"Todoroki-kun advances to the next round!"

Murmurs sounded as the first match of the second round ended abruptly with Cementoss' interference. Nonetheless, the force of the clash of two powers hitting the giant cement wall ultimately caused Midoriya to be thrown out of bounds, thus declaring Todoroki to be the winner. While the former was wheeled to Recovery Girl, Todoroki walked away with his eyes void of emotion and his mind spinning.

"We should go check on Deku-kun!" Uraraka urged as she shot up from her seat after Present Mic announced a short break while Cementoss fixed up the stadium. "He looked really beaten up!" As she started walking out the seating area, Iida, Tsuyu and even Mineta began following suit.

'More like he beat himself up...' Yumi thought to herself, a droplet of sweat traveling down her cheek at the boy's admirable tenacious, yet completely reckless attempts. She'd also gotten up from her seat, seemingly about to follow Midoriya's worried friends to check up on him, but then she abruptly halted in her step near the tunnel. "Tell him I hope he gets better soon."

"Are you ready for your match, Akano-kun?" Iida smiled politely before asking the pensive girl.

"Ah, Yu-chan, sorry." The bespectacled boy's inquiry made Ochako gasp in realization, instantly feeling bad for forgetting about her friends upcoming battle, against the formidable Tokoyami nonetheless. "Your match is after the break, right? I'll be sure to watch it to cheer you on!"

"Thank you." With a gracious nod, Yumi was about to depart from the bunch, only for Mineta to latch on to her. "Then, I shall escort you!"

"What's that now?"

Uraraka brought a surprised hand to cover her gapping mouth. "Ehh?! What about Deku-kun?"

"To hell with that guy-!"

While Mineta was immediately shut up by a slap from Tsuyu's tongue, Uraraka and Iida had went on their way as did Akano. That last blow aside, Midoriya had already sustained repeated abuse on his injured limbs. Even if Recovery Girl can fix anything, it will take a lot longer to heal something so severe.

Though as she made her way to the waiting room she was assigned to, she decided to clear her head in preparation for her second battle, because she was sure it would be a tough one.

*

"'You're in my way,'" Endeavor stood in the middle of the tunnel with a proud smirk on his face. "You're not going to say that this time around?"The hero was met with silence from his son once again, but he was not deterred after that spectacular display of power. Instead, he glanced at Todoroki's torn shirt that was destroyed from the magnificent fire that erupted from hid left side."You need to control your left side... You're just letting it all out and it's dangerous. But you have abandoned your childish tantrum and finally become a perfect upgrade of me. After you graduate, come work for me. I'll lead you down the path of the mighty!""There's no way I can abandon anything." Todoroki softly said as he looked at his left hand. "It's not something that can be so easily reversed. It's just... Back then... For that one moment, I forgot about you." Endeavor's icy blue eyes widened as his son then walked past him. "Whether that is a good thing or bad thing... Whether it's correct or not... I need to think about it."

Crickets could have been heard within the deadly silent waiting room that Todoroki Shouto currently resided in.

"I used it..."

The battle with Midoriya left him with a lot to think about, especially after the rather spirited end of it all, however confusing for him as it was. The bicolor haired boy had found himself walking aimlessly afterwards until he ended right back in the quiet room, rather forgetting that it no longer belonged to him was his second match was over.

Todoroki was still inspecting his left hand as though it was foreign to him, and his different colored eyes were drawn tightly together in concentration.

'I am the tool that my father chose to wield. If I was never born, then it's possible that my father would've bullied my mother even more.'

Then, slowly, his hand slithered its way so it could rest against the scarred portion of his face, and dreadful memories of when he received it began flowing back to him. His mother's misery. Her fear of not only his father, but him, as well. All of it flashing before him.

'But because I was born, I was the one to hurt my mother even further by allowing her to experience such painful feelings. The helpless child of my past was ignorant to how much I made her suffer...'

He could remember far back to times before Rei had reached her breaking point, back when she hesitantly began to distance herself from him, when she only watched him from afar as he endured Enji's harsh training for her sake.

Shouto had only put up with his father's rigorous and impossible training just so that he could grow into someone who could protect his mother. But as he worked hard, pushing his body to its limit, all of his hatred towards his dad fueled him further, his eyes burning with a raging fury for the Number 2 Hero. Shouto's life's purpose and goal had become distorted as all he focused on was his loathsome old man and how he would one day surpass and beat him.

But the young Todoroki failed to notice how much pain he unwittingly inflicted on his mother when she watched her precious boy slowly morphing into the man who tortured her and made her life miserable.

And as time passed by, the only thing she saw when her son was standing right in front of her was Endeavor's cold, spiteful, icy blue eyes, and his burning scarlet hair.

'I was unaware of what my mother thought when she watched me. I didn't know how important it was for her to have someone reach out with a hand filled with love, just like she did for me.'

Shouto was then forever solemn after his mother left him behind, because he longed to feel unconditional acceptance and love - the likes of which he never truly received as he was burdened with the mission to "surpass" All Might by his damned old man, the Number 2 Hero, Endeavor.

But Shouto... He had surprisingly come to receive it from a rather unexpected source. And from someone he barely knew-

The door creaked, forcefully drawing Todoroki away from his musings and to the redhead standing before him. Speak of the devil...

The pondering teen had lost track of time and didn't even pay attention to the fact that this waiting room no longer belonged to him for the time being. And his breath had almost hitched when light spring eyes met with his own.

Yumi's eyes widened when she was met with the ice and (now) fire wielding male, the door to the room automatically clicking behind her as she just stood there, frozen by the threshold. A look of surprise betraying her stoic features. "This is waiting room 3... Right?" She mumbled, almost gasping from surprise to see him so soon after watching his match against Midoriya. Todoroki had been just sitting there, arms resting against the metal table, looking as calm and inscrutable as ever.

"That's right. Sorry, I needed somewhere to recollect my thoughts, and I didn't know where else to go." The boy said, finally able to speak after recuperating from the initial shock, especially after he'd started thinking about her. With the intention to leave her be, he rested his palms against the table, closing his eyes as he began to lift himself off the chair.

"It's fine, you can stay." Akano was quick to exclaim, stopping Todoroki midway, and he looked back to her, silently asking if she was sure. "I get nervous when I'm alone either way." She reassured, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. What she said was a blatant lie, since the redhead wasn't really one to get nervous that often, but he looked like a lost puppy at the moment and Yumi didn't have the heart to kick him out.

With that being said, Akano hesitantly advanced towards Todoroki, her light footsteps unheard as she pulled up a chair and sat on one of the ones facing him. She was quite, as was he, but she swallowed thickly every now and then, unsure of whether she should congratulate him for winning his second match, or to commend him for overcoming the complex he's had for years, the latter she shouldn't have even known at all if it weren't for her telepathic abilities. 'I think it's best if I don't say anything after all...' She concluded after watching the spiritless boy.

Silence. It stretched over the two of them like wings.

Shouto gazed at the girl. She had been looking at him. Not scrutinizing or judging..but just..looking at him. He could not describe how her stare made him feel. However, when her light eyes directed towards him made his abdomen churn with nervous yet excited energy. It felt good and concerning at the same time.

When he looked back to his left hand, he couldn't deny that Akano's speech had made the memory of his mother's supportive words resurface during his battle against Midoriya, thus urging him to use his left side.

"It's okay for you to be who you were meant to be."

No matter how much Todoroki tried, he still couldn't erase her from his head. Her words from before seemed to play in his head like a broken record. 'Yeah, you're right.. To allow myself to give my all.'

He bit his lower lip, coming to a conclusion he had never really wanted to admit until now with his eyebrows scrunching in dismay.

'I wanted to be given permission...' Todoroki finally looked up from his incessant staring at his own hand, and averted his gaze back at the girl sitting before him. Much to both of their astonishment, she'd done the same and their eyes met at that instant. He opened his mouth, about to say something when Present Mic's voice boomed from the speakers installed in the room.

'It's time, huh?' She knew it was her que to leave now, and the redhead wondered just how the time flew by so quickly. Once the announcement of the end of the break was made, Akano stood up.

"I should get going, my fight is probably about to start." She said softly, pausing when she caught the displeased look flashing in his eyes.

"Akano, wait." Todoroki shot up from his seat and Yumi turned back to him awaitingly.

"Is something the matter?"

"No..." He trailed off, the straightforward expression of hers making him doubtful of his next words and his hand shot up to the back of his neck. "When we talked... Before, you said-"

Even before he had a chance to finish, Akano interjected, knowing full well that she'd overstepped her boundaries during their last talk. "-I apologize for earlier. I know it's annoying for a stranger to tell you what to do. I'm sorry." She said, lips pursing as she gave him a quick apologetic bow of her head. However, it seemed that her answer was unsatisfactory for the dual haired boy.

"No, that's not what I..." Todoroki was hesitant as he spoke. An apology was not what he wanted from the red haired girl. So then what did he want? An explanation?

Yes, he needed to know.

"How? How did you know about my past?" He asked, and Yumi noted how his boldness and cocky attitude from their earlier meeting had faded long ago, frowning when she saw him lowering his head to stare at his clenched fist.

'Did she overhear me and Midoriya talking?'

Hearing the current speculation that roamed within his mind, Yumi was quick to refute it with a shake of her head. "I didn't eavesdrop on you if that's what you're thinking."

Then how? His curious eyes expressed.

The red haired female sighed at the look he was sending her, her eyes softening as she gazed upon the boy who's mind she'd unwillingly infiltrated. "My Quirk..." She began to explain, gentleness fluttering in her tone of voice, hoping she wouldn't offend him when he comes to find out what she'd done. After all, his past and memories only belonged to him and him alone. His pain only belonged to him. But it felt like she was a thief who'd come and stolen all of them to view for her own enjoyment -which was definitely not the case.

"-It not only allows me to hear people's thoughts or manipulate their perception, but it can also immerse me in their minds. Their memories and feelings, pain and pleasure, I experience it all at times. Whether I want to or not." She finished off, her fingers going to instinctively rub on her temple as she took in his shocked look.

"That means-"

The girl gently nodded, her silkly hair cascading with the motion. "Yeah, when we bumped into each other, that's when I saw it all."

"...I see."

This was quickly veering into very personal, very deep uncomfortable territory Todoroki really didn't want to be treading, especially not with Akano, a girl he'd just met. But the cat was out of the proverbial bag. She'd seen everything, whether he liked it or not.

Yumi's frown deepened. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry. I always try to keep my Quirk under control, but sometimes it just has a mind of its own." As per Charles Xavier once said, 'the majority of her mutation was deeply rooted within her subconscious'. That's why she couldn't control it at times. And the moment she'd bumped into Todoroki, he himself, wasn't all that emotionally stable, practically dragging her into his head with open arms. But that didn't mean she blamed him for this, it was her own fault for not being able to control her powers.

"...It's fine." He muttered, but his angst still remained in his response. He watched her wince slightly at his words before she bowed her head once again and hesitantly made her way to the door so she could leave.

But he wasn't done. Todoroki had to ask her the one inquiry left that was bouncing off in his brain.

All throughout his battle with Midoriya, he couldn't help but compare her words to something so painfully similar his mother had said to him. Way back before both their lights had extinguished. And now he wondered if she'd said it because she saw his mother saying it to him before.

"About your words from earlier, you said 'it's okay for you to be who you were meant to be', did you, also.."

Still facing the door, Akano didn't bother to turn around, keeping her facial expression hidden from him. However, her trembling voice indicated the truthfulness to her answer. Yumi sucked in her dry lips, briefly lathering it with her tongue before she let out a soft sigh. "Ah, that. You shouldn't pay it any mind. If anything, I was talking to myself. I needed to hear myself saying it, so I'm sorry if it didn't make much sense."

"But-" Shouto's eyes widened, now intrigued with what she meant by that, but she didn't give him a chance when she abruptly turned around to face him, tilting her head as she spoke.

"Oh, before I forget, your fight earlier was really amazing. I was so moved."

Nothing could have prepared Todoroki Shouto for the expression that blinked across Yumi's face; a smile graced her rosy lips and cheeks, slightly notching them upwards and her bright eyes crinkled with a benevolent, almost grateful, look.

"Good luck on your next round, I'll be cheering for you. Bye."

For the rest of the time she spent standing there, Shouto was absolutely spellbound, and his heart slammed against his ribcage at the bright smile that split her lips.

Even after she left, the door softly slamming behind her, Todoroki still stood there frozen, his heart galloping at a relentless pace.

The dense boy gulped harshly, a cold sweat forming on his cheek as his right hand abruptly shot to his upper left arm, squeezing it anxiously.

BA-THUMP!

"Did using my left side after so long cause this arrhythmia?"

A/N:-Yooooo my peeps XD how are you all doing?! So, I was actually intending that the next chapter I would publish would have the Jean/Yumi vs Tokoyami fight, but I realized it was gonna be way too long to write at the moment so I published this as soon as I wrote it Hope you enjoyed this one... Also, after the sports festival, I promise to focus more on the romantic aspect of this story, since I have big plans for the future! I can't believe I've written almost 10 chapters about an event that lasted only a day Anywho, thank you all for your support!