Ruka grinned up at Shoto, glad to have taken him by surprise, though at his little warning she simply waved a hand. That was nothing to worry about. Her reflexes were quite good too so she would have probably dodged it if anything, though it did worry her that she may just accidentally burn him in return as self-defense. Maybe she shouldn't have surprised him like so. But either way to see his smile made her smile in return...strangely enough. Ruka lost track of her thoughts as she felt Shoto poke her forehead, much like how she's done to him on several occasions. She gave him a small pout as she lifted a hand to protect her forehead as she replied back, "I can protect myself just fine...but I'll be sure to call out your name loud and clear before I do anything hehe." Though that won't stop her from surprising him still hehe.

Ruka stared up at Shoto as he lightly ruffled her hair, telling her that her company is welcomed. The gentle gesture and kind words made her feel quite warm inside as her heart did a little flip when he touched her hair. Ah...it was like when he dried her hair that one time. Ruka blinked out of her dazed moment as she simply replied back, "well I'm glad, I enjoy your company as well hehe." She was a bit surprised at his offer, but Ruka was soon grinning as she lightly teased him back, "oh? Well then don't mind if I do ask for your company~" Turning around, Ruka looked about the bookstore as she mused aloud, "now I wonder if this store will have it...?" Realizing that was mumbling, Ruka explained to Shoto, "I was looking for this new book on astrology and its myths. It seemed so interesting and...ah! It's there!" Ruka trailed off as her eyes swept around the room before spotting the new book.

Rushing towards the bookshelf, Ruka happily reached up for the book...only to somehow find it further away than she expected. Huhhhh!? Why would they put the book on the highest shelf!? Though to be fair...it was on the display shelves which were a bit too high for Ruka's liking. Pouting, Ruka tiptoed for it, for once wanting a quirk that lets her reach for things up high before she turned to Shoto, her eyes pleading him to help her. Once she got the book, Ruka happily purchased it before walking out of the store with him. Hugging the book to her chest, Ruka turned to Shoto with a bright smile, "thank you for your help Todoroki-kun! Oh um, all that's left is some notebooks and a pencil case...um was there anywhere you wanted to go? Then we can go and get something to snack on~" From her tone of voice, it was quite obvious that Ruka was looking forward to the snack.

Genkai Genkai
 
"Sometimes I do lose faith I admit, but when I see things come together in a book or a movie I--" She was cut off by a finger shushing her lips. She pouted slightly. She wasn't finished talking! But it seemed like Aizawa had other ideas. She folded her arms, baring her teeth lightly. He was asking to be bitten. Noting he hadn't refufted her accusation of him having a girlfriend, she had to think he might very well have some secret girlfriend he wouldn't tell anyone about, much less his students. Mela had to picture someone dressed in all black, probably had the same sunny disposition as Aizawa. She had to be beautiful if anything, and clever. Yes, that was probably Aizawa's lucky soulmate. If he hadn't found her yet, there was still plenty of time for him to do so. Mela was sure of it.

Giving him a slightly pitied look at his idea regarding love. So indifferent. He had to approach love with a bit more gusto than that. She had to wonder, if he had ever been in love. Mela liked to think she had, it was amazing, if not fleeting and a bit bitter in the end. Still, nothing was better than being around someone who loved you. Or so they would claim to love you. She shook her head as Aizawa began to head off, calling after her. Mela hurried after him, "Your legs are so long." She complained. "Wait up!" She caught up to him, almost tempted to grab onto his arm but refrained from doing so. Mela followed Aizawa along like an obedient puppy, still making comments here and there about where they were going and what they might eat. Aizawa was so mysterious~

Arriving at their lunch destination, Mela felt someone push her in before she and Aizawa took a seat at the bar. It smelled quite good though it did look unassuming. She glanced to Aizawa and nudged him. "Why are you treating me?" She asked him. She didn't think it had anything to do with her taking care of him or feeding him earlier in the week. To her, that didn't need any kind of repayment. She did get him sick in the first place. "I mean I don't mind." She quickly corrected herself. Mela brushed some of her hair behind her ear, feeling oddly nervous. This was something couples did after a movie date right? She eyed the small menu, the yakitori looked good. Maybe she'd get that and some grilled eel. "I...I don't think you should give up. Even if you don't find your soulmate, you can still find someone to care about, who cares about you. Someone to come home to after a long day..." She trailed off. "Someone who doesn't lie to you or think you're useless." She may be speaking from personal experience there. "Anyway, for all I know, you have some secret girlfriend!" She teased him with a wink. "N-not that I care...but...you know...I'll just stop talking ha ha." She was happy to shut herself up as she gave the owner who also seemed like the chef, her order.

- - -

Shoto wouldn't be pleased with himself if he froze Ruka by mistake at school or in the library. He would never forgive himself for using his quirk against a friend. Especially Ruka. He told himself to just relax a little more and to not be so on edge. Not every day was going to be some kind of fight. Besides, they couldn't really use their quirks off campus so he would need to be careful regardless. Still, he was hoping he'd never harm Ruka with his quirk. It would probably break his heart to know he caused her pain with his own hands. Thankfully Ruka was receptive to his company just as he was to hers. He would have hated to part ways after finding one another. Shoto had to feel a pull at his heart, wondering if this was the work of some unknown energy like something to do with soulmates. He was doubtful but it did give him further pause to wonder if Ruka could be the one he'd be searching for. The idea had crossed his mind already and now them meeting in a bookstore?

History was fond of repeating itself and Todoroki had no complaints there. Kurotsuki began to mumble to herself, seeming looking for a certain book. He looked around as well but realized since he didn't know what it was, he wasn't much help. Ruka explained what she was actually searching for but she found it. He followed her and saw it was out of her reach. Shoto could have reached it, perhaps. But he decided to move behind her and wrap his arms around her waist to allow her to get it on her own. Him being so close to her, allowed him to smell her once again. Ah strawberries. Her hair tickled his nose as he quickly set her back on solid ground once she had gotten the book she was looking for. "Of course, Kurotsuki-chan. No no, nowhere I needed to go, I am happy to follow you." He said lightly. "Wherever you lead, I shall follow."

Shoto and Ruka hit up the various shops, him carrying the items she purchased. He found many of them rather cute. Though when he bought school supplies, his were quite plain and ordinary. Once she was happy with everything, he led her to a Parisian cafe which had planters filled with flowers outside. The items were quite French and very technical it seemed. "I haven't been here before but I'm glad I could come with you and enjoy it together." He commented as they took a seat outside to enjoy the day. "I'd love to treat you, if you'd allow me. Allow me to repay you for your thoughtfulness when I was sick. And for putting up with my father." He said as he reached over, his hand brushing atop hers for a moment before he removed it, not wanting to seem too forward. "I was wondering...what did you and Bakugo do yesterday?" He asked, he wanted to ask about Kaminari but knew he couldn't or Ruka might get suspicious. He looked up from his glass of water, studying her. Shoto hoped it was an uneventful outing but his mind couldn't rest until he heard it from her. For some reason, his heart began to beat quickly, the seconds seemed so slow now.

AiAi AiAi
 
Shota let out a small scoff as she complained about his legs being too long. He glanced down at her slightly amused as he smirked, "then grow a little taller to keep up." She was still growing, he was sure she'll be able to keep up with him regardless. As he led her to his favorite restaurant, Shota nudged her in before taking a seat at the bar next to her. He didn't even glance over at the menu as he made his usual order of a mackerel plate with a side of some yakitori. He took a sip of his green tea as he answered her question without missing a beat, "does one being treated actually question it?" He glanced over at her in question, a small smirk gracing his lips before he looked down at his teacup. He wouldn't go pointing out that this was in return for her taking care of him when he was sick. She can take it however way she wanted, but he won't go saying it aloud...not like a certain blonde hero would.

Holding back a sigh, Shota listened to Mela talk as she began to ramble off once again. At times, Shota couldn't help but wonder if her actual quirk is rambling and not balance...it was highly possible in his opinion. Taking another sip of his tea, Shota couldn't quite understand what she was trying to get here by talking to him about soulmates and the likes. Did the movie hit her in the head that hard or something? Looking over at Mela, somehow the words seemed more directed at herself than at him, though with her rambling on like always, Shota wasn't too sure about that. Closing his eyes, Shota just continued to listen until he heard her mention him having a secret girlfriend. Opening his eyes, Shota turned to face Mela completely as amusement was seen within his dark hues. Oh? Was this what she's been wanting to ask him all along?

Seeing her quiet down on her own, Shota held back a chuckle as he realized that she was just curious whether he had a girlfriend or not. A part of him wanted to tease her by letting her assume that he does have a girlfriend, but his more honest side was saying otherwise. Plus what if she completely gives up on him and not even talk to him because she took his joke seriously? He couldn't stand the idea of Mela just hanging around All Might if he made such a mistake. As the food arrived, Shota answered her questions, "the idea of coming home to someone's smile is tempting, but life is a lot more difficult than you think.." or so he would always tell himself, "though unfortunately, I don't have the time nor energy to have a girlfriend." And he really wasn't looking for one anyways. If he stumbled upon love, then so be it, but if not then that's that as well. Smirking over at her, Shota lightly teased her, "relax and just eat."

- - -

To say she was surprised would be an understatement when she thought back to how Shoto literally lifted her up to grab the book. She could still feel the lingering of his touch on her waist and that thought alone was more than enough to cause a light heat to pool at the top of her head. Ruka had to calm her beating heart down so as to not spontaneously combust...again. After she finished with her little list of things to buy, Ruka followed Shoto to what seemed like a very cute cafe. She blinked up at it, silently wondering what it was with the guys in 3-A liking cute little cafes. She'll keep that question to herself though since she was more than happy to join them for some sweets and tea.

Looking at the cute decorations, Ruka sat across from Shoto out on the patio of the cafe. She blinked over at Shoto at his words, her cheeks flaming up when he touched her hand though Ruka quickly shook her head as she waved her hands about, "ah no, please don't think you have to owe me for such a thing! I was happy to have visited you and I'm glad you're all better! Plus your father wasn't bad ahaha.." those dad jokes were amusing to her at least. Smiling, Ruka caved in as she said, "but if you really insist, then you can treat me today, but~! Next time it's on me, alright?" Ruka winked playfully over at Shoto before ordering a slice of angel cake with fresh strawberries on top of it and a berry sauce to pour over it and some English tea on the side.

Ruka looked over at Shoto, tilting her head as she recalled yesterday's events. Her nose scrunched in distaste at the mention of Katsuki as Ruka told him, "oh yesterday? Well apparently Katsuki was looking for some equipment and he wanted my help," she blinked a bit at the thought now that she said it aloud, "and then he took me to a cafe as thanks for helping him. To think someone like him would like going to cafes hehe." Ruka laughed lightly at the thought before mentioning, "oh and I ran into Kaminari-kun at the cafe too. It seems like everyone likes cafes huh." She smiled teasingly over at Shoto before her attention moved onto the food that arrived, "mmm but I must say you have the best taste for cafes so far Todoroki-kun. This place is lovely." She flashed a smile over at him before taking a bite of her cake. "Mmm~ It's so good, would you like a bite, Todoroki-kun?" Ruka asked as she held out her fork that had a bit of the angel sponge cake and a strawberry on top. She smiled over at him as she tilted her head in question.

Genkai Genkai
 
Mela still didn't know what had possessed Aizawa to take her out to eat. It couldn't be because he was nice. No no. Not likely. Maybe he was dying! And he was trying to change his ways? That was a possibility. Perhaps he was just lonely or bored and thought bringing her along would be either a comfort or some form of entertainment? Mela decided not to dwell on his intention, he was right, she shouldn't question it. Free food was free food. In the back of her mind, she had to wonder where All Might was, probably more hero work. She was tired just thinking about all that work. She was quite happy when the food finally arrived, it looked so good, her mouth was nearly watering.

Aizawa then circled back around to what she had said though she had hoped he would just ignore all of that if he didn't think it applied to him. She let out a hum of disappointment. Like All Might, Eraserhead was very busy as a pro hero, she knew it would be silly for her to further her own fantasies there regarding romance. He was right. Still, she had to think if you loved someone enough, you would make it work. It was a sad thought, to deny yourself happiness just because you were busy. Who was too busy for love?! It was absurd. In a way, she felt like Aizawa's comments were directed at her, almost feeling a sting of rejection. Maybe she should just aim for Iida or Midoriya? They were nice guys. Maybe they deserved another chance? Plus they weren't too busy.

"Ah, right right. I'm sorry to hear you feel that way." She smirked slightly as his comment, beginning to eat. Why did her chest feel so heavy all of a sudden at the prospect of just moving on? This was what rejection had to feel like. There was nothing to move on from anyway, she had to remind herself All Might and Aizawa were totally out of reach anyway and she was stupid for hoping otherwise. Perhaps it was one thing to think of the future's possibilities but to hear it dismissed by one of her crushes was something else. Mela told herself she had no reason to cry and she was being silly. Aizawa was right, she had to accept that. She just had to set her sights a lot more realistically, whether she wanted to or not. "Thanks again, Aizawa-sensei." She said as she turned her attention to her food. It was very yummy. It was one thing to think love would never find you but to think you were too busy for it? It was likely pro heroes were avoiding falling in love. Why? They didn't want to burden someone else?

That was so backwards thinking of them! Leave it men to make such a leap in faulty logic. Was anyone good enough for them? Men and their dangerous lives...hah. Mela hoped the likes of Aizawa and All Might didn't die alone because of how stubborn they might be. It was laughable to think Aizawa would just dismiss he idea of coming home to someone because it sounded like such a hassle. Her depression soon evolved into slight bitterness. No no, don't take it out on the blunt asshole sitting next to you. Just because he was clear about not wanting a girlfriend, maybe All Might felt differently? Yeah. Maybe? Nooo probably. Depression was back now. Yay~ "I guess not everyone is a romantic." She commented finally as she finished her food. "But that's okay I guess. Everyone is different after all. Anyway, thanks for taking me out. I'll see you at school." No, anger was back now. Maybe it was a tie? She hoped this hadn't been too inconvenient for him. And yet somehow, Mela was sure this was her fault, if she hadn't said all of that silly stuff, Aizawa wouldn't have brought her crashing back down to earth. He was right though. Probably. She hopped down and headed for the door, wanting to head back home as quickly as possible.

- - -

In Shoto's defense, he was under the impression girls liked these kinds of cafes. He hoped that was the case but if Ruka would prefer another establishment, he would be quite happy to accommodate her. But she seemed happy with the cafe so he had no reason to doubt her thoughts on the matter. He did want to take her to another place at some point, it was rather expensive but he found the food and tasting menu to be well worth the price and the time it took to get through all the courses. Perhaps a first date? He could only hope. Shoto nodded to her as she expressed how glad she was that he was healthy and how she hadn't minded the company of his father. He was sure she was merely being polite. No one really enjoyed his father, for good reason. But it was nice of her to say such things and to have gone to so much trouble just for him. He hoped she knew how touched he was at her acts of kindness.

"Alright, but I will hold you to that offer." He replied to Ruka when she said she'd have to pay him back next time they went out somewhere. When Ruka was done with her order, he gave his own, a chocolate eclair and some tea as well. He thought something sweet would be a good break from the heat. He was most interested in hearing about how the day went. He nervously waited as she said he just wanted equipment. That's good. Nothing happened. But he almost choked on his tea when Ruka added that he had taken her to a cafe. Seriously?! He couldn't believe it but Ruka seemed quite sure of the events. He had taken her. Not the other way around. He thought for a moment, smiling to Ruka. "Yes, it is a very interesting turn of events." He agreed, his stomach in knots.

To his knowledge, one would take a girl to a cafe because of romantic intentions. Even so, Bakugo seemed to not care about any of that. Or he could have an incredible poker face. "You've given me some vital information." He chuckled lightly. Wait until the others heard about this. At the mention of Denki, he put on his best surprised face. "Really? How interesting." He still wasn't convinced as to what Bakugo's intentions were but he had to back off. Surely Ruka wouldn't be interested in a guy like that, who kept yelling murderous things at everyone. Their items arrived and before he could dig in, Ruka said how his choice had been the best so far. He held back a smirk of triumph. Yes. That made him quite happy to hear. Of course it also implied Ruka was judging them all based on their selections. Shoto knew the city quite well so he was confident he could continue to impress Ruka with what it had to offer.

"You're very kind in saying so, Kurotsuki-chan." He smiled as he took another sip of tea. He cut a bit of his pastry and took a bite. It was good, as he remembered. He was glad to show Ruka a new place to escape to. "I like to bring books here and just sit out and read for hours. A good pastry and some tea...very relaxing." He said. When Ruka got a bit of her cake and held it out for him, he stared at her, blinking. He should just take the offering. Nothing else. His gut wanted him to lean over and slip his lips around the fluffy cake and sweet slices of berry but he clenched his jaw, thinking that would be very strange and too forward. He controlled his urges and reached out, his fingers brushing against hers as he took the offered fork and slipped it effortlessly into his mouth, a light moan of happiness vibrating against the metal utensil. "Very lovely, a lovely cake for a lovely girl." He said, getting a bit of his eclair and handing her fork back to her so she could have some of his. "There's so many good things here and it changes seasonally. It often warrants many return trips. Maybe we can come back again this week? Your treat right?" He smiled to her, wanting to make concrete plans. The book said to do that to ensure the object of your affection knew you were interested and undeterred. He was both.

AiAi AiAi
 
Shota noticed that something was off with her. He glanced over at her as she began to eat in silence after making a small comeback to his teasing. Hm? What was wrong with her? Did he say something wrong...? Thinking back to what he said, Shota found nothing wrong with it at all. He simply explained to her how he viewed love. Sure, it would be nice to come home to a warm meal and hugs and whatnot, but he knew that wasn't all. There would be included conflict, struggle, arguments, and most definitely dangerous. Whoever he chooses to be with, they either had to be really stupid or really daring. It was obvious that there will be people, villains to be more specific, who will try and use his lover as a means to get to him. Why should Shota let such a thing happen to the one he loves? No, if he can protect her, then he will.

Shota thought so while looking over at Mela eating. If he can protect that smile, then it didn't matter what happened to him. Blinking, Shota sat upright as he realized his where his train of thoughts was leading him. Did he just...? He looked back at Mela once more before turning to eat. No...that can't be it. He can't let that happen. Holding back a sigh, Shota was nearly finished eating when Mela announced that she was done. He looked up at her, surprised to see her getting ready to leave already. Usually, he had to nudge her to get going and here she was eager to leave. His brows furrowed slightly as he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He watched her leave rather quickly. Hm...he definitely said something wrong, but what? Shota sat there for a while longer, silently brooding as he couldn't understand Mela. What did he do that she would act like that? He let out an annoyed sigh as he paid before leaving for his own home. This was annoying.

Now as for a certain blonde haired number one hero, he actually spent all of Sunday recuperating. A groan was heard echoing in his home as Yagi laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He overdid himself once again and now he was getting it. If he wanted to be present for tomorrow's new matchups for class 3-A, then he must rest now. Yagi closed his eyes, wondering since when did it become necessary for him to be there? Since when have his eyes been captured by a certain brunette who made acrobats look like child's play? He wasn't sure when, but he knew what this feeling was and he was scared. Scared yet excited. Smiling to himself, Yagi was looking forward to what was in store tomorrow.

~ Monday Fun Day ~

Come Monday morning, it was time for the weekly meetings that the staff at U.A held. Shota sat there looking tired as ever as he spent most of yesterday brooding about Mela's sudden cold shoulder. It was irritating him to no end as he had no clue what the hell he did wrong. Letting out a sigh, Shota listened to the meeting before being dismissed. There wasn't anything new really, just a few early announcements of the big festivals coming up and whatnot. But that was in a few months...not yet. For now, Shota had to focus on one thing, well a few he supposed. One being Mela and her moodiness, and then the rest mainly being about the matchups and progress of his students in class 3-A. As he was heading over to class, he was suddenly stopped by All Might. Shota looked suspiciously over at the tall blonde, not in a mood to deal with anyone, specifically him, "what do you want? Make it quick will you." Shota grumbled out before blinking in surprise. He was not expecting that was for sure.

As the meeting ended, Yagi hurried his way over to where Aizawa-kun stood, getting ready to leave for class. It was obvious to Yagi and Hizashi that Aizawa-kun was not in a good mood. Why? Well, he honestly wasn't sure, but a grumpy Aizawa-kun is like a silent killer. He'll jump before anyone realizes it. Yagi shrank back slightly as Aizawa-kun snapped at him as Yagi spoke up, "um Aizawa-kun, I was uh wondering if I can come to watch your class' matches?" He hoped with his fingers crossed that Aizawa-kun would agree and to his surprise, he said yes! Wait, why? Why did it feel like he was falling into a trap of sorts...? But either way, he was happy as that meant he could see how Mela is doing er he meant how well the students are improving! Yes, of course...that was it. Yes...

Shota had no clue what All Might was thinking, though he can make a few guesses here and there. "Whatever, do what you want." Though if Mela acts even one bit nice to All Might, then Shota wasn't able to promise that he may just accidentally kick All Might into the nearest wall...no, that won't happen, right? He hid the smirk as he was curious about one thing. He wanted to see All Might's reaction as to who Mela's partner is, to begin with. Walking past the happy yet clueless blonde hero, Shota headed towards class. Once there, he quieted them down like always, his gaze lingering slightly on Mela before he spoke up while handing out folders to each student, "this time we won't be sharing your stats since once this whole session is over is when you will see the final results. Until then, you'll get reports like these occasionally..." because they're hard to make and Shota would be damned if he has to make that every week.

Leaning forward, Shota's smirk was evident which alarmed most of the students as they knew that whenever Shota smirked, it wasn't a good thing, "now let me announce the pairs for this week..." his eyes stayed on Mela as he spoke out the pairs, "...Kirishima and Kaminari, Midoriya and Bakugou, Todoroki and Kurotsuki...and as for Uede, you'll be paired with me this week since Mineta is out for the week due to being sick apparently." Shota hid a smirk as he knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn't like he purposely chose Midoriya and Bakugou to keep the green-haired boy from even trying to speak to Mela and definitely not because Midoriya took Mela out on a date on Saturday, no, definitely not. Oh, and of course it had nothing to do with keeping All Might busy for most of the week as he'd probably be one of the few staffs who could stop Midoriya and Bakugou at the same time. Heh. He locked eyes with Mela for a moment longer before he turned around and left while saying, "that's all for now. Meet me at the first gym in the afternoon, though our training will be in a different gym." Now, time for a nice nap until the matches this afternoon.

Yagi could not believe the matchups for this week as he stared with wide eyes at the clipboard in his hand as Aizawa-kun handed it to him while saying, "hold that for me, I'll be back in a few." Where was Aizawa-kun going? Why was he heading down the steps to get to the stage...wait why is Mela following him, what was going on!? Curious, Yagi began to read off the pairs listed on the paper in his hand before his mouth began to open wide, letting his soul slowly leave his body. What...on earth!? W-w-why is Uede Shoujo paired with Aizawa-kun and why is Bakugou Shounen and Midoriya Shounen against each other as well!? Yagi felt himself shaking as he began to internally panic. This definitely had to do with Aizawa-kun's mood earlier today!

A moment of silence was heard in the gym before Ruka's voice was heard loudly, "Mel!" Ruka was about to jump off the platform to go and get Mela when All Might beat her to it. She looked over at the dark-haired hero with a glare covering her usually calm features. She would have gone right over to him and teach him a lesson or two, but she can wait to burn him later. For now, Ruka turned her attention to Mela, her features softening as she hugged her friend. Shota looked over at Mela, wondering, no..knowing that she was probably more pissed at him now. He glanced over at All Might who helped Mela back up. He did say he'd be over in a few minutes, right? It was a simple match as all he had to do was push her out of bounds, simple as that.

Yagi could not believe that Aizawa-kun would pit himself against one of his own students and it was Mela on top of that! He knew there had to be a reason for that and he had an inkling of an idea that it had something to do with Mela. The match was finished in a matter of minutes. Yagi knew that Aizawa-kun would not hold back, but to think he would just fling Mela like some ragdoll! Concerned, Yagi jumped down to Mela's side, helping her up, "are you alright Uede Shoujo?" All Might asked her before he looked questioningly over at Aizawa-kun who was already heading up the stairs. What was the man thinking?

- - -

"Hmm...maybe I should join you next time. A good book, some sweets and tea and good company, how better can that get?" Ruka grinned over at Shoto. To be honest, when she offered him a bite of her cake, Ruka wasn't sure what to expect. Though somehow a part of her wished he took it from the fork directly, but another part of her, the more sane side was telling her no and that what he did was the right thing. She smiled, glad he enjoyed the angelic cake before she looked down at her fork. Oh? Was this a piece of his eclair? Smiling, Ruka took a bite of it and let out a small sound of joy, "mm! That's really good!" The smallest of a blush dusted her cheeks. She should be used to such compliments from all the parties she's attended as a child, but when it was told to her so directly and on top of that from Todoroki...it somehow made her happy and nervous at the same time.

Glad for a change of topic, Ruka nodded her head eagerly, "oh that sounds great! I definitely do want to try the cream puffs or mont blanc next! Yes! My treat for sure hehe." She looked forward to it as her mind was filled with various French pastries. Oh, what should she try next!? Taking a sip of the tea, Ruka conversed with Shoto about various topics ranging from the new pairings for the week to homework and of course books. Before she knew it, it was time for them to go. Turning to Shoto as he walked her home, Ruka smiled up at him, "thank you for today Todoroki-san! And thank you so much for helping me carry all these bags! You were a wonderful hero today hehe. I'll see you tomorrow then?" Ruka wasn't sure if she should, but taking a small step forward she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his chest before pulling away, quickly snatching the bags from him as she headed to her door, "um have a good night!" Ruka stuttered out before entering her house. Why did she do that!? Wasn't it enough that she's done stuff to him when she was sick!? Stupid Ruka, stupid!

After making dinner, Ruka found it strange that Mela wasn't coming over and so she walked over to see what was wrong. She was surprised to see Mela looking so down, for Ruka who's known Mela for most of her life, well one look was more than enough to let Ruka know that something happened. But if Mela didn't come crying over to her...then it was probably something she didn't want to share just yet. Smiling softly down at Mela, Ruka coaxed her friend into eating dinner with her before eating the large pile of sweets that Mela has made. Yup, the girl was definitely upset. Ruka knew by the number of baked goods laying on Mela's countertop. After chatting a bit longer with Mela, Ruka went to sleep. Laying in bed, Ruka stared up at the ceiling, wondering who her partner will be tomorrow. Closing her eyes, she hoped tonight will be a peaceful sleep.

~ Monday Monday ~

The next morning Ruka woke up, as usual, making some breakfast before heading to school with Mela. As they arrived in class, Ruka greeted both Denki and Shoto as she went to take her seat. As Aizawa came in, Ruka noted the grump looked grumpier than usual before he handed out some files to everyone. Getting one with her name on it, Ruka peered curiously inside only to find a sheet of her current stats and standings. Huh, so due to beating Katsuki, Ruka has bumped up a few more spots and her power stats increased while thankfully her reaction time and defense was increased a bit more as well. Guess she'll have to thank Katsuki for that. If it wasn't for having to constantly block the explosive pyro's attacks, Ruka probably would have never improved.

Listening, Ruka was eager to know who her partner of the week would be. Ruka was surprised to hear that Izuku was paired with Katsuki, the latter looking quite devilish while Izuku looked like he just died. When her name was called after Shoto's, Ruka looked over at him in surprise before she smiled, "guess we're partners huh? Well, I look forward to working with you, Todoroki-kun." This is going to be another hard match as she's now matched against another powerhouse of the class. Guess U.A did stand for their motto of Plus Ultra right there. She'll have to do her best. Though when she heard who Mela's partner is, Ruka glared over at Aizawa. That man planned this...why? Well, she didn't know, but she knew it had something to do against Mela. Oh Mel, did she do or say anything to catch the attention of a man like Aizawa? Ruka did not approve of this!

After having changed into their p.e uniforms, everyone in class 3-A were ready for their matches once again. Ruka stood next to Mela as she watched the match below her as she spoke up to her friend, "you better kick that Aizawa's butt...don't go easy on him just because you're his fan, Mel." Ruka smiled over at Mela as she gave her friend an encouraging hug when Aizawa decided to get this over with, "good luck Mel, I know you can do this!" Though as the fight began, Ruka blinked as she did not expect Aizawa to just use his scarf like that. Ruka let out a gasp as she saw Mela flying in the air. If All Might didn't go and step in, Ruka was certain she would have jumped down to be by Mela's side. Ruka glared over at Aizawa before going to see how Mela was doing. If she was given the luck to go against Aizawa, well his quirk would do nothing to quench her flames and anger. She'll make him regret even touching Mela!

As much as Ruka wanted to go cause a headache to Aizawa, it was soon her turn...or rather Aizawa just called forth her and Shoto's name. She glared over at the teacher, he saw it coming and decided to just make her and Shoto go? How cowardly. Letting out a small sound, Ruka walked past Aizawa as she headed down to the stage. Standing across from Shoto, Ruka smiled over at him as she lit both her hands aflame, "let's have a good match, Todoroki-kun." Ruka wasn't about to go easy on him just because he was a good friend of her's. Heck, because he is a good friend, she will give her all. He has earned her respect and friendship and this was one way for her to express that to him.

As the match commenced, Ruka began to fire out multiple balls of flame towards Todoroki to try and keep him away from her, though it seemed like he was trying to keep her closed in as he created a ring of fire around her. Ruka stepped away, a frown gracing her lips as she did not want to get burnt once again. One week of having to get her p.e. uniform constantly fixed was a nightmare...but she wasn't going to just give up just like this. Ruka smirked lightly as she created her own flames around herself to protect herself from Shoto's flames. Despite her own flames having the possibility to burn her, it took a bit longer to burn Ruka and that was a chance she was going to take. Knowing that she'll have to take him down with one big burst of her flames, Ruka began to channel the flames to the palms of her hands as she began to raise it up and create a tornado of black flames...though bits of fog seemed to begin surrounding her. What?

Looking around, Ruka noted this to be steam and not fog. Was it from Shoto...? But how was he creating steam...? Ruka's head snapped towards Shoto as she let out a small sound. Oh no! She forgot about his quick attack with ice. Jumping off the ground, Ruka looked down to see ice racing towards her, she let out a sigh thinking it'll go right past her when instead it moved upwards until she was encased completely in ice. At the sudden cold sensation, Ruka let out a pained gasp as her flames went away during the sudden shock. It was cold, so very cold and she couldn't even muster enough strength to bring out her flames to melt his ice. If anything she felt completely frozen minus her face, even her hair was covered in ice! Since Ruka had no ways of getting out, Aizawa declared the winner to be Shoto. It was her loss...Ruka bit her lip as she cast her eyes downward while Shoto began to melt the ice away from her.

Once the ice was completely gone, Ruka felt herself falling to her knees as her entire body began to shake. It was so cold. She thought she was going to freeze up completely! Looking up at Shoto, Ruka cracked a small smile as she chattered out, "n-nice battle...i-i-it was impre-s-s-sive." She wasn't too upset about it, but a loss was a loss. Next time for sure, Ruka will win, but for now...hot cocoa and some blankets sounded really nice.

Genkai Genkai
 
Mela sulked the whole way home. How could he just dismiss the idea of love. Time or energy for love? Was love some terrible burden? She didn't think she wanted to hear anymore of this personal belief of his. It was so wrong on so many heartbreaking levels. Why deny yourself but also someone who might love you? No one wanted to be alone, that was impossible. Surely even Aizawa wasn't happy coming home to just a cat and a litter box. To her, having someone to love wasn't some burden or chore. It wasn't a weakness, it could be your greatest strength. To fight for someone, maybe have them even fight beside you. What was more beautiful than that? She made a face, it felt like a thousand poisoned arrowed had pierced her chest. Upon arriving home, she cried her eyes out and then focused on baking up a storm, knowing she couldn't tell Ruka it was Aizawa who had broken her heart, though Ruka would probably be glad to hear Mela was so upset with their homeroom teacher, Mela still didn't want to trouble her, even if it would bring trouble raining upon Aziawa.

- M o n - d a y -

Mela and Ruka arrived at school, Mela clinging onto Ruka's arm a bit more tightly than usual. Once in the class, Mela was more than happy to glare daggers at Aizawa as he started talking about their reports and how they'd come less frequently. He was probably just lazy. Tch. Too lazy for love! As he began to list of new pairs, she looked over to Midoriya, feeling quite bad for him. "Please do your best, Midoriya-san!" She said. If he beat Bakugo, she'd be more than happy to go out with him again. She found it a bit odd for Ruka and Todoroki to be matched up. She looked over at them. Shoto seemed pleased. Hmmm. She was hoping Ruka could beat him and maybe that would ensure Shoto would stop sniffing around Ruka. These guys in 3-A were either stubborn or stupid. Or both. But Shoto wasn't stupid of course. She flashed them a smile, not too worried, glad it wasn't someone like Kaminari.

Her spun around so fast it was a surprise it hadn't come right off her shoulders. Whaaat? She had to go against Eraserhead?! That. Was. Sooooo. Unfair! She glared at Aizawa, now eager to get a chance to punch him in his stupid cynical face and get graded for it. Hahaha yesss so perfect. She was going to make him regret picking on her! Mela had failed to realize his outlook wasn't exactly cynical, no it was more realistic. But that realism was far too threatening to Mela's optimism and blind ideals. Not to mention she had taken his dismissal in personally. As she ate lunch with Ruka and the others at the cafeteria, much to her surprise even Todoroki was joining them at the table, she was trying to figure out how to best make Aizawa pay for being such a jerk. A stupid jerk. DId he even have a heart? She gritted her teeth but relaxed slightly as she and Midoriya talked about their own matchups and how they seemed a bit personal and cruel.

Once lunch concluded and they had all changed, Mela looked to Ruka, nodding. "No way am I going easy on him. I'm gonna kill him!" Mela declared, sounding a bit like Bakugo. Mela glanced to All Might, happy to see him. Though her heart stopped and she feared he'd have the same terrible grim outlook when it came to love. No she couldn't ask him. Her heart ached at the thought of him rejecting her too. Why were pro heroes so damn stubborn? "Thanks Rukie-chan!" She smiled as she headed off to arena, hoping to use her anger to her advantage. Yes, she was going to win. The match started and Mela was quick to evade his scarf but she was unable to even get close to him. Tricky bastard. As she was in the middle of a flip, she felt something wrap around her torso, lifting her off the ground. She growled and hooked her toe in the back of her shoe and flung it at his head. He was quick to step aside as the second one was kicked towards him. "You are such a jerk!" She yelled as she tried biting his scarf as it came up to bind the rest of her limbs together though it wasn't like she could get free either way.

With a sudden movement, she found herself thrown out of bounds from the air. Eeeek! Flying backwards, she landed with a hard thud, tumbling back a few feet. Mela growled. It was so nice that her head had been there to break her fall. She looked to see All Might already beside her. He was quickly. She got back up thanks to his help. It was a bit of scrapes and bruises. Though the wind had been knocked out her and she felt a headache coming on, she attributed that to the annoying black haired male. No way did he had some secret girlfriend. "Thank you." She smiled to All Might, she looked to Ruka and offered her friend a smile. She was okay. "If I can't get near him, how am I supposed to punch him in his stupid face?" She grumbled. Looking to All Might, she had to hope his beliefs weren't so cold but se decided it was safer to assume than have her fears confirmed.

Ruka's fight was upon them and Mela stuck by All Might as they watched it unfold. Mela was sure Ruka could give Todoroki one heck of a good fight but Shoto had two quirks in one. How unfair. But surely Ruka's fire wouldn't bow down to the ice that Shoto summoned? Mela cheered for her friend but those cheers were short lived when Shoto used his ice to overwhelm Ruka. This wasn't her or Ruka's best showing it seemed. She arched a brow when Shoto picked up Ruka and carried her back to where they were as the next battle commenced. Mela was about to go over and wrap Ruka in a big hug but it looked like Shoto already had it covered. She was becoming all the more suspicious of him. And now they were partners? Why couldn't Aizawa give Ruka Momo or Ochako? Someone who wasn't a pervy guy?

With all the fights over, Mela still sending glares at Aizawa, everyone headed off to get back into their school attire. Mela hurried out, adjusting her buttons as she ran over to All Might, needing a professional opinion on a professional jerk. Though if Mela knew how Aizawa really felt, she'd in turn feel rather bad for her rash judgement. But could one blame her for being hurt by his dismissive words on finding 'the one'? "All Might" She called out to him, now finished with her blouse and tie. "I wanted to talk to you...you know if you have the time!" She may have said that a bit more loudly just to annoy a certain someone. "I have questions about Eraserhead thad I'm sure you'd be able to answer." She looked to him. "I have a feeling he's into cats. Can you confirm this?" She asked him. If that was the case, she knew her surprise would really throw him for a loop. "Also, does he have any allergies?"

Maybe she could poison him?

- - -

Even though he hadn't locked a date and time down, Shoto was happy with the progress he had appeared to have made with Kurotsuki. His choice in venue had been well received and the food was also impressing the girl. He was happy to be able to walk her home, still carrying her items without complaint. It was a great day but he had to think it was only made all the greater thanks to the woman beside him. Yes. He could no longer deny how much he enjoyed being around her. It gave him a sense of serenity. "I was happy to be of service." He joked lightly at the mention of him calling her a hero. It was nothing but her kind praise did fill him with warmth. She stepped forward and hugged him for a moment. His heart almost burst from his chest at how close she had gotten. Before he could say anything, she grabbed the bags from him and quickly went inside. Todoroki looked at the door, his lips parting as he wished he could say something more to her. "Good night." He sighed quietly, not really looking forward to the lonely trek back home.

Shoto headed back the way he had come, his thoughts settled on Ruka and their future plans for the week. Surely their partners would be someone a bit easier so they may have more free time to go back to the cafe together. He put his fingers to his lips as he kept thinking about how to best approach Ruka. He was going to ask her out. But how? When? Should he approach Uede for her opinion on the matter or would she just go running to Kurotsuki and blab? Shoto arrived home and hurried back to his room, needing to consult his book again. As for Denki Kaminari, he was in his dorm catching up on the school work he had been putting aside for the last few days. He wasn't thinking too hard about the matchups for the upcoming week. Instead, he was also thinking back to Ruka and how fun it might be to take her to a new upcoming hero movie. They would be able to get dinner afterwards and walk around. Yes!

- Moon Day / 月曜日 -

Upon heading to class in the morning, Denki felt quite proud of the plans he had constructed. Both academically and personally. Hopefully by the weekend, he'd have a date with Ruka. As he settled in his seat and began to take out his notes, he found himself rather unsettled by Aizawa-sensei but it was a familiar sense of dread. The class was used to it by now but even so, they always felt a bit jumped whenever Aizawa had that sadistic look on his face. He didn't care too much about the progress reports. If anything they just reminded him about his own struggles so the less he had to see them, the better. He, like a few others including Uede, didn't seem interested in their folders. As their pairs were announced, he gave his friend a thumbs up as they were paired up. This would be pretty fun. He knew it would be a tough fight for them both given how Eijiro's quirk could likely withstand several thousand volts coming from Denki.

The blond's smile fell as he heard Ruka and Shoto were paired up. Huh?! No! No no no! He held back a groan and looked to them. Meanwhile Shoto was looking at his own report, quite interested in the findings, always looking for where he could improve. He looked up as pairs were rattled off He looked over to Ruka, his heart jumping at the idea of them being pitted against one another. He wouldn't go easy on her just because he liked her. No, it was because he liked her that he wouldn't hold back. She could handle it. He wouldn't water down his attacks and risk insulting her. She was a competent opponent and he would treat her as such. "As do I, Kurotsuki-san. I'll give it my all." He smiled to her. He was now quite excited for the first match, already planning how to best approach Ruka and her wildfire.

Come lunchtime, he found himself down sitting by Ruka and the others as they all discussed the pairings. Denki was happy on one hand but annoyed on the others. Why did Ruka and Shoto get so much damn alone time?! As the afternoon progressed, their matches did as well. The outcome with Aizawa and Uede was to be expected, Shoto considered. Though he was intrigued to see how he and Ruka would fare against one another. In the end, she was no match for his sneaky ice tricks. He was sure it wouldn't work on her come Saturday though. He didn't let her stay in the ice for too long before he melted it quickly, catching her in his arms as she fell to her knees. He looked down at her, "Agreed, you did very well." He was a bit worried for Saturday, certain she'd come out all the more ready to fight. He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the rest of 3-A. He hoped he hadn't gone overboard, he would feel awful if he had.

He set her down gently but kept his arms around her, using his quick to ensure all frost was removed from her. Once he detected no more signs of frostbite or freezing, he stepped back, his hands briefly cupping the sides of her faces. "I look forward to our training." He said as he dropped her hands, the next round beginning. Denki pushed his way over to them, needing to make sure firsthand that she was okay. Denki looked her over, seeing she was okay, if a bit cold still. He shuddered to think how cold Todoroki could be in battle. Thankfully the rest of the matches ended and they were free to go. Denki was hurrying to get dressed, needing to beat Todoroki this time. He ran out of the locker room and found where Ruka was. He knew his quirk would be able to help her far better than any fire that Shoto had up his sleeve.

"Kurotsuki-chan." Denki waved and approached her. "You had such a good match against Todoroki-san." He said though he was sure she would have preferred another outcome. He couldn't blame her. But Shoto was scary and he hoped their training would prove useful so she could beat him up come Saturday. He grinned at the thought. "Anyway I uhh wanted to see if you were still cold..." He rubbed his neck a little. He thought he could help and not burn her up. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her to him firmly as he channeled his electricity from his body to hers. He was using a very light voltage but he also was sure it tickled a bit. It was a funny sensation he could never get quite used to. He rested his chin on her head. There were so many things he wanted to say to her but he knew now wasn't the time for it. He spotted Shoto coming out, arms folding across his chest as he watched Kaminari tightly embracing his new partner for the week. "Next time you're gonna win for sure." He said quietly, his arms rubbing her back. He had no doubt there. Shoto kept staring, the longer he looked, the more annoyed he became as he slowly approached them.

"You okay Kurotsuki-chan?" Shoto inquired, needing to make sure after Denki's display. Denki slowly let go and held back a smirk at Todoroki.

AiAi AiAi
 
All Might looked over Uede Shoujo to make sure that she was fine. A small frown graced his lips briefly as he noticed a small scratch on her cheek. She probably got that and a few other scrapes when she tumbled to the ground. Lifting a hand, All Might was about to place it against her cheek when he stopped himself as Kurotsuki Shoujo walked over. He stood up while helping Mela up. He smiled down at her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "you did a fine job going against a pro hero, take pride in yourself Uede Shoujo." He helped her back to the platform before turning to look for Aizawa-kun. Why the man did what he did was beyond All Might, but he knew it was connected to his moodiness from earlier. Now...to figure out what exactly happened between Mela and Aizawa. All Might hid his frown as he cheered on the next pair, pushing aside his anxious thoughts until after this class is over.

As all the pairs went forth and battled, the class was finally dismissed by Aizawa-kun. All Might was about to go and speak to Aizawa-kun about his fight with Mela when Mela herself came running up to him. He blinked down at her, wondering what she wanted to speak to him so urgently? He glanced briefly over at Aizawa-kun before turning to face Mela. He gave her a wide grin as he placed a hand on her back, gently guiding her a bit away from the eyes and ears of others. Turning around, All Might spoke up, "yes Uede Shoujo! How can I be of assistance to you?" He smiled down at her, curious as to what she wanted to ask him when she asked him about Aizawa-kun. Huh? But why ask him and why Aizawa-kun? There seemed to be something going on between the two, but it definitely did not look friendly that much he was sure.

Scratching the back of his head, All Might wondered if he should even let her know such things, but recalling how Aizawa-kun just threw her out and seeing the scratch on her cheek, he decided it wouldn't hurt to pay him back for that. "Ah, how did you know that, Uede Shoujo?" Now that was a real question. How did she know of Aizawa-kun's love for cats? "But yes, he does indeed have quite the love for cats...you should have seen him back in our high school days haha." He chuckled as memories of Aizawa petting the cat came to mind. But allergies? "Hmm, I'm honestly not sure if he does have any allergies...I only know he has really bad dry eyes, but that's about it. Um Uede Shoujo, do you mind if I ask why you're asking me all this all of a sudden? I'm happy you spoke to me, but I wish we can just hang out and not speak of Aizawa-kun!" He blinked. Oops...did he just say that aloud? Waving a hand in the air, All Might quickly composed himself as he said, "are you hungry Uede Shoujo? Perhaps we can discuss more about your upcoming match against Aizawa-kun at a diner perhaps?" He still wanted to ask Mela if something happened. Maybe it would be better if Yagi spoke to her instead of All Might...?

Shota watched the two converse. What the hell was she doing? His eyes narrowed in slight suspicion as he felt a wave of deja vu hit him. She clearly spoke loud enough for him to overhear, but then All Might dragged her further away so that he can't hear...that guy. Shota would have probably followed the two to wherever they were heading if not for a few students, mainly his least favorites at the moment, Iida and Midoriya approaching him. "Sensei! I had a few questions about the file we received today in class!" Iida spoke up before bowing politely while Midoriya looked quite shaken as he spoke up, "u-um Aizawa-sensei...I wanted to speak to you about m-my partner for this week..." Shota let out a sigh as he led the two to his office. It seemed like these two would take forever.

- - - -

As the ice began to slowly melt off of her, Ruka let out a small shuddering sigh as she fell into Shoto's arms. She cast him a weak smile as she made no fuss about being carried...either way someone would have to carry or drag her off the stage. She was so cold her entire body was just shaking while her hair was slightly damp from being encased in ice for a brief moment. She leaned her head against Shoto's chest as she looked off to the side. She lost and she could feel the anger vibrating from a certain explosive boy. She can already hear his words shouting at her for having lost to someone like Todoroki, but hey, Shoto was strong and Ruka knew that much. "Ah, thank you Todoroki-kun..." Ruka began to speak up when he placed her back down only for his arms to not leave her. Huh? Ruka blinked a few times as her body was beginning to feel a lot warmer as Shoto continued to send gentle waves of warmth to her. Closing her eyes, she bumped her head against his shoulder, murmuring out a small, "thanks...its very warm."

Feeling a pair of hands holding her face, Ruka's light blue eyes clashed with Shoto's mismatching pair as he spoke about their upcoming training. Pouting slightly at his actions, Ruka fought down the blush as she simply replied back, "mmm, I look forward to it too..." she stayed huddled by Mela for the remainder of the time as she stood up on wobbly legs like a baby deer while watching the matches. By the time the matches were done, Ruka was at least able to walk around but she still felt a tad cold. Maybe she should have dried her hair or something, but Ruka knew it was mainly her body still reacting to the icy touch. Her flames were itching to melt it back down despite the battle being already over. Ruka walked off to get changed and hoped to cool her fiery self, maybe she might have to get frozen once again Ruka thought with sarcasm.

It was so cold. Ruka never was used to the cold and so when she was suddenly trapped in ice, well that really caught her off guard. Her flames would have been no issue in melting Shoto's ice, but the sudden surprise of it trapped her completely. Her flames vanished the moment her control over it wavered while she was thrown into a chilling shock that she didn't even think of using her eyes to counter-attack. She still needed a lot more training over her flames. She needed to be able to react in a timely manner and not let her emotions and such get the best of her. Ruka held back a sigh as she changed into her school uniform, pulling on her thigh high socks as she noted Mela to be hurrying out of the room. Hm? Did she have somewhere to be? Ruka slowly made her way out, slightly disappointed in herself for such a loss. She should have put up a bit more of a fight...not just get surprised and then lose just like that. Though Ruka will admit that Shoto was strong, very strong.

Walking out, Ruka looked over to see Denki walking over. She gave him a small smile in greeting, "Kaminari-kun! Hey, you did awesome against Kirishima-san by the way!" She rubbed the back of her head at his comment, "ah no...I still have a lot to go against Todoroki-kun...ehe." Blinking, Ruka was about to reply back that she was still a little cold, but it was probably her imagination when Denki suddenly pulled her against him. Ehhh!? Ruka's eyes were wide as her face was flush against Denki's chest as he rested his head on top of her own, hey she wasn't that short now! Though all thoughts escaped her mind when she felt soft tingles coursing through her body all of a sudden. Hm? What is this...? Ruka closed her eyes as the soft motion was relaxing, it felt almost comforting as it did the trick in getting those last chills out of her body...and it, "h-hey, it tickles hehe," Ruka giggled out as over time it began to tickle her. Looking up at Denki, Ruka smiled slightly, was he trying to cheer her up? "Yes! I will definitely do my best next time around! I won't be going down without a fight!" She had a few plans in mind as to how to fight against Shoto's ice. Looking over at Shoto, Ruka shook her head lightly as she replied back, "I'm fine now! Thanks to the both of you." Ruka grinned just then her stomach decided to make itself known as it grumbled rather loudly. Ruka blinked a few times before looking down embarrassed. Guess her flames ended up eating up her breakfast too.

Genkai Genkai
 
"Uhhhh just a guess?" She gave a weak shrug, not wanting to tell him she had been over to his home and that she suspected his cat was named after herself. Probably because it was cute and feisty. Haha. Thankfully she didn't need to get too into her nonexistent explanation as All Might continued to confirm Aizawa did in fact enjoy cats. Her eyes became glossy as she pictured a younger All Might and Eraserhead. She had to wonder if All Might was fond of cats as well. Or perhaps he was a dog person? Sadly All Might couldn't provide her with any help on any medical issues she could exploit. Darn. She supposed ordinary poison may have to do. She did have some she could apply to her arrows for their match in a week heheh. Yes, she'd make sure that damn scarf of his didn't get anywhere near her. It was an unfair advantage. She was still hoping she could switch partners somehow.

All Might then brought up how he would like to talk to her but not the topic having to center around Aizawa. She blushed and felt a pang of guilt. Did she really do that? She didn't mean to and now she felt quite bad. "I-I'm sorry, o-of course we can." She quickly said. She shouldn't just be using All Might to get to Aizawa, she hoped that's not what he thought she was doing. At the mention of grabbing something to eat, she gave him a smile. "Really? Are you sure? I'd like that very much. Although we don't have to talk about Aizawa-sensei." She said. Maybe All Might was feeling left out? She didn't mean to make him feel that way. Thankfully the cut on her cheek was stull stinging. If Hideo was around, he'd have her healed up in ten seconds flat. But it wasn't too bad and just reminded her to get revenge on Aizawa-baka.

"Lead the way!" Mela smiled up at All Might. Aizawa had been taken hostage by Iida and Midroiya, two other wonderful heroes of hers. She hoped they wouldn't let him go home until midnight. She was still considering telling Midoriya if he beat Bakugo, she'd take him out. That had to be good incentive for him to win right? That could be one way of indirectly getting back at Bakugo for hurting Ruka. Plus if it annoyed Aizawa-baka, why not? Plus it was his idea she take a second look at her fellow classmates. At least that's what she took from his few words yesterday. "So what did you do this weekend?" She asked him. She had to guess hero work but she didn't want him pushing himself too hard. "Oh, are you a dog or cat person? Or have just a favorite animal in general?" She asked him. As they arrived at the diner, she blinked. "Oh I was here with a friend." She realized it was the same one she went to with Deku and where she ran into Yagi. "I love their milkshakes!"

- - -

Denki's fight against his friend had resulted in him losing but it was a close one. Sadly Eijiro's hardening quirk was just too durable to even weaken at the amount of volts Denki had at his disposal. Denki had no hard feelings against his friend though and both were looking forward to hanging out and training together. They would hit the gym twice as hard and were both eager for their eventual rematch. Denki knew Ruka had to be feeling the same way when it came to going up against Todoroki. He hated to admit it but those two seemed close. Dare he say...friends? But he wanted Ruka to win. He knew she could do it. He just didn't want to dwell on all the training the pair would get to do over the next five days. He hoped Shoto's company wasn't that great, regardless of what Todoroki's fanclub had to say on the matter. What was the big deal about Shoto anyway? His hair and is eyes? They were different colors. So what? Denki's hair was black and blond. Sorta.

He let go of her when she started to laugh at his quirk. So she was ticklish huh? He grinned at her, his hands still resting on her shoulders. He glanced to Shoto. He was always lurking it seemed. "I'm glad to hear you're better." Shoto said. He noticed her hair was still wet and before he could offer to dry it for her, he found himself being approached by Momo and Fumikage who wanted to get help with their scores. They were both ranked similarly and wanted Todoroki's input. The boy cast another look to Ruka, "I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled. They had training to dive into, after all. He then headed off with his classmates to go over their own scores and also take strategy. He wished he could have stuck around more but he also knew he'd have more time with Ruka one on one tomorrow and over the next week so he was fine with letting little Denki have whatever attention could be spared.

With Todoroki gone, Denki finally let his guard down. He smiled to Ruka, happy to have her attention all to himself. "It feels like ages since we hung out." Though they had hung out when he crashed her and Bakugo's cafe adventure. That didn't count though. He remembered her stomach growling. "Let's get you something to eat. You have to be hungry after all of that." Denki smiled. Maybe it was being so cold that sped up her body's metabolism or something. Either way, Denki was happy to take her out. He led her downtown, not wanting to stick to someplace around UA. "I think Aizawa-sensei is taking great pleasure in watching us beat each other up." He commented as he found them a good looking eatery that specialized in making your own okonomiyaki. "So how do you think you'll try beating him?" He asked, wondering if he could help her in some way. Sitting down, he looked at the menu, though he didn't really want to talk about Shoto. He wanted to talk about Ruka! "But um...there's this move coming out this Friday, it's a cool looking hero movie taking place in New York City. Would you want to go with me and uh...Kirishima-san?" But then he wouldn't tell his friend and then it would be just him and Ruka. Brilliant plan!

AiAi AiAi
 
All Might was happy that she accepted his invitation for getting some lunch. To be honest he wasn't sure what she would say to that. Sure, he already knew how much of a fan she is of All Might, but being a fan and liking a person is entirely different... right? Or maybe that was just his way of thinking. As he led Mela to the diner where he spotted her last time with Midoriya Shounen, he let out a small chuckle when she mentioned how she has been here before. "O-oh really now? Well I overheard from a good friend of mine that this place is delicious." He smiled down at her, glad to use his other persona as well... another person. Ehe. Opening the door he let her in first before following her in to a booth. Sitting down, he chuckled slightly at all her questions.

Mela really does like to fire a couple questions at once huh. All Might found that to be rather endearing and cute while he was certain Aizawa-kun would probably find it a drag and just sigh about it. Grinning widely, All Might spoke up, "well I'm glad you asked! I am both a cat and dog peroo, but it seems like cats dislike me for some reason ahahaha...so I guess I would say I am a dog person!" A certain dark-haired hero came into mind when he mentioned how cats dislike him. Hmm did he have a favorite animal? He couldn't quite think of one up from the top of his head. Wait did she just ask him what did iver the weekend?! Looking down at the menu, All Might tried to keep it composed as he replied, "the weekend a-ah well let's see I did a few yard work and a few patrols of the cities and rested! Resting is also very important you know hahaha... by the way did you decide on what to eat already?"

He peered over at her menu, in hopes of changing the subject. Looking back at his, All Might happily exclaimed, "I'm getting the super jumbo combo!" It was a double cheeseburger with large chilly cheese fries and a large milkshake on the side. He wasn't really that hungry, plus there was his stomach...but he didn't want Mela to know that and so with a large smile he ordered it. Turning his attention back to Mela after putting in his order. He didn't want to discuss about Aizawa, but he also knew she would probably like any pointers regarding him. "Aizawa-kun dislikes long duration combat, he'll always try to find a way to quickly gain victory and he is quite excellent in close range combat...how do you think you would go around that?" He wanted to be of help to her. He grinned as he told her, "I'll help you out!"

- - -

Ruka looked up at Shoto curiously but before anything could be said, a few of their other classmates came by taking Shoto away. Ah...they took him... Ruka smiled back at Shoto and waved though a part of her wanted to eat lunch with the two together again. "Oh, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow then!" Ruka replied back at his words, remembering that the two would be spending a lot more time together this week especially. Turning her attention to Denki, Ruka grinned up at him as she nodded her head, "hehe yup! It's been a few days since huh?" Since she got to know that Katsuki had a thing for cute cafss. Ruka snickered behind her hand, imagining the blonde explosive to be heading to one right this very moment. At the mention of food, Ruka nodded her head eagerly. Though a slight dust off pink covered her cheeks as she was hoping no one heard her stomach speak up.

Walking alongside Denki, she looked forward as they headed towards downtown. At the mention of Aizawa, Ruka's brows furrowed as she nodded her head in agreement, there was no doubt that teacher had a certain idea in mind when making the pairing this week, but for what motive and reason? Ruka wasn't sure but she had a feeling it had to something to do with Mela...and that was not something that she liked to think about. "Yeah, it was obvious when he put Midoriya-san with Bakatsuki huh..." And putting himself against Mela as well. Maybe the little talk with Mela may have to happen sooner than she originally thought. As they entered what seemed to be an okonomiyaki restaurant, Ruka took a seat across from Denki as she looked around the place. It looked delicious...yum.

Staring down at the menu, Ruka decided she was going to get the bacon special one with extra veggies. Her head raised up as Denki asked how she was going to fight him. Fight Aizawa or Shoto? Assuming the latter, Ruka looked thoughtful as she replied, "hmm, probably a lot of power would he required and..." It was a dangerous idea but she knew she'll have to overcome this obstacle at one point or another, "I'll have to somehow get used to the cold." She grinned over at him as she said that, "what about you?" Though at the mention of a movie, Ruka was all ears. "Oh? That sounds really interesting! Um if I can finish my homework on time then I would love to!" Ruka didn't want to make a promise and not be able to go, but she was definitely interested. As their order arrived, Ruka poured it on the pan in front of them, flipping them with practiced ease.

Genkai Genkai
 
Cats disliked him? How sad! Those cats were missing out. Mela decided once she pulled out her cat ears during lunch, she'd have to go find All Might and say hello, she would be happy to let him pet her haha. She was quite excited to have some time alone with All Might, it seemed it hadn't really happened yet, Aizawa always seemed to show up. Or vice versa. She looked around, as if worried the guy would appear from behind a booth or something. Hopefully she had All Might all to herself. Finally! Mela could see All Might being a dog person more. Dogs were pretty loyal though also excitable. Cats on the other hand were picky and aloof. She giggled, imagining All Might with dog ears and Aizawa with cat ears. She might need to doodle that at home...

"I'm glad you got a lot work done but you're right, rest is very important." She nodded. Even someone like All Might likely needed downtime to recharge and rest. She had to imagine he had a lot responsibilities to deal with and expectations, it couldn't be easy. Mela wished there was some way she could help the pro hero. "Hmm I'm thinking the breakfast cheeseburger?" It had an egg, bacon and some hashbrowns on it, along with a hollandaise sauce. She didn't need any fries with all of that but she was sure she could have some of All Might's. "And maybe banana milkshake?" Yeah, that sounded good to her. Who didn't like more breakfast food during the day? "You're ordering a whole lot." She laughed.

All Might was the one to bring up Aizawa-sensei, much to her surprise. She pressed her lips together. He had some good points there. Aizawa was very troublesome for her. "You'd help me!? Really?" She felt her heart flutter. Aww he was so nice. Once again she was reminded why he was the number one hero of her heart~ But she didn't need him to find out she had a plushie of him or other embarrassing merchandise. "Well I'd want to immobilize his scarf. If he wants to bring me in for close combat, that's the first issue." She considered. "I could try shooting it and pinning it down but then again he can still fight without it. I'd need to stick to long range arrow attacks. I was thinking using one laced with poison and perhaps using a smokescreen and timed explosion." She was hardly worried she'd do any real damage to him, plus the poison she had wasn't really anything longlasting.

"I do have a secret weapon I'm going to test tomorrow!" She winked as their milkshakes arrived. "I still don't think it's fair, him being my partner..." She pouted as she took a sip of her milkshake. She really wanted to ask All Might if he ever thought of his soulmate. But like Aizawa, she was sure his answer would be the same. She didn't want to have her fears confirmed. "What do you think about Midoriya-san?" She asked him. She knew he and All Might had to be close, given their similar fighting styles. She would like a second opinion on him and she was sure All Might had some good things to say about the green haired boy. Their food arrived and she reached over, grabbing a few of his chilli cheese fries with her fork. "I'm just thinking...if you like someone, should you tell them even if you're pretty sure they don't like you the same way?" She couldn't help but ask, though she was referring to Aizawa or All Might himself, not exactly Deku. "But I mean...I don't want to be a burden...."

- - -

There it was again! That name Ruka had for Bakugo! He didn't know why but it bothered him. He was sure it was just used to get a rise out of the guy but he wasn't even here. Denki had to hope Ruka didn't come up with any nicknames for him, unless of course they were pet names maybe? Something cute. Yeah. He looked at the menu, finding the BBQ pork sounded good. He would get that. He looked up when Ruka considered how she might go up against Todoroki-san. Though she didn't go into any real detail. Hopefully if she had an idea, she wasn't just hiding it in fear he'd let it slip to Todoroki in advance. If she needed help testing tactics, he'd be happy to flesh out some ideas. But she was quick to just say she'd handle the cold somehow.

He frowned, in that costume of hers, he thought that would be pretty hard. He hoped she didn't try entombing her body in her own fire, knowing that would be pretty painful and tough to do in the middle of battle. Denki hated feeling so helpless but this challenge would make both Kurotsuki and Todoroki stronger heroes. They gave their order and it soon came back, batter ready for them to pour themselves. Denki nodded, it was a fair enough response though he really hoped she could go. He was already planning a nice day for them but he told himself to not get too ahead of himself. Just play it cool, Denki.

"Me? Well Eijiro-kun is pretty tough to beat, I'm going to have to dig deep." He said, not sure if he could win. Even if he went hand to hand with the guy, he'd just break his hands on Eijiro's hardened body. It was not a fun situation to be in but Denki would have to amp up his power and try to give it everything he had, even if his brain turned to mush. "It's gonna be an electrifying rematch that's for sure!" He gave her a thumbs up as he watched her prepare her own okonomiyaki. He poured his, spilling a bit. He laughed a little as he waited before flipping it. He looked across at Ruka. Spending time with her like this, it felt so natural. It was like some kind of high. He had already forgotten about school and even Todoroki. When he looked at Ruka, the whole world faded away. Nothing else seemed to matter and he hoped he'd be able to prove how much her cared for her. No other girl had struck him quite as hard as she had.

"You know it's funny, thinking back to when we met." Well sorta met. It was almost a month ago, a little less actually. "You really saved my butt." He laughed. Looking back, he had to think there was a reason they had crossed paths. Maybe it was back then that such a strong spell had been cast over Denki. But it was a spell he didn't want broken. But of course he knew Ruka had her faults. She wasn't perfect. He wasn't trying to put her up on some pedestal. No no. His feelings weren't as blind as that. Denki cared about her, all of her. Every aspect that made Ruka: Ruka. "Who knew we'd be sitting like this, enjoying a good meal huh?" He took his pancake off and began to cut into it, his eyes moving from it back to Ruka, hoping she enjoyed her selection. He feared he was getting a bit too wistful. "I'm really glad we are though." He smiled to her. "I look forward to what the future holds for us." He froze. Urgh. That came out a bit wrong. "I--I mean...uh I just...uh I really like your company and I can't imagine being this happy without you--" Noo Denki stop! Abort! He felt his face heating up as his heart raced. "Erm...I think Eijiro-kun must have given me a concussion eheh." Yes, she'd buy that. Hopefully. He couldn't confess his feelings now! He had to wait for the right moment but he did hope some of his heart had managed to reach her. "So uhh how's your okonomiyaki? Good?"

AiAi AiAi
 
Yagi nodded his head, that did sound quite delicious. He smiled over at her as he commented lightly, "is banana your favorite fruit?" He was casually making comments, but at the same time, he did hope to get to know her better. Yagi was able to see some different sides of Mela, but as All Might he has yet to venture that path. Yet. He nodded his head as he gave her a thumbs up, "of course I would help you! And like you said, it seems quite unfair for you to be matched against a pro hero, but I'm sure Aizawa-kun has his reasons as to why he did so..." and he hoped it wasn't because of anything personal. Yagi could only hope. He grinned as he added, "plus if he chose to be your partner, then there must have been something there that he saw potential in you! He knew you'd be fine going against a pro hero! That's plus ultra right there! Both you and Aizawa-kun must do your best!" But really...why did Aizawa-kun do this?

Taking a sip of his milkshake, Yagi nodded his head at her ideas. "Long ranged attacks would probably be in your favor Uede Shoujo, especially with your spectacular aiming skills!" He recalled just how to accurate she was with her arrows the last match, it was almost entrancing to watch really. Taking a bite of his fries, Yagi chuckled at her swiping some, nudging his fries closer to her side before he heard her question. Huh? W-wait! Why was she asking him about Midoriya Shounen!? Somehow he didn't like the turn of events at the moment..."a-ah Midoriya Shounen? Well...I think he's a very bright young man with a passion for justice, his goals are always set high. I have high hopes for him." He nodded his head, yes, that sounded very teacher-like and well heroic, right?

L-like someone!? His heart sank a little at the thought of Mela falling for Midoriya...but maybe she wasn't talking about him? He can only hope so. Liking someone huh. Looking down at his burger, All Might took a big bite out of it before he flashed Mela a wide smile...after chewing of course, "I don't see why not! Telling someone that you like them is another form of bravery! Plus maybe if you don't get your feelings across, the other would have never expected it. There are some things in life that can hold a person down until the very person they need come breaking down the walls...or so I like to think haha! Now eat up before your food gets cold Uede Shoujo!" He can only hope that won't spur her on to confessing to Midoriya Shounen or something like that...he'd be full of regret otherwise.

- - -

Ruka looked thoughtful as she nodded her head, "hmm Kirishima-san's quirk does seem a bit tough to handle..." if she was in Denki's position, how would she fight him? Ruka scrunched her nose in distaste at the idea of going against Kirishima as he seemed like a difficult opponent for her, "hmm I guess I would do long-range attacks against him...and hopefully, find a crack or two that you can get past." Ruka winked over at him before flipping her pancake on the grill. She giggled as Denki spilled a little of his before she spoke up, "I'm thinking of training my body to withstand some ice...though hopefully, I won't get sick in the process ehe." Her flames caused her to be a bit warmer than most and so she was used to the heat, but the cold was a whole different thing for her. She can only train her body to go against Shoto's ice.

Taking a bite of the pancake, Ruka let out a happy sound as she smiled over at Denki. Hm? When they first met...? Ruka's mind reeled back a month ago when she was just walking around the new city in hopes of buying strawberries. To think she'd run into Denki and then meet him again at school. She chuckled slightly as she agreed, "yeah...to think we'd be sitting here eating like this...the world can be such a small place at times huh?" Ruka smiled over at him. But she didn't regret saving him, no if anything Ruka was glad she listened to her instincts back then. Because out of that she was able to meet Denki and he really was a great guy.

Ruka blinked over at him. Huh? To the future...? Ruka tilted her head in question though before she can even question him, Denki brought up something about hitting his head. Brows furrowing in concern, Ruka reached a hand out and placed it on his forehead asking him gently, "does it hurt? Are you alright?" But did Kirishima-san really hit Denki's head...? She can't recall. Blinking at the mention of their food, Ruka nodded her head as she grinned widely at him, "yes, it is very delicious! Thank you for bringing me here hehe...ah, did you want a bite?" She smiled over at him, holding out a piece of her okonomiyaki for him to try.

Genkai Genkai
 
"I think so, Banana is probably in my top three favorite fruits." She thought for a moment. She still wasn't sue why Aizawa had put him and her against one another. She had a feeling it was just to mess with her, she didn't think he thought that highly of her. It was probably pretty hard to reach whatever mental bar Aizawa set for everyone. Even though you couldn't tell by looking at the guy, Aizawa did expect near-perfection out of his students. She would do her best against him but she wasn't sure about the outcome, she'd have to get a feel for the battle in the heat of the moment. But if she told herself she'd win, she would win. She wouldn't let him get the chance to rub it in her face every time they saw each other. No! She would be the one with the bragging rights. Besides, it would be pretty mean for a pro hero to brag about beating a student. Pffft.

All Might seemed to not mind her stealing some of his fries so she was happy to snag a few more as he talked about Deku. She nodded. He was right. Deku would be a great catch. If nothing put a wrench in her plans between now and then, she'd have to ask him out or something. Though when All Might mentioned she should say something and that the other person might need to hear it most, she smiled. He was right. Though she didn't think she could really take his advice and confess her feelings to him. No! Maybe with a knife to her throat she'd confess but even then, she'd probably find another way out of it. She couldn't be that brave! Still, his response was a lot better than Aizawa's and it did give her some hope. "Thanks!" She smiled.

Getting into her own burger, she found it quite delicious. Very rich. Soon they were both finished eating and All Might paid, though she had put up quite a fight for said bill but he was quite stronger than her eheh. They walked for a bit before All Might mentioned needing to go do some work back at school. She nodded and thanked him for the meal, a bit sad to part ways so soon. She watched him jump and fly off. He really was amazing. She headed home, feeling a lot better than when she had first rolled out of bed. Mela wasn't really hungry for dinner but she and Ruka met up for ice cream later and to watch the news and talk about the kind of training they might do over the week. That night, Mela went to bed feeling rather anxious.

- Tuesday oh oh oh -

Come morning, Mela woke up and showered. She was still feeling pretty nervous. What would her and Aizawa do the whole afternoon for training? Her stomach was in knots. She wanted to punch him. Or kiss him. Or both. God he was infuriating! Mela packed her brown soft cat ears in her bag and headed out the door with Ruka, the pair making light chat about the homework they had finished, both exchanging answers and theories. Once at UA High School, they headed up to the sixth floor and saw most of 3-A already assembled. Mela sat down, deciding to put on her ears come lunch time or he'd surely confiscate them even though she didn't think they violated any dress code. How could they?! Mela listened as Aizawa-sensei went over the day's schedule, reminding them they would be using individual training rooms to keep damage to a minimum and give the pairs less of a chance to goof off with non-partners. The rooms seemed like they were on the other floors between here and the library up top.

The morning lectures passed as usual, everyone too excited to doze off. Come lunchtime, Mela dashed off to the cafeteria, sporting her cat ears, wanting to get the opinion of her friends. Izuku and Tenya seemed like they approved, playing with them slightly. Mela giggled as she ate, today going with some of the food Lunch Rush prepared as opposed to a bento made by Ruka. Mela could hear everyone speculating what they'd practice on their own this afternoon for the rest of the school day. Mela kept quiet as she focused on her meal. She excused herself a bit early, waving to everyone before she went to find Yagi or All Might, knowing they'd be able to give her some reassurance but sadly she hadn't found either. How odd. If one wasn't around, the other was bound to be.

The bell rang and everyone headed off to find their assigned rooms. Mela found Ruka and gave her a quick hug, wishing her best of luck. Of course if she found out Shoto tried anything, she would make it her life's mission to make him suffer greatly. But she didn't tell Ruka any of that, it kinda went without saying haha. She headed up the stairs, using her quirk to propel her up quicker than the elevator which she knew would be packed with nervous students. With her PE Uniform on, along with her brown cat ears, she found herself in front of the room. How could she face Aizawa? She would demand a new partner! No! No, he'd expect her to say that. No. She had to embody the spirit of UA and go beyond what was expected of her. A hero didn't back down from a challenge and if Aizawa was going to challenge her, she would make him regret it. Yeah!

Remembering All Might's words, she headed inside. Aizawa was already there. She smirked at him. "Hey." The last time they were alone, he had totally pissed her off but that was okay. If that was how he really felt, then she didn't need an apology. He had to have his reasons for not wanting to get close to anyone. She didn't agree but they didn't need to see eye to eye on it, it didn't really matter. She wasn't looking to change his mind. She wished she could somehow, prove to him that having someone by your side was additional strength and that time and energy didn't need to be wasted on someone else. But she wasn't going to talk about any of that. She'd let her fighting speak for itself. "You were pretty cheap yesterday. I'd rather go up against you, no quirks or stupid fashion accessories." Mela folded her arms. "I want to fight you, not your stupid scarf." If her cat ears could twitch in excitement, they would be.

- - -

The idea of Ruka submitting herself to icy conditions made him very worried. That sounded dangerous. He hoped she was supervised. Although he also hoped that supervision wasn't under Shoto. Denki hoped she knew what she was doing. Though she had a point about Eijiro. Still, he knew from past events like the sports festival in their first year, that it took a hell of a lot to bring Eijiro down. Denki wasn't sure the guy had much of a weak spot but he'd try to find it. Or he'd beg Eijiro to let him win so he could impress Ruka. But something told him, Eijiro would only hit him harder if he tried that. "Sounds like a good plan, I hope you're safe." He frowned, knowing she might push herself too far. They were all pretty darn competitive in the hero class but it also meant their limits were tested and sometimes they did hit walls where progress didn't happen as they'd like or intend. But he would be rooting for Ruka, no matter what.

When she reached over and put a hand to his forehead, he pretended he was hurt as to better convince her that his rambling was just a bunch of nonsense and nothing super embarrassing and weird. "Ow." He pouted lightly. "I er, yeah I'm okay, I just need to lay down I think." He assured her, blinking a few times. He sat back slightly when she retracted her arm. She was so nice~ When she offered some of her pancake, he nodded, leaning forward he bit the offering she had on her fork. "Mmm. Very good." He hummed as he ate it. "And anytime, Kurotsuki-chan! Anytime!" He assured her. When they were done, he walked her home, insisting his head was suddenly feeling a bit better, citing the water he drank to be a good relief to him. He watched her go inside before he grabbed a bus back to UA. He got back to his dorm and met up with Eijiro as the two played video games and talked about how they could beat the other come their rematch. Even Peachy came out to watch and meow for her master.

- Tuesday is the day -

With the dawn of a new day, Denki woke up earlier than usual, gave Peachy her breakfast and morning grooming before he met up with the others as they headed over to the main part of the school to grab breakfast and greet the day. Deku looked nervous as he didn't like the idea of him and Bakugo being forced to fight against one another but by now, he had gotten a bit used to his hot headed friend. A bit, being the key term. Once class began, Denki kept looking back over to Ruka and Shoto, his face cheerful but inside he was a bundle of nerves, all tangled together. He was worried about how Shoto would go up against Ruka. And he was also worried what they might say or do alone. Would they talk about him? Would Shoto try to make a move? No! Shoto wouldn't dare. But still, Denki had this deep feeling in his gut that something bad was going to happen this afternoon but if he hadn't a clue what it was exactly, how could he be the hero he knew himself to be, and stop it? It was a conundrum.

Meanwhile, Shoto was enjoying his morning. He had gotten up early and trained at home. He mentioned to his father before work that he'd be training with Kurotsuki and the man seemed quite pleased, expressing a desire to know how the outcome turned out today. Shoto headed off to school and found himself rather excited. He kept replaying the fight against Kurotsuki in his head again and again. He knew it would be far different in a few days time. But he also needed to figure out how they could train together, not just train to go up against one another. The main purpose Shoto assumed, was the ability to cooperate and learn from your enemy, not just how to defeat them but how to adjust your approach to battle and training. After all, even pro heroes had to keep themselves in top shape, both mentally and physically. Shoto took detailed notes as usual throughout the morning, glancing to Ruka every so often. He was sure they'd have a very productive first day of training. Even if it was just discussion and nothing else, he would value their time together. There it was again...that feeling of happiness. He placed a hand to his chest. A flutter again too.

His eyes slipped back over to Ruka next to him, wondering how she felt when she thought of him. He went back to his notes, keeping quiet, hoping he didn't look too obvious. When lunch rolled around, he approached Ruka and returned the second and third books she had lent him. "Thank you so much for these. How many more books are left?" He asked her. He thought it was better to get this out of the way during lunch. He was sure when the bell chimed again, they'd both be really to get to work. The boy headed down with her to eat with the others, a bit surprised by Uede-san's new trinket atop her head but he said nothing, merely raising a brow to Ruka. The lunch period passed without much incident. Everyone was ready to get back to work, all glad to be using their quirks in new ways. Though Shoto was excited for other reasons as well. He had an exceptional opponent.

Though this would be time that they would have alone, together. It was a bit intimate in a way, Shoto considered. It was one thing to practice in the gym in front of everyone but to have a room to themselves, it made him quite nervous. He remembered their room being room 8 on the 12'th floor. Shoto excused himself to leave early and find it before there was a mad rush for the elevator or stairs. Once changed, Shoto arrived with five minutes left for lunch. He let himself in and the white lights flickered on automatically. Shoto stepped in and shut the door behind him. It looked ordinary. White while and a white mat the covered the glossy floor. He touched the walls, they were cool. This room...it had to be fireproof but also resistant to ice. He ran his hand along the wall, thinking for today's training it would be best if he stuck to fire and she stuck to fire. He didn't want to throw ice into the mix just yet.

They had to take gradual steps. And if he was being honest with himself, he wanted to focus on his fire and hers, finding it rather beautiful and didn't want to bring ice in just yet. He wanted to see what her fire could do when matched with his own. Maybe tomorrow they could work on combat and then maybe he'd use just his ice against her fire come Wednesday? Already his mind was formulating a plan that he didn't notice the lunch bell rang and his partner had showed up, in her own uniform. He looked up, "Oh, Kurotsuki-chan. I hope you haven't been waiting long." He apologized for getting lost in his thoughts. He walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, a bit nervous. It was just them now. Alone. He gulped. There was that flutter again, it came out when his eyes met hers. "I was thinking we'd do some stretching and jump right in to sparring. I was thinking your fire against my fire. I believe this room was selected just for us." He said with a smile. He wanted this to be a good experience for them both and he hope neither of them came out with any burns or scars. "So I don't think we need to worry about it burning down." He concluded. "Are you ready to get to work?" He asked her, wanting to make sure they were going at a pace she found acceptable. Another flutter. Gah, would he be able to focus, knowing it was just them together? Sure there was supposedly no other distractions but he found Ruka to be a very convincing and lovely distraction even with the goal of training set out in front of them.

AiAi AiAi
 
She didn't go into much detail about as to why she asked such a question. Surely, if she was to be thinking of confessing to Midoriya Shounen, she would probably tell him first, right? Right?! Yagi can only smile back in response to Mela before just moving the subject to something else entirely. He didn't want to really focus on just Aizawa-kun or Midoriya Shounen all lunchtime...his poor heart probably won't be able to take it for that long. As they finished eating, Yagi was insistent on paying for her meal as well, telling her that a lady like Mela deserved a treat like this. He also quickly added that it was because he was proud of her during her match today, yes, it was just a simple reward nothing else. After he was finally able to persuade Mela, the two left the diner and walked around for a bit. All Might felt quite happy about being able to walk around and just chat with her, but he couldn't help but notice people staring at them. Ah, hopefully, nothing troublesome will come out of this.

After walking around for a bit, Yagi excused himself as he remembered he had some work left at the office. After waving goodbye to Mela, Yagi rushed off to the office only to run into Aizawa-kun there. Yagi blinked a few times, oh...this was uh...new. Aizawa-kun never stayed past working hours. The two shared a silent stare until Aizawa-kun walked past him. Yagi spoke up just then, "she will win...I don't know why you chose this, but she isn't one to back down lightly, you know that yourself don't you?" Yagi looked questioningly over at Aizawa-kun who seemed to pause and listen to what Yagi had to say before walking out the office. Yagi held back a sigh as he was worried for Mela, but he knew he couldn't stop by since the pairs would be training in private rooms...that also brought out another concern for him. Shaking his head, Yagi grabbed a thick file of paperwork, paling slightly at the sight of it before heading home. Guess he'll be stuck doing work it seemed like.

~ Heeeellloooo Tuesday ~

Morning lectures went by rather smoothly. Shota was feeling a little less ticked than yesterday and so his mood has lightened up considerably. Enough for Hizashi to take notice and bug him about it. Maybe he'll have to pretend to be moody just to keep Hizashi off his back for a day longer...Shota went to the class like always, going over the day's schedule before heading out until come noon. He walked to the office, seeing that he could perhaps do some paperwork and hopefully not get bombarded by Hizashi, but of course the latter ended up happening. Shota held back a sigh as he spent most of the morning and lunch dealing with Hizashi while he ignored All Might. He didn't need to be reminded of All Might and Mela having eaten together yesterday or something like that.

Once the lunchtime bell rang, Shota sat up in his sleeping bag. He was already in the training room where he will be sparring with Mela as he couldn't stand the booming voice of Hizashi for any longer. It has already been a long day and the day wasn't even over yet. He fell asleep for a short while in the training room actually hence why he was in his sleeping bag. As he was just finishing up rolling the yellow material, he heard the door open up behind him. Turning around, Shota opened his mouth to speak to Mela, only to stop short at the sight of her. His eye twitched. What the hell was she wearing?!

Not only was she wearing cat ears...the words she spoke made his eye twitch a bit more. What was she thinking honestly?! Though he will admit to himself...the cat ears were better than he imagined. Smirking lightly, Shota undid a part of his scarf as he looked over at her, "cheap tricks? Don't you know that as a hero, we should use whatever means we can to defeat a villain...and mind you the training has already started the moment you stepped foot in here...Neko-chan." And so he gave her no moment to even speak back as he threw his scarf at her, wrapping her around in it before hanging her upside down just like that. Now, how pissed is she? Or well, how will she get out of this one?

- - -

Ruka smiled back at Denki before looking down at her fork in silence. Hm, so Denki would take it off the fork but Shoto wouldn't? Ruka couldn't help but ponder on that. The two headed back to Ruka's place as Denki insisted that he walk her home, suddenly feeling better before she waved goodbye to him. Ruka headed upstairs where she hanged out with Mela, discussing tomorrows practice, Ruka was worried for Mela, wondering what Aizawa had in mind when pairing himself up with Mela. If he tried anything on Mela...well Ruka was concerned her friend would enjoy it and then Ruka had to go and make sure Aizawa was being serious. Though honestly...she can't imagine Aizawa going for a girl or anyone for that matter. Ruka went to sleep with various plans in mind of how to counter Shoto's fire and ice. The latter being more of her concern than the flames.

~ The day has finally arrived, Tuesday ~

As Tuesday came rolling in, Ruka headed to school like always with Mela, the two talking about homework to the practice. She wondered how everyone was going to be and was more curious as to why they were being placed in private rooms, to begin with. She had suspicions it had something to just do with whatever Aizawa was planning, but at the same time, they did nearly destroy the gym so she can't blame the staff either. She headed into class in the morning like always, greeting everyone before taking her seat beside Shoto. She smiled over at him, "today is the day huh, can't wait to get practice started hehe." Ruka wondered what they should start off with first. Maybe hand to hand? Though she was sure Shoto would overpower her in that area.

When lunchtime came around, Ruka turned to Shoto and received the two books, oh right. She blinked down at the two before smiling over at him, "there's a total of twelve~! They just released the tenth one so I have up to that. Want me to bring you the fourth one tomorrow?" She was happy he was enjoying it and was looking forward to the day they can read books and have some tea. She won't forget a promise like that. As she walked with him to the cafeteria, Ruka was met with a rather odd sight. She lifted a brow in question to Mela as her friend was now donning some brown cat ears. Hm? What was Mela doing? Ruka knew Mela better than to know her friend wasn't wearing cat ears on a whim. Her mind wandered over to Aizawa, her eyes narrowing in suspicion though she simply shrugged at Shoto when he looked over at her questioningly. She'll have to ask Mela this later.

Ruka ate her meal a bit more slowly today since she was so lost in thought. She was worried for Mela and even more so now that her friend was doing something a bit out of the norms. And then her mind wandered over to her afternoon lessons with Shoto. They had the eighth room on the twelfth floor...for some reason she was nervous. The nerves were causing her to eat slowly and so by the time the bell rang, Ruka was rushing to get to the twelfth floor. She used the stairs to reach the floor since the elevators were crammed with students. Having changed into her p.e uniform, Ruka reached her room, pausing for a moment to open it as she took in a deep breath. Calm down Ruka..it's not like anything's going to happen besides some sparring. Yup, nothing else.

Entering, she greeted Shoto as she took a look around the room. Placing a hand against the cool wall, Ruka noted the material to feel slightly different from a normal wall. She smirked lightly as she stood across from Shoto. Smiling, she lit aflame her hand as she answered him back, "sure, fire vs fire, let's see what'll happen hehe." As the two began an intricate dance with flames, Ruka couldn't help but be distracted by how pretty Shoto's flames were. It mixed with Ruka's black flames and soon the room was burning about them, but like Shoto said, this room was made for them. Ruka was being backed into a wall as she was on defense against Shoto's attacks though her foot slipped and so she wasn't able to block the flames from touching her. Instinctively, Ruka lit herself on fire to ease the burning from Shoto's flame, but the flames ended up mixing together causing her clothes to burn. Ruka let out a sound as her back hit the wall and she fell to the ground...ouch.

Genkai Genkai
 
Mela flinched when he looked to her. Before she knew what had happened, she was hanging upside down. Noo! She had such an empowering moment in her head! Aizawa was so mean to her! She fidgeted and gritted her teeth. What was the idea here!? How was this training?! She whined and shut her eyes. Maybe if she pictured All Might coming to save her, he would actually come and save her? No, she couldn't keep counting on him. But at the same time, she felt like her heart was going to explode. Here she had Aizawa all to herself and somehow she found herself rather tied up eheh. "But I'm not a villain!" She protested. Aizawa reminded her of one of those guys in middle school who picked on the cute girl who he happened to secretly like. Except in this situation, Aizawa didn't like her. No way.

She blushed even more thinking about the name...neko-chan. Ahh that was a cute name. But she couldn't tell him that or he'd probably stop using it. "Why can't I have a different partner?" She protested. How did the Principal even think something like this was okay? She swung her arm out and grabbed onto the scarf wrapped around her right foot. She growled at him but found pulling didn't really help her situation at all and she felt herself getting a bit tired with all of her struggling. "You are such a coward, fight me for real damnit!" She yelled at him. What would she do in this situation? Wait to die? Perhaps. It would be a sad way to die, she supposed. Mela kicked her leg up, using her free one to try and get her other leg free but instead both legs were now bound together.

Huffing, she realized she couldn't really do anything at all. Not without her gear. How was this helping her? He was just being a show off. That was it. She had to consider he paired them up so he could just toy with her all week. Letting her hair hand, she let out a sighed. "Aiiiiizawaaaaa~" She whined. "This isn't teaching me anything." She felt the blood rushing to her head. Oh boy. She hung her head, her hair falling away from her to reveal her soulmate mark which was usually covered up, it was a soft faded exclamation point. She never intended to hide it but it was often out of sight so she often forgot about it when she did pull her hair back. Somehow the moment of being able to curl up with him and Mi seemed so so far away. "Please put me down." She begged lightly. Hasn't he humilated her enough?

- - -

Ruka seemed keen on starting without even stretching or any prep. Very interesting. She had to be eager, he considered. He smirked and decided he would happily oblige. He had been waiting for this ever since he found out yesterday that he and her would be paired up. There were flashes of fire here and there. He breathed in and focused and then when he breathed out, he let loose waves of fire. It was as if his very soul was lit up as he traded blows with Ruka. He was lost in his thoughts, remembering to breathe and to watch his partner's movements and anticipate them. Shoto Todoroki knew Ruka was very skilled so he couldn't let his mind continue to wander as it so often did when he was around her. Why was she so disarming?

There had been a glimmer of distraction on Torodoki's end as he let out another fiery punch and found the flames had caught on Ruka's shirt. His eyes went wide as he released his hold on his quirk and the flames vanished, a heavy smoke following. He stared, catching something very interesting. Was that a musical note? Like the one on his foot? His heart skipped several beats. It was. Wasn't it? He narrowed his eyes, needing to be absolutely certain. He quickly pulled his shirt off to reveal his muscular body, his arms and abs quite defined. The uniforms at school did well to conceal them. He quickly handed it to her, his eyes nervously looking away. His heart began to speed up, almost like a gear spinning out of control. She was his soulmate? "I'm so sorry, Kurotsuki-san." He said, though his voice cracked slightly as he held out his shirt, his arm shaking.

He hadn't noticed him cornering her and in doing so, he had also attacked her with his flames. He felt his tighten and release. So many emotions were battling for dominance. Here she was, standing in front of him. She was his soulmate. It all made sense. They had so much in common, they had similar quirks and personalities. It was perfect. He couldn't think of a better woman for him and yet this horrible accident had been a wild blessing in disguise. Once she put his shirt on, he helped her to her feet. "Are you hurt? Do I need to take you to see Medical Girl?" He asked, stepping forward to place a hand against the side of her face, not wanting to touch where his flames had graced her flesh. His mind rewound a bit, going back to when he had burnt her shirt and how he had spotted her soulmark. It was a moment that was now burned in his mind. It confirmed that he would ask her out, by the end of the week. But he also doubted she put a lot of merit in soulmate stuff, so for now, he wouldn't tell her they were soulmates, wanting to see if she liked him without that additional bit of information. "I never meant to hurt you." He breathed, his fingers brushing against her cheek.

AiAi AiAi
 
Shota watched with amusement in his eyes as he looked up at Mela, struggling while being tied upside down. It was so strange. He was annoyed and in such a bad mood, to begin with, because of her...yet being around her like this and with those darn cat ears, he could feel his annoyance slowly ebbing away. What a strange girl she truly was. Shota could never understand why he felt like this around her and why he was so easily affected by her words and actions. Hearing her whine, Shota lifted a brow as he simply replied, "this is a spar Uede...obviously I'm not going to hold back." Though he could never really see her becoming a villain. Kurotsuki perhaps, but Mela? Somehow the girl never struck him as villainous...except for her sudden fiery lashes at times.

As he watched her hang around upside down, struggling against his scarf, Shota took note of something rather interesting. Something that he never thought he'd see on another person. He stared at the back of her exposed neck as she spun around in slow circles as she seemed to have given up struggling. Is that an exclamation mark...? A slight tingle was felt rushing down his spine as he looked at it a bit more closely in order to confirm it. It really was...does that mean she's his...soulmate? Shota stared shocked at Mela for a moment longer until he snapped out it, hearing her plea to let her down. Reaching up, Shota released his scarf, dropping Mela down from the hold.

With his arms stretched out, Shota caught hold of Mela with ease as he stared down at her, "have we learned a lesson here?" He smirked lightly at her, excitement slowly buzzing through his system as he still couldn't quite wrap the idea of her being his soulmate. Was she really? But no one else would have a mark like that and he doubts she would be the type to get a tattoo...Shota smirked down at her as he asked her, "did you want to call it a day, or are we still able to get practice started..." leaning down he whispered teasingly into her ear, "Neko-chan?" Hmm..he'll have to think this over later. To think his student of all people would be his soulmate.

- - -

Ruka coughed slightly as the flames disappeared only for a large whiff of smoke to rise into the air. Well, that sort of hurt. Ruka opened her eyes after a moment, she was about to look at herself and check for any damage done, but before Ruka can even do anything, Shoto was taking his shirt off all of a sudden. What!? Ruka stared up at him wide-eyed as her cheeks flushed while her heart began to beat wildly. W-w-what was he doing!? He then proceeded to hand her the shirt. Huh? Ruka looked up at him confused when she felt a sudden breeze on her chest. Wait...her chest? Slowly Ruka looked down to see her shirt was ripped in several places, precariously hanging off her shoulders.

Face turning bright red, Ruka covered her chest with her arms before snatching the shirt Shoto was holding out for her. Nooooooo! Did he see it!? Ruka covered most of her chest with his shirt as she stared up at him, wondering if he saw her chest. She was wearing her sports bra, but even that was burned slightly though thankfully the holes were more on her upper half, even then it was being revealed! The little musical note was seen peeking above the shirt as Ruka looked off to the side, stammering, "a-ah um yeah." She had no clue what she was saying at this point. If her soul mark was shown, then her chest was being shown, that's how Ruka knew how much skin she was showing.

Wearing his shirt, Ruka stood up with the help of Shoto, her breath hitching in her throat as she was now faced with another dilemma. His shirt was quite large on her and so it went up to her mid thighs and then there was him being shirtless in front of her. Ruka stared up at Shoto as he came even closer to her, eep! She stayed frozen where she stood as she felt his soft touch on her cheek. Snapping out of her shock and well...ehem oogling, Ruka spoke up, "a-ah, I'm alright...I'm not hurt...really..." Ruka could feel the heat rising as her cheeks were flushed and oh no he was really close and she could literally feel the heat rising off of him and he was shirtless and oh dear. Bits of black flames appeared on the top of Ruka's head as she became flustered. Lowering her head, Ruka willed the flames away before bumping it against him, murmuring out, "I'm okay...so don't be sorry." Her eyes were spinning as she had to muster all self-control in order to not combust again.

Genkai Genkai
 
There were eyes upon her. Suddenly she felt like somebody's prey. Like she was now a mouse instead of a cat and it was Aizawa who was the cat, looking at her a bit too closely. She wanted a real fight, but this was just nonsense! One of these days, she'd steal his scarf and hide it somewhere, where he couldn't get to it. Ha! She let out another annoyed huff. Thankfully she felt him release her but before she could fall face first onto the floor, Aizawa grabbed hold of her and made sure that didn't happen, setting her back on her feet safely. Oh so now he cared? Mela shook her head, trying to stop herself from being so dizzy and disoriented. Where was she again? What did he want with her?

Looking to Aizawa, she gulped. Why was he staring at her like that? Ooooh this didn't bode for her. She puffed her cheeks out. Lesson? What lesson?! That Aizawa didn't play fair! "Wha...what? Was that supposed to be a lesson?" She scuffed at him, though there was an underlying smirk tugging at her lips, daring to be seen. Aizawa...he was so troublesome! He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to shoot up her spine. Oh! Her face lit up as she let out a small whine. He was being really unfair now. She turned her head slightly. She held her breath for a moment. "I...I...ummm." She was quite speechless and instead decided to just retaliate, not going to play fair if he wasn't.

Mela adjusted her cat ears, giving him a look as she lunged and tackled him to the floor, for a moment forgetting she should have kept her distance. But his face was beginning to be kissed. No! Punched. Yes, that. She glared down at him. Why did he keep picking on her? It wasn't annoying as much as it nagged at her. "You know, All Might would never be so sneaky!" She taunted him. Mela had her legs locked firmly around his waist as eh leaned over him, her hands firmly holding his shoulders down as she let her right arm roll back to aim a punch at his face. "If you won't play fair, I'm sure he would." She grinned.

- - -

Shoto's heart was aching. He still had no idea that he and Ruka could really, truly be soulmates. It was something he wish he could have sat down to better absorb. In a better time and place, but not like this. He hated how buring her, he had uncovered a new secret, a new reality for him to slip into. And now with this information he could more forward, feeling not just better prepared but more confident in himself. He never cared much for the hordes of women that fawned over him but the one girl he felt an attraction to, was one he was connected to. That was a powerful concept for the boy to unpack. The things he felt around Ruka were real and not something fabricated in his head. He really liked her and this was a strong confirmation of that. He had to tread carefully and see how she felt about him.

Part of Shoto didn't like the idea of approaching her without laying all the cards out on the table but he knew if he told her they were in fact soulmates, she might brush it off or she might take it into consideration a bit too much, and he was worried she may not like him for him, but that they shared the same mark. But then again, perhaps he was reading too much into this? No no. This was wonderful news. He was so happy, so relieved. But he also knew his bond with Ruka was strong and he had already intended on asking her out, prior to this revelation. So in a way, he didn't think keeping this from her, for now, was that hypocritical. He looked into her eyes, his breath stopping. How long had he been holding onto it? His chest was tight as he stepped away from Ruka.

He was still so sorry for causing her such pain. He could tell she was suffering. "Alright...if you feel you can continue, then let's." He said. He was quite fine without his shirt. His fire kept him warm. He walked back towards the middle of the room, his lower back muscles flexing slightly. Turning, he wondered if it would be better to stick to hand to hand for the rest of the afternoon. "Let's just stick to combat practice." He said, preferring to play it safe. Shoto put his hands, getting into a good position to attack or defend against Ruka. He didn't want to risk scorching her or burning more of her clothes, even if she looked quite good without them. No. Shoto, focus! He berated himself before he looked back to Ruka, trying to stay in the moment but it wasn't easy, given this sudden fiery bit of knowledge that was spreading through his mind like wildfire.

AiAi AiAi
 
"Hey Shotaaa! What're you gonna do if you ever meet your soulmate?! I bet you that it'll be a student of your's or something haha!" Those words of Hizashi's never rang so clearly until now. He could feel his eye desperately wanting to twitch, but he held it back as he maintained a blank face as he looked over at Mela. To think Present Mic would be correct about this...if he ever finds out, Shota will never hear the end of it. But focusing on the matter at hand, Shota stared up at Mela as she suddenly lunged at him and has successfully pinned him to the ground. What was she thinking? He would have questioned it if not for those cat ears that he was staring at. Was she wearing this since earlier...? Now Shota could feel his eye twitching. He'll focus on the whole student being his soulmate thing some other time, but for now, this little kitty needed a lesson to be taught. He could feel his annoyance double at the mention of All Might. Great, his soulmate was a fan of All Might's.

As she aimed a punch at his face, Shota moved his head to the side at the last second before reaching a hand out and grabbing hold of her wrist. Once he grabbed hold of it, he flipped their position so that she was now pinned underneath him. He looked down at her as he kept her hands above her head with one of his hand as he used his other hand to...touch her cat ears. Hm...they were a lot softer than he thought. Smirking down at her, Shota played with the cat ears and her hair as he spoke, "sneaky? Of course, that big oof can't be sneaky even if his life depended on it. Everyone has a different fighting style...but you need to learn how to defend yourself." His grip tightened for a brief second as a means to show her what he meant. Letting her go, Shota helped her stand up as he continued speaking, "for today, we'll start off with some hand to hand combat, no quirk, no gear." He knew that would make her happy.

For the remainder of the afternoon lesson, Shota engaged in hand to hand combat with Mela, though most of the time he spent it just teasing her. On more than one occasion did Shota pin Mela down. He pinned her once against the wall, his thigh holding her weight as he smirked down at her, "what? Cat got your tongue?" And like that he kept throwing out little comments such as cats don't speak and whatnot. As practice came to an end, Shota stood up and let out a sigh. It's been a while since he's moved that much during classroom hours here at U.A. Glancing over at Mela, Shota knew he should be apologizing to her for how he's been and he was quite a jerk during Monday's matchups....he'll admit to that. Walking over to where Mela stood, Shota spoke up as he reached a hand out and ruffled her hair gently, "did all that running around make you hungry? Get changed and meet me by the stairs." He didn't go explaining why, but he walked off with that. Stopping by the door, Shota looked over at Mela as he said, "and don't go wearing those outside of this room, Neko-chan." He'd be damned if All Might caught sight of Mela with cat ears.

As Shota walked back to the office to check his pile at his desk, he stopped momentarily as he noted both Hizashi and Yagi to be in the office. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with them and so he simply walked past the office and out the door towards the stairs. Guess he'll have some paperwork to catch up on tomorrow. Leaning by the railings, Shota looked up at the sky silently. He raised a hand up and placed it on the back of his neck, exactly where her's was too. A soulmate huh...to think he'd actually meet his soulmate. To find one's soulmate can be considered near miraculous to honestly what most like to say a fateful encounter. Some people weren't as lucky and never found their soulmates so those who do should be considered lucky. But to think his soulmate would be a student of his...a soft sigh escaped his lips as he realized that fate was just full of irony for him. Shaking his head, Shota turned around to spot Mela heading over.

Looking over at her, Shota spoke up after a moment of silence, "where do you want to eat?" He'll be upfront this time around, "since you did so well, I'll treat you." He smirked lightly over at her before pulling her to his side when he noted some student to be rushing past them and down the stairs. Grabbing her arm, he tugged her towards him as he watched the student run. Shaking his head lightly, Shota glanced down at her, "you alright?" He lifted a brow in question before heading down the stairs. He paused a few steps down so that when he turned around, he was the same height as Mela. Staring into her eyes, Shota told her, "sorry about Monday..." he wasn't going to elaborate on that nor tell her how he wasn't exactly sure what made her mad at him, to begin with, but Shota knew he was pushing it during Monday and so he'll apologize for that. "Now hurry up and decide a place before I do," Shota commented as the two headed towards downtown.

Sighing, Shota ended up picking a place as he realized she probably still didn't know the entire town since she just did move over here. He decided to take her to the park where there were many small food stalls hidden within. Dragging her through the park, Shota stopped by a takoyaki stand, buying two sets of it and handed one to Mela. He lifted a brow as he said, "what? Were you expecting a cute cafe or something? I thought you girls got enough of that already..." he wanted to show her some different parts of the town, not where everyone would go. Something that spoke more of the town and okay so he was old schooled...get over it. He smirked lightly over at her as he said, "careful, it's hot." As they found a bench to sit at, Shota looked out at the pond across from them before looking over at Mela, "so why cat ears?" He couldn't help but ask. It was strange yet he had an inkling of an idea as to why she even did that. She's a lot more observant than she lets on to be. Holding back a sigh, Shota looked up at the sky as his mind went back to the mark on the back of Mela's neck. He wanted to ask her what she thought about soulmates, but he can already assume what she would say plus after his little explanation about how he really won't go searching for love unless it came knocking to him...well he really wasn't in the right to ask her such a question, right?

But now what? What would he do, now that he knew they were soulmates? She probably had no clue they were soulmates otherwise she'd probably be gushing about something by now. Stretching an arm onto the back of the bench, Shota wondered what step he would take now? He recalled how he, Present Mic and All Might have discussed of what they would do if they met their soulmates. Hizashi was rather obvious as the loud blonde declared immediately about marrying his soulmate on the spot while All Might was just a flustered blushing mess. And then Shota himself...what did he say again? Ah, right, "do you like cats? Can you cook?...what is your ideal..." Shota stopped as he realized he was asking the questions aloud, "date.." he trailed out as he came to the realization of that. He looked over at Mela before looking back out, hoping she didn't hear his last question.
"Still hungry? There's an ice cream stand somewhere in here if you want..." he mentioned as he hoped food would be a good distraction for her.

- - - -

He was so close! Ruka could feel the heat radiating off of his toned body and then there was her own mixing in with his. Ruka's eyes were spinning as she tried to not focus on Shoto in front of her. He was...well off is the least she can say. How was she to know he would be this...this fit underneath all those clothes!? Ruka could feel her cheeks flushing as she felt her body heating up once again. No! Calm down Ruka! Don't think any more than necessary...as she looked into his eyes, all rational thoughts flew out the window as her mind went blank. Ah...she can't do it. Ruka can only nod her head, hoping her words were enough to persuade Shoto. If she went to Recovery Girl right now...Ruka was sure she'd be diagnosed for being a pervert or something! This felt so wrong yet...she wouldn't share this with anyone else, not even to Mela.

Blinking, Ruka felt even more bad about staring at Shoto's toned body at her sudden revelation. Ruka looked up at Shoto and watched him walk towards the center of the room, her eyes roaming towards his bare back before she was met with his gaze on her. Ruka felt a blush burn her cheeks as she moved forward to go to the center of the room, though pausing she turned around and slipped off her charred shirt from underneath as it was just hanging and was a bit uncomfortable. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Ruka turned to face Shoto as she took in a deep breath, she can do this...just don't look down...keep your eyes on his face not below...damn it.

Ruka was slowly losing focus, gritting her teeth, she berated herself for being so distracted. Not wanting him to get the wrong idea, Ruka began the attacks first. She swung a high kick towards his face before spinning said leg around to sweep at his midsection, oh those abs! Ruka's eyes widened as she stumbled slightly, placing a hand onto the floor, she propelled herself upwards before landing on top of Shoto, pushing him to the ground with her legs on either side of his waist, keeping him pinned. She placed her hands on his wrists, trying to keep it down as best as she could. Foreheads nearly touching, Ruka grinned as she looked down at Shoto, her nervous thoughts gone in the heat of the moment as she said rather happily, "I'm not bad at hand to hand combat you know~" Which she really wasn't. She was actually quite good at hand to hand combat due to her always refraining from using her quirk until she entered U.A that was.

Ruka blinked as her smile froze on her face as she slowly came to realize their position and how he was quite...topless above. Face turning red once more, she lost her grip on him and felt herself falling to the ground as they switched positions. Oh no, this was not good! Her entire face was as red as a ripe strawberry as she averted her gaze elsewhere. Thankfully the bell saved the day as it rang signaling the end of the afternoon lessons. Thank goodness! Standing up with the help of Shoto, Ruka smiled over at him, as she said, "that was a good spar...um uh Todoroki-kun...I was wondering but...um.." Ruka looked off to the side as she softly murmured out, "y-you didn't see anything...right..?" She hoped he didn't get the full view of her chest or anything. Her face was already heating up just because he was topless! She'd probably self-combust and just melt into a puddle if she knew he saw her chest or anything like that. Of course, she wasn't talking about the soul mark, it wasn't like she was hiding it. It was just located in a spot that she would rarely show unless she was at a beach or something.

Waving her hands, Ruka stammered out, "a-ah we should go get changed huh, ah your shirt oh but..." Ruka was about to take off Shoto's shirt and give it back to him when she remembered she took off what remained of her own shirt and so she was now quite bare underneath. Head hanging, Ruka tugged onto his hand as she mumbled out, "um...sorry." As the two left the room, Ruka was not expecting this at all. For as soon as the two left the room, a loud squeal erupted from a group of girls who just happened to pass by and spot the rather topless Shoto. The girls went swarming towards Shoto all of a sudden, pushing Ruka off to the side. Huh? What? Ruka blinked a few times in confusion before she frowned. Somehow she didn't like how all the girls were staring at him with those gooey eyes. It was strange...but she didn't like it.

Walking forward, she pushed past the girls, coming to a stand next to Shoto where she wrapped an arm around his while glaring at the girls. One of the girl's frowned as she spoke up, "who are you and what do you think you're do-eek!" As she was speaking, Ruka's glare pierced her as she lifted a single finger that was covered in black flames, "I'd watch your mouth when speaking to me...Kurotsuki Ruka, remember that name. Now get lost." Maybe Bakugou was rubbing off on her, but nah, Ruka was like this originally. She just rarely showed this side of her's unless provoked by others. She smirked lightly at the girls as she said, "what? Never seen black flames? Well, they'd look lovely in your hair~" The girls backed off as Ruka ran a hand through the girl's hair as she said this. She, of course, would never use her quirk on others like that, but hey, they didn't need to know that right? After the girls left, Ruka looked up at Shoto, "are you alright?" She asked him with a soft smile before realizing that she was hugging onto him. Eyes slowly spinning, Ruka let go of his hand but stumbling backward she held onto him once again and now she just gave up as she just bumped her head against his shoulder while mumbling out, "ah sorry..." can she just go crawl into a hole and die? How is she ever going to face him without imagining him shirtless...argh!

A soft sigh escaped her lips as Ruka finished changing. Thankfully, she didn't have any major burns on her, just a few minor ones here and there, but she was used to those and so she was fine. After having changed into her school uniform, Ruka can only hope her glares was enough to keep those girls away from Shoto. She was embarrassed the entire way to the locker room, but Ruka kept a grip on Shoto's arm, keeping her head down for most of the time, but at the same time, she wanted to stay close to Shoto...not to feel his muscles or anything!... That was just a plus on her half. Shaking her head, Ruka banged it against the locker door as she stuffed her uniform into her bag to clean it tonight at home, but arghhh that was just embarrassing overall! As she walked out of the changing room, Ruka wasn't sure what to expect. She really should apologize to Shoto though. Spotting Shoto up ahead, Ruka called out to him as she kept her eyes glued to the floor, "ah Todoroki-kun, um ah sorry about earlier...um I was wondering if you'd like to get some tea and cake with me...?" She looked up at him, unsure if he'd accept after such a bold move she did earlier. She was just trying to protect him from those strange girls! She smiled up at him a bit shyly as she mumbled out, "my treat?" She still remembered that much at least. Before she left for the cafe which was slowly becoming her favorite, Ruka texted Mela, letting her friend know where she was heading.

Genkai Genkai
 
Fidgeting slightly under his weight, Mela wondered how this had happened. Just a second ago, she was on top! She glared up at him, she could take care of herself just fine! This was a bad example of her skills but she didn’t need him worrying about her. She blushed and froze when he toyed with her cat ears and hair. Mm she wouldn’t tell him how nice that felt. Finally, he got up and helped her to her feet, explaining what they would be working on today. Good. She would enjoy this very much. Or so she thought. Most of the time Aizawa was the one in control though he seemed to enjoy making comments to taunt and rile her up. In one instance, she found herself pinned to the wall, trying to keep her composure. Mela felt her mind quickly turning to mush as the will to fight was drained from her. For the most part, the only thing she could do was to try to keep her noises to a minimum. He was being really unfair, getting this close to her! She was rather flustered and speechless, just trying to land a few hits where she could.

When training concluded, Mela found herself quite tired, though more mentally than anything else. Being so close to Aizawa was making her mind travel to many different places. But she couldn’t afford to space out and fantasize about her teacher, not when he kept smirking at her and teasing her. Urgh. Sexy bastard. Getting ready to go off and change, Aizawa stopped her and asked if she was hungry. Yes, that was always a given with the amount of energy she had. Raising a brow at the comment to not wear those ears, she had to wonder why. When Aizawa left, Mela lingered, putting a hand to her forehead. She was quite warm. That had been very interesting. Her stomach had been doing flips the entire time and she had to wonder if this was how the whole week would go. She didn’t know if her innocent heart could take much more.

Once she showered and changed, she caught up with Aizawa where he had asked to meet her. Somehow this felt a little different than the other times they had gone out together but she couldn’t place as to why she felt that way. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled up against him and she held back a tiny gasp as her hands instinctive went around him as a flock of students ran by them, clearly ready to go home. And not all concerned with where they were going or who they might run over in the process. She gave him a silent nod, still feeling rather dazed by him just grabbing her like that. He started down the stairs but paused, giving her some kind of apology. "It's...okay, that's kind of how I saw things panning out anyway." It was nice of him to say something though. She followed him down the sets of stairs and outside. "I don't know have a place in mind." She sighed, having a feeling a place she might pick, he wouldn't enjoy anyway.

Thankfully Aizawa had a place in mind, the park. It was another sunny day out. Perfect park weather. She tugged her arm free and took the takoyaki he offered. "No no, this is fine with me!" In her mind, the one paying had the first choice in venue. But even so, she enjoyed street food and a nice open outdoor setting. Sitting down, she blew on it before taking a nibble. Yummy. She looked to Aizawa when he asked about the ears. She grinned. Did he really have to ask? "I know you like cats. I wanted to see if it would make you smile." Or something. She went back to her snack, surprised that it was Aizawa who was almost babbling the same way she usually was. She finished her takoyaki before replying. "Cats are pretty great. Nice and cuddly. But all animals are great too." She loved feeding the deer and squirrels and birds in the forest behind their shrine. "I can cook though I don't think I'm as good as Ruka." She frowned. But she was sure that level of skill was far beyond her, at least on the savory side of the culinary world. She and Ruka really balanced each other out that way.

Giving Aizawa a look at the words ideal date, she felt her jaw drop ever so slightly. Ideal date?! Did she hear that right? Why were people suddenly so interested in dating situations? Maybe he was asking for Midoriya? Doubtful. But she shook her head, "I er...it depends on who with." She said, wanting to stick to the same thing she told All Might. "I mean both people need to be enjoying themselves right? My ideal date is being with someone who I can make happy, who makes me happy too. That's all that really matters." She considered. She got up, ice cream did sound good. Even in the middle of winter, it sounded good. "I'll go get us some!" Mela headed off not waiting for a reply, mostly to give herself some space to blush without being interrogated, it had taken a lot of self control not to faint or start rambling or blush so bright you could roast marshmallows off of her face. Mela found the ice cream vendor and bought one vanilla and one chocolate cone, happy to have whichever Aizawa didn't want, hoping to keep it simple. Returning, she gestured to the cones. When he picked his, she sat back down beside him.

He was being oddly nice. It was so strange. She couldn't figure him out. He was nice, then mean, then a bit...flirty. Gah, noooo. Either way, she had no idea what went on in that head of his but maybe that was for the best. Mela glanced to Aizawa, nudging him lightly. "I think you like my cat ears~" She teased him as she ate her ice cream. Though she recalled what All Might had said and she wondered if he'd like them too. Maybe Yagi was a better candidate? She wondered if Aizawa knew Yagi-san. She'll ask tomorrow, as now didn't seem like a good time. "Thanks for taking me out." He didn't have to so she was quite thankful for the gesture. Even though he had a talent for annoying her, she still loved spending time with him. "What would your ideal date be?" She found herself asking him. Hey, if he could ask her, why couldn't she ask him? Mela had to assume he wanted something low key, no fuss. Maybe a picnic or a meal at home, something quiet. She checked her phone with her free hand, seeing that Ruka had texted her a while ago, Mela replied and told Ruka to be safe. If Ruka didn't turn up back home by dark, Mela would go hunting for her friend.

- - -

Shoto was still very much concerned about Ruka and her well being. He was all the more worried when she seemed a bit dazed and not quite herself as they resumed their practice session. The pair began to exchange blows again though Ruka had some trouble. Luckily she bounced back and before Todoroki knew what was going on, he was on his back, staring up at Ruka. He managed to keep his face rather neutral though he had been quite surprised by her moves. His eyes stayed on her, trying to force his brain not to register just how they were positioned. No no, he couldn't let his mind think of such things. Thankfully he had practiced enough meditation so that he could keep those other thoughts and urges out of his mind, at least for a small amount of time.

Breathing in and then out, he bucked his hips and rolled them over so that he was on top of her now. "I never doubted your abilities for a second." He retorted lightly, staring her down, knowing her comment had just been a playful one. When the bell rang, he took a moment or two to admire her beauty before he got off of her and helped her up to her feet. "Your hair looks good pulled back." He commented. It allowed him to see more of her face. Shoto thought back to Saturday when her hair had been in braids. It looked good then too but he didn't think mentioning it now would be appropriate. Shoto stilled when asked if he had seen anything. "No no." He said. Even if he had, did she expect him to say yes? He was sure either way, denial was the best choice for both of their sake's. "Not a thing." He assured her quickly, hoping he didn't look too nervous.

"Oh uh you can keep it." He waved a hand when she brought up the issue of his shirt. He'll get it back from her another time. They headed out together but suddenly found themselves swarmed by a massive group of female students. Shoto looked to Ruka, raising a brow when she put an arm around him. This seemed to only add more fuel to the brewing fire. Speaking of fire...Ruka flashed a bit of her own black flames as the girls seemed quite annoyed, growing all the more angry. Why, Shoto couldn't really imagine. He was used to the rabid stares and often blocked them out so he was a bit surprised by Ruka's own protective nature. But he did find that side of her interesting to see. "It's fine, really." He assured her once the crowd had fled, leaving them alone once again. He never understood the dynamics of women. Even with all the books in the world, he was sure there were some things he'd never understand. Ruka seemed to stumble a bit and he was worried their training had been too much for her. She seemed quite off balance and a bit frazzled, it was very much unlike her.

He brought a hand to the top of her head. "I should be asking if you're alright." He frowned. She seemed quite out of it, for whatever reason. He had to hope this hadn't anything to do with his own attack earlier. They parted ways to go get changed. Shoto caught sight of Denki who was leaving with Eijiro. Denki did a double take when he spotted Shoto without a shirt on but before he could question it, Eijiro had pulled him away, so he didn't make a scene. Shoto slipped out of his pants and got back into his uniform. He waited for a moment, letting out a long sigh. He was a bit embarrassed by how those women had acted. He was able to ignore their stares, finding them to be more annoying than really dangerous. Still, he wished Ruka didn't have to get involved with whatever following he had at UA. He didn't want to cause her further trouble.

Upon reuniting with her, Shoto found himself presented with an offer. He smiled at her, hoping she was feeling better. Still, if she needed to get checked by Medical Girl, he had no qualms about staying and keeping her company as she healed up. But at the same time, he wouldn't press the issue, trusting her to say something if she was really injured. "I would love that." He smiled to her, already forgetting back what she had done with those crazed fangirls of his. For a moment he wished to grab her hand but he resisted. He still had to get things prepared before he did anything so bold. He motioned for them to get going, his hand brushing against her lower back as he opened the doors to UA for her, both heading out. A quick bus ride later and they were back at the same cafe. It made Shoto quite happy to know she wanted to go back with him. He had been worried it would be difficult to get her back out, given how busy they could have been if they had other partners. But instead, luck was on their side and he was able to spend all the more time with Ruka, his soulmate. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Whenever he thought of her as his soulmate, a new kind of flutter tickled his insides. He felt so fortunate and he didn't want to screw up his chances with Ruka. No, he would make sure she was happy and protected.

And Shoto believed with her, she would be. They sat down at their same table and he looked across from her. His heart ached more than usual but it was more from excitement and hope. He hadn't felt this kind emotion before. Hope. He was hopeful. He had found out some wonderful information and it seemed like even without it, he and Ruka were quite well suited for one another. He had to be careful though. He feared one misstep and she'd go off to Kaminari. "I had a lot of fun today." He said, unable to stop himself from smiling. He blamed Ruka for that, not that he was complaining. "I do wish we had our gear to train with." He hated the idea of causing her further injury. His mind told him to stop talking about school or training, that there would be plenty of time for that later. This was a chance to get to know Ruka even further as a person, not just as classmate. "So, Kurotsuki-chan, if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you travel?" He hasn't considered she may be from a well off family and may have had the chance to do so already. His mind was trying to think of the kind of topics he had researched when getting to know a possible love interest. He blushed again. "I...I was also wondering...what do you think about the ideal of a soulmate?" He hoped she didn't think he was asking because he had seen it. Hopefully she didn't make the connection. "It could lead you to someone you're meant to be with but it's also not a blueprint for automatic success..." He admitted, not sure if her parents were soulmates or if there had been some stress there. From what bits he had heard, he feared she may look down upon soulmates. "I don't mean to pry." He added as they gave their order before being left alone again. His heart sped up, telling himself that regardless of how she felt about soulmates, it didn't change how he felt about her and that they were soulmates.

AiAi AiAi
 
Of course, when she visited his house and was met with the sight of Mi...well who wouldn't think he liked cats? Not like Mi had on a big bow and looked quite well groomed and had her own bed and whatnot...no, he just tells others that the cat chose to live in his house and that was it. He held back a sigh as he wondered why she would go out of her way to do that and to make him smile she says? He smirked lightly as he poked her forehead, "to see me smile, you would go that far?" It won't just make him smile, rather her wearing cat ears would just bring different things to mind. Shota held back a sigh as he wondered if she knew the effects the cat ears did to him, to begin with.

There she went again with the mention of Kurotsuki's cooking. Shota was curious as to how different their level of cooking would be, but at the same time, he was not willing to find out. Somehow for some reason, Shota knew that if Kurotsuki ever offered him food...it'll probably be poisoned. He'll just stick to her cooking, plus it wasn't like it tasted bad or anything. Wait, why was he asking her all this anyways. The idea of soulmate popped into his mind once again and he pushed it away once again. He hoped she didn't hear his last question, but no, of course not. Of course, Mela would hear that one clearly. Watching her run off to get ice cream, Shota didn't even fight against it as he trusted her to pick him something anyways. Leaning his head back, Shota stared up at the sky as he thought over what Mela just told him. Someone to be happy with...? Was she happy hanging around someone like him? He can assume probably not especially with how he always treats her. He won't blame her if she ran off right now because she didn't want to be around him. But how does being soulmates work? That they were just naturally attracted to each other? Somehow, Shota didn't think that was exactly it.

Taking the vanilla flavored one, Shota simply nodded his head in thanks before taking slow licks of the ice cream. Hearing her teasing comment as she nudged him, Shota glanced over at Mela before looking back out at the pond, "yeah, I do. That's the problem." He told her so nonchalantly as he added while turning to pinch her cheek lightly, "that's why you're only allowed to wear it during our practice, don't go showing it to other guys." He smirked down at her before turning back around. Ignoring her thanks, Shota simply told her, "next time, you pick the place...my choices can be boring." He didn't want to bore her, but he didn't want to have to continue fishing out excuses to take her out to places. Thinking over her question, Shota took a moment to answer, "just relaxing, doing nothing and just being together...that sounds good to me." Honestly, he would love it if he can just spend time with her at his home doing nothing, worrying about nothing and just being together. Yeah, that sounded nice. Stretching slightly, Shota told Mela with a teasing smirk, "don't expect tomorrow's training to be any easier, we're going to make sure you can handle a punch or two without a problem."

- - -

Shirt in place and not burned up with holes, Ruka felt a bit more secure and saner. It was a good thing Shoto had his school uniform otherwise she wasn't sure what to do or say if he was still shirtless. The image of him without a shirt...that would probably be forever burned in her mind. It wasn't a bad image either...a very nice one if she must admit. Now, Ruka wasn't usually like this, but that doesn't mean she can't appreciate a lovely view like that. She was a bit upset that she had to share it with those girls that surrounded them earlier, but hopefully, her little flame would keep those bugs away. Ruka didn't like how they were staring at Shoto...was this what being jealous meant...? Pushing aside those thoughts, Ruka followed Shoto out the school and towards their cafe. Hehe, their cafe.

As she sat down across from Shoto at the table they sat at before, Ruka looked up at Shoto's comment. She blushed lightly as she agreed, "yeah, today was fun..." fun in more ways than one minus her shirt being burned to pieces. That not so fun, but he said he didn't see anything so that was good. She'd be so embarrassed if he saw her chest or something like that. Ah, but then she saw him topless so would it be fair if he did see it? Wait, no. No no no, stop all thoughts now Ruka! "A-ah yeah, it would be easier if we had our gear huh..." at least she won't be burning her clothes to pieces, but then that'll also mean she'll have to wear that revealing costume again! Her face flushed at the idea of her being pinned down by Shoto and him being topless and WHOA Ruka stop! What was she even thinking!? This...was going to be a problem.

After ordering, Ruka turned to Shoto, grateful for the change of topic. "Hmm, I think I would love to visit Greece! I really want to go and see the ancient buildings that all these mythologies originated from." She would love to just see the beautiful statues to the architecture, definitely one day she will go. Though at his next question, Ruka's smile faltered as she thought over it. Soulmates? What did she think of that...? "Ah, soulmates...hm." Pausing, Ruka looked off to the side, staring out at the scenery as she spoke up, "honestly I'm not sure. I've never met my soulmate and even if I do...is there really such a thing as destined love...?" Her mind wandered back to how her mother was with her stepfather. She never seemed quite happy, but at times she does. So what is the answer to that? Smiling over at Shoto, Ruka answered him finally, "I don't think you need to be soulmates to be in love, but I would like to be proven wrong haha." Maybe meeting her soulmate will change her view on the whole subject? Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, Ruka honestly answered him, "to be honest, I never really fell in love before. Um, what about you? What do you think of the whole soulmates thing?" She took a sip of her milk tea that arrived along with her cream puff that was sprinkled with, of course, strawberries.

Genkai Genkai
 
With the vanilla one taken, Mela was happy with the chocolate. Of course she'd be just as content with vanilla. She really wasn't picky. With so many ice cream flavors, she found it hard to discriminate against them. They were just ice cream flavor, doing their best to be tasty! Why judge~? Mela hummed when he mentioned he did like her ears and how it may be a problem. Oooh really? Heheh. When he pinched her cheek, she waved her ice cream cone at him, "You're gonna lose a finger if you doing that." She whined. She couldn't wear them around other guys huh? That only made her want to turn around and do the exact opposite. Didn't he know that? She gave him an innocent look, only smirking to herself. "Okaaay~ We'll see~" She said playfully. It was pretty obvious she wasn't going to heed his words. But really he had his own self to blame there.

Tilting her head when he said next time she could pick because his places were boring? Boring? The park was nice. Though when it got cold, it may not be as nice. Though she was curious what he meant by next time? So they'd be going out again? Er hanging out again? Mela nodded, deciding not to question it, just glad she could drag him out of his sleeping bag somewhere. She giggled, her prediction had been quite correct, as she assumed. "I thought as much." She nodded as she finished her cone, it had been very cooling. When he mentioned tomorrow's training, she let out a dramatic sigh and gave him a sad helpless expression. "Aww so mean~ I'm just an innocent kitty~" She teased him.

But it would be important skills, she knew. Mela was glad for the help, hoping it would be a little less intimate than this afternoon. She glanced down, trying not to remember some of the positions she had found herself in. Ahh she was getting a bit warm again, more ice cream would be helpful now. She glanced back to Aizawa, "I guess I better get going." Homework and all. Sighing, she got up and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll see ya tomorrow!" She flashed him a wink and a wave before she headed off to grab the next bus back toward her home. She hadn't bugged Aizawa to walk her home, figuring he'd tell her off. Perhaps tomorrow she could bust out her cat ears and make him carry her home. If the training was as difficult as she said, she might not even feel like walking.

That night, Mela and Ruka had dinner together as usual, both not too detailed in regards to how their training had gone. The following morning, Mela got up and got dressed, still worried about training would go. She thought back to spending time with Aizawa in the park. It was such a cute surprise! Now she had to think of a place they'd both like to go. On her way into school, she used her phone to look up places, finding a nice looking dumpling place they could try after school, if his offer had been sincere of course. She hoped it was. The morning lectures passed with a quiz from Present Mic before lunch rolled around. Mela grabbed the cat ears from her bag and went off to go find Yagi or All Might, whoever she ran into first. She didn't put them on yet, hoping to not get caught by a certain sleepyhead teacher.

Walking around the school, she decided against the teacher's lounge, feeling like Aizawa would spot her. And then how could she go off and have some fun behind his back? Haha. Mela had a bento Ruka had made for her, it packed with yummy protein and veggies so she could be powered up come training time. Glancing around, she wondered if she'd be able to find either one of them. She headed outside, if she didn't find either one of them, she could at least enjoy the day before she was thrown back to the wolves. Mela sat down on one of the benches and began to unpack her lunch, glancing around before she shyly put on her cat ears. Now who wouldn't want to sit and have lunch with an adorable Mela?

- - -

Greece was an interesting choice, rather unexpected but the more he thought about its relation to mythology, it did make sense. Shoto gave her a nod. "You would have a lot of adventures, a trip of a lifetime." He considered. As for him, he wasn't too sure. Perhaps New Zealand or Ireland. Someplace pretty. Someplace welcoming. He wasn't sure if he'd ever have time to travel once he graduated though. Unless it somehow involved hero work, he was bound to be busy. His father was living proof of that. Shoto wondered what kind of life he'd be living if he hadn't been born with two devastating quirks. Maybe he would have a chance to travel. Maybe if his father wasn't Endeavor and his mother wasn't his mother due to her quirk, maybe he would be normal. A little happier, less responsibility thrust upon his shoulders. And yet if he was quirkless then he wouldn't get to meet people like Kurotsuki.

She thought about soulmates and love but it was clear the topic was a troubling one. He listened patiently though, knowing that for himself, it wasn't a viable concept until very recently. For the longest time growing up, he disliked his mark on his foot, finding it silly and pointless, a reminder that he'd probably die alone in battle, never having found any one special person to share his life with. But now he had to reevaluate things. "Thank you for your honesty." He replied. It had to be something you either believed in, or didn't. Surely there was space to grow and change your perspective though. "I...I think soulmates is a rather abstract concept. I don't fully understand how a shared mark can bind two souls together but it's had proven success." He considered.

He had to pick his words carefully. "I believe one doesn't need a soulmate to find love or happiness but I believe when you do find someone who is your soulmate, it's a rare feat and it shouldn't be taken lightly either." He nodded. Hopefully that explained it enough, weighing both sides. Of course it was hard to have an objective view on the matter when he was more biased now. How would Ruka react in knowing he was her soulmate? Would she be happy or uneasy? Would she like him for him or the fact they were soulmates? It was a worrying thought to think he had found someone who made him happy so effortlessly and he might not make her happy in return. He dug into his sponge cake with slices of sugarcoated peaches as they went back to discussing the recent events, as well as the series he was reading thanks to her.

After eating and walking her home, Shoto headed back to his own home, his father waiting to hear how training had gone with Kurotsuki. Shoto said it went well but he may have hurt her in practice. His father said that would happen regardless of experience and to not let it cloud his judgement. It was good advice. The next morning, he got up and headed into school, thinking today he might need to use his ice quirk since yesterday they had managed to cover both hand to hand and fire, maybe a change would be good before he went back to using his fire. He still didn't feel confident using it. During class, he kept an eye on Ruka, his mind torn between what he had seen yesterday, the reveal of her torso and the fact she was his soulmate. Ahem. He still managed to take adequate notes thankfully, hoping Bakugo hadn't been so lucky as he had.

As the lunchtime bell chimed, Shoto rose but found Ruka approached by Denki. Shoto lingered, listening in. "Hey Kurotsuki-chan." Denki greeted her. He wanted to know how her training had gone. He thought back to seeing Todoroki shirtless and he had to hope things had been okay. Even if that hadn't happened, he still wanted to catch up with her. For some reason it felt like they were drifting apart. Sure it hadn't been too long since they last spoke but Denki rather sad in seeing her spend so much time with Todoroki. He felt rather left out. And there was less spark in Denki's eyes. He cared so much for Ruka but he felt like he was struggling to come up with a grand gesture to ask her out. "I wondered if you wanted to grab lunch with me today?" He looked to her. "I'd love to hear how your training is going." He missed hanging out with her. He missed hearing her laugh. He missed her smile.

AiAi AiAi
 
Why did he feel like he's going to regret telling her that? Shota watched her smile oh so sweetly at him and if experience ever told him things about women, is that when they smile sweetly...run the other way. Shota held back a sigh as he simply eyed Mela. She had something planned and something told him that he's not going to be happy about that. As he bit into his cone, Shota held back a light scoff at her teasing words. Eyeing her suspiciously, Shota reached a hand out and gently ruffled her short brown locks as he told her, "don't push your luck kitten, it'll end up biting you back." He smirked over at her before finishing off his ice cream. It was much needed after such a heated training session.

He watched her run off to head home. Shota would have offered to walk her home, but he didn't mind not having to. It gave him more time to think over this new little secret that he discovered. "Soulmates huh..." Shota mumbled out to himself as he stared up at the changing sky as mixtures of orange began to slowly seep into the once bright blue sky. Standing up, he decided to stop by the store to grab some fish for Mi before heading home. Shota held back a groan as he realized that he left his work at school, which meant either a long weekend filled with just paperwork or he worked on it the next day.

Just as he thought, Shota was now stuck in the teachers' office working on some paperwork come lunchtime. He wanted to take a nap but no, it never seemed to just go his way. It was either Hizashi bugging him the entire lunchtime that or he was stuck doing work like now. And here he was actually thinking of checking on Mela and making sure she wasn't causing trouble. He had an inkling of suspicion when she shrugged off his warning of not wearing the cat ears around others. Frowning, Shota leaned forward on his desk as he can imagine her doing the complete opposite..but here he was stuck doing paperwork. Sighing, Shota decided to finish this up otherwise he'd be stuck here after school too.

Since Monday Yagi has been quite concerned for Uede Shoujo. He's been wanting to talk to her and see how things are doing between her and Aizawa-kun, but Yagi has been quite busy until today. All of yesterday he spent it with Jeanist and a few other pro heroes as they went over and discussed about how they can make the city safer and how they can patrol it in an easier fashion. It was one of the things many pro heroes do, sometimes collaborating and working with other pro heroes was for the better, though there were other heroes who worked solo, someone like Aizawa-kun. As Yagi was walking around the halls, he looked out the window and spotted a familiar head of brown hair. His heart skipped in his chest, causing him to get nervous all of a sudden as All Might suddenly transformed into Yagi. Oops.

Hurrying outside, Yagi slowly approached Mela, noticing something rather peculiar on top of her head. Were those...cat ears!? Yagi's eyes widened as he felt a blush cover his cheeks. Wait, no this probably looked really bad! Stop it Yagi! Taking in a few deep breaths, Yagi went over and sat down beside Mela as he greeted her brightly, "hello there Mela-chan! It's been a while, has it been so long that you now have kitty ears?!" Yagi made a surprised look on his face before chuckling lightly at his own joke. Looking off to the side, Yagi scratched the side of his face as a blush dusted his cheeks, "um so why the kitty ears anyways Mela-chan?" It wasn't for Aizawa-kun...was it? "A-ah, not like I don't think it looks good on you! I think you look very cute! U-um what I meant is...oh! Is that your friend's special lunch again? It looks very cute, she cares very much for you huh?" Noticing the bento in Mela's lap, Yagi turned his focus on that as he willed his heart to stop being so crazy by doing odd flips. He was certain that wasn't natural.

- - -

Ruka stared down at her tea as she listened to Shoto's opinion about soulmates. Hm...that is very true. Perhaps she'll just have to meet her own soulmate first to even know what to say about it? Smiling over at Shoto, Ruka nodded her head, "you're right. It definitely is not something to take lightly on...hehe well I wish the best of luck to the both of us so we can find our soulmates." She smiled over at him, yet why did her heart feel strange? Somehow the smile was forced and Ruka didn't want to wish Shoto luck on finding his soulmate. Did she not want him to be happy...? No, that wasn't it...ah her mind was acting strange today. It was probably due to overheating during their training. Ruka did have to control her quirk from going out of control as she was a bit...distracted today. Ehem.

Shoto was kind enough to walk her home and once she was home, Ruka made dinner for her and Mela where the two chatted. Ruka excused herself a bit early as she had a bit more training to work on. She stared down at her bathtub which she filled with ice and cold water. Gulping, Ruka entered the tub, letting out a hiss as she submerged herself into the icy cold water. There was no way she can go and ask Shoto to just freeze her up, she was certain he wouldn't comply to such a request, but she had to find one way to get used to the cold otherwise she would never be able to counter his ice. Letting out puffs of breath, Ruka noticed the small burns on her chest, over her soul mark. She stared down at it before shaking her head. No, not now. She needs to focus for now otherwise Mela will find a frozen and blue Ruka, not a pink one.

Come the next morning, Ruka went to school as always and today she actually made an extra bento. She's been wanting to give something to Denki for him helping her out all the time. So Ruka decided that a bento would be a good gift for him. She wasn't sure if she should have made one for Shoto or not, but she ended up thinking so much about it that she only had enough time to make one more extra one besides her own and Mela's. If Shoto wanted some, Ruka can give him her share after all. As lunchtime came rolling by, Ruka was getting the bentos out when the person she's been wanting to speak to came up to her. Ruka's eyes brightened up at the sight of Denki as she smiled up at him, "hey Kaminari-kun!"

Noticing how Denki seemed less energetic than usual, Ruka tilted her head at that. Was there something bothering him? Smiling, Ruka nodded her head as she stood up, "sure! I was actually going to look for you too so its perfect! Where do you want to eat? Ah, mind eating outside? The weather is pretty nice...but not the rooftop!" Ruka blurted the last part out as she did not want to run into Katsuki. That boy has been sending her angry glares for quite some time and she was not ready to face him yet. Her ears weren't ready for the mouthful he probably had about her losing to Shoto on Monday. She still wanted to be able to hear. Waving at Shoto, Ruka told him cheerfully, "I'll see you after lunch~!" Sitting down outside underneath the shade of a tree, Ruka turned to Denki with a smile as she held out a bento to him, "ah um you see, I was actually looking for you because I wanted to give you this!... I um made this, but um well remember how you said you liked my cooking? I thought you'd like some more hehe." Ruka went on to talk about training with Shoto, though at the memory of him being shirtless Ruka veered off and changed the topic to Denki's training, "so uh, how's training going for you and Kirishima-san?"


Genkai Genkai
 
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