Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA.

xi. unkind

—

We were given an hour of free time before the next event, which would be one-on-one matches. Contenders were given their own rooms to rest for the time being, but I found it impossible to sit still. Thanks to some medicine supplied by Recovery Girl, my stomach ache had subsided, and I was given the go ahead to use my Quirk again for the match ups. During this break, as several festivities were hosted, some people used the opportunity to explore the stadium grounds, taking a moment to indulge in all the food and souvenirs offered and sold.

"I'm so sorry, Ume. I promise Kyoka and Tsuyu that I would get food with them!" Momo whimpered, clapping her hands together in apology. "You can come with us, however!"

A part of me was disappointed by this, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I smiled and shook my head, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's fine," I told her. "You should go and have fun with them."

Momo beamed and brushed her hand over mine. "I love you. I'll see you later!"

We waved to each other as she scurried away, but unfortunately, that left me alone. I would have searched for Mina and Kirishima, but I had no idea as to where they were, and Midoriya was still getting his finger treated. In the end, I thought getting something to eat for myself and returning to my room wouldn't be a terrible idea, so I walked forward with that intent, only to stop when a voice called out my name.

"Oi, Princess."

I smiled and turned around.

"Hey, Bakugo."

He approached me in slow, eerily calm steps, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Bakugo's crimson eyes tapered into a fine glare, and when he finally stood in front of me, he examined me carefully, irises flicking up and down.

"Where's the other one?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"She's my sister, and she has a name," I huffed. "Anyway, she went to get food with some others."

"So you're alone?"

"I was planning to be, yes." I creased my brows together. "Why?"

Bakugo remained silent as he took a few steps past me, only stopping when we were feet away from each other.

"I'm fucking starving."

Oh.

With a soft smile forming on my lips, I trailed after him with tantanmen on my mind.

"I wonder where Shinso is."

I wasn't aware of it until I turned to face Bakugo, but he looked at me with an irate scowl on his face, as if I said something blasphemous to him.

"What?"

"What about that bastard?" he growled.

"Um… nothing? I'm just musing." I diverted my gaze. "After the cavalry battle, I was rushed to the nurse, so I wasn't able to say anything more to him…"

Somehow, I could practically hear Bakugo rolling his eyes. I looked at him again, quickly noticing the way he clenched his jaw and balled his hands into a fist.

"What're you getting so upset about?" I asked.

"Nothing," Bakugo grouched.

"Listen, I—"

I stopped myself, knowing fully that even if there was something bothering Bakugo, there's no way in this reality or another he would tell me. It was times like this that made his pride incredibly pesky to deal with, but I had my own ways of getting through to him.

"Hey, let me buy you some ramen," I said. He turned to me again, raising a brow.

"Why?"

"Consider it my way of saying congratulations for making it to the next round."

Bakugo snorted and quickened his pace. "No fucking way. You're just gonna hold it over my head so I can pay you back or something."

"What? Come on—" I jogged after him and grabbed his wrist, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "Bakugo, seriously. I'm rich."

"Fuck off."

"You're the one who said you were hungry." I frowned. "I can't believe you're denying free food."

He looked like he wanted to say something to me, and I was almost certain he was going to, but for one reason or another, he stopped himself. Releasing what sounded like a mixture of a groan and a sigh, Bakugo tilted his head to the sky and slumped his shoulders before eventually yielding. He grabbed my hand, which admittedly caught me off guard, and practically yanked me in the direction of a ramen stand. A part of me was thankful for that, because I had no idea where it was, and I knew he was going to mock me with no mercy over that if I had led the way.

"Two orders of tantanmen, please," I said upon reaching the stand, already fishing out my wallet.

"Two?" Bakugo repeated. I nodded.

"I want one, too."

"You don't like spicy things."

"I'm not sure where you got that information." I smiled and gently nudged his shoulder. "Plus, it's not a bad idea to get involved in the things you like, too."
Bakugo's scoff was his version of an adequate response. I chose to ignore him, grabbing the food I ordered after paying for it, and after securing the bag in my hands, I pivoted on my heel and began to return to the stadium.

"Is it okay if we go back to our rooms?" I asked, though a part of me wasn't sure why I was even asking for his permission.

"Whatever," Bakugo grunted. For what felt like the millionth time that day, I rolled my eyes.

"Is it good?"

Bakugo was a surprisingly clean eater. He never rushed, nor did he make a mess with his meals, and kept any noise to a bare minimum. As someone who grew up learning the same mannerisms and thus finding things like slurping and lip smacking to be absolutely infuriating, I was actually rather grateful for his proper eating etiquette. We had ending up returning to my room since it was closer, and although it was Bakugo, I didn't mind the extra company.

"'S fine," he finally said. My lips tugged upwards.

"You can admit when something is good, you know."

"I already said it was good."

I sighed quietly. "Are you ready?"

His answer was delayed due to the time he took to drink the broth. Considering I had barely touched my own food, I was impressed with how quickly he was able to down the entire thing. As discreetly as I could, I set my own bowl of ramen on the table separating us and pushed it closer toward him.

"You're an idiot," Bakugo grumbled as soon as he put his first bowl down and picked up mine. "Don't buy shit if you're gonna waste it."

"I didn't mean to," I muttered. "I'm not very hungry, I guess."

"Don't say some shit like you're on a diet—"

"No." I sighed and shook my head. "I'm nervous, Bakugo. Really nervous."

He furrowed his brows, as if the mere idea of me being apprehensive toward anything was ridiculous. And while it's true that I had become braver, more daring in the face of adversaries, that was always because I knew I had someone who could back me up. The worst part about this third event wasn't the fact I would be fighting, but the fact I would be fighting alone. And though I had been training with my Quirk, utilizing it in ways to give me the best advantage in battle, I feared that it wasn't enough. Losing certainly wasn't the worst thing that could have happened, but would the people watching share the same sentiments?

"You'll be fine," Bakugo said. "You wouldn't have made it this far otherwise."

I raked my hand through my strands. "I'm scared," I finally admitted. "Do you think my mom is watching?"

"So what if she is?"

"If she is, then—"

"Does nothing get through that thick fucking skull of yours?"

I flinched at the harsh wording that was spotlighted by the slightly incensed tone. Bakugo stared at me with a maddened gaze that made it so I was unable to respond.

"Didn't I say that you don't need approval from your shitty mom?" he asked. "Why are you still looking for it?"

"I didn't—"

My voice immediately dropped when I realized that any denial of such would just mean I was making an excuse for myself. Bakugo was right. My journey to self improvement was one that didn't have its destination in the eyes of my mother. I never needed her approval, but the truth was—

"It's hard," I muttered. "My whole life has been dedicated to doing something that would get her to acknowledge me. If I don't need her, then what do I do…?"

"God." Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Aren't you into this 'best self' shit because you want to prove to yourself that you're not what she thinks you are?"

"Yes, but…"

"But nothing. Stop trying to find your worth in everyone else. You're the only one you need."

I'm the only one I need.

I chuckled quietly and leaned forward, resting my elbows against my knees. Bakugo angrily asked what it was I found so funny, but in that moment I was unable to respond; I shook my head and giggled again, because the irony of the entire situation was killing me.

"I just think you've been spending too much time around me," I said, lifting my head. Onyx and crimson met.

"Eh?"

"You were the one who gave me a pep talk," I continued. "Thank you, Bakugo."

He snorted and accusingly pointed his chopsticks at me. "If you lose your match, I'll kill you."

I chuckled.

"I trust that you'll keep your word."

Gathering in the middle of the stadium with seven of my classmates, one of them being my own sister, was far more stressful than I imagined it being, and I severely underestimated how unprepared I was. The thunderous crowd and Present Mic's enthusiastic trills were nothing compared to the drumming of my heartbeat in my ears. There was no guarantee that my match would be first, and yet I found myself wishing that the hour of free time we were given had lasted a bit longer.

And then—

"It's time to see who will be our first match!"

The large screen that loomed over us all flickered between names and pictures. My heart began pounding even faster; my eyes glued to that artificial light; I kept my fingers crossed and my breath held for what I knew was inevitable.

Todoroki Shoto

versus

Yaoyorozu Ume

The world stopped turning.

My eyes panned over to Todoroki. Silver and turquoise hardly seemed perturbed by the matchup, but my mind was in a frenzy. Todoroki was always the most problematic person in our class in terms of strength; he was unanimously regarded as one of, if not the most powerful student in our class. Even if his Quirk alone wasn't so devastating, he was calm, smart, and rational. He already had all the ingredients to easily win this match, but—

"Hey."

Shinso was the antithesis to my chaotic state of mind. He nudged me with his elbow, and with the faintest trace of a smile on his face, he nodded.

"You'll be fine."

He walked away after that. Momo then came towards me, her fingers locking with mine, and she pressed our foreheads together.

"I believe in you," she whispered. In spite of myself, I smiled. "Do your best."

"I will."

I was expecting and ultimately disappointed by the lack of words of encouragement from Bakugo, but before he left the stage, we made eye contact. It was for only an instant, but it felt so much longer than that, and time resumed as soon as his gaze broke. I took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart, and I glanced at Todoroki, forcing a smile to spread on my lips.

"Good luck, Todoroki."

He nodded listlessly. "You too, Yaoyorozu."

We stood across from each other. Todoroki kept his fists balled in his pockets while I used the time to crack my knuckles and talk myself down from all this anxiety. This fear, this consternation—

"Start!"

A mountain of ice cascaded in my direction as soon as the signal was given. I expected as much. In observing his fighting style over the months we've spent together, it became relatively easy to predict his first course of action during combat— unleashing an overwhelming amount of ice to finish off the match quickly. I dropped to my knees and lifted up a wall of asphalt that managed to stop the ice, but sent a gale of frigid wind my way. I shuddered, but refused to let that stop me.

I threw my arms behind me and sent myself traveling forward on a slab of cement. I raced past Todoroki's ice, brushing my fingers against it as I did so, turning it into a massive wave of water that I sent his way like a tsunami on land. Unfortunately for me, Todoroki was able to freeze the water just as quickly, leaving it in its frozen state.

I leapt off the slab and placed my hands on the wave again, converting it into water once more, only this time, I separated it into two torrents of water that I shot towards him from from the right and the left. Todoroki only ever used his right side to produce his ice, which made him vulnerable, and thus unable to defend.

Or so I thought.

Exhaling deeply, he swung his arm across his chest, creating a semicircular barrier that surrounded him and protected him from my attack. I held my breath, and from the wisps of condensed air that surrounded him, I noticed his gaze flicker to somewhere else before returning to me.

"Wow! Todoroki and Yaoyorozu exchange quick and relentless attacks at one another!" Present Mic commented. Whatever Aizawa-sensei responded with was white noise to me. I was too busy focusing on retaliation, doing anything and everything I could to evade and counter Todoroki's ice. It was a power I had never encountered before; the sheer mastery of his Quirk in tandem with the potency it boasted made it all the more difficult for me to deal with. Converting it into water could only work so many times, which meant my best, and perhaps only choice was to confront him in hand to hand combat.

I had no doubt that Todoroki was adept at unarmed fighting, but if he was anything like me, then the heavy reliance he had on his Quirk meant that he wasn't that much better at close combat. I created a ramp that I ran up on, and Todoroki sent a number of glaciers my way. In a moment of impulsivity, I jumped off the edge and held my hands in front of me as the ice tore through the air.

It couldn't be much different from using it on people. Altering molecular speed was still a tricky feat, but considering how many times I had used it today alone, I was starting to get the hang of it. The ice's speed slowed dramatically, enough so that I could safely slide down the side. I slammed my hand against it and the surface evened out before my very eyes, protecting me from stray icicles that jutted out. Upon reaching the ground, I somersaulted forward and rushed toward Todoroki, who seemed more or less surprised by my stunt, but stomped and sent more of the frozen element toward me.

Again.

He must have seen through my plan. No, I was absolutely sure he did. As quickly as I could, I pressed my fingertips on the ground and created a column of concrete that shot into the air and split the ice in half, sending it in two different directions.

"Todoroki!" I called, getting to my feet. "Is this all you have to prove to me?"

He narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about, Yaoyorozu?"

His eyes fluttered again. With that observation, I pointed an accusatory finger at him, my brows knitting together.

"This entire match, you've been looking somewhere else," I accused. "But where? And why?"

Todoroki, who was usually polite toward me, speaking to me when I did so to him, frowned and responded by sending more ice in my direction. Obviously, I had struck a nerve. Todoroki's thoughts were occupied by something, which led me to believe that he wasn't fighting at his full strength. Though his ice was amazing, I knew he was capable of more. He had to be.

When he shifted his eyes again, I decided to follow his line of sight and I turned my head to the stands. Among the thousands of people who occupied each seat, the Pro Heroes who sat with their arms folded proudly across their chests as they judged us, there was one who stood out the most to me. How could he not? Flames danced wildly over his shoulders and face, his figure and presence alone cold and chilling despite the element he commanded. His eyes weren't angry, no, that would be inaccurate. They were something else. Turquoise and disparaging and so similar, yet so unlike the boy standing before me.

"Endeavor," I breathed, hardly aware I had said anything at all. Todoroki's muscles tensed at the utterance of his name, his father's name. And it didn't take me very long to put two and two together.

Todoroki only ever used his right side to produce his ice.

"Your left side," I muttered. "Is fire."

Though he tried to keep his expression calm, it was easy to tell that anything relating to fire— and thus, by extension, Endeavor— was a sensitive topic. The burn mark. His refusal to fight using his left. The constant glares he kept sending that man's way, it was all making sense because it was all so real to me, as if for a moment I could see myself on the other side of this arena.

So it's like that, huh?

The subtle trembling and patches of rime that enveloped his right side, to me, said something more than the fact he was reaching his limit. It said that he absolutely refused to use his fire, even when he was unable to fight, even when something like heat could offset the consequences that came with overusing his ice.

"Why won't you use it?" I asked. "Your left side— this match can be so much easier if you use it, Todoroki."

"Don't get involved in something that isn't your business, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki hissed.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is my business," I retorted, readying myself for another strike. "Because you're my opponent, and right now, this match is getting nowhere. You keep coming at me with the same attacks as if that'll do anything. Don't you see what my Quirk is?"

"Enough," Todoroki spat. More glaciers were sent my way, but at a significantly slower speed, as if I was affecting them in any way. The frost covering Todoroki's body expanded and he exhaled deeply, his eyes carefully tracking my movement as I dove to the left.

"This—" I frowned. "This can't be the person Momo thinks so highly of."

His brow twitched.

"What?" he muttered. There was disbelief in his voice.

"Maybe you don't realize it, Todoroki, but Momo thinks you're amazing," I said. "She talks about you all the time because you're the personification of what she thinks a great hero is."

"Why are you bringing her into this?"

"Because she knows, Todoroki!" I took in a deep breath. "She knows better than anyone, especially yourself, that your flames—"

"They're beautiful."

It was a mild evening when Momo and I sat on the steps leading to our backyard, a large space featuring a koi pond, a cobblestone path, and enough land to build a small farm. Lantern towers lit the winding paths with a small flame that bathed the entire area in a soft orange glow while the navy blue night sky was like a blanket above us. We sat in silence until Momo said those words.

"What are?" I asked, turning to her.

"The lanterns," she responded, her eyes dazed, like she was caught in some sort of trance. "They… remind me of Todoroki-kun."

I smirked slightly at the honorific. "How so?"

"He told me something about himself the other day," she admitted. "Something dear to him. It isn't very much my place to say, but I feel like I know him so much better now."

I chuckled. "Well, you do spend a lot of time around him."

"Is that bad?" Momo met my gaze. "Do you think he finds me annoying?"

"I don't know him as well as you do, but I don't think Todoroki is someone who will put effort into spending time with someone if he truly doesn't want to be around them."

Momo's lips curled up and her cheeks became tinted in pink.

"When I first met him, I was shallow enough to only consider the fact he was handsome," she started, running her thumb over her knuckles. "But the more I got to know him, the more I realized that my adoration of him is so much deeper than just that…"

"Do you like him, Momo?" I leaned closer to her. "Do you have a crush on Todoroki?"

She looked back at the incandescent lanterns, the flames reflecting tenderly in her eyes.

"Yes."

Momo truly had too much love to give, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Because some people needed extra love. I knew she was attracted to him in some capacity, but the fact she admitted it here— openly, without hesitation— that was a big deal for her.

"He may seem cold and distant, but I think a part of him is… scared. He didn't grow up in a happy home, so he only ever knows that, and yet…" Momo took a deep breath, inhaling the thoughts she had of him, exhaling the words she spoke. "Yet, he cares so much. He may not express it, but he truly does. He wants to be a hero, he wants to help people, he wants to show that he can do anything because he says he can. He truly is phenomenal. And you know, Ume, sometimes I'm unaware of it, but there are moments where we're close together, and I look into his eyes, and I think…"

She smiled.

"'Wow. He's so warm'."

Todoroki wasn't someone who had many people he could call his friend. Whether or not it was a conscious decision, it was a fact that perhaps he had come to terms with over time, maybe because he never put in the effort to get to know others, or others simply didn't care to know him. I don't know what it was. But Todoroki was something to Momo, something dear to her in a way that even I wasn't, and because of that, I wanted him to show me that he was exactly what Momo said he was.

"... She said that…?" Todoroki asked, eyes widening slightly. I nodded and pressed my fingers against the ground.

"She did," I said, sending a series of spikes protruding from the ground toward him. Todoroki froze them, but not without stumbling back from the recoil of both attacks impacting. "Because she sees something more in you, Todoroki. Whatever you think your flames are, she knows they aren't."

"She—"

"Is so loving. And she deserves everything this world has to offer. But you, Todoroki—"

I turned his ice into water.

"She said you were phenomenal."

He was pushed back by the spate, creating ice behind him to prevent from being knocked out of the arena's boundaries.

"I swore that I wouldn't use that damned man's power," Todoroki rasped. "I'll win with my right side only."

"You call this winning?!" I suddenly shouted. "You're half assing this match because of your pride—"

"This isn't about pride, Yaoyorozu."

"Then what is it?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "You want him to look at you? Is that what it is?"

Todoroki's breath hitched. His eyes slowly wandered back to the stand, but I rushed forward and grabbed his collar, slamming our foreheads together.

"Don't!" I yelled. "Don't you dare look at him again! Look at me, Todoroki, I'm your opponent!"

He shoved me away as quickly as he could. I staggered backwards and brushed my hand over my forehead, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins allowed me to ignore the dull throb between my eyes.

"At least look at me like I'm worthy of fighting you!" I continued. "Look at me and say that I'm someone you can use your full power against!"

"Why do you care so much?" Todoroki asked. He leaned against one of the slabs of ice he created earlier, his body seizing as trembles prevented him from moving. "Why are you…?"

"Because I get it, Todoroki. Because I know what it's like."

I clenched my fists.

"You really think you're the only one who's been hurt by the people who are supposed to love you?!"

I loathed cherry red.

"You think you're the only one who's had to fight just to live?!"

I wanted to give up.

"Look at all the people around you, Todoroki!"

But I—

"You think you have to go through this alone?!"

I won't.

Todoroki's breaths were shallow, yet labored. He quivered and exhaled and then tensed again before finally relaxing. And for the first time, he lifted his head, and his lips twitched upward.

"I want to be a hero, Yaoyorozu," he breathed out. Slowly, I nodded.

"I do too, Todoroki."

Momo said that maybe he was scared, and in that moment I almost laughed it off, but I knew that she saw right through him because Todoroki was more like me than either of us could have imagined. Maybe that's why she connected so well with him. As I thought about it, with frost cascading towards me and concrete rushing away, I realized that in the reflection of his eyes I also saw myself. I saw someone who was going through the motions, so sure but still so lost, because my life had only been shaped by the one thing I thought I knew. Loneliness.

But coming here, I was shown that I didn't have to feel so isolated, and I didn't have to live everyday by myself. Because I had people who cared about me, and whether or not Todoroki was aware of it, he did, too. And that in of itself was more than enough motivation to make me want to win this. I cared as much as they did. I knew he did as well.

So when I saw that he still kept to his ice, with each attack making him weaker and slower, I couldn't help but get upset. Because I knew that Todoroki cared too much to go down this easily. I knew that he wasn't as alone as he thought he was. I charged at him with a fist reared back and the fact it connected with his jaw made me even angrier.

"Get up!" I shouted. "You're better than this, Todoroki!"

You're stronger.

"The fact you're here already proves that you're better than him! I know you are, Todoroki, because you—!"

That woman's face suddenly appeared behind my eyelids again, and then her name.

"You're so warm!"

It was Haruna.

I felt the heat before anything else. It was subdued, inconspicuous, before it suddenly exploded and singed the tips of my hair. I threw up a wall to protect myself from the sudden rise in temperature, but I saw the orange and red glow in front of it. I peeled off a slab and had to shield my eyes with my hands, but there Todoroki was, standing before me, his entire left side shining brilliantly with the intensity of a thousand suns. Running my tongue over my chapped lips, I smiled.

"You were right, Momo."

He threw a fist forward.

They really are beautiful.

I just barely dodged the stream of fire that left his arm. The heat was almost too much to handle— sweat ran down my brow and my skin was starting to feel dry— but I didn't care. Because Todoroki was here before me, using his flames, the part of his power he said he'd never use. And now—

The real battle can begin.

The rush of nausea that suddenly afflicted me was barely registered as I created a massive wave of concrete. The ground crumbled and cracked and heaved toward the sky, but Todoroki froze it all, leaving a tremendous wall of ice that I had every intention on conquering. I slammed my hands against it and felt an unfamiliar strain in my head, but that didn't matter either. Droplets of water fell onto my skin and tresses, trickled between my eyelashes, but I sent what I could control toward him as a mighty tide.

Todoroki froze it again, and with his flames, melted it just as quickly, creating a blast of air that would have ripped me apart if I didn't bury my hands into the ground. I was exhausted, queasy, and my head was throbbing, but that didn't matter. Nor did the roars from the crowd, or the constant flashes of Haruna or even Endeavor himself. All that mattered was this moment I was sharing with Todoroki, this instance where I had the luxury of seeing his flames, his full power, his resolve.

And, for the first time, his smile.

"Yaoyorozu," he started. Ice gathered at his foot, while I slammed my hands on the ground, feeling the molecules in the space between us increasing more and more in speed. They clashed and bounced against each other, the kinetic energy intensifying until cracks appeared in the ground, glowing with a bright energy.

You don't have to be alone anymore.

"I owe the both of you my thanks."

I'll be here tomorrow, too.

Before everything faded to black, the ground exploded underneath me, colliding with a piercing, yet bittersweet wind.

I thought I was dying.

My muscles were sore beyond belief, and I felt like lead had infiltrated my veins. I could barely lift my head up, which made it even more difficult to recognize who was at the door when I heard it open. The white of the infirmary was unfamiliar to me, but I knew I was here at all because of how terrible I felt. If someone ran a truck over my skull, I'm sure that would've hurt less than the pounding throb that wreaked havoc on my brain.

"Ume?"

I was able to shift my eyes at the sound of Momo's voice, and somehow muster a smile. She approached my bed in hurried steps, and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in for a hug that would've suffocated me if I didn't pat on her back to indicate otherwise.

"I'm sorry, I—"

I was shocked by the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes and subsequently spilled over and down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, I... I'm so happy you're okay! I thought something terrible happened, there was this massive explosion and smoke, and then you were out of bounds and not moving and Ume, I—"

She took in a deep breath.

"I'm so proud of you."

Talking was impossible now, so instead I smiled again and gave her another hug. Momo sat on the edge of my bed to return it, her fingers raking through my hair as she stroked it as a gesture of comfort. I felt fine, though— physically, not so much— but overall, I was okay. I was… satisfied.

The doors opened again and more bodies scurried inside. Mina, Kirishima, Midoriya, Shinso, and unsurprisingly or not, Bakugo, all gathered around my bed in a matter of a few seconds.

"Umerozu, that was amazing!" Mina gasped. "I mean, really, and the fact you got Todoroki to use his flames—!"

"I didn't know you could fight like that!" Midoriya added, his eyes quite literally sparkling. "The entire match was so intense!"

"You were so manly at the end!" Kirishima praised. "I have so much more respect for you!"

Even Shinso grinned. "You weren't bad out there, Yaoyorozu."

I was overwhelmed with happiness that they had all bothered enough to come see me, but in the midst of this mini celebration, there was one inquiry that forced itself to the front of my head, forcing me to ask the one question that I needed to know more than anything.

"Who won?"

The sudden silence coupled with their fallen expressions was all I needed to know. Chuckling, I fell back against my pillow and sighed.

"It's fine," I muttered, still unable to speak very comfortably. "I'm in too much pain to fight again, anyway." I furrowed my brows. "Is Todoroki okay?"

"He's fine. He's resting in another room," Momo answered, smiling slightly. I let out a small breath of relief.

"Good," I said. "Are your matches coming up soon?"

Shinso shrugged his shoulders.

"After they rebuild the stage, mine is up next," he explained.

"Oh? Who are you going up against?"

He clicked his tongue and gestured lamely to Midoriya, who froze and then laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"... Oh," was all I responded with. "Well, good luck to the both of you."

"Will you watch it?" Shinso asked. I grinned.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Throughout this entire conversation, the one person I was worried about most was Bakugo. He remained quiet, arms folded on his chest as he kept his back pressed against the wall, away from everyone else. I'm not sure if he was aware that I noticed the quick glances he gave me every now and again, but they were there, and I knew he was like this because there was something he was hiding. He wanted to speak to me, alone.

"We'll be heading back to the stands now," Momo said after a while longer, somehow knowing that I wanted the privacy, or maybe this being a result of perfect timing. "Feel better, Ume."

I smiled and gave her a quick hug. "I will."

Embraces were shared with everyone else except Shinso, and one by one, they all exited the room until only Bakugo and I remained. He broke the silence with a deep sigh and trudged over to my bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He snorted.

"You look like shit."

I frowned slightly, holding back the urge to roll my eyes if this was all he wanted to say to me.

"Thank you," I responded. He took a step closer to my bed.

"You lost," he said. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I don't regret it, though."

Bakugo raised a brow, which I took as a sign to continue.

"This entire time, Todoroki refused to use his fire. I don't know if it was out of fear or spite or something else entirely, but…"

He scowled slightly. "Don't try to be his hero."

"I'm not," I argued, slightly irritated at the accusation. "Todoroki is strong enough on his own. I just think that he reminded me of myself."

"With your Quirk?"

"Yeah."

Todoroki's feelings to his fire was an almost exact mirroring of how I felt about my disintegration. The causation was different but the end product— it was there. It took almost ten years for me to realize that using my Quirk didn't make me a bad person, and even know, a minuscule part of me is scared of what I could do with it. But I no longer wanted that to dictate me or my life.

That's why I didn't mind the loss. I was a bit frustrated, sure, but I was in no way miffed by it. Todoroki deserved the win, if only because he realized that he could be a hero with a power he could make his own. Being in the top eight was satisfying enough on its own. I didn't consider it me settling for average— it was learning to accept my limits, understand that what I did was enough, and because of that, it was okay.

"Are you going back to the stands?" I asked. Bakugo slumped his shoulders.

"I guess," he muttered. "I'll have to kill you for losing, though."

I waved him off with a simple flick of my wrist, when I suddenly heard a loud vibration beside me. On one of the cabinets by my bed, I saw that my phone's screen was flashing— I assume Momo or someone else brought it for me after the match— and when I picked it up, I instantly felt anxiety and anger and uncertainty explode within me all at once.

It was my mother.

I don't know why she was calling me, but as the phone quavered in my hand I heavily debated whether or not to pick it up. If I did, what would she say? Would she yell at me? Say something that would ruin my good mood? Why else would she be calling me?

"Don't answer it," Bakugo said. I turned to him.

"But what if—"

"Don't."

I pursed my lips. I'm sorry, but I have to know.

"Hello?"

I bit my lip, waiting for a response. There was silence at first. And then, finally, a voice.

"Ume…?"

I held my breath. My mother's voice was soft, quiet, eerily calm, but the fact she actually said my name was the most disconcerting part of this.

"Mom?" I muttered, my skin crawling at the fact I referred to her as such. "Is something wrong? Why did you call me?"

There was silence again before I heard a few sniffles from her end. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, leaning forward slightly. Nothing about this felt right.

"What's wrong? Are you drunk?" I hardly registered the look Bakugo gave me with that question. "Mom?"

"I'm sorry, Ume," she said. Her voice was nothing more than a weak whisper. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"What— what are you apologizing for?"

"You don't need me. I should go, I have to go, I need to die—"

I immediately jumped to my feet. "Mom, no. Stop saying that. Are you okay? Is someone with you?"

"My stomach hurts, Ume."

I felt like an anvil was tied to my heart and it was dragged down to the very bottom of my stomach. Because I've been here before. I've experienced this exact thing, and when I did the world fell apart before my very eyes. The ceiling expanded and then contracted before expanding again, the room was getting larger and smaller, the linens between my fingers crumbled into dust. This can't be happening.

"Mom, I'm calling the police," I quickly said, bursting out of the room. "I'm going to get Momo and Saiko. Where are the maids? Are they with you? And dad?"

"Don't come, Ume," she mumbled. "You're better off without me."

"Stop— shut up! I'm coming home right now. Just stay put."

I ignored the grabbing of my arm, the voice that was repeatedly telling me to calm down. I hurried as quickly as I could to the stands, but the hallways were spanning forever and I felt like my footsteps were getting me nowhere.

"Mom, talk to me," I said. "Say something."

She started crying. It wasn't what I expected, but it was proof that she was still here. Everything around me was muffled, all sensations dimmed, overridden by the alarms wailing in my head, the faint static that surfaced underneath my skin. Momo, I need Momo.

Time split in half. I didn't know where I was, but I knew I was in someone's arms, and there were tears running down my face. I was here, but not at the same time. I was a paradox of emotions, an anagram of everything I feared, now coming to life. I thought I was falling apart, shattering into millions of tiny pieces.

"I-I don't know what's happening," I choked out while the lump between my tongue became bigger. "Mom is— she's, I don't know, she did something, we have to help her, please—"

"Ume, you have to calm down." I couldn't recognize the voice. "It's okay. We called the police."

"How can you be so calm?!" I screamed. Who I was screaming at, I didn't know, but someone was witnessing my fury. "Mom is— please, just please don't let her die."

Whatever was holding me, I gripped it, dug my fingernails into it because I couldn't bear to let anything go. Because the world's axis tipped in a matter of a few seconds. Because I was reliving the parts of life I thought I had long since moved past. I had forgotten what pain was like, but it was here again, and it was far too real.

I choked out my mother's name once more before realizing that she wasn't here with me, and she wouldn't be coming home today. And as everything fell to darkness, I realized I wouldn't be, either.

I was in some kind of room.

I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but it slowly dawned on me that I was in the infirmary again. It wasn't the one at the stadium, though; the sun was setting and the sheets were astonishingly soft, but I remembered what happened hours before— days, weeks maybe?— and my heart burst again.

"Ume?"

I turned my head and saw Saiko. She immediately ran up to me and scooped me into her arms, holding me tightly, and I automatically began to assume the worst.

"Where's mom?" I asked. "Where's Momo? Where is— here?"

"The school," she answered, placing a hand on my head. "You passed out and were taken here." Her lips lifted. "Momo is at my house. And your mother…"

They fell in the same instant.

"She's in the hospital."

"No, no." This can't be real. "Please tell me—"

"She's okay. She stopped breathing for a bit but she's fine." Saiko sighed. "They pumped her stomach and the doctors don't think there's any brain damage, so for the time being, she's safe."

"This is my fault," I breathed out without realizing what those words even meant. "This is all my fault."

"Ume—"

"She said she needed to die, that I didn't need her, I—"

"Ume, stop." Saiko grabbed my hand. "No, this isn't your fault. Your mother has been sick for a long time, and I take full responsibility for not doing anything about it."

"Why…?" The tears began to fall again. "Why did this happen now?"

My aunt paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and looked deeply into my eyes.

"She's sad, Ume."

I don't know why that spoke to me so much. I related to that single sentence more than I have to anything else in my life, because that single word— sad— dominated my life for as long as I could remember. Had I never been aware of it all, behind the walls she put up around herself, how she pushed everyone away, through the amber shade of the whiskey she always drank? I should've seen it.

I should've known.

A/N:

I return with another update! So in the last chapter, a lot of people expressed the fact they actually like Shinso and Ume better than Bakugo and Ume. So, for my ShinUme shippers, you'll be well fed in the next few chapters. Sorry, BakuUme (BakUme?) shippers, but this will be all you get for now ;^) Admittedly, I really do like ShinUme (I actually ship them as much as I do BakuUme), but alas, the end game is Bakugo, so we'll have to settle.

I knew from the start that Ume would fulfill Midoriya's role in getting Todoroki to use his flames. They haven't interacted much throughout the duration of the story, and if there's one thing I regret, it's that I was unable to show them more, as well as his and Momo's interactions. But, considering this is entirely through Ume's point of view, it would have been difficult regardless. While writing this, I realized that Todoroki and Ume actually have a lot more in common than I initially realized, which is what made their fight all the more impactful for the both of them.

I also regret not showing Shinso's fight with Deku, or Momo's fight, but that will be addressed in the next chapter. This new situation that has arisen will be very important for both Ume and Momo, as individuals and as sisters.

With the close of the Sports Festival, I'd like to mention that yes, I purposefully deviated from canon events and skipped the top 16 fights. I didn't see much point in this because Ume and Todoroki were going to fight regardless, and I also really wanted to get to the internship arc without adding in what I would consider filler if I included the top 42, then the top 16. I hope that makes sense.

Thank you all so much for your immense support. A part of me feels like I'm undeserving of it; I never intended for this story to actually get anywhere, but here I am, eleven chapters in, with 202 favorites, 282 follows, 78 reviews, and over 13.3k views. That's unreal to me. I once confided in someone that if I could ever make a story that people could enjoy reading, that could touch hearts and make others feel something, I would be happy. And somehow, I did. So thank you, thank you for supporting me and for helping me achieve my dream, for sticking with Ume and I and for allowing me to create something I say I can be proud of. Thank you so much.

And I'll see you next time.