Swirling the pills around in her hand, Amari swallowed the three before feeling that familiar burn in her chest. She had just finished getting over her fever which meant it was back to training and improving herself like before. That break had already wasted enough time.

She raced through the course quickly before falling to her knees, her breath becoming more and more shallow than before. That was new, why was she so exhausted already?

Clutching her chest in pain, Amari twisted her brow in confusion before fumbling for her pills. Why did it feel like effects were already running out? It was literally only a couple minutes since she started her quirk.

Her shaky hand grabbed onto two more pills before shoving them in her mouth without a second thought, the burning sensation now dissipating slowly.

Catching her breath, Amari thought about what this meant. Just last week it only took three pills to fully active her quirk but now, it took five? The amount of intake was going up, faster than what she expected. That wasn't good.

She turned her eyes to ones of concern before flopping down onto the training floor and placing a tired arm over her face. Her body was rejecting them even faster than before. Did that mean she didn't have much time left after all?

Usually Amari would have paid no mind to that idea, fully knowing that the medicine wasn't a permanent solution, but yet somehow she felt scared about it.

The last couple months had been so wonderful for her, filled with such love and joy from both her brother and Shoto. Awhile back, Amari would've have just accepted this progression but now, now she didn't want to leave.

Groaning to herself, she realized that this was the exact reason she didn't want to get too close to Todoroki or Katsuki. Now she was just being selfish. She wanted more than what was given. How terrible of her to want such things when she was already given so much.

She then picked herself up from the floor before grabbing her bag and sighing. If time was really running out then she couldn't just pout and whine about the things that were inevitable.

She just needed to complete her goals.

To put it simply, Shinso hadn't slept since finding out about Amari, and to put matters worse, he couldn't even ask her about it because she was busy completing her class internships.

There were many things that swirled around in his head the past couple weeks, but the emotion that stood out the most was doubt. Maybe it was just his mind tricking him but Shinso didn't want to believe that Amari's outburst was true.

Even if he did see her struggling in the hallway at the sports festival, there might have been a more simple explanation to it. She could have very well been faking the whole thing. At least that's what he wanted to believe.

Moving towards the school, he paused when a couple Class B students started whispering about him as he passed. It was a normal occurrence. "Hey, did you hear about his quirk? It's brainwashing, how scary."

Shinso just sighed heavily, not really affected by the words. They were something that he had heard his entire life after all. His quirk was better suited for a villain. That's what everyone thought.

His friend seemed to join into the conversation as well, noticing the two lock eyes. "Oh shoot, I think he heard you. Be careful there, you don't want him to use his quirk on you."

They both shivered and Shinso sighed again, turing away when a female voice stopped him in his tracks.

Her back was turned to him, almost like she didn't notice he was there. It was Amari. "You talk really big for someone that kicked your ass in the sports festival. Are you sure you're not just jealous?"

The boys seemed confused by her statement, challenging her. "Oh please, why would I be jealous?"

But Amari just crossed her arms over her chest, thinking for a moment. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe if you had his quirk you wouldn't have placed dead last in the first round. If you wanna talk all cocky, make sure you have the skill to back it up."

Blinking in surprise, Shinso watched the girl defend him in confusion. Wasn't she pissed at him still? Why would she even stand up for him like that? It was strange.

The boy also seemed amused, suddenly remembering her face. "Hold on, aren't the girl that he was picking on during the sports festival? Why are you defending someone with a villain quirk like him?"

Amari paused for a moment before smirking. "Shinso is a lot of things, but he's definitely not a villain."

Shinso eyes widened at her words to the strangers. That was the first time someone had ever stood up for him like that, and it was the first time someone didn't think of him as a villain.

Huffing in response, the boys knew they couldn't win this battle and turned away, but not before shouting back, in hopes to embarrass her. "Whatever you say Confession Girl."

Although they didn't get the response they wanted. All they got was an eye roll and sarcasm. "Oh wow, like I haven't heard that one before. If you are going to insult me, be more creative, will you?"

Shinso seemed confused about the nickname though. Why did it seem like she had heard that name a lot? It didn't have anything to do with the sports festival, right?

The boys then realized that they weren't going to get anywhere with her and scoffed before turning away, earning a heavy sigh from the girl herself.

Turning back around towards the school though, Amari finally noticed Shinso's presence behind her and froze for a moment. They locked eyes silently as a thousand unsaid words passed between them, his being the only ones said out loud. "Why did you do that?"

She registered his words for a moment before frowning, and walking past him without giving a response. That proved it, she was still upset with him.

Shinso blinked in surprise, and found his feet following her, suddenly wanting to know what that whole display was all about. He needed answers for that and for the sports festival. "Hey, hold on. Where are you going?"

Amari's eyes cast down to the floor then, answering back plainly. "Class. Leave me alone Shinso, I'm still pissed."

Trying to lose him, she picked up her pace, only for him to match it, stepping in front of her in question. "Are we just not going to talk about what happened at the sports festival?"

She knew exactly what he had meant, her outburst. Although, Amari didn't really want to get into this with him. "Nope."

Turning the corner, he put a hand out to her quickly. "You can't just do that. At least tell me if what you said back then was the truth. It can't be, right?"

This caused her to stop abruptly, finally meeting his eyes as the air grew heavier. "If it's easier for you to think that way, then sure."

Shinso's chest dropped in anxiety at her words. Why wasn't she denying it? No, what she said couldn't be true. It just couldn't. "What.."

Although he didn't have time to think as Amari picked up her pace again, moving back towards the school. Now he really couldn't let her go. He needed answers.

Amari saw Katsuki in the distance and smiled when Shinso blocked her pathway, speaking extremely loudly so that Bakugo and some other students were able to hear. "Bakugo, this isn't a joke. What you said before was really serious. What do you mean that your quirk is going to…"

Widening her eyes at his volume, Amari roughly cut him off with her own hand, covering his mouth aggressively. He was really going to blow everything she had worked for in one single moment. "SHHHHH"

Shinso's eyes then traveled to Bakugo's confused ones as she let go. "Does Bakugo know?"

Shaking her head furiously, Amari replied. "No, now shut up already. I already said I don't want to talk about it."

Knowing she wasn't going to budge, Shinso knew exactly what to do. In one motion, his voice raised again, threatening her silently. "What do you mean Bakugo doesn't know about how your quirk will…."

Widening her eyes once more, Amari clamped her hand back over his mouth before he could finish that sentence. He was playing dirty.

She then realized she couldn't win and sighed, whispering back harshly. "Fine. Meet me in the courtyard during lunch. Just shut up about it already, okay?"

Once she realized he wasn't going to yell out again, Amari let go of her hand before grumbling to herself and leaving. This was going to be a train wreck.

Shinso just stood still for the moment though, finally happy he was going to get some answers.

Lunch came sooner than expected and when Shinso stepped into the courtyard he was surprised to find Amari missing. Maybe she really did blow him off after all.

Although he paused when he turned the corner and found the girl sitting on a bench a couple feet away, staring into space. She seemed really solemn about something but he wasn't quite sure what it was.

As he approached, Amari felt his presence behind her and sighed. "You know, I was kind of hoping you weren't going to show up."

Her tone was not lost on the boy, now feeling the heavy atmosphere around them. Why was she acting so depressed all of a sudden? He was about to find out.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Shinso replied. "You already know that's not possible. Now spill, why did you stand up for me today? I thought you hated me."

He was starting off easy which made Amari slightly glad. "I don't hate you, I guess I just hate when people underestimate someone. You may be a jerk but you have a pretty amazing quirk. They needed to see that."

He took in her words and felt slightly happy because of them. It seemed that she didn't like the feeling of underestimation pushed on anyone, not just herself.

Amari continued plainly, staring at her hands. "I've been pushed around all my life, I don't want that feeling to fall on anyone else, regardless of how I feel about them."

Her explanation was intriguing to say the least, although now a heavy pit of shame appeared in the boy's stomach. That's all he was doing to her. I guess I acted like kind of a jerk during the sports festival then, huh?"

Shinso expected her to reject his statement but she instead nodded her head, agreeing to his stupidity. "Yeah, you did."

Feeling his face fall, Amari replied. "Although it's not your fault. That's what most people do when they see me. I guess it's a natural response by now."

He silently hated that he had fallen into the same category as everyone one else, only judging her on her look when clearly she was a skillful fighter. He had seen it first hand.

A slight pause occupied the space then before Amari couldn't take it anymore. It was killing her to wait it out. "So, go on. You wanted to talk about it…"

Shinso knew exactly what she meant, now taking a step forward to lean against a nearby tree. He needed to see her reaction to this. "Was what you said back at the sports festival really true?"

Amari looked to the ground for a moment before smiling sadly. "Would it make you feel better if I said no?"

Her answer wasn't a direct no which made him even more on edge. "Enough with the games Bakugo, it isn't funny anymore. Just tell me already."

Thinking over his words, Amari grimaced at her last name. "I wish it was a game, but unfortunately I'm not that lucky. You should just forget everything I said. I don't want to bring you into this."

Although Shinso had other plans. There was no way he was walking away from this now. He had spent far too many restless nights thinking about everything. "I don't think so. You're not getting away that easy."

This caused the girl to shake her head, reaching into her pocket to grab her pills. "Yeah, I didn't think so. It was worth a try."

Shinso caught his eyes on the object as she opened the box, showing him the medicine. "What I said before, it wasn't a lie."

Grabbing the object, his eyes widened, now recalling her words before. "What? So that means your quirk.."

Amari nodded her head in acceptance, finishing the sentence. "Will kill me? Yes. The pills are a temporary solution that allows me to use my quirk for a short period of time. I can't fight without them."

Everything she was saying was far too much for the boy, taking another step closer to see her face even more clearly. "Why would you do that?"

She found the words strangely funny. "I think you understand more than anyone why I would do it. I was given the chance to be a hero. Wouldn't you take it?"

Shinso hated that she was absolutely right. He probably would've done the same thing if given the same circumstances. Their determination was almost the same. "Why doesn't Bakugo know yet? Isn't he your dearest brother?"

At the word brother, her face fell. "That's exactly why he can't know. He wouldn't understand if he found out everything I had to do to get here. It's better this way.."

Although he wasn't so sure. "How is that better?"

Amari just smiled sadly in response. "It just is. I want to see him happy and proud, and if he learns about my limits, then I'll just be burdening him even more. I already do that enough as it is."

Shinso couldn't help but think about that phrase, now becoming slightly concerned. "What do you mean?"

Shaking her head, she pointed to herself roughly. "Just look at me Shinso, I'm a big huge disappointment to everyone. You said it yourself, I'm not much of a hero. That's why I have to prove it. Regardless of my health or my size, I will be worthy enough to call myself Katsuki's sister one day. Well, I hope so anyways."

Just then, she stopped speaking, realizing she may have been pushing it a little far. "Sorry, I'm oversharing again. It's a bad habit. Just forget what I said."

Although there was no way he could forget that now. Did she really feel that way about herself? Shinso just thought she was a spastic idiot. Was her mindset really that warped to believe she wasn't good enough?

Crossing his arms over his chest, Shinso replied. "I was wrong back then. I thought you were only in the hero program because you cheated your way in. Although, it seems like you're just as much of a hero as anyone else. Sorry."

His apology felt strange to her. "I don't need your pity. Just because you found out I'm dying doesn't mean you have to pretend to be all nice all of a sudden. It's weird."

Shinso felt frustrated at that. Yes he only realized he was being a jerk after hearing her explanation but that wasn't the only reason. Her fighting at the sports festival showed him that she was not to be taken lightly.

Sighing in annoyance, he replied. "I'm not pretending, okay? I'm serious, I shouldn't have underestimated you at the sports festival. Can't I be genuine for one minute?"

Amari eyed him curiously. He still might have only been saying that because of pity but it somehow made her strangely happy inside. "I didn't know that was possible for you."

Shinso narrowed his stance in frustration when he saw her smile softly, touched by his words. "But, thank you."

Another small silence appeared before Amari spoke again. "I'm not going to thank you for what you did at the festival but I will admit, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have ever gotten the courage to tell Shoto how I feel."

Shinso thought back to her sudden confession and put the pieces together, now knowing why she never wanted to confess in the first place. "I thought you didn't want to?"

Shaking her head once, Amari sighed. "I didn't, and I still think it would've been better if he never realized my feelings. Although, these last few weeks are something I would never want to replace. I never thought I would be able to have something like this, so it's nice."

Her eyes seemed distant and somewhat sad though. "But now it seems I have a new problem."

Shinso leaned forward then, wondering exactly what she had meant. Why did she look so sad when she just explained how great everything was? "What's that?"

Looking down to her gold bracelet, Amari lightly touched the band before sighing. "I don't want to give it up. I was always so aware of my time here, not wanting to get too comfortable but these last few weeks, they make me want to live."

Shinso widened his eyes at her words, sharply turning to her. "I don't see the big deal. If you want to stay then you should."

But Amari only shook her head. "The universe isn't that kind. It seems I have even less time than I originally thought. My body is already starting to reject the pills. At this rate, I probably won't even make it past this year."

He remained frozen, processing her declaration. From the way she was talking before, he assumed she had a dozen or so years left before her quirk killed her. Was it really just a year? That was so horrible.

Laughing to herself, she smirked. "Well, I guess that means that you really can have my spot in the hero course, right? That should make you happy at least."

Although Shinso wasn't happy in the slightest, only thinking about her fate. "Are you serious? Stop it, that's not how I want to earn my spot."

Her smile fell then, rubbing the back of her neck in a nervous fashion. "You're right. That was a bad joke. Sorry, I'm just trying to make light of the situation."

She was right about that, Shinso didn't find her joke funny at all. Now he only felt anxious, watching her jump up from her seat. "Well now that you know, you can stop asking me. The bells going to ring soon. I should start heading back."

Stretching her arms behind her head, Amari grabbed the bag next to her when Shinso spoke back softly. "I guess I'll take that truce now."

Amari blinked surprise, turning back to him. "Wait, really?"

Nodding back, Shinso knew he couldn't be annoyed with her now. His whole reason for hating her had gone out the window. "If you don't want to then whatever."

She thought for a moment, at his words before letting her lips curve into a sly smile. "I suppose we can have that truce. But if you ever try to brainwash me again without my permission then I'm going to blow you up myself."

Putting his hands up in defence, Shinso nodded. "I suppose that's fair."

He then reached a hand out to her as Amari accepted the deal, grabbing onto his palm and shaking it in agreement. Looks like they didn't fully hate each other anymore.

Although Todoroki couldn't help but catch the two of them from the topic window, eyeing Shinso carefully. That was the guy that kept picking on her. What were they even doing?

He paused when a voice behind him whistled, turning to find Denki patting his shoulder. "You better be careful dude, a woman's heart is a difficult thing. You never know when it's going to change."

His words brought an annoying tick in his face as Todoroki just raised his left hand up in a threatening manner. "I would be careful with what you say."

Deki jumped back in fear then, already hurrying away. It seemed his words angered the boy somehow.

Once he was gone, Todoroki turned back to the window only to find the two of them gone. What happened when he wasn't looking?

Suddenly, a voice behind him echoed back. "What are you looking at?"

Turning around, Todoroki recognized Amari's face in a flash. "Nothing really. What were you doing? Why did you cancel lunch today?"

Amari only sighed then, putting a head up to her neck. "Ah sorry, I had to deal with something unpleasant. You see, back in the sports festival I might have overshared a bit to that purple haired jerk so I was trying to straighten everything out."

Todoroki took in her words and wondering why she would have accidentally revealed so much about herself to that guy? Although that wasn't really his business to know. "Did you strengthen everything out?"

She thought for a moment before smiling to herself. "Yeah, I think so."

Usually her smile made him happy but he couldn't deny the heavy pit that appeared this time. Maybe it was because she was smiling about something he didn't know about. "I see."

Noticing his tone, Amari's face dropped, reaching forward to grab his hand. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Seeing her distraught face made him falter, not wanting to worry her anymore. He needed to stop thinking that way. "Yeah, I'm alright."

Just then, he pulled something out from his bag and reached it out to her. "Here, since you didn't get to have lunch."

Amari blinked surprise before grabbing the object. It looked to be a single wrapped piece of bread. Did he get this for her? That was so sweet. "You didn't have to do that."

But Todoroki insisted, replying back. "Would you have remembered to eat if I didn't?"

Amari face flushed then, locking eyes with the floor. He did have her there. She probably would have just skipped lunch. "Alright, you got me. Thanks Shoto. You're the best."

Todoroki just nodded his head in reply, reaching to grab her hand silently. "We should start to head back."

She agreed to his statement, allowing him to drag her back to the classroom with their hands intertwined. She really was lucky to have him in her life.

Next Chapter will be the end of S2 because we are about to start that training camp arc where all the shit will hit the fan. S3 will be the climax of this story.

So we have a Amari and Shinso friendship and maybe a slight jealous Todoroki? Oooh I wonder how that will progress now that Shinso and Todo both know about her condition. This is not the last we will see of Shinso though. I feel like the anime did him dirty so we are gonna add more content for him as he's such an interesting character.

Next Chapter: Shigaraki's confrontation with Deku at the mall and how Amari fits into all that.