Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA.

iv. crescendo

—

I was six years old when I first met my aunt.

At the time I had never seen or heard of her, blissfully unaware of the fact she was my mother's younger sister. She was just a strange woman who approached me with a tender smile and equally warm eyes, an expression that scared me because I was so unused to it. She asked me about my Quirk and I immediately burst into tears because all it did was destroy.

She was thirty two. She was an everyday woman simply trying to make enough to feed herself and her young son, who, I heard, was around my age. I always remembered her with a darkened look in her eyes, like with each passing second she reminisced the stagnated state of her life; that she would never be able to live comfortably, always having to count her coins and create spreadsheets in order to figure out how she was going to spend her week's check. I don't remember her name— as a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever heard it. She was a cruel reminder of what the world is truly like.

I had a temper tantrum that day. I don't quite recall what I was even angry about, I just knew that I was. My hands, the same ones that destroyed everything they came into contact with, flailed around wildly as an outlet for my blind fury. And she— she, who always kept her distance, who never smiled too often in fear of her finite happiness slipping out, who stayed up late nights crunching numbers and singing forgotten lullabies to her young son, she—

Why didn't she just stay away?

That's when— and why— my aunt came into the picture. My Quirk "shut off" for a while after that, over a year actually, apparently because my emotional state, gone awry from the immense guilt I carried, prevented it from activating. When it suddenly flared back to life and the first thing I touched didn't disintegrate under my fingertips, my family knew we had to take baby steps from there.

I didn't want my Quirk to be like that anymore. I just wanted to help people, to help them understand life doesn't have to be this scary, to be a source of safety and comfort to someone— even if it was just one person. I didn't want to believe that I was a bad person. I've been carrying the burden of my sin on my shoulders since then and to this day I still plead for forgiveness, but I—

"The indoor battle between Bakugo Katsuki and Yaoyorozu Ume versus Midoriya Izuku and Uraraka Ochako shall begin!"

I never want to hurt anyone like that again.

Bakugo didn't hesitate to burst out of the room. The door flung off its hinges and snapped in half upon making contact with the wall from the explosion he released to open it. I trailed behind him, stepping over the splinters that now littered the floor. I kept my distance, but ran fast enough so that I wouldn't lose track of him.

"Um, be careful," I called. "If Deku—"

"Shut the fuck up!"

I remained quiet. I held my tongue until we rounded a corner and Bakugo suddenly thrust a fist forward, a blast erupting from his palms so large I could feel the ground tremble beneath me. I dropped to a knee and looked up, but a cloud of smoke had enveloped the entire hallway, making it impossible to see what happened. I knew that this attack meant Midoriya and Uraraka were here, but where exactly were they?

"Oi, Deku!" Bakugo spat. "Don't dodge me, bastard. It's less fun when you do."

The cloud had settled and it was revealed that Midoriya and Uraraka had managed to avoid the blast, but not without Midoriya having suffered damage to his mask. My eyes travelled to the spot Bakugo had hit and there was a considerable sized hole, small chunks of debris falling to the ground. I gulped nervously. If Midoriya hadn't dodged—

"I figured you'd aim for me first, Kacchan!" Midoriya shouted in faltering confidence. He was quivering, but remained standing defensively in front of Uraraka. This didn't make Bakugo happy in the slightest.

He lunged forward with a fist reared back, more than ready to attack, but in a moment that felt like slow motion, Midoriya grabbed his arm, astounding the rest of us. With a mighty roar of effort, Bakugo was suddenly in the air, flipping over himself, and his back slammed against the floor with a large thud. I winced instinctively, Uraraka widened her eyes, and Midoriya panted heavily.

It was a moment of shock but this just meant that Midoriya wasn't as vulnerable as everyone— perhaps even including myself— thought. Having such a high risk Quirk naturally should've meant that he knew other forms of fighting in order to prevent relying on it, and I wanted to slap myself for not taking it into consideration earlier. But this was no time for self loathing or regrets.

"You usually start with a punch from your right, Kacchan," Midoriya panted through strained breaths. "Everything I wrote down about great heroes was in that notebook you blew up and threw away."

My throat tightened.

"My 'Deku' isn't always going to mean 'useless', Kacchan. My 'Deku' means 'you can do it'!"

"You can do it."

I remember vividly the way my nerves felt like they were going to explode from all the fear and nervousness running through them. My fingertips stung with anxiety, still fresh with guilt and trepidation because in my hand laid a single piece of string but even that— a mere thread of yarn— was too much for me. I was so scared of destroying, and despite the fact it remained intact in the flesh of my palm, I was still so, so scared.

"Just focus and think. You'll get it."

Gentle hands squeezed my shoulders.

"You can do this, Ume."

I looked up at her with tears in my eyes.

"How do you know?" I asked. "How do you know it won't just fall apart like everything else? Like her?"

"Because—"

She reached out and touched my palm. My heartbeat suddenly stopped and I stared wide eyed at the contact our skin was making. And when she didn't turn into a pile of ash by my feet, when I turned to her and she was still there, like the sun emerging from behind the clouds on a rainy day, my world became a bit brighter.

"Because you aren't a monster. This Quirk of yours is beautiful, Ume," she whispered. "Did you know that? You can become a hero. And I know that because this, everything you've gone through—"

I began crying before she even finished speaking.

"This isn't your destiny."

You can do it, too.

I liked to think of people as words or concepts rather than personality traits. Momo, for example, is the sun. She is bright and warm and the light she emanates surrounds everyone around her like a comforting blanket. Miss Lila would be love. A very unconventional type— one consisting of calloused hands and broken Japanese and exasperated French— but it was a love that worked because it was only ever so pure.

Midoriya, though? He could be a lot of things. Passion, determination, spirit. But there was one thing that stood out as I looked at him and I saw behind his green eyes a hidden blanket of glimmering stars—

Midoriya was hope.

He was also bravery and kindness, but those are just components of what hope is. Because he, who had a Quirk like that, one that only ever seemed to bring pain, refused to let that define who he was. I'm sure Midoriya knew that being here— not just in this battle, but in this school, at Yūei— it shouldn't have happened, but in spite of everything it did. The universe and society and even his peers pegged everything against him, but Midoriya still stood tall, because he knew better than anyone that whatever everyone thought— that he couldn't be a hero, or his Quirk was too useless, or he would never be more than another soul— they were wrong and he proved it.

He refused to make that his destiny, and that? That spoke to me more than anything or anyone ever has. That's why witnessing him, hope, in a way I had never seen it before made me want to win this now more than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, if I could become strong like that, then I—

Then I could prove them all wrong, too.

"Bakugo!" I shouted. My voice was harsh, almost like a growl, but there was something pumping in my veins, sending adrenaline to every part of my system. Bakugo was now stuck between Midoriya and Uraraka, and I knew this quickly would become a problem. The irate look in his eyes coupled with the clenching of his jaw all but told me that his anger was soon to take over his judgement and impair his fighting style. They could read him like an open book.

"Shut the fuck up!" Bakugo shouted back, firecrackers exploding from his fingertips. I defiantly shook my head.

"I have an id—"

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Are you deaf?!"

"Will you just—" I slammed my hands on the ground. "Fucking listen to me, asshole!"

I knew I couldn't worry about my outburst or sore throat as the floor underneath my palms uplifted and elevated, sticking up like mountains and becoming displaced. Bakugo launched himself into the air with large explosions from his palm while Midoriya and Uraraka were swallowed up by the slabs of the ground that shined with a black sheen, now having become asphalt concrete. Bakugo landed, or rather, tumbled beside me, breaths heavy and uneven and filled with his rage. This made the fact he didn't say anything to me rather surprising.

"It isn't over," I spoke up, but as soon as I turned my head, small pellets of rock struck my body as an overwhelming gust of wind blew in our direction. Bakugo and I were flung back by the gale, and because I couldn't touch anything, I was unable to construct a shield or anything of the sort. I capsized over myself in mid air while all sorts of debris battered my body, and I suddenly felt the entirety of my weight crash into something else, quite literally knocking the breath out of me.

With my world whirling, I struggled to make sense of everything I was seeing and hearing until a low growl entered my ears. Crimson eyes bore into mine, Bakugo's expression full of vexation. It didn't take me very long to realize that I had crashed into him and I now laid on top of him in an infelicitous position that would've given anyone the impression that I was straddling him.

My face exploded in warmth and I scrambled off of him as quickly as I could, falling backwards over myself unceremoniously, while Bakugo just grumbled a string of expletives underneath his breath as he sat up.

"Motherfucker," he hissed, eyes pinning ahead. Deciding asking if he was okay was unnecessary, I followed his gaze and saw Midoriya doubling over on one knee, holding his finger close to his chest, one that was broken from the usage of his Quirk. Uraraka knelt beside him with a supportive hand on his back.

"Are you okay, Deku-kun?" she asked.

"I'm fine!" Midoriya quickly answered. Thanks to his rebound, the prison I had made for them had completely crumbled apart. The floor between us was a complete disaster, unable to be easily crossed. This meant they could easily retreat, and if I had considered the fact Midoriya really was reckless enough to use his Quirk in this way, I would've done something else.

My body suddenly moved before I could think and I scrambled ahead. My fingertips made contact with the ground and I swung my arm forward. The crater that had formed between us shifted and morphed, turning brown and splintering into a makeshift platform of wood that would make for easier access to the other side of the hallway.

"Uraraka-san, go!" Midoriya shouted. Uraraka hesitated for a bit, but trusted the tone in his voice in the same way anyone else would. She nodded and turned on her heel, racing down the hall, while Midoriya stumbled to his feet and followed after her.

"Come back here, bastard!" Bakugo shouted. Before he could chase after them, I stepped in front of him and held out my arms. Bakugo flinched at my actions and immediately glowered.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Wait—" I said. "Let's corner them."

"What?"

"The building layout." I inhaled deeply through my teeth. "If two people walk around one side of the perimeter, they'll eventually meet in the center. Go after them, and I can swing around the other side and cut them off. And I'll catch them this time."

"Fuck off!" Bakugo slapped my arm. "Your great idea last time is the reason why they got away!"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I need you to trust me."

"Why the hell should I?"

"Because I—" I pursed my lips. "I know you want to win this as badly as I do, Bakugo-san."

He sneered and ripped his gaze away as if debating on what to do, but he knew as well as I did that there was no time to consider the what ifs of this situation. He scoffed and moved past me, his shoulder pushing into mine.

"Fuck this up again and you're dead."

The last thing I heard was his blasts taking him away.

I was terrified.

As I ran through the dimmed halls the only thing on my mind was if I would be able to do it right this time. My plan was hardly that at all, hastily put together and would probably only work if the stars aligned and everything would just so happen to go in my favor. And while I had Bakugo for backup, I wasn't sure how far that would go before he'd lose his patience and fight on his own accord. I was scared.

But I wasn't alone.

In spite of Bakugo's unpleasant personality that made me want to rip my hair out, he was smart and calculating. He knew how to weigh his options and the only reason why he was so ready to fight against Midoriya was because he knew he had the skills needed to outmaneuver and overpower him. The winner in a one-on-one fight between them would be indisputable. That being said, I doubt he let this rest in my hands because he was desperate. Neither of us had reached that point yet. Someone with Bakugo's power and personality— no, they never got desperate.

Did this mean he trusted me?

My thoughts were interrupted by a massive explosion that rocked the building and threw me off balance. As I leaned against the wall to regain my footing, I snapped my head up knowing exactly what happened and still hoping it didn't. I sprinted down the hall where the smell of burning and toffee became stronger and stronger, wisps of black smoke coming from around the corner. Oh, no.

"Deku-kun!"

I reached the end of the hall and turned. Uraraka and Midoriya were on the ground, the latter on all fours struggling to keep from collapsing. Bakugo stood before them, a twisted smirk on his face as he dropped his hand from one of the grenade-like gauntlets around his wrist.

"Damn… this thing stores a shit ton of power!" he exclaimed.

"Young Bakugo, another attack like that, and I will be forced to disqualify your team," All Might's voice echoed in our ear radios. My brow twitched.

"What did you do?!" I shouted.

"You were too slow! I found 'em and decided to do this shit on my own!" Bakugo retorted, not even looking over his shoulder. Not even looking at me. And this— this angered me, because it made me feel as if he thought he was too good to look at me. His partner.

"I told you I had a plan—"

"Fuck your plans!"

"Why won't you just work with me, Bakugo?!"

He finally looked back.

"You're dead weight!"

I broke.

Without thinking about my actions, only feeling this sickening rage well up inside me, I threw my fist forward and it connected with his jaw. I cringed at the sudden pain that struck my pinkie, but I didn't care, because I was so upset I could easily disregard any ache or discomfort. Bakugo stumbled back and looked me in the eyes, absolutely seething, his cheek slightly swollen.

"You fucking bitch!" he spat. "Who the fuck do you think you are, punching me?!"

"I'm your partner!" I shouted. I reached forward with the intention of grabbing his shirt, but he slapped my hand away and pulled back against my collar instead. I instinctively pushed my palm into his face, my nails digging into his skin, while he held his forearm against my throat.

"The world doesn't revolve around you!" I yelled. "Not everyone is going to bend over and listen to everything you say, no matter how strong you are!"

"Don't fucking talk to me like I'm below you!"

"I know you're not! I know you're far more capable than me, but I—"

With one final effort, I pushed back and staggered away from him.

"I want to be a hero, too!"

I wasn't even aware that I had begun shedding tears until I realized how hard it was to breathe. I touched my fingers to my cheeks and felt the dampness. Bakugo and I looked at each other, panting, emotions flying and crashing into each other. I felt ridiculous. Now was the worst of times to be like this, so tense and tempestuous and thinking so little of our surroundings. But I needed Bakugo to know, and to understand that no matter what I was here for the same reason as him, and no matter where that put our rankings or grades or personal egos, it meant, automatically, that we were equals.

Midoriya and Uraraka had managed to regain their strength by now, and stood in a defensive position before us, but they were injured and looked just as tired as we were. This meant that this was an endurance test, and if Bakugo and I wanted to win, we had to hold them off until time ran out.

"Oi."

Bakugo's voice demanded my attention. He looked at me and snorted.

"You're a pain in my ass."

I chuckled. "The feeling's mutual."

I immediately dropped my hands and the floor quickly became white and viscous, extending down the aisle to Uraraka and Midoriya. They stumbled backwards and Uraraka directed Midoriya to a slab from Bakugo's earlier explosion. They both climbed onto it and with a touch, the slab with them on top of it floated into the air and far out of the way of the adhesive that now covered the ground. Bakugo lowered his knees, but I stopped him before he could go any further.

"Bakugo! This is polyvinyl acetate— it becomes more viscous with heat, so be careful!"

"Eh?" Bakugo turned back to me. "Then if I fall, just fucking freeze it!"

I nodded and kept my hands firmly on the ground. The heat of his explosions radiated out to me, seeping into and diffusing throughout my skin. I watched as he flew through the air using the inertia of his blasts. Midoriya held his wrist out with his opposite hand, and I prepared myself for another tremendous blast, ready to form an iron shield, but Bakugo grabbed Midoriya's hand and flipped himself over onto the slab. He shoved Uraraka off with his foot, and I quickly moved to change a large spot of the adhesive into one of foam that she safely landed within.

I breathed out in relief to see that she was okay and quickly hurried over to her, creating solidified platforms to do so. As soon as I reached her, there was a twisting in my stomach that immediately made me feel dizzy.

"Wow, Yaoyorozu-chan!" Uraraka gasped. "Your Quirk is so cool!"

I forced a smile onto my face. "Thanks."

Fastened to my hip was a roll of tape that would be used to capture the other team. I grabbed it and quickly wrapped it around Uraraka's wrists, flashing an apologetic smile at her before I was struck with another bout of nausea. I covered my mouth with my hand and looked up at the floating piece of concrete where Bakugo and Midoriya still remained.

"What's going on?" Uraraka gasped.

"No id—"

My sentence was cut off when an explosion rang and Midoriya was suddenly thrown from the slab. I immediately rushed over and slammed my hands down, creating a bed of foam similar to the one Uraraka laid in to prevent Midoriya from getting hurt. Bakugo appeared by my side, palms glowing orange, and he looked down at me as I wrapped my arms around my abdomen in pain.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" he asked. I groaned, barely able to speak at all.

"Feel… sick…" I breathed out. In my peripheral I saw Midoriya still moving. He stood up from the bed of foam with labored breaths. His determination was more the admirable to me, especially because of his injuries, the most severe of which was his broken finger. Hope incarnate. I was still somehow able to smile.

"I'm never… giving up, Kacchan!" Midoriya proclaimed. "I'm not scared of you anymore!"

"You're fuckin' annoying," Bakugo growled. Midoriya lifted his hand, but the blond was in the air before anything else could happen. Midoriya stepped back, but immediately twisted his head in the unsteadiness of his footing due to the foam, and looked back ahead just as Bakugo reached forward, gripping his arm.

"You damn nerd!" he shouted. Releasing a series of quick, continuous blasts, Bakugo pivoted around on his heel, taking Midoriya with him, and mimicking the same move used against him earlier, he threw Midoriya forward and slammed him against the ground. Midoriya reeled from the ruthless attack, coughing harshly while Bakugo wrapped the capture tape around his hands.

"Bakugo…" The amount of relief that washed into me was so enormous, it brought me to my knees.

"Time's up! The villain team consisting of Bakugo Katsuki and Yaoyorozu Ume… are the winners!"

"We did it…"

Bakugo looked at me and smirked proudly. Before I could give a smile of my own, I leaned over to the side and hurled.

"You look terrible."

Kirishima was the first to greet me with the rather unwelcoming phrase as soon as Uraraka, Bakugo, and I stepped into the monitor room. Midoriya had been taken to Recovery Girl, the school nurse, but since the worst I was suffering from was nausea, it was ultimately decided that I didn't need treatment from her.

"Thanks," I murmured. It was so quiet I was debating if I said it at all, but Kirishima grinned and gave me a thumbs up, indicating he had somehow heard it. Momo rushed toward me with astonishing speed and scooped me into her arms, holding me close, but I gagged and she immediately loosened her grip. She examined me carefully, head bobbing up and down for any sign of injury, and I could practically feel her relief when she realized I was simply a bit queasy. A few scratches here and bruises there, but otherwise I was alright, and that was all she needed.

"Ume, I—" she started. "I was so worried! I was terrified for you the entire time, but you—"

"Were lovely."

I turned my head as Saiko approached me, a satisfied smile on her face. I knew for the sake of professionalism it wouldn't be a good idea to hug her— despite the fact I really, really wanted to— so instead I leaned against Momo and sighed.

"Thank you," I muttered, still struggling to speak normally. My stomach was still knotting and churning, and my head was spinning, and though I felt absolutely awful I knew it could have been worse. The feeling would pass soon, anyway.

"Umerozu, you were awesome!" Mina cheered, grinning widely. "The way you used your Quirk was so badass!"

Standing near her, Tokoyami nodded. "I'm impressed with the sheer diversity of it. Your mastery of it rivals the level of Pro Heroes."

"Not only that, but your quick thinking preventing Uraraka-kun or Midoriya-san from getting injured any further," Iida added. I blushed at the praise, but All Might cleared his throat, silencing us for a moment.

"It's true that the battle was fought well on both sides. However, I'm sure some of you have criticisms for your classmates," he said.

"You and Bakugo-chan suddenly got into a fight," Tsuyu said, tipping her finger near her mouth. "It was kind of scary, ribbit."

"Yeah… at the very least, you were able to make up from it," Jiro added, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

"As a matter of fact, I would say your teamwork became stronger after it," Shoji said.

"I dunno how you did it, Umerozu, but good job taming that wild beast!" Sero chuckled, giving me a thumbs up, ignoring the dagger-like gaze Bakugo shot him.

"Uraraka-san and Midoriya-san also worked well together," Momo mentioned, placing her hand on my back. "They were able to synchronize their attacks well and never put each other in harm's way."

"Considering the fact they had to be on the defensive the entire time, they did pretty well," Kaminari grinned. Uraraka gasped and placed her hands on her cheeks.

"Thanks, guys!" she chirped.

"Young Bakugo, Young Yaoyorozu," All Might said, turning to us both. "As your classmates mentioned, the argument you got into put your objective in risk. It's important to work together and understand the cooperation needed!"

I nodded, glancing over at Saiko for a moment.

"You're right," I breathed out. "I was… angry and hasty and… I'm sorry, Bakugo-san. For yelling and attacking you."

I lowered my head to him. Bakugo's lip twitched, but he received a look from All Might, Saiko, and even Momo, and he eventually relented by sighing and shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled. "You were okay, I guess."

I knew it was the closest thing to an apology or compliment I would get from him, so I decided to take it as it was— not praise, necessarily, but a truthful statement that was unapologetically him. In truth I could have stacked on more words to the apology, tears and a lengthy explanation as to what really triggered such a violent response, but I had already cried in front of him once, and I wasn't too keen on giving Bakugo more ammunition to hold something against me. I was ashamed enough as it was.

The rest of the day went on with me trying my absolute best not to throw up again, but after Saiko gave me a cup of tea and a slice of bread from the cafeteria to settle my stomach, I started to feel a bit better. I watched Momo's fight carefully, as carefully as I hoped she watched mine. She was paired with Iida, against Sero and Ojiro, and of course, she won. She returned with a hint of fatigue from the use of her Quirk, but was in much better shape than me at the end of my battle.

Midoriya came into the monitor room toward the final few matches, yawning loudly and chewing on a piece of candy he had been given by Recovery Girl after his treatment. I nudged him with my shoulder, smiling slightly when he turned to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Almost immediately, he brightened.

"Yeah!" he said quickly, nodding his head. "Recovery Girl was able to heal me, so I'm good to go!"

He showed me his bandaged finger and my smile became a bit wider.

"You were amazing, by the way," I said. "But you should be more careful with your Quirk."

"I know. I still have a long way to go with it," he sighed and looked at his hand.

"I'm sure you'll master it in due time."

Midoriya smiled. "Thanks, Yaoyo— I mean, er, Umerozu-san." His expression dimmed slightly. "That fight you had with Kacchan… everything you said, I feel the exact same way about," he admitted. I held my breath. "And then you started crying… I really understand your frustration, Umerozu-san. But I… I think you're amazing!"

I blushed and turned away, but I couldn't contain the smile on my face. I chuckled softly, rubbing my hands.

"When I was younger, I had no control over my Quirk," I quietly said. "It's powerful, yes, but it was too much power for a four year old. How could someone that young ever make sense of something like molecular manipulation?" I sighed. "I destroyed everything I touched. For a long time everyone around me regarded me as a villain and made me feel bad over something I hardly understood. I…"

My gaze flickered.

"I was a monster."

And everything darkened for a bit.

"My aunt helped me control it. Momo helped me a lot, too. And I despised my Quirk, but I realized that I can become a hero. That I wanted to become a hero."

I smiled softly.

"Thank you for believing in me, Deku."

His eyes glossed over like he was going to cry, but Midoriya blinked quickly and wiped whatever stray tears were going to form with the back of his hand.

"O-Of course!" he stammered. "We should support each other…!"

"Yes," I chuckled softly. "We certainly should."

The sun was setting by the time we were dismissed from school. Momo and I, having to wait to be picked up, sat on the steps of the school entrance. I leaned over and rested my head in her lap, trying my absolute best to withstand the very powerful temptations of sleep. We had said our goodbyes to Saiko earlier, after she took a moment to make sure we were alright.

"I'm tired," I muttered. Momo giggled.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" she asked, placing her hand on my forehead.

"Mhmm," I sounded quietly.

"Does your stomach still hurt?"

"No. I'm feeling a lot better now."

"That's wonderful to hear."

Momo and I sat in this silence for a bit longer, until we both heard footsteps dragging, coming closer and closer toward us. I lifted my head up from Momo's lap and looked over my shoulder, admittedly a bit surprised to see Bakugo. He caught my gaze and furrowed his brows, looking back and forth between Momo and I.

"The fuck?" he voiced. "There's two of you?"

"You're just now noticing this?" Momo asked, raising a brow. I chuckled at the disappointed or perhaps offended tone in her voice.

"Don't start bitching at me," he grumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets. He walked past us, descending the stairs, but I suddenly stood up and called his name, prompting him to stop in his tracks and turn around to face me.

"Good work today," I said. Bakugo scoffed.

"You tryin' to get me to compliment you or something?"

"No, not at all."

As I said this, the limousine Momo and I were waiting for drove up to the entrance. Bakugo's eyes widened at the sight of the vehicle, and stared in disbelief as Momo and I walked toward him. When I reached the bottom step, I glanced back at him and brushed a strand of hair out of my face as a cool, gentle breeze blew.

"I'll admit, Bakugo-san, despite how much you upset me today, I—"

I smiled.

"I think… you're cool."

His lips curled upwards.

"I actually like this idea. I love how Momo still loves her sister even when it seems that their parents don't. Ume has so much potential as a hero; it's just a crying shame that only Momo saw it before she went to UA. But after seeing the number of people in class 1-A; I presume she's replacing Mineta? As for their Aunt; I'm gonna take a wild guess and say she's either married to All Might, or she's married to another woman and that is what earned her family's ire." — SulliMike23

Thank you! The funny thing is, this wasn't truly my idea, but I'm happy I was able to execute it in a way you like! Momo and Ume's dynamic is certainly one of the more important character relationships in this story, and it's certainly going to evolve as time goes on. And, in actuality, I had planned for Mineta to still be in this, with Ume just being an "extra" (in her words), but I ended up forgetting about that specific plot point, and by the time I realized it, chapter 3 was out and I had to roll with the punches LOL

"I FULLY support Bakugo x Ume... I really like how you've set up the foundations for their dynamic so far. For ex, I love the way she pays attention to Bakugo in the same way that Yaomomo pays attention to todoroki. I also feel like they will end up bettering each other in the end; bakugo becoming for understanding and ume becoming more confident. Great chapter! Thanks!" — Choco-Latte64

Well, thank you for supporting me! And I'm glad you caught onto how Ume pays attention to Bakugo! It's a lot more subtle but if you notice how she tends to pick up on his behaviors (small glances, for example), it's more insightful than how she reacts to anyone else aside from maybe Momo.

"Aw what a great chapter! I'm looking forwards to seeing how their aunt will influence the story, and I can't decide if I feel like she's married to All Might or if she's possibly married to All for One or someone evil. I thought Shinso was a little snarky like he canonly can be, but very interested by them, especially ume who probably didn't exude the usual pride up and coming heroes have. Tbh when she thought of her own quirk as a curse and when people would say stuff about her being a villain I thought back to Shinso. Also, I didn't think too much about him flirting until he said he would probably see her around, not mentioning Mina at all. I think it's cute and of course I loved the small reaction from Bakugou when Mina brought it up. Also loved the depth you gave to Mina and thought it was so cute Ume asked to call her that. Can't wait for more!" — WoodbridgeWine

Thank you for your immense support! It's true that I wanted to make a connection between Ume and Shinso in terms of how she and others regarded her Quirk. I want it to be used as something that will help them relate to each other when he appears in the future (spoilers?). I also wanted to really develop the relationship between Ume and Mina, because she's actually one of my favorite characters, I just never have the chance to write about her a lot. They're as different as night and day but that's why they have a really good dynamic. Ume really admires Mina. I also find it interesting seeing so many people theorize that Saiko is married to All Might. Makes me wonder!

A/N:

First and foremost I want to thank you all for over 50 favorites and over 90 follows! That truly means so much to me. It makes me so happy seeing how many people genuinely enjoy this story. It's what motivates me to keep writing!

That aside, we have a bit of a tense chapter. I made it this way because I wanted to express that Ume isn't actually content with the treatment by her family and others around her. In truth, she's very frustrated and angered by it— she holds a lot more negative feelings than she lets on or even admits— and this all blew up with Bakugo's words to her because they were just so familiar. And she expressed it so negatively because she knew she could, as in, she wasn't speaking to her parents or anyone else. Bakugo was a bit of an outlet for her. I also wanted to reflect a bit on why Ume is treated the way she is, and it just isn't because she's an extra. She has a lot of inner conflicts but of course this will all be addressed as time goes on.

That being said, I'm glad I'm now able to develop her and Bakugo's relationship more now. But Ume's relationship with Midoriya is also very important, not to say there will be any romance involved (or will there?), but Midoriya is a big source of inspiration for Ume. I kind of wish I gave Saiko a more explicit role in this chapter, but I thought it would be better to show that through flashbacks. Like I said, she'll appear more in the future!

Sorry for such a long author's note, there's just a lot I wanted to talk about. Thank you so much for reading, and please don't hesitate to drop some feedback for your thoughts and analysis! See you later!